3 Classroom Decor Ideas for the New School Year - #3 Llama Llama Brights

My Llama Llama decor set is near and dear to my heart. This was the first decor set I created. I also used it when I taught my own son in second grade. My classroom was beautiful. I loved the color combo of navy, pink, and lime. It was bright and cheerful without being overwhelming. Let's look at a few of the many pieces in this classroom decor resource.

Llama Llama Decor

I love the llama sayings on this little clip chart for behavior. It is a fun way to keep all the students on task.

These sweet bookmarks are a great gift for students at the beginning of the year or anytime throughout it.

You can see some of the other pieces here as well including calendar pieces, binder covers, posters, alphabet chart, and word wall.

A few more pieces include student desk name tags, labels, and a number line. 

Here is a great way to use the calendar piece in a unique display.

If you want to put a smile on your students' faces, check this out over here.

Classroom Decor Ideas for the New School Year - #2 Woodlands Nature Classroom

I LOVE nature...I mean, I REALLY LOVE nature. Camping, going to the beach, walking in the woods...those things are my jam. I love it so much that I made it my master's degree. I took have my masters in science outdoor education. I want students to enjoy nature as much as I do and find respite in it as well. Nature was my inspiration for this decor. It is a woodland theme with muted natural watercolor elements thrown in as well. Let's take a look at some of the pieces inside this classroom decor set.  

Woodlands Forest Nature Decor

First up is the classroom cash. When I go with a theme, I like to go all in. It isn't just the decor, it is everything. That includes my behavior management system too. I created a set of classroom cash to use with this theme. The cash comes in different increments like real money, but with a woodlands twist. Another part of this is class coupons. I use my coupons in a classroom store. Students can use their money to purchase class coupons for privileges in the classroom. Some of those privileges include things like: take your shoes off in class, line leader for the day, trade spots for the day, show-n-tell/talent show, evens or odds on one assignment for the day, etc. Students go crazy over these coupons. I allow them to be used throughout the year with the expiration date just being the end of the year. 

These are my class book bins. Each student gets one to use to store their library books in. They may have 5 books at a time. I love keeping a neutral colored bin that goes with any theme...black has been perfect, and I have had it for about 5 years. Each year it takes just a few minutes to print out new tags with student names on them. I simply slip them into the pocket on the front of each bin and voila, they are ready to go! I also use these same tags on my classroom library bins.

 

Every early elementary classroom needs a numberline and this one is great in the muted watercolors that are used throughout the set. This line goes up through 120, instead of stopping at the traditional 100. I like my students to see how the numbers above 100 work too. 

Getting a student work display area is a cinch with these full color or blackline posters. I hang student work coming soon posters wherever I will be hanging student work after school starts. It gives each student a spot to add their own assignments in the days ahead and throughout the entire year. 

Students need reminders of keeping the right mindset. These growth mindset posters feature different animals and nature themed pictures with sayings on each one such as, "Mistakes are proof you are trying." or "If at first you don't succeed, you're normal." I love having growth mindset quotes in my class to encourage students to work through the tough challenges. 

This bulletin board display is perfect for the start of the year. Your class of students really IS embarking on an adventure together. This would be the perfect springboard for talking about their hopes and dreams for the year. 

Having math scaffolds are so important, especially as students are learning tough concepts. These multiples posters go up through the 12's and are one of the most used posters in my classroom as students learn their times tables and division facts. 

Having an affirmation station is just an added way to show students their worth. I like having one around a mirror so they can see themselves as they read the affirmations. I have bathrooms in my classrooms, so that is where I hang one. 

I keep a welcome banner on my wall all year. Students see it as they walk into the classroom each morning. It stays all year because I like students to know they are always welcome and a part of my class. 

I like to use voice levels in my classroom to help with classroom management. I can easily use this chart with a clothespin to clip onto the voice level they are suppose to be at. This also has a waiting room to help with class interruptions while teaching small groups as well. 

Up close of some of the growth mindset posters. 

Calendar and other Woodlands themed decor goodness...

You can check this woodlands classroom decor set here. 

