Week-end Randomness

Look what I've been up to this week....

Yep, that's what my room looked like when I walked in this week.  Actually, I had been in one time before and moved two bookshelves and left.  Haha.  No, really, I had the kid with me and he was way too bored.  This is what happened:  

At the end of the first day of mission: organization, this is what the room looked like:

I arranged the desks first, on the advice of a seasoned veteran.  I was complaining how it's just so overwhelming when you first walk in and you just don't know where to start!  In a previous post, I wrote about how I still was unsure how I wanted to arrange my room.  Well, I decided to make the group meeting area in front of the Smart Board.  I arranged the desks in tables scattered around that meeting area.  I need to buy another rug because the one I have is too small, but you can see the corner of it in the bottom right picture.  In the top picture, I have organized my library.  Once that was done, it finally started to feel like a classroom again.  I organize my library by genre.  I use the black dishpans you can buy at the Dollar Tree.  The red bins came from Scholastic when my district ordered 900 books for each grade level!  I try to keep them separate as best as I can, so the Scholastic books go in the red bins and the books I have purchased go in the others.  

You might see I have some bulletin boards already done.  I actually left some things up from last year because I knew they weren't going to be painting.  My Daily 5 posters are still up, but that was just an oversight and I will be taking them down because I make them with my students while we are launching each component of Daily 5.  

My first official day back is not until Tuesday, but I am working Monday as though it is a real work day.  My mom is actually going to come in and scan books into my Booksource app while I do other things around the room.  It's always nice to have a helper and to help me stay focused.  Otherwise, I end up spending a lot of time talking to friends and coworkers that I haven't seen all summer!  

Another little excitement in my life is...da-da-dah...

That's right, I ordered an Erin Condren teacher planner!  I went back and forth, and I found one similar on Etsy that was less-expensive, but she really sold me on that You Tube video posted on the EC site!  I decided I MUST have one.  So I spent a little extra dough and added extra checklists and additional plastic page protectors and hopefully it will be everything I hoped it would be.  

Another really random thing from this week, but kinda goes along with my EC planner is these new pens...

Have you seen these yet?  They are Pilot Frixion GEL pens...that are ERASEABLE!!  What?!  AYFKM?  That's short for "Are You Freaking Kidding Me?!"  They are amazing!!!  Someone I follow on Twitter tweeted about them and how they are on sale on Amazon, so I splurged.  I bought two sets.  That's how much I KNEW I was going to love these pens.  And my expectations are exceeded.  Yes, they are that amazing.  And they're super colorful, and so much fun to use to write in my new EC planner!!  By the way, they are still on sale and the $2 clickable coupon is still active, so go buy them now!  

One last exciting thing that happened this week is...

Yep, that's what you think it is.  The Quiestest Pencil Sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies.  

You know what that means?  A review and a giveaway is coming soon!!

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Thoughts on Classroom Arrangements

I am still on vacation, but I'm reading Twitter, following blogs, and pinning away. It seems as though I'm the only teacher on the planet not in the classroom preparing for the new school year. This is my second vacation this summer. We did the two-vacation thing last year and I loved it. We took a larger-scale family vacay in June, then a smaller "end-of-summer celebration vacation" if you will in August. It was actually a surprise trip from my family for my big 3-0, but it was a great way to say goodbye to summer.  I loved it so much, I decided to try it again this summer. The kid and I accompanied my husband on a business trip to Atlanta, then hopped on a plane to see my sister and her husband in Orlando. We hadn't seen them since the surprise trip last August, so we were really looking forward to it. I'm going to blog about both trips with pictures when I return home. 

What I want to write about today is different classroom arrangements. I got rid of my desk last year. I was really worried I would miss it, but I really didn't. I never sat at my desk during class anyways, so I just used my kidney table as a "desk," which I only sit at in the morning during check-in and during small groups. I also brought in another kidney table for my co-teacher. She spent most of the afternoon reading block in my classroom, so she really needed a space of her own.  I wish I had pictures, but essentially both kidney tables were in the back of the room, along with our library area. I would like to move things around this year, here are some thoughts:

General Classroom Layout:

I've always wanted my small group area in front of the Smart Board. It makes sense to be able to make charts, hop on the Internet, or display something necessary for a read aloud or lesson.  My biggest concern with that, though, is that creating this space in front of the board takes away space for desks when I want students to learn from there and see the Smart Board.  I also saw an arrangement where the teacher moved her small group table to the center of the room.  I really liked that idea (again, to be able to utilize the Smart Board during small groups, and also it seems like it might be better to monitor behaviors during Daily 5 and math workshop.  

Library Area:

I've always loved the library area in my classroom. I have three long bookshelves full of books and one tall bookcase I brought from home. I bought paper lanterns at Target this summer to hang in the library area for softer lighting. I like students to be able to sit in the library to read and relax. In the past, I've also used this space as a meeting area. My biggest problem with my library last year is that some of my students chose to sit there and goof around while I was with a small group and couldn't see them. My first thought is to not make my library so "closed off" but my gut tells me this could happen no matter where my library is in the room. I also need to think about if I want to maintain the library as my meeting area. If not, I can have it be a smaller area in the room. 

Computer Area:

I have three desktop computers provided by the district in my classroom. They have to be against the wall in my classroom because of wall outlets and Internet connections. I also have three Google Chromebook computers that I got through Donor's Choose last Christmas. The Chromebooks are more mobile, but I like them to be plugged in throughout the day when not in use. Last year, I had another table that formed "L" next to the desktop computers. I think I like the idea of all of the computers being in the same location, but they don't have to be. Hmm...now that's got me thinking!!

Your thoughts??

How are you arranging your classroom this year?  Do you change your layout each year or essentially keep it the same?  Anyone else remove their teacher desk from the room? 

Well, off I go to look at more classroom layouts on the 'net! 

Book Talk Thursday-The False Prince

If you have not read this book yet, RUN, don't walk to your nearest bookstore and pick it up.  I say bookstore because it's so good I imagine there will be a LONNGG wait list at the library.  Would you believe me if I say this is more than likely the best fantasy book I have read since The Hunger Games?  I know, The Hunger Games isn't technically fantasy...but I think you get the idea.  It is really, really, really good!

Ok...on to the synopsis.

Sage is an orphan in the kingdom of Avenia.  You can tell right away that he gets into a lot of trouble, but it always seems like it is for the greater good.  A wealthy man buys Sage from the orphanage and Sage quickly realizes this man has a purpose.  There are three other boys with him that were also orphans and they all somewhat look alike.  The man tells the boys right off the bat that he is looking for a boy that will replace the prince of Carthya, who was thought dead four years ago when his ship was overtaken by pirates.  He wants the prince to become king so that he will be able to rule Carthya from the background.  Sage and the other boys are taken to the man's home in Farthenwood to train and become The False Prince.

Right away, you will fall in love with Sage.  He is feisty, but you can tell has a good heart.  I like his spunk and his attitude.  The character development in this book is amazing.  You will also find some twists and turns in this book.  I predict a lot when I'm reading, and I'm often right, which sometimes ruins the book for me.  I did not predict a few plot twists, which made me love the book that much more!

The chapters in this book are also very short, which I think makes the book great for a read-aloud.  After I gushed and gushed about this book for a few days, my husband very quietly snuck it into his carry-on so he could take it on his next business trip to read!

And guess what?  This book is the first in a TRILOGY!  Yay!  The Runaway King is already out (and I am currently reading it!) and the third book, The Shadow Throne is due out March 1, 2014.  Also, I was checking out Jennifer Nielsen's website and it looks like The False Prince has been optioned by Paramount Pictures!!  Go read this book RIGHT NOW!