This customized poster from vista prints decorates my desk:
Here is our book nook. The READ on top of the bookshelf was a project I did with my children this summer. We saved cardboard until we had enough to tape pieces together to make the shape of the letters we needed. Then, we painted them! The R and the A are wrapped in yarn.
The bins on the shelf are from the Dollar Tree and are labeled based on chapter book series or genre.
All 2nd grade classes at our school have a tradition of catching and studying caterpillars and watching them transform into monarch butterflies. The unit will be new to me, but I'm super excited to be part of a long standing tradition!
This wine rack was an awesome rummage sale find. I transformed it into a community supply center. I filled the wine bottle slots with plastic cups from the Dollar Tree and colorful buckets from the dollar aisle in Target. I try not to keep any supplies hidden in my desk. They are free for anyone to borrow.
Here is a poor picture, but one of my favorite additions to my room this year. This is a shot of the hallway where student work is displayed. Our work is worth TWEETING about! #Mrs.Krause'sClass is a play on Twitter which many 2nd graders might not quite understand, but I enjoy the subtle humor! The birds are constructed out of scrapbook paper.
The clothespins each have a tack glue to the back of them. The tack sticks into the cork strip and you can turn the clothespins easily. This comes in handy when you have a small piece of work to display (turn the clothespins toward each other) OR a wide piece of work to display (turn the pins slightly away from each other)
My filing cabinets were stuck back in the corner. Yes, it is nice to get them out of the way, but I wanted to use them as a bulletin board. I really only have I true bulletin board in my room and I have a ton of material that needs to be displayed, so I made my own magnetic board by putting two of my filing cabinets back to back. This is our language arts focus wall. I love it! This will be changed every week to display certain skills we are working on for the week. The purple one in the middle is a pocket chart (Target Dollar Aisle) and says "Vocabulary Words." The clear pocket on the left (also Target Dollar Aisle) says "Story Title". I can either write the title on the pocket with a dry erase marker or slip a picture of the Story of the week into the pocket! AWESOME! The other headings are Comprehension Skill, Genre, Phonics Skill, and Grammar Skill. I have genre posters and comprehension skill posters that will be slipped into the pockets. I plan on simply writing on the grammar/phonics skill pocket.
This is also one of my favorites. The behavior chart is on the left. Each student will get his/her name on a clip, and the clip will always begin on "Ready to Learn" (the green sheet). Based on behavior, students may move down the ladder to the "Slow Down" sheet or the "Teacher's Choice" sheet for negative behavior. Consequences will be given to those whose clips move to the orange sheet. Students also have the opportunity to move up the ladder for positive behavior! If a student should reach the very top, an excellent eagle ticket will be handed out. I will collect all excellent eagle tickets at the end of each week and award prizes.
I also love the objective part of our board. Each picture frame (Dollar Tree) with scrapbook paper behind the glass will serve as a write-on/wipe-off objective board. Assignments will be recorded next to their respective subjects.
Here is my inspiration. I found this bulletin board on pinterest. Thanks Mrs. Griffies in room 14!
Here is my version of Mrs. Griffies board. This will be right outside of my door, welcoming my students into their new room. I should know the names of my students soon, so I will be able to write their names on the puzzle pieces! The puzzle pieces and border were both found in the Target dollar aisle.
This is our word wall. The last three words on each of our spelling tests are some of the most frequently used words by 2nd graders. We will be placing these on our wall. Soon enough our word wall will be filled with the most commonly used words, and the students will be able to use the word wall as a reference for the rest of the year. The pendants on the top are made of yarn and scrapbook paper.
The tops of the lockers hold our butterfly books for our unit.
The book boxes in the lockers will be used to hold on-level books and other materials we will be using for The Daily 5!
I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour of our classroom.
