Classroom Crashers! :: Indiana

You remember that feeling right before school starts when you are walking down the hallways and you ooh and ahh over all the put-together classrooms? I don't know about you but I am Inspired by all the hard work teachers give to make their classrooms WORK.  It really is amazing.  So, I got to thinking (uh-oh as my husband says)...why can't we share that feeling all year long?  Why not inspire and SHARE all these amazing classrooms with eachother?  Right now!  So, I started a new feature on A Modern Teacher called Classroom Crashers (you can see the first CRASH here).  This has been inspired by HGTV (love!...sarah richardson-where are you?), and Young House Love (love, love, love)...so here's to sharing...everywhere-

Today we are coming at ya from Indiana!!  Wa-hoo.  Christi has so many fabulous ideas. Her kids are L-U-C-K-Y to have her!

First up is her Reading Nook ..or shall I say 'pretty cool mini-public library'?  I mean... the organization! 

Christi says,
"Each tub is clearly labeled to help students browse.  I stick small return address labels on the back corner of each book.  Students simply match the sticker to a basket's label. I also catalog my books. I keep an excel sheet of every book in the library. I can easily sort my books by genre, theme, series, author, etc. This makes pulling books for units fast and efficient.  It's also been useful to have this list while trying to fill the gaps in my offerings.  For example, I realized I didn't have nearly enough biographies after I sorted my books by genre.  Using the list, I'm able to spend money wisely and purchase books that will make our classroom library more well-rounded." 

Wow!  And you can get your FREE labels HERE.

And check out the  College T-Shirt Covered Pillows!  Districts around here are big into promoting colleges (as they should).  What a fabulous idea to cover the pillows with college t-shirts!!

Next up is a cool reward system: Fultzopoly
"I used the Homeworkopoly template and added my own title and game cards. It's a game board similar to the real Monopoly and can be used as a work incentive in your classrooms." Fun!

And last but not least is a great bulletin board idea:
"I use laminated books to track our classroom read alouds during the year. We add picture books used for minilessons and our chapter books too. This is a great way for students to look up books they want to use as a reference or just books for students who have trouble selecting what to read next. I love seeing it fill up during the year."

 Love it! super smart because:

• she has created a system that while at the beginning might take a little more effort, in the long run it SAVES HER MONEY.
• she makes rewards fun by turning it into a game
• she values and appreciates the books she reads...which in turn, helps students value the books..she highlights them, puts them on display...just as if she was putting the kids' work on display.  This creates that sense of pride that goes along with display..and what best to be proud of than the books we read!

So, what do you think?  Did this make you think of something you could do in your own classroom...or value something you are already doing?  What is your favorite part?

A BIG THANK YOU to Christi for letting us peek into her room!  In fact, you can read about so many more of her ideas on her blog: Ms. Fultz's Corner

*hugs Christi*

So, would you like to share a couple of ideas with the teaching community?  The best thing about this is that  you  don’t  have to have a blog but you can :)  AND if you are in the Round Rock, Texas area, I'll come to you.  Just send me some pics, some words, and I'll put it together. amodernteacher@gmail.com   I'd love to CRASH your Classroom!

Have a great weekend friends!