CLASSROOM SETUP 2023 DAY 1 || it's good to be back 

I have desks that don’t have storage attached so I use a three drawer system for each group and they’re labeled for three to four different subjects. I used caddy’s on top and in different colors. I got the drawers from target last summer for $12 each.

2nd grade. I had tables last year but am trying desks this year. So much talking and lots of opportunities for distraction. For storage, I used tall square stacking bins from Dollar Tree. They had a design cut out of the sides. Each table had one that sat in the middle. It comfortably held 4 folders, 8 notebooks, and 4 Chromebooks with plenty of room left. Teach them to take care of the bin and keep it organized--It pays off. I replaced them mid-year, but they could have easily lasted all year. Pencil boxes stayed on the table, but just pushed to the edge. An easy solution would be to just have them hang their bookbag on the back of their chair. I always had bad luck with book bins being too full and falling over. I was interested in what could go in those elongated board spaces. Most photos of vintage classrooms show student artwork, the alphabet, or a number line in those spaces. I can't tell if it is true bulletin board material or chalk in your room. If it is chalk, then using chalk markers to add a mural would look awesome. The space is less than ideal but adds so much character to your room. Good luck!

My entire school has tables K-6th. There are maybe 2-3 dozen desks in the entire building. It was disconcerting when I taught 6th grade Math/Science/Social Studies the last 2 months of the 2021-2022. Last year, I taught 5th grade ELA. This year, I will teach Social Studies, too. We're departmentalized. We do use book bins. My school bought most of them, but I had some already, and bought some. We use a 3 ring notebooks which they keep in the bin. They keep all their work and curriculum pages in there. We use EL. It can be totally digital. The books we use are regular books instead of text books. They are kept on a communal shelf. They also keep 1-2 books for independent reading time.

I’ve see a three drawer system as well as the crates stacked sideways on each other

I did tables for years. I found some canvas seat back pockets on Etsy that were on clearance. I got 24 of them for like $70. The students stored most of their stuff in those and hardcover textbooks were stored on a bookshelf in the front of the room. I also used three drawer carts for a couple years to store their stuff.

I probably would use it for Figurative Language Posters or I Can Statements

As for your long , narrow bulletin board, maybe use it for your school's behavior plan. I don't know if you teach or use cursive. I will this year since I'll be teaching Social Studies. Many primary sources in American history are written in cursive, so I see value in learning it. We study the western hemisphere, including the Declaration of Independence. Maybe you can put up the letters on that board?

I'm a first year 5th grade teacher but I was thinking about having the bulletin board in my library be kind of like a graffiti wall where students can write powerful quotes they've read. Of course it would have to be monitored in some way but I think it could be fun. Maybe I'll learn my lesson on that lol. I'm also going to have a word wall that students create the definitions and draw an example for our vocab words so they are more likely to use it

Thanks for sharing your process with us :) some ideas for those bulletin boards up high include: posters of the writing process steps, multiples posters 1-12 (my students refer to ours all the time), self-portraits that kiddos can do the first week of school and stay up (and maybe change it a few times of year with a different art project they do), the solar system planets (there’s a really cool reading log alternative that uses the solar system), or a cute quote like “you are capable of amazing things” or “all are welcome here”, etc. just some ideas:)

A good literacy board I've used in 5th grade has genres and their meanings, and a space for children to put book recommendations. You could also put up posters of some authors. I've seen teachers display reading skills, or display the books they have read as a class. Having spellings up somewhere is always a good idea, but make sure you can swap them out as children learn them so don't staple them. You might not want to display students names and characteristics publicly. If anything, it might be distracting and they might not want it displayed. It's also such prime real estate. I would use them for anything that you want children to memorise, such as a cursive alphabet if some of your kids are still struggling with handwriting, a place-value chart i or two (in numerals and spelled out), fraction posters, a history timeline (always useful), skip counting numbers, maths synonyms for the four operations, etc. You could also put up a class motto. I kept books in tubs by subject and have selected kids hand them out. Often I'd make it a reward or give the jobs to kids who needed physical brain breaks. Requires some management at first but after a few weeks it worked well. Have fun this year. Thank you for the great videos.

I'm at the point where I'll try anything. it's easy to reverse most decisions. so yeah try tables. if you don't like it just get desks again!!! they didn't disappear in an abyss.

I've been able to get book bins at Dollar Tree. You can even order sets of them so they are all the same color.

So true. I have a love-hate relationship with desks. They're truly black holes of toys and crap 😂

How about seat sacks on the back of chairs to store stuff like folders and other supplies?

I’ve used tables for the last 4 years and I love it!

I'm doing full community supplies with a classroom job of materials management team that pass them out and pick them up. You can also just store pencil boxes with the personal essentials on a shelf and they can bring them to their seat each day while the books and notebooks are passed out by table captain or whatever system you use. I am a big fan of tables - they make collaboration much easier and take away so much of the visual clutter.

I’ve seen teachers get ice cube boxes from Walmart. They look like book bins. May be cheaper

You could keep track of the books you read together...posting pictures of the book covers. Also, book bins are the easiest. Seems like Michael's is just starting to put their school items out. might have a killer deal. I bought mine at The Container Store. a bit bigger. And used a coupon to same 25%

I've done book bins per student and per subject. The per subject worked better because it took up less space and was kept cleaner than per student. I've also stored their books and folders on a tall metal bookshelf. You could use the tall wood bookcases next to each other for that. Walmart has them for about a dollar or two each and they're pretty good quality as long as the kids don't pick them up. You could leave those long bulletin board blank. Abc chart, number line, sentence stems for discussion, posters about parts of speech, motivation quotes could also go there. Anything that could be there all year basically cuz they're so high up. Also pencil pouches with a command hook on the sides of the table are the best in my opinion for tables instead of pencil boxes. Does your reading curriculum use vocabulary lists?

I would suggest getting those 3 tier drawer organizers and have the desks or table grouped up around it. The top Can have one of those group caddies with the table number. Top drawer daily materials, middle drawer math tools, and bottom drawer folders.

The long space could be used for list or alphabetical or number lines. Also a good way to put students work from projects. Grammar rules, definitions and vocabulary.

Reading is an Adventure; (on notecards students can create a postcard of the books they are reading) A New Book is Always a Great Idea; Change the Book...Change the Reader(students can write on a notecards suggestions to ther classmates on books they enjoyed). The long boards on top how about posting the Writing Process or Genres or evem Parts of Speech. These are just suggestions. Hope the help. alicia from CT

When does school start there? I feel stressed because I just got to a new state and school starts early August. I feel like a new school since I'm doing 4th grade instead of being a resource teacher. I'm excited to watch your classroom transform! I would put art or an alphabet on the those little bulletin boards. I have a random thin one above my white board. Im.jealous of your space! A word wall sounds cool.

I have tables this year in my 4th grade classroom. I purchased 8 Sterilite 3-drawer carts from Walmart so each student from my homeroom has a drawer for storage. They're $15 each at Walmart, which adds up, but it ended up half the price of Amazon's options for the same amount of those drawers

You could put some quotes on that long bulletin boards that the students can see and read each day like…this class is amazing because you are in it

hello where did you get the metal mailbox thing in library area ???

Do you ever wish you were departmentalized? I've been self contained and departmentalized, and I'm on a departmentalized team this year. It's less prep, for sure, but I'll miss having my own group

Do you have/know of a good writing curriculum for upper elementary? It's so hard to find a good one that fills all the upper elementary abilities

So did you get a new job? I think you said you interviewed for a new position