3 Classroom Decor Ideas for the New School Year - #1 Bright Emoji Classroom

What type of teacher are you? Do you love a classic classroom look in muted colors? Do you prefer bold and bright colors? Do you want a uniform classroom look? Do you decorate at all? Whatever you do, this blog series of ideas will hopefully inspire you to add a little color to your classroom and give it a look that will excite your students. Let's look at the first option for classroom decor as you set up your classroom for the new year. 

Bright Emoji Classroom Decor

I have had so many fun designs for my classroom through the years. I like to change things up and keep things fresh. Most years I will go with a completely different theme. For several years, I wanted to do a fun emoji theme. I mean, how can I lose out? Students love emojis...it is a part of pop culture right now, so it would be perfect. However, it took me a while to figure out just how I wanted to do it. I didn't really know how to get the vibe I wanted onto the walls of my classroom. So, the idea just stayed there for a few years while I contemplated it. Finally, it all came together for me this past school year. I had a lot of fun combining black and white stripes, neon, and emojis into a place that my students were excited to learn in.

Start with these super fun name tags for your desk. You could also laminate these and give them out for students to use as bookmarks. 

My students went crazy for these classroom coupons. I also have a set of emoji classroom money as well (not pictured here). Use these to reward students for whatever you choose. Some coupons include getting a snack, being line leader, moving their desk for the day, doing show-n-tell or demonstrating a talent, picking their own partner, and many more.

We had a store once a month and students used the money they earned to purchase little prizes like stickers and shoe charms and they could also choose these coupons. 

Number lines are so helpful, especially in the early grades. This neon numberline ties in nicely to the bright emoji line by bringing out the neon colors used throughout the entire set. 

This was how I prepped my student work display before the first day of school. There was one poster for each student and later, the posters came down and their actual work went up. 

Each student in my class receives a book box. Several years back I chose to go with a neutral black color and add in name pockets that could easily be changed out from year to year, but since black goes with pretty much anything, I have been able to make these boxes unique to my theme each year. This one really popped against the black book boxes. I loved it...and so did the students!

Against my large bulletin board, I printed out some of the letters from this set to write the words: choose kind. I added growth mindset posters underneath to inspire the students throughout the year. We went through some of the sayings on the posters and I broke them down to make sure the kids understood the meaning. Then under the board I added large numbers that show the multiples. This was an invaluable chart that students referred to throughout the year to scaffold their learning of the multiplication and division facts. 

I found some super cute lanterns on amazon to hang around from the ceiling and they matched the theme perfectly! 

I even redid my teacher drawers to match my emoji theme. 

Of course you need a matching birthday chart too!

I reprinted labels for my library so they could match the emoji theme. These are the same labels I used for the student reading boxes. I just changed the words and put a number on each label. If you are interested in learning more about how to set your class library up in a way that self-maintains and is super easy, check out this blog post here about my classroom library.  

I have classroom bathrooms, so I hung up a coordinating affirmation station on the bathroom mirror. Students can read positive things about themselves as they wash their hands.

Have you ever used a voice level chart? These are game changers! I love how I can train my students to work at a certain level. In my class, we make the general level number 2, spy talk. That means the students can whisper if they need help or need to ask a quick question. They are NOT suppose to abuse the privilege by talking on and on. If the level needs to be lower or higher, I will let students know. Students can also cause the level to go lower by talking too loudly or too much. When that happens, I will drop the level down. If the level goes to number 1 (Ninja Mode) the students must work silently. I also found this little neon light. I light it up when we go to ninja mode as a visual reminder to my students that they need to stay quiet. 

One of the other things I train my students to do is to work without interrupting me when I am in a small group. Instead of interrupting, they may use the waiting space board. They will simply take the first available number and sit back down, doing what they can. When I get a chance, I will call the numbers one at a time and as they come to see me, they place their number back on the board for someone else to use.

I probably get the most use out of this piece in my classroom. I will not go without this ever again. These large numbers have smaller numbers inside showing the multiples. These have been a game-changer in math class. As students are learning and working with the times tables they have used these as a scaffold. They use them less and less throughout the year as they commit the tables to memory. 

