Outside My Classroom

I forgot that one of my classes was scheduled for a field trip today. So I had an unexpected 45 minutes to do anything I needed to get done. I decided to get some stuff done in the hallway that I keep putting of for more pressing things. 

First, I painted my window of my door. We are asked to cover the window in case of a lockdown situation. I choose to paint it instead, it provides a bit of a stained glass appearance and I'm able to do it quickly and change it annually to go with the continent we are studying. I added "Karibu Wasanii," which is Swahili for "Welcome Artists."

I had this idea last spring and put a call out to families to bring in old unneeded frames without the glass. I didn't want to ask the custodians to make holes for the frames as it's a concrete wall and they'd have a TON of work to get them in. I got some of the 3M Command picture hanging velcro for the larger/heavier frames and used poster putty for the lighter ones. I plan on putting artwork of students and professionals in the frames. 

This has actually been up for a while, but this is my wall for awards that students have earned on Artsonia. It's above the area where they line up before and after class so they can see which of their friends have earned the awards while waiting for their classroom teacher to arrive. It has brought a lot of attention to my Artsonia program. I took a closer picture, but the kids' first and last names are on the awards so I decided it shouldn't get posted here. 

Wanted

This is my new favorite. I created a WANTED bulletin board for missing projects and assessments. I am working through our cycle, teaching the kids that when they finish a project first they clean their spot and second they check the WANTED board. If they see their name on the board, they are expected to find it, finish it, and put it in the IN box. Anything that I have graded will be listed on the WANTED board if I am missing the grade from the student. I am hopeful that this will make the students more responsible about completing older project prior to starting free draw. Today was the first day with it, but there were many kids that were working on getting off the board!

Classroom Signs

I have had several teachers interested in different signs they have seen in my classroom, usually in the background of photos I've posted here or on my class Facebook pages. Always one to help out, I've created a Google Docs folder for them and opened it to anyone with the link to view it. I'll keep putting files there-they are typically just downloaded from the internet or compiled by me, so they are usually 8.5X11" signs. The photos of this post are examples of what you'll find there. Enjoy!