Surviving in a classroom without wall space

Hi, it's Aimee from Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks.  Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about my classroom.  It's a very large classroom, and I love all the floor space that it has to offer.  Students are able to spread out around the room and work without being on top of each other.  However, there is a downside.  My classroom has very little wall space.  I have a wall of cabinets and counters, a wall of windows, a wall of book shelves, and a wall with a dry-erase board and Smart Board.  Luckily, I still live by the old preschool adage, "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit."  Here's how I deal with my lack of wall space...

1.  I hang anchor charts on anything magnetic.  The back of my room houses the entire leveled library for the 3rd/4th grade high ability program where I teach.  Lucky for me the book shelves are metal.  I use clip magnets to hang charts to them.  The charts are easily removed when I need to grab a set of books.

2.  I have a decent sized dry-erase board in my room that is magnetic as well.  Since I have a Smart Board, I don't need it for direct instruction.  I placed my focus wall on the dry-erase board.  I type up each week's focus and hang them with clip magnets.

3.  I use every flat surface in my room even if it happens to be a door.  My WOW wall hangs on a closet door in my classroom.  Students each have a clothespin with their number on it.  They hang quality work that they want to share with others on the door.

4.  Behind my easel is the only wall space that is available in my classroom.  Seriously it is maybe 5 feet wide and is sandwiched between my Smart Board and classroom library.  I use the space to hang more anchor charts.  Some are hung with 3M hooks while others are hung on a ribbon strung between two hooks.  I rotate my charts depending on the skill/strategy that we are working on during the week.  Since this space is front and center in my classroom, it is visible from our group space as well as student desks.  (Click HERE if you are interested in seeing all the anchor chart tool kits that I have to offer in my TpT store)

5/6.  I have an very long row of very small cabinets in my classroom.  The cabinets are above the sink and computer area.  I utilize this space for our Indiana History Timeline.  This works perfectly since the cabinet doors aren't large enough to display much else.

The south wall of my classroom is nothing but windows (Don't get too jealous!  My view is of the Village Pantry gas station that is right across the street).  I make the most of this space by displaying multiple things on the windows.

7.  This window displays our math fact masters.  Instead of making a chart to display student progress, I printed and laminated a photo of each student.  When a student masters an operation, their picture goes up on the window.  This is a real motivator!!

8.  This is one of my data windows.  I have a bar graph made out of painters tape for our math topic tests.  This too is a motivator for students.  They can't wait to see if the class average is higher than the previous test!  Above the bar graph is a decorated book spine for our read alouds this school year.  We are hoping to make our way across all of the window shades.

9.  This window displays students' birthdays.  I was lucky enough to find this for free on a blog that I follow, but unfortunately I accidentally deleted the file and can't find the source.  If anyone knows, please leave a comment, so I can give credit to the creator!!

10.  Every teachers needs a spot in their classroom to display all the cute notes and artwork from students.  I hang student creations on the pull down shade behind my desk.  Some are taped to the shade, while others are clipped to the shade and pull chain that opens and closes the shade.

There you have it!  This is how I survive in a classroom with very little wall space.  If you have any ideas that I haven't mentioned or more suggestions for making the most of little to no wall space, please leave a comment below!

Focus on Learning

Hi, I'm Linda from Kinder Doodles.  I am so excited to be a part of this new blogging adventure.  There will be a new post every day ~ please become a follower so you don't miss a thing!

Several years ago our corporation started requiring teachers to post learning objectives in "kid friendly" terms.  Well, I teach kindergarten and felt puzzled ~ how can I post learning objectives that were not only kid friendly, but were something that my little students could use?  After some thought, I decided to transform my large "teaching" bulletin board to an interactive "Focus Wall."  The result not only was met with my principal's approval, but has become a focal point of learning for my students.

Before ~ My bulletin board did include some learning objective type materials on the blue section.   But there was a lot of "non objective" things, too ~ three pocket charts with names for stations, etc., the large birthday chart, and dogs. 

After ~ To create a visually appealing and cohesive look, I covered all three bulletin boards with blue fabric and used cute border from School Girl Style.  Each section contains items that showcase what the students are learning each week.  Actually having examples of what the students are learning means more to Kinders than simply listing the objectives. The cards, materials, and posters are "real," not just abstract words that satisfy a directive to display learning objectives.  Our focus wall gives my little students something concrete to help them to understand what skills we are working on during the week.  We refer to the focus wall during many lessons.  I like having such a large area to be able to display teaching materials ~ everything is readily available for use.  Students are able to see  our weekly skills at a glance because nearly everything is represented in one place. The Kinders have come to use the materials on the focus wall as reference tools ~ often referring to the words, the hundred chart, etc. throughout the day.  I also have a group of students who play school during our free choice center time at the end of the day ~ it is so cute to see how they use the focus wall in their imaginative play!

I like to use small pocket charts (this one is from the Dollar Spot at Target) on my focus wall to hold small cards.   Clothespins and ribbon are perfect for hanging items that change frequently.

This is actually a learning center from The Mailbox.  I have a lot of these activities and frequently use them on the focus wall to present or provide practice for different skills.  Stikki Clips hold the cards onto the workmat.  Once we are done using this on the focus wall, I will put the activity set into one of our math tubs.  

I do have "We can..." cards posted, but these are not the most important part of our Focus Wall.  Because only a few of my Kinders are able to read all of the cards, their main purpose is to remind me to name the objective or skill we are working on when we focus our attention to the materials.

I am so happy with what my focus wall has become.  It is a great teaching tool for me, but more importantly it is a great learning resource for my little students.  It presents everything we are learning each week, and gives students the opportunity to see, think about, interact with, and discuss our learning objectives on a daily basis.  Click HERE to visit my blog to read more about the progression of my focus wall.

I have created a little freebie for you to use on your own focus wall.  It also can be used if you are required to post your learning objectives.  Click HERE to download it now.

 

Thanks for visiting!