Always keep a wish list for your classroom. Seriously! You just never know when a grant or fund may come your way in education. It usually comes when you least expect it.
With that in mind, here is my list of ten fabulous things for an upper elementary Reading/Language Arts classroom:
1. Books -- Having books in the classroom is a MUST and these sets are definitely on my list.
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| Classroom Library from Steps to Literacy |
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| STEM Nonfiction Book Set from Lakeshore |
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| That Sounds Familiar...Stories with a Twist from Steps to Literacy |
2. Of course, one must have bins to hold the books! I love the Fun Color sets from Steps to Literacy.
3. I just love, love, love having a good easel/chart stand -- and one with book storage is like ice cream on a hot day. What a treat! These are also great for displaying anchor charts, which are an important part of reading classrooms. Check out this one by Best-Rite.
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| The Best-Rite Baby Wheasel Folding Wheeled Write & Wipe Easel with StorageTub & Book Holder from School Specialty |
4. My students use massive amounts of post-its. They function as exit-slips, formative assessments, bookmarks, vocabulary word wall trackers, Stop-and-Summarize notes, etc. We use them for everything! An endless supply of these would be AWESOME! :)
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| Post-its can be a teacher's best friend! |
5. Okay, okay. It is a wish list after all, so I have to admit that I would love to have iPads (or another tablet -- I'm not that picky) for my students to use. There are so many educational apps and ebooks, not to mention the multitude of other apps that can be used to support learning. These iPad Mini 3s are pretty sweet!
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| These iPad Mini 3s are pretty sweet! |
6. I absolutely love my Reading Skill Task Cards I purchased from Teaching with a Mountain View on TpT. What a time-saver for me! These truly are fabulous for practicing a skill, reading intervention, early finisher tasks, literacy centers, etc. The proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. After using them, one of my students exclaimed, "This was awesome! I wish I could use these everyday!" The rest of the class agreed (which didn't happen often this year). I admit that this was my Largest. Purchase. EVER. on TpT, but I'm telling you it was totally worth it. (It can also be purchased in smaller sets, i.e. cheaper.)
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| Teaching with a Mountain View's Reading Skills Task Card Bundle |
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| Ace Bayou Vinyl Bean Bag Chair -- Wouldn't your readers like to curl up with a good book here? |
8. Dry erase boards for students can be used for literacy center work, playing learning games, handwriting practice, and much more. Having a few of these (at a minimum) in the classroom will come in handy. Of course, the set below is wonderful... but there are also cheaper alternatives. Check out my post on decorating your classroom on a tight budget and Pinterest for more ideas on alternative dry erase boards.
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| Walmart has the Charles Leonard Lapboard set for a very reasonable price. |
9. If your classroom has one of the next item on my list then you are so blessed. If not... oh, I'm sad. When I first started teaching about 15 years ago they hooked my computer up to my 19" television screen and I thought I was so tech savy. (Give me a minute while I giggle.)
(Seriously, I'm still pulling it back together.)
When I first encountered a SMART Board for the first time I was amazed! Followed by a period of complete embarrassment when I couldn't get it to work. (I had to use my knuckle for my first few months.) (I'm giggling with embarrassment again.)
Now that I've had almost 10 years experience with one I can't imagine teaching without it. I also can't believe I ever had trouble with one. (I like to think the older versions were too sensitive.) They truly step up student engagement and excitement for learning. There are so many lessons out there too, so you don't have to recreate the wheel. I love my SMART Board and hope you have one too. (However, a new one would be nice.)
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| SMART Boards really open up new possibilities for your classroom. |
And here we are at number ten! I saved the best for last.
10. Beach Balls! One of the best things I did in the classroom was to start purchasing and using beach balls. Each stripe can have a question, problem, or word and when tossed to students they can answer with the appropriate response. I usually have them answer the question that their left thumb lands on, but you could change this to your preference. Beach balls make excellent brain breaks, review tools, and more. Oh, the possibilities!
The only real disadvantage is that they pop easily, especially if you use them often. Be sure to buy more than one!
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| Inflatable Rainbow Beach