Classroom Photo Galleries

Maria’s Classroom

“My classroom is us and we are it. My classroom is where we like to learn and it looks like all of our thoughts!” If you’ve read the book The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater, you’ll recognize this mantra. In the fall, visitors to our classroom see a lot of books and furniture, but little else hanging on the walls (or ceilings!). Together, my students and I create the learning environment pictured in the photos. You can find more information about the anchor charts we create in our books and in the anchor chart section of the website. Happy Browsing!

 

 So Many Books, So Little Spacey

As you will see when you browse this section of the photo gallery, my classroom is overflowing with books because I am a children’s book fanatic! Many teachers ask, “How do you organize ALL of the kids’ books?” In the photos that follow, I will show you my evolving book organization plan. Obviously, in the early years of my teaching career, I didn’t have as many books. So, as the number of books grew and my thinking and learning about independent reading developed, the way I’ve chosen to organize the kids’ books has changed. Join me on my book organization journey . . .

Literacy-Focused Bulletin Board

If I’m going to spend my precious planning time thinking of a bulletin board idea and my students’ valuable learning time creating it, I want the result to be meaningful. In addition, I’m also hopeful that the bulletin board we create is learning opportunity for anyone who happens to walk by!

Explore the W.O.R.L.D.

One of the biggest challenges when teaching young readers is helping children learn how to engage in independent literacy activities while you are guiding readers individually or in small groups. After reading about, and trying, many different techniques, Kathy and I create one that has worked for us and for many others who’ve visited my classroom. In our book Month-by-Month Reading Instruction for the Differentiated Classroom, Katherine and I share our thinking about Explore the W. O. R. L. D. time, here you will find some additional photos and ideas to get you started.