Classroom

Colleen's Classroom 
(I'm the only Gal left on the blog, so here's my room!)

Back when I was a classroom teacher, I had major space to set up all of my school belongings to make the room a home away from home for the students.  I then became a reading specialist and had to downsize my school belongings.  I was in a room the same size as my *major space* classroom, but I  shared the room with another specialist.  We divided it down the center by building a bookshelf divider to keep the students in each of our groups from being distracted.

This year, I have access to one third of the space I'm used to having, but still possess hundreds and hundreds of books I use to model strategies through think-alouds, to introduce various genres and to allow students to get their hands on some independent reading materials.  My students read at many different levels, so I own a multitude of books for each level, not to mention books associated with each holiday and season!  A countless number in my collection have now been placed in storage closets at school and in my home.  I've also donated several titles to our school's book room and to teachers for their classroom libraries...all to make space in my new room.  I am not complaining, though, because I'm glad to be new roommates with our lovely literacy coach, to have a space to call my own and to see the joy on others' faces because of my book donations. :) I still have plenty of space to work with small groups of students, so I'm blessed.  It's also thrilling not to be rolling my teaching resources on a cart from room to room.  

Take a peek below to view pictures of my room from various angles.  Most of my shelving units had to be arranged in the entryway in order to get everything into the room.  Don't worry, it's not a fire hazard. :)

Entrance to my room:

Leveled book baskets containing multiple copies of each book, 
storage cabinet for phonics materials and locked storage cart for iPads

Single copies of leveled books 

funded by my Donors Choose project in 2013-2014

Guided Reading Area:

Guided Reading Station

Word Wall with Supportive Writing and Response Activity Posters
The Word Wall *grows* throughout the year.  
Anchor charts and posters are slowly added as well.

Resources to support my students:

 Post-It Notes, pointers, *eye-lighters*, fluency voice jar, 

whisper phones, magnetic letters on trays, 
dry-erase boards, writing utensils, etc.

Baskets filled with activities to develop phonics knowledge, 
including letter stamps and ink pads, letter rods to form words, etc.

Room Divider & Storage:

Drawers filled with materials to support phonemic awareness, phonics, 
vocabulary, fluency and comprehension
Lap trays for individual work space & pillows for reading comfort 

Counter Storage:

Fountas' & Pinnell's Leveled Literacy Intervention System 
black and white take-home books

Thanks for stopping by to peek into my Reading Room!

P.S.  Here are some updated pictures, since a few things have changed.  We have more wall space for anchor charts, our literacy goal and growth mindset board because the students now use personal word walls for sight and vocabulary words.