Last Week of School Bulletin Board

I wanted to take down our cute killer whale bulletin board early, so I could add the whales to each child's potfolio before "graduation." I left up the blue paper and painted on, "Sea ya later!" I had the kiddos write on Post-Its what they were going to miss about kindergarten. When they were done, they just popped their Post-It onto the wall. Easy!

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May's Bulletin Board

We read the pebblego.com (LOVE!) text on killer whales. The students wrote facts about whales and we turned them into cute orcas. When you lift the white belly, each child's writing is revealed.

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Classroom Pictures

2013-2014

Here is our library center, complete with an anchor chart on "The 3 Ways to Read a Book."

Here is a goal setting bulletin board.

Art center is always integrated with math and ELA. Towards the end of the year, the students create story elements.

Here are a few centers.

• Restaurant Center
• Seat Work Center
• Write the Room
• Sight Word Stars
• Magnetic Letters
• Journal Center

Listening Center

Word Puzzles and "Games"

Play Doh Centers (students write letters and words in Play Doh) and Whiteboards

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"Sea Goals"

Get it?! Like sea gulls?

Anyway, we are beginning a school-wide goal setting program. We are setting short-term student goals, class goals, and school goals. These Post-Its on my bulletin board are advertising a specific goal for each student to master. When the goal is mastered, they will get a new Post-It. These goals are checkpoints for the long-term goals listed in the Common Core State Standards. We advertise it because we are each others' cheerleaders and every one is working on something positive at their own pace. Our class goal is: we will learn the letter sounds. Once we master that, I printed the next goal on the back, so I can just flip it over. Sequentially, the second goal is: we will sound out to read.

Each child's goal is sent home on this form, so parents can help, too!

I have designated the first day of each month as "Goal Day," when we review our goals and if possible, set new ones. It took me about 30 minutes to set a goal with each child individually. I called one kid over and asked, "What do you want to learn?" Together, we decided on each goal. Below, is a calendar tag I'll put up on the first day for each month.

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Octopals and Crabs

We used our handprints to make these crabs and liven up this wall.

We also used our handprints to make octopi. Then, we named them and wrote about them. The students were very cute and creative when writing their octopus's name, likes, and a describing word.

Now that I have 47 students, I ran out of room on the bulletin board so I hung them from the ceiling, too.

I made the worksheet myself and it only took about two minutes using the LD Traditional Print Lined font, seen here.

I helped each child spell one-on-one, since it was so early in the year.

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Under the Sea in Room 3

Here is my new theme for my newly renovated room!

Commotion in the Ocean

At Art Center, I keep this sign to remind children the steps to complete their art projects. Usually, it keeps them independent. The pieces are velcro, so as art projects change, I just swap the steps.

Here the students are told to write names first, then paint!

The Ocean theme is my favorite! As always, you have to keep lessons integrated, so I am incorporating math patterns in art!

Kid's favorite.

I drew goggles and a snorkel and used the riso to make copies on sturdy construction paper. This is a very difficult cutting task for a kinder, when cutting out the eye window. They wear these on their heads for the rest of the school day. In the journals, the children wrote about what they would want to see in the ocean with theeir goggles.

Water Table Center.

I put TONS of soap in there and some fake ocean life. Another favorite!