Easy Rearranging

I have tables instead of desks and 25 little firsties.  Sometimes students who were BFFs are all of a sudden frenemies.  Or the students who didn't really talk before sit next to someone who all of a sudden becomes their new BFF and it's chatter away.  Last year I tried the use of nametags taped and then velcroed to their table spot.  That didn't work.  They would pick at the tape or keep playing with the velcro and I'd hear that all day.  It didn't matter how many times I told them to stop, it just wasn't a good plan for me.  I mentioned it to a fellow teacher before school started and she gave me a GREAT idea!  Instead of putting nametags on the tables, I put them on the backs of their chairs!  Now, whenever I need to make a change, all I tell them is to grab their pencil and reading bookbag and their chair and switch places with someone.  It doesn't take any time at all to do this and then we can move on to learning.  This even works when you want to do a whole class rearrangement.  I have them all bring their chairs to the front of the room and then I call out names and table colors and they go sit down.  I can rearrange the whole class in less than 5 minutes.  It sure is a lot quicker than moving nametags on the desks.  I've only had 1 student destroy his chair nametag during a fit of un-medicated rage.  I didn't replace his after that so he knows his chair is the only one WITHOUT a nametag.

DIY word wall

My newly built classroom did not come with any bulletin boards!  I mean seriously, who designs these rooms!  I took matters into my own hands and made my own bulletin board for both my calendar area AND my word wall.  I used foam core sheets I got at Dollar Tree, wrapping paper from Walmart, and glue dots from a craft store.  I also got some cool ribbon from Michael's when they put it on sale to use as dividers.

First I decided on how many sheets of foam core board to use.  I chose 8 because you can easily divide it into 3 parts each for 24 parts.  I double-up W/X and Y/Z.  Then I wrapped the boards in wrapping paper like I would a package.  Then I added glue dots--3 on the short side of the board and 6 on the long side.  I lined up the boards with the seam on my walls and pressed them into place.  Next I took the ribbon I had found and covered up the seams, top, bottom, and sides of the boards.  Last I took a smaller ribbon and divided the boards into thirds then added letters I had found on a blog.  And voila--instant, very cute, wordwall!!!

I stapled words onto it as we added them.  Since I had made the word wall myself, I was able to hang it at a level where the children could truly interact with it.  It has stood up the whole year despite several temper tantrums involving desks, chairs, and little bodies being tossed against it.  The only thing I've had to redo was to restaple the ribbon a few times when that occurred.