Around the Classroom 2012-2013

I know it's a little late for a classroom tour but, to be honest, I change things around in my classroom so much that there is always time for an update!  I just get bored with the current set up or it just doesn't completely "work" and so off I go, rearranging!  Keeps things exciting for me and the kids!

 I have all of the students assigned to certain days for book shopping.  Students are supposed to keep enough books in their book bin to last at least a week, and at fourth grade that usually isn't an issue.  This keeps my classroom library an open space for reading or conferencing, rather than a place to continuously search for books. 

 

 I post my learning targets daily so that students know what we are working on.  I try to link these to CCSS (Common Core State Standards) as I start to wrap my brain around them.  I like to post them as "I Can..." statements so that students have goals about what they should be able to walk out the door saying.  I post learning targets for science, social studies, math, writing, and reading.

 

 This is where we keep track of all the books that we have read during the year.  This really helps when we start making connections and when we are talking about theme - we can look back and remember the books and the stories so that helps when we are reflecting on central themes or messages in stories. 

 

I keep track of books students read and the pages they are reading (I will post more on this later) and at the beginning of each new month, I have a poster of the top readers in the class to get a small prize.  It is super motivating to have their names on "the list"!