2023 Classroom Tour!

 Hola maestr@s,

 As I walked into my classroom to get ready for the start of the 2023 school year (year 12 for me), a feeling of calm and well-being washed over me. I love my classroom! It's my happy place and I can't wait to see it full of students next week. In the meantime, I thought I would share some of the things I like best about my room to give you some ideas for organizational systems and functional decorations that can make your classroom more useful and joyful.

 

Decor and useful words to post:

 
Of COURSE I need my Super 7 verbs in a couple of tenses and question words in Spanish and English. We use these every single day, so they are at the front of the room flanking my whiteboard (also where my projector projects).

I like having a laminated calendar that I can write on and erase. The pocket chart below is an easy place to put the days of the week and the season.

 

In the corner, I have some student-made posters with colors and clothing, along with the "little words" that make writing easier.

 

Frida says to put away your phone. And if Frida says it, just do it.

Finally, I have my culture map. This is a map of the Spanish-speaking world that I traced on butcher paper, colored with the flags, cut out and laminated. Yes, that took a long time. But it's so nice to look at! It's also useful, because as we learn about cultural topics (foods, celebrations, geography, dance), I post pictures near the country of origin. It makes for a great visual reminder of all the cultures we explore!

 

 

Organization: 

If you are still using turn-in trays, I highly recommend switching to these plastic drawers (available at Wal-Mart and Target). With an enclosed drawer, work never falls out or gets mixed up in the wrong tray. You can label the inside of the drawer with the class period (it's just printer paper taped inside).

I have two areas taped off with blue painter's tape. These areas are where I store student materials that they can access without my permission: pencils, pens, tissues, etc. I also keep my Chrome books and chargers in this area so that it's very obvious where to put things away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encouraging reading:

 

My student library has grown over the years with books I've purchased with grant money. I have them sorted by level. Each book has a dot (green for Novice Low, yellow for Novice Mid-High, red for anything harder) and the shelves themselves also have dots so the students know where to put them back. The shelf is a greeting card or magazine rack that a local store was getting rid of. Best dumpster dive ever! In the middle of the shelf you will see a variety of books with white covers. These are student-created children's books that my Spanish 2 students make as their final project. They do a great job because they know it's their "legacy" in my classroom, but I also make sure I edit the stories thoroughly so my future students are getting quality input.

These comfy chairs are a great incentive for students. Each Friday, I choose two names at random to get to sit in the comfy chairs all class period. The catch is that only students who are silently reading during the entire FVR time that week are eligible to sit in the cozy chairs.

I love doing Special Person interviews (see Bryce Hedstrom's blog for instructions on this awesome activity. But why just use this as one source of input when you can get a bonus one for free? After each Persona Especial interview, I type up a comprehensible biography of the student and print a copy to put in this binder. Ta-da! Now it's a book for your classroom library! These biographies are so popular with my students that I had to make a second copy of the Nosotros somos especiales book and I frequently get students who ask to sit together so they can both read it at the same time. Wow!

 

That's all! I wish you and your students a very happy start to the school year!