Like any teacher, I have a hard time resisting buying new things for the next school year. This year is turning out to be a challenge because I have only seen my new classroom once, and it only has ONE bulletin board. Yes, ONE! It is a smaller square board too, and then the only other board is a whiteboard which is twice it's size. So, I'm a little nervous about that. I think I will have to get creative with those concrete blocks!
But here are a few things I love to get every year for my room!
1. Large Post-It pad.
I love using this paper for anchor charts and for small groups. Usually I just get the Post-It pad itself, but this year I am going to try the one that has the Dry Erase board on the other side.
2. Borders from Creative Teaching Press.
Before I knew I was going to have zero bulletin board space, I knew I wanted to simplify my "theme" and colors. To be honest, I can't pull off a great theme very well, and I loved the simplicity of Kristen's room over at Ladybug Teaching Files. So I wanted to do black and white, and then throw in some bright colors, like lime and hot pink. Still not sure how it will turn out in my room, but I like the basic idea of it!
3. Post-it Flags.
I purchased "Be a Guided Reading Guru" from Lesson Plan SOS last summer and then didn't get to use it because our district adopted a brand new curriculum. This year, I am going to use it. In her packet, she uses the different colored flags to correspond with a thinking strategy for reading. I would love to try it, since it seems much more simpler than things I have done in the past!
4. How Full is Your Bucket?
Our administration read this book to our kids a few years ago, and I have used bits and pieces of the overall idea to motivate my kids to be nice! This year, I plan to have a board (somewhere!) where the kids each have a library pocket and can earn "bucket filler cards" for doing nice things for their classmates. I love the classrooms that do the actual buckets and fill them with pom poms, but because of space, I am going to try it this way.
So, I know I have purchased more things, but here are some of the basics. I am back to being a "new" teacher again since I am in a new district, so orientation starts August 1st. I can't believe how soon that is coming up!
Amazing how our summer seems to end sooner than we are mentally ready for it to! Time flies when you are having fun!
ReplyDeleteGood luck at your new district! I am sure you will be great!
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If there is a Staples by you, you should stop in this week to stock up on their brand of Post-it flags. You can get 4 per transaction for only a quarter. I'm also in a new classroom this year where my bulletin board space is very limited. I took Jodi's tip from Clutter-Free Classroom to hot glue black poster board (50 cents each from Dollar Tree) to the cinder block walls and then put up a border or duct tape. It worked great and can be used to create a display space where you don't have an actual bulletin board.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea Lauren! We are not allowed to hot glue, but there is probably another way to put it up!
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