Thursday, July 18, 2013

CAFE Menu


My CAFE menu plan has changed 5 times in the past 2 weeks! Now I wish I would have taken pictures along the way...I just could not decide on how I wanted it to look. I ran into a few problems in my planning:
1) The menu is on a chalkboard, which I thought was identical in size to the chalkboard in my old classroom. However, it is about 8 inches shorter in height. My menu cards were barely fitting last year, and now I have less space. So, I decided to put the headers above the chalkboard.
2) I had just ordered some pretty new car door magnets from Vista Print to use as my headers. :( Obviously, my wall is not magnetic, so they would not work with my new arrangement. Thus began my search for new menu headers. I ended up using the editable labels that I purchased from Kristen Doyle.

I think I'm finally happy with the results. Who knows, maybe it will change again next week. :) I went to school early today to finish it off:


Since there are so many more comprehension strategies than any other category, I decided to make 2 rows for the cards on my menu. This is my over-flowing menu from last year:


A side note about CAFE: there are some super-cute CAFE menu bundles floating around on the internet that include headers and cards. I highly suggest you allow the children to write out the menu cards. The Sisters themselves have said that numerous companies have approached them about making CAFE and Daily 5 products, but they will never accept any of the offers, because it is so important for kids to take the ownership for their own learning. Their cards may not look as pretty as the ones that can be purchased online, but they LOVE being "experts" on strategies, and they take pride in writing out that menu card!

I am off to Joann Fabrics to buy fabric for my bulletin boards, and to St. Vincent De Paul's for some book shopping! One last tip I wanted to share: I keep a sample of my classroom trimmers and other patterns in a baggie in my purse, so that when I'm out shopping I don't have to wonder if something is going to match. It has been very helpful!


Time spent working on room yesterday and today: 4 hours
Cumulative hours: 80.5
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3 comments:

  1. KirstenJuly 28, 2013 at 4:39 PM

    I like your menu! I am going to put my CAFE on my chalkboard as well. I haven't quite figured it all out yet.
    Kirsten
    Mrs. Wilson's Class

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    1. WI TeachJuly 28, 2013 at 7:36 PM

      Thanks! Last year I used double-sided tape to hang the laminated paper. It stayed up all year, but it made a mess on the chalkboard when I took it down. This time I used Stikki Wax, which seems to come off a little cleaner. Just a little tip! :)

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  2. AnonymousJuly 28, 2013 at 7:48 PM

    My CAFE board is on a magnetic white board. I use magnet tape on the back of the strategy cards to hang them. Then you don't need the magnetic clips, which saves a little bit of room. I like the idea of having more room for comprehension strategies!

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