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Posts Tagged ‘bulletin boards’

The city of Reading

The city of Reading

I spent last week in Pennsylvania and worked in the city of Reading. How appropriate! (It’s pronounced red-ding, though). My drive there included driving through farmland in Lancaster County (where I grew up) and passing through city streets with woods in the background. Pennsylvania means “Penn’s Woods.”

School starts here this week, and the 3rd-6th grade teachers I was with did a great job of working together to plan for starting stations in the next few weeks. We brainstormed which stations they’d use first, how they’d introduce them, and even did a few together. During breaks, I peaked into classrooms.

One 6th grade classroom had wall to wall cabinets on two walls. The teacher is looking for solutions of how to hang things on the doors for display, since there is virtually no wall space. Sixth graders keep their things in these “lockers” behind the doors and open them frequently. Any suggestions??? Please post your ideas so they can be shared!

 

A farm in Lancaster County, PA

A farm in Lancaster County, PA

Bulletin boards covered in the same color red

Bulletin boards covered in the same color red

How would you use these cabinets for display?

How would you use these cabinets for display?

Organized supplies in sixth grade

Organized supplies in sixth grade

Playing "guess my word" during the inservice

Playing "guess my word" during the inservice

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We worked together last week to give Polly’s classroom a whole new look! She said that last year she moved things around every few weeks, but it never really felt right. 

We started with a plan for instruction, and that makes all the difference. As part of our summer workshop in Ozark, we met in Polly’s room and mapped out the classroom with her. Teachers gave suggestions for furniture placement (and the “why” behind their reasoning), and then Polly and I planned where to place each instructional space.

Together, we moved all the stuff. We changed the color scheme in the room to make it flow, too. This is the first room where I’ve used black as a background on bulletin boards. I love it! The charts Polly hangs will really show in this new space. The built-ins are a funky color, so that’s why we used black and white with it. Now Polly’s room is ready for instruction, and she shouldn’t have to move furniture around at all.

Take a look at these before and after pics!

Looking into the old classroom

Looking into the old classroom

Looking into the new, fresh classroom

Looking into the new, fresh classroom

The old library was sort of sad

The old library felt crowded in the middle of the room

A couple of pillows cheer up the library

This cozy new library feels inviting

Looking at the old shelves in Polly's classroom

Looking at the old shelves in Polly's classroom

Some new fabric and a new bulletin board freshen up the shelves

Some new fabric and a new bulletin board freshen up the shelves

Remember the old whol-group area?

Remember the old whole-group area?

Here is the whole-group area after the makover

Here is the whole-group area after the makover

And at last, look at these great new bulletin boards!

And at last, look at these great new bulletin boards!

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