Looking Back...Interactive Science Notebooks

A five-subject spiral bound notebook has been a fabulous choice for my classes.  Composition books are great but each year I have students that run out of room.  They then change to a different notebook and it isn't nearly as organized as the first.  

Table of Contents - Keeping it simple! 

Foldables - My students favorite way to add content to their notebooks.  

Illustrate the notes - Even students who aren't artistic appreciate a quick pic as a reference.  

Fold those handouts/worksheets - In an attempt to keep as much information on a page as possible, students were allowed to fold their handouts and glue them in.  

Diagrams, Charts, Organizers, and Everything Else...

New Technology Posters

Trying out a new poster system for BYOD.  Hopefully I will use this more than what I had last year.

Slight grammatical error in this one!  Oops!  I'll white out the "s."

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....School Time!

I am only making a few minor changes to the classroom decor this year.  Overall I have been satisfied with the look of my classroom.

I love the pre-made awnings I found at a local teacher store.  In the past, I have tried to figure out a way to make one but never had the time or energy to make it happen.  So when I stumbled upon these items I had to snatch them up!  They are a little flimsy so be sure to place them in an area where students won't be tempted to mess with them.

The entry to my classroom has looked the same for about two years now.  I decided to move the framed quotes to a small table.  In their place I hung four white boards.  My plan is to use these as homework reminders for each of my four classes.

The assignment section of the white board looked so messy last year.  So this year I am trying to organize it a little better.  

Other pics....

More to come! 

Preparing for a new school year...

It seems that every summer I spend a lot of time shopping various Dollar Tree stores and other places looking for classroom decorations and other ideas.  This summer isn't much different other than the late start I've had.  I'm also spending some time reflecting on last school year and analyzing the good and the bad points.  This has led me to think more of strategies and ideas for "growing" my students instead of wondering which decorating technique I want to use.  One thing I want to improve is being able to keep parents in the know.  I have on average over 100 students.  Calling every parent on a weekly basis is not what I want to do!  Alternatives to that will include class texts and keeping my classroom web page up to date!  So with this new focus of mine I want to ask for some advice.  As a parent what would you want to see on your child's teacher's web page?

The ongoing list -
1.   Contact info
2.  Class schedule
3.  Learning goals
4.  Resources for study
5.  Classroom pics
6.  Assignments

What other suggestions do you have?