1A is Ready for the 2014-2015 School Year

I'm over a week late but at least I'm sharing. On Monday I welcomed 20 new first graders to 1A. This is the first year we've had Sneak-A-Peek the Monday before classes started and I loved it because it gave me more time to prepare!  

     My students were greated with these goodies on their desks. 

The poem idea came from Cara on Instagram last year and got the Donut freebie from Farley. Let's just say that I had 20 happy, sugared up kiddos leaving my room on Monday. I went big this year because I have a sweetie I was told is completely resistant to school.  My number one goal is to get everyone on board the "First Grade is the Best and the place to be" train as quickly as possible!  So my new teammate and I laid it on thick I'm pretty sure it worked. 

All the kids loved checking out our new classroom. Here's a tour for you: 

This is a the view from the front of the room looking back. You can see our class library in the middle, to the left is our writing center and hidden to the right is my assistants' desk. 

This is the view from from the back. Our white board is divided into 3 parts; calendar area, projection area and Michelle's amazing focus wall along with our brownie pan. The bulletin board to the left is where I will put all our math anchor charts, vocabulary cards and graphs. In the small bookshelf I have my bin of monthly read alouds. Next to it I have my glider and behind that my library of leveled readers. On Wednesday our new rug will be delivered and our meeting area will be complete. 

This is a shot of window side of our classroom. It shows my teacher table. Which is also where all my small group instruction will happen. I got rid of my desk two years ago and haven't looked back. Though this year I'm having trouble storing my supplies. Here you can also see my easel set up for our I Can Statements. 

This is more of the window wall; the bookshelf next my table has all our word work materials. 

  This is the side where the door is. My new interactive word wall is ready to go as soon as you walk in. 

I will be posting words on rings so the children can take the ring they need to their seat or work area and use it. 

The children's book boxes and cubbies are on this side. 

This is a little close up of the station I set up for my amazing two assistants. I made sure to have flowers and one of Michelle's Facebook freebie printables frames for thier first day. When I left Friday it looked like this: 

I love how student work brightens the room even more. 

A close up of my library and of the kids book boxes 

I've since hung the pocket chart seen on the cubby it holds the kids bucket labels for bucket filling.  

I change my classroom a bit each year and this year feel I have it even closer to perfect for me. I used products from these lovely ladies: 

Michelle Oakes Fabulous in First: 

Just Frame It 

Let's Focus (focus wall) & various other printables 

Hope King Elementary Shenanigans:

Brights and Stripes: Owls 

Organize My Supplies Can Labels

Reading Strategies Subway Art 

Desire to Inspire Subway Art 

Cara Carroll The First Grade Parade:

Chevron Classroom Decor Bundle 

Chalk One Up for Being Organized 

Maria Monroe Kinder Craze:

Classroom Library Labels Black

Cheryl Saoud Primary Graffiti 

Bucket Fillers 

The student made projects that are on display are from 

Lyndsey Kuster A Year of Many First:

Beginning of the Year Activities (1st Grade) 

Michelle Oakes Fabulous in First:

Back to School Behavior