Classroom Makeover 4: The Final Reveal

Welcoming our new class is a bulletin borad outside the classroom. We welcome the children by writing something we know good about each child. This information comes from last year's teacher on a promotion form or if the student is new to the school, it comes from the parent registration information. The parents always stop to see what we have written. Each classroom K-5 has the same type of welcoming board outside their classroom. Welcome New Peeps!

We decided to put our behavior system one of the large bulletin boards at the front of our classroom. Our system was explained to parents at Orientation. The board at the top of the picture below is our chart for "Chicken Change." Below the title is a list of the children in the classroom. Each child can earn a tally mark any time during the day. The idea is to "catch them being good." Twenty tally marks at the end of the week earns the child a chance to go to the Treasure Box which is party favor treats, small candies, and Happy Mean-type treats, mostly sent in by parents. At the bottom of the bulletin board, each child has a library pocket. We can add a green clothespin if the child has to be warned about breaking a rule, a red clothespin and the loss of a privilege for a second offense in the same day and a note or call home for a third offense. The color clip is noted on the calendar on the back of each child's Home-School folder and is used at report card time to base a Behavior Grade.

 The area below is our Guided Reading area. Small groups meet with the teacher and use the leveled sets of readers on the shelf. The teachers' notebook or running records, notes and DRA2 forms are also found in this area. While all of the supplies are kept in this area, a second small group meets in the front of the room.

We always want to use every space. The peek into our closet in the next photo shows a small area where small groups of children meet with a teacher. They all sit on the floor. The floor has a carpet and also houses five tubs, one for each table, where children keep their backpacks and jackets.

Book-of-the-month is a Chets Creek tradition. The principal has already introduced the August-September book.

Everything is ready for the children. Later this week I will be snapping pictures in the eight first grade classrooms at Chets Chets so stay tuned...