Here is an up-close look at some of the growth mindset posters. 

This banner is not just kept on the wall at the beginning of the year. It is posted throughout the year to remind students that they are always welcome and that they belong. 

Your attitude determines your success has been the mantra of our class throughout the year. I kept this bulletin board up from day one until the end of the year. Students really do have power over their success. A good attitude and willingness to work had definitely determined how they do in class and in life. 

Do you notice the HUGE deficit of students not being able to tell time well using an analog clock? Yeah, me too! I want my students to be able to tell time well, so I remove all digital clocks inside our room and only have analog. These clock numbers are so helpful as students learn to tell time. The words showing quarter after, quarter to, etc. are also very helpful in scaffolding students to be successful while learning to master this skills. 

You can check out the Bright Neon Emoji Decor here.  This decor set comes with much more than you see here, including over 700 pages.

• Bulletin Board Letters
• Affirmation Station
• Binder Covers
• Birthday Chart
• Book Bin Labels
• Bulletin Board Set
• Calendar
• Class Reward Coupons
• Clock Labels
• Decorative Banner
• Desk Name Tags
• Growth Mindset Posters
• Waiting Space
• Student Work Posters
• Table Numbers
• Voice Level Chart
• Communication Binders
• Cursive Alphabet
• Manuscript Alphabet
• Word Wall

If you are looking for some of the other decor featured you can click links below to see the items or similar ones if the original is no longer available.

Emoji paper lanterns

Black and White Striped Paper Lanterns

Colorful Paper Lanterns

Neon Smiley Face Light-up Sign

Emoji Pillows

 

Mother's Day in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Mother's Day is this week and I have a hard time with this holiday in the upper elementary grades if I am being honest. Many of the projects and activities I have seen are perfect for lower grades, but a little too simplistic and cute for my grades. That got me thinking about what I love for Mother's Day. One big thing is words....words mean a lot.

My 3rd-5th graders are getting older and have developed skills for putting things into words. So, I decided to put together a little booklet with my class that moms can cherish for a lifetime. A book filled with kind words from the loves of their lives...their children. 

I decided that I would have the students use many of the same writing skills we have learned over the course of the year. First, they will create an acrostic poem using the word mom or some other variation, depending on what they usually call their mother. Next, they will create a portrait of their mom through their eyes, using what we have learned this year about drawing portraits. 

Students will also use their descriptive skills to create a descriptive paragraph about mom. 

Another part of this project is for each student to write a thank you letter to their mom thanking her for all the things she has done for them. Students will then create a narrative based on their favorite memory of their moms. There is an all about page that asks students to fill in the blanks to sentence stems like, favorite thing mom cooks, what I love about you, and Mom always says. The final part is an opinion piece about why their mom is the very best mom in the world. 

If this doesn't touch a mother's heart and bring happy tears to her eyes, I don't know what will. Moms are amazing and they deserve to be celebrated through thoughtful words. They don't often hear the positives. This will be such a fun surprise for every mom in my classroom. 

You can check out all the details over here if you are interested in learning more.  To save more, you can find the combo pack for Mother's Day and Father's Day for a discount here. 

 

Using Math Mysteries in the Classroom

Have you ever wanted to sprinkle more magic and fun into your math block? Have you ever thought, "I wish I could easily gamify my math class?" Have you ever wondered how you could get your students engaged during math time? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then stay tuned, because I want to introduce you to one way that I am making this a reality in my classroom and how it could work for you too. 

Figure out Which Math Concepts your Students Struggle with Most

What would you say are some of the hardest math concepts that your students learn? I currently teach math for grades 3-5 and some of the hardest are these:

In third grade: rounding and fractions

In fourth grade: long division and fractions

in 5th grade: decimals and fractions

Turn Difficult Math Concepts into Engaging Activities

Once you have identified some concepts that trip your students up and are difficult for them to learn, you have some targeted standards to create engaging activities around. If you have been teaching for longer than a year or two, I am sure you could already identify these difficult concepts. They usually are the same from year-to-year.

