The classroom debut that wasn't... {and a winner announced}

First- thank you to the people who entered into my little giveaway. The winner has been posted on the original post here and I have emailed the prize. Hopefully when I get to 100 I can do something even better :) Congratulations Lorraine!

I planned to post the before and after pictures of my classroom today. But I was so tired at the end of working in my room on Thursday that I forgot to take pictures of the actual room. I took pictures of the things that I have made so that you could see what was in each part of the room and what was on the shelves... but the room itself. I forgot. So since I will be back at work Monday (and I am not sure if there will even be a link up) I am doing an early weekend edition of "Monday Made It" and then if there is in fact a link up, I will just link to this post once I get home from work.

1. My writing center- I have my class journal (just one for now- the rest are under the table until needed). The green box is my "writer's block" where I printed cards from What the Teacher Wants so that students can get ideas for writing... The folder and binder are for my academic times that I got from Fourth Grade Frolics. Blank copies will be in the folder and once the students write one they can put it in the binder. The nonfiction writing activity I ordered last year. Then the story starters is going to be for free writing. In the basket are some pencils and index cards (I will probably add more things in here as we get started and I see what kids need). On the tray are prewriting papers and letter writing paper. The computer won't get used as a writing station activity because it is going to have to be used so students can rotate through mandatory computer programs. My only other computer the students will be using as a listening center. (See that hideous "wallpaper" ugh makes me sick haha)
2. My shake, write, learn jars. This idea also came from Fourth Grade Frolics, but I used the Fry Words list. There are only 4 jars out for now but I have 12 total. I put 100 words in each jar and used all 1200 Fry words. Students will never find all the words which means I will never have to change this activity... just add more jars. And if they find a word on more than one occasion... it's ok... just more practice.
3. My Boggle board. This idea has been floating all over pinterest so I am not sure who the original idea came from but I made my own letters and board. This isn't shown in my classroom but you will see that it is next to my bookshelf (when I post those pics). Behind it I have two sets of those sterlite plastic drawers full of all my copies and things I have prepped already or have left over from last year. I made 3 sets of A-Z so that letters can appear more than once on my boggle board. The letters are in a container that is hidden behind the board.
4. A Word's Worth and Spell It Text It. I have used A Word's Worth in my class as a homework assignment but never as a center. This year I am. In the basket are 2 rings of spelling lists (this way students can just pick the list we are on and work through it), the coin chart, and plastic money. I included the plastic money to help them counting. Hands on helps. In the Spell It Text It I also have 2 rings of spelling lists, the iPhone template that came from Dragonflies in First, and dry erase markers. Students will write the words on the iPhone (it is laminated), then "text" them.
5. Doctor's Orders- I created this myself to go with our Reading Street vocabulary. It is similar to vocabulary dominoes in that students have to match up the word with the definition. The words and definitions are on broken bones. I included little plastic tweezers (that I have had for a good 5 years- they came from a magnifying glass set from the dollar tree--- and for those of you wondering, yes they still have them- I was just there the other day and saw them) that students can use. They probably won't but it is still a cute accessory. I created a recording sheet to go with them too.
6. Next we decorated my filing cabinet. Again, found all over Pinterest. I had a terribly disgusting filing cabinet. I barely use the thing. The top drawer has all my construction paper sorted by color, one of the drawers has my folder games, and the other two are just a mess of stuff that I could probably throw away if I ever went through it. But at least now it looks cute. We had to take the handles off (which was a chore without a real screwdriver). Then I hot glued the paper (please please please let the glue hold up all year). Last I painted around the paper (because I wasn't thinking and should have kept the paper larger but didn't). After I did that, I was going to paint the whole thing black, but decided I didn't have the patience or the time. So instead, we added paper and border and I will hang student pictures there. Currently it has two pictures that my daughter "drew" while I was doing this project.

7. My rotation schedule- I have no idea where I got the cards from because I had them saved on my computer (if they are yours let me know). They have magnets on the back of them and are hanging on a magnetic board I found in the Target dollar spot. Next to them is a baggie of the remaining cards that aren't being used that day.

8. My welcome gift to my students- again I saw this idea on Pinterest and just made my own. The picture shows the front and back of the tags. My husband helped me stuff the starbursts into the bags last night during the Olympics opening ceremonies. And yes, every bag has alternating color like that. OCD a little...
9. And finally...
My daughter is ready for school... are you?!
Like I said earlier, I go back to work Monday so I will try to get some real pictures of my room and do a post. And for the record... my to do list started at 27.. went up to around 51... and I think I only have about 10 left!! I can do this!