I have a class of 21 students this year, and are they SUUUHHH - WEEEEEET! I am so lucky.... really! I'm still loving those fabric colored bulletin boards I put up before school started. I did move my library from in front of the windows to the back corner where my reading table was. I felt so crammed back there in the corner. And I think my students felt it gave them permission to goof off during "read to self" time. Umm, no, that's not OK! Plus, I struggle in the winter with seasonal affective disorder (self-diagnosed). So moving the reading table in front the of windows is perfect. I need to be in the light during the winter. I even set up a sofa table in front of the dining room window at home to work at on weekends, when I'm actually home while the sun is up.
Here's how I spruced up the back corner where I moved the class library:
Christmas lights on my ficus tree make it cozy!
Here's how the reading table looks in front of the windows:
Did you notice that I'm no longer using the stools I fixed up this summer? That's because the kids rocked on them constantly, and I was afraid they would break. Some of my colleagues didn't like to sit on them at meetings in my room, either. So, I did what any other teacher would do... I gave them to Goodwill and ordered the cute black ones from IKEA. At first I wanted the aqua ones, but they're available only at the store, and I needed mine shipped. The nice thing about the black is how they kind of disappear when you look into the room, which means my room looks neater than it is! Bonus!
We've had four days this month with wind-chills too low to have school. I don't think we've EVER had four days off in a year. And all in January! On cold days when we're at school and the windchill is just below zero, we have indoor recess. I take the curtains down then, to let in more light. They're only purpose is to keep my class from watching other kids on the playground, so if no one is going to be out there for the day, we enjoy the view.
This week begins my turn to work with students in a reading intervention program. At our school, we meet as a grade level with our reading specialist, principal, and learning strategists every six weeks to determine which students require more reading intervention than can be provided in the classroom. The four teachers take turns teaching a round of intervention to a small group, and our reading specialist does two or three groups as well as one or two kiddos who need one-on-one help. So I will begin meeting with two cutie pie girls from my colleagues' rooms on Tuesday through Fridays from 9:00 to 9:30. I chose this time because my daily literacy aide will be in the classroom to lead the class through the morning greeting, calendar routine, shared reading, and brain break. Then I'll be back to present the reading mini-lesson and carry on with reading workshop. This is going to be my first time EVER leading an intervention group, and I'm really excited!
Next time I'll show you the little room where we meet and tell you about the work we do there. How do your students receive reading intervention?
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I'd love to hear from you! Catherine