Classroom Library & Labels

Today I worked on labeling things around my classroom. I spent some time on Monday and Tuesday making labels, cutting them out, laminating, and then cutting again. I labeled my student book bins first:

A little info about how I manage book bins: every student has their own book bin, which I purchased from Really Good Stuff. They are allowed to keep up to 7 books in their bins, only one of which can be a chapter book. When they arrive in the morning, they have a few simple "jobs" to complete, and then they are free to shop for books until the bell rings. When they are finished, they read silently at their tables. They are also allowed to book shop at recess time. I used to have assigned days for students to book shop, but I found that the more control I hand over to the kids, the more smoothly my classroom runs. I also tried many different "bell work" routines throughout my first 4 years of teaching, and I finally figured out that just letting them read works the best for me.

This is the first summer that I have not re-organized my classroom library! I did do a quick weeding out of books that were not read very often, or were falling apart. My library is organized by genre, author, topic, and series. Each bin is numbered, and all books in that bin contain a sticker with the matching number. I used to organize my library with pictures printed out on address labels, or different colored stickers. I found that numbers work best, because the bins are in numerical order on the shelves, so students can find them more quickly. I have used this system for the past 3 years, and I very rarely find a book out of place (maybe 5 per year).

My bins were purchased through Discount School Supply during my first year of teaching (they have nearly doubled in price-yikes!). I decided to re-organize my library over winter break, and I spent all of my Christmas money on these sturdy bins. When looking for bins I wanted ones that were clear, and allowed the covers to be facing out. Both of these features allow students to browse books more easily.

Here is a picture of my whole library:

Picture books:

Chapter books, magazines, and dictionaries:

Here is my finished teacher toolbox:

And, finally, my baskets that contain teaching materials for every day of the week:

I am so glad to have this tedious task finished! All of the labels I used were made by Kristen Doyle (edited by myself). Visit her Teachers Pay Teachers store here.

Time spent working on room this week (including cutting, laminating, etc.): 14
Cumulative hours: 59

Getting Started

While I was waiting for the cleaning crew to finish up in my classroom last week, I did some planning. I took pictures of each wall after the room was cleared out. I then printed the pictures on computer paper, and used them to plan my bulletin boards and wall space.

My room was all ready to go last Wednesday already! I spent about 2 hours last week, and 6 hours today at school. The first thing I did was put all of the furniture back exactly how I wanted it. This is where my craziness comes out a bit. You know how it's really annoying when your students' desks or tables shift during the school day? During the summer, right when the cleaning crew is finished in my classroom, I like to put my tables exactly where I want them during the school year. That way they have 2+ months to make a little dent in the carpet. During the school year, they barely shift, and when they do, they always fall right back into their little dents.

Next, I began putting some things out on the shelves, such as my classroom library bins. Due to the fact that I don't have any "working corners" (every corner is taken up by either built-in cabinets, counters, or the door), I had to place all of my classroom library book cases along one wall. I love seeing cute, cozy library corners, so this is a bit of a bummer. :( Here is a peak at my classroom library so far (I am going to re-do the labels this summer):

My big project today was organizing my teacher desk materials. As mentioned in a previous post, I decided to get rid of my teacher desk. I decided to make a teacher toolbox for my office supplies. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, search "teacher toolbox" on Pinterest.) I still have to cover the drawers in scrapbook paper and add labels, but this is what it looks like so far:

I also needed something to hold papers that need to be filed, and books/resources that I use frequently. I found the PERFECT solution in a closet of old, unused materials (it needs a good coat of spray paint):

Next, I organized the rest of my desk items that would not fit in the teacher toolbox:

Here is my finished "teacher desk" area:

I am LOVING my room without a desk so far! It freed up so much space, and it really forced me to get organized. I never realized how much "junk" was shoved in my desk drawers.

Here is what my room looked like at the end of the day today:

(Note: It drives me crazy that the SMART board is not centered in the middle of the room!)

Time spent working on room last week & today: 8 hours

Cumulative hours: 28.5