Now you need to look at the standards and skills the students cover under these concepts. You want to use as many of these as you can in planning your engaging activities. Usually I like to find about four main concepts that I can use for each activity. I like to do it this way because I love using the engaging activities at the end of a unit, as not only a review, but also as something for students to look forward to. They are more willing to put in the hard work and learn what they need to if they know they will be able to apply their skills in a fun and engaging way at the end of the unit. Of course, it is also possible to sprinkle some fun in throughout the unit, but for now, I want to focus on the culminating activity. 

Examples of Concepts to Include in a Math Activity

For these examples, I am going to use the concepts from our fraction units. 

In third grade, I chose these skills:

• Equal or Unequal
• Unit Fractions
• Fraction Models
• Fraction Lines

In fourth grade, these are the skills I chose: 

• Comparing Fractions
• Finding Equivalent Fractions with Dividing
• Equivalent Fraction Models
• Finding Equivalent Fractions with Multiplying

In fifth grade, I zeroed in on these skills:

• Simplest Form
• Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators
• Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators
• Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers with and without regrouping 

Choose a Theme for your Math Activity

Keep in mind that you are doing this for the students. Think about what they would enjoy or what would benefit them. Sure, you can bring your passions to the table. That is one way to connect what you love to their curriculum. I have done this many times, but don't forget to consider their hobbies, passions and interests as well. 

Some examples of passions of some of my students past and present are: 

• Space
• Soccer
• Football
• Sharks
• Superheroes
• Video Games
• Certain Movies
• Certain Games
• Certain Books

Choose your Math Activity Type

When gamifying your classroom consider some of the following ideas:

• Escape Rooms
• Break Outs
• Mystery Activities
• Interactive Centers
• Games (Board or Card)

Putting my Math Activity Together

For this activity, I knew I wanted to try a mystery theme. I also knew that I wanted to do something with superheroes. I had names like "The Fractionator" Swirling around in my head. Superhero fraction names were coming at me left and right. So that's what I decided to go with. I also have a little boy in my third grade class who is absolutely in love with superheroes. That was an added bonus.

Once I had my ideas, I had to come up with a premise for my activity. Since superheroes save cities, I decided to twist this around and make all of the superheroes undercover bad guys and only one was a good guy. The trick was for each student to figure out which one was the good superhero and they had to find out quickly because time was running out to save the the city. 

With a set up like that, students were engaged immediately and ready to help save the city by solving math mystery puzzles using their newly acquired math skills.  

Math Content Activities

Students engaged in four different challenges to reveal a mystery clue. Each clue told them one of the superheroes that was an imposter. Their job was to solve each clue and reveal the real superhero, saving the city from certain disaster! As students completed a challenge, I checked their secret code and if they were right, they received the next challenge to solve. 

When all four challenges were solved, students earned a prize. More about that later. 

Setting the Stage to Engage

One thing I love doing is transforming my classroom and this was an easy one. I did not spend a ton of money to do this. I was able to print out a banner that said "Mathopolis" which was our fictional city that was under attack. I purchased a banner from Amazon to hang on my board. I covered a few boxes with colored bulletin board paper and added some squares to make them look like windows on buildings. I used the boxes to create a skyline for the city of Mathopolis. These were free to make using things we already had at the school. I had some masks that I had purchased a couple of years ago that I placed on balloons. I taped one to each desk to look like a colorful superhero. I attached a paper cape to the back of each balloon. Each desk had another mask that each student could use to get into character during our math activity. We had superhero music playing in the background. When students completed that challenge and solved the mystery, they received a Tootsie Roll Pop that had been turned into a simple superhero with colorful paper. 

That's it. That was the whole set up. You could do it all, or part of it, or not use any props at all, keeping it very basic. Here are some affiliate links to things I used in this transformation. I love finding pieces that I can reuse from year to year or use form other transformations as well. You can click the pictures to be taken to my Amazon storefront.

The masks I purchased are no longer available, but these are similar to mine.