This is a closer look at the table tops. Each student has a name tag and a cup. In their cup they keep their crayons and a pencil. They use their cup at their desk, but they also carry them around to their centers. They will use these cups all year long. Each month I give the students a new paper insert and they can decorate their cup for each season or holiday. They love it!
At the end of each table there is a cabinet. The cabinets are color coded to match the tables! I love when things match!!! The top shelf of this cabinet keeps my SLB (Structured Language Basics) items organized. We need alphabet mats, alphabet strips, alphabet letters, mirrors, dry erase boards and dry erase markers. On the bottom shelf there is a container for center work.
This is my centers board. I have 8 literacy centers and 8 math centers. We do 2 literacy and 2 math centers per day.
Here is my AR apple tree. If my first graders need to take an AR test, they put their apple on the tree next to the next available number. It has worked very well the past few years.
This year I am trying two word walls. The picture above is going to be my "Fancy Words" word wall. As we read our 'Treasures' stories and learn new vocabulary words we will add them to our fancy word wall. Then, after they have been on there a few weeks I will move them over to my 'Outlaw Word Wall.' This word wall will be for our spelling words that don't follow the rules and for our fancy words once I move them over. We'll see how this goes this year!
Morning Work
I wasn't really a fan of morning work......that is...until I started this system last year, and now I love it! Now their morning work has meaning and they are reviewing a different skill daily. When my students come in they look in their yellow morning work folder. In their folder is a calendar, they look on the calendar to see what morning work drawer they have for the day. Each drawer is a different skill. I have 11 drawers that are a review paper that they turn in to me. Then, I have 11 drawers that are review games. When they are finished with their morning work they raise their hand and I take a quick look and put a smiley face on their morning work calendar. It is so easy and a quick review first thing in the morning. Every 22 days I will put new papers and games in the drawers.
These are a few examples of the games and papers in the drawers. I will put these on Teachers pay Teachers soon! This is a game where they write their sight words with their finger in tempra paint in a plastic bag.
Here they pull out that baggie of blue hair gel and put it on top of each letter and trace it with their finger.
On this one they shake that bag of beans and then write 10 words they can read, and then they read them to me before I give them a happy face on their morning work folder.
Write the room......
This is one of their favorites. They get to stamp their sight words in play-doh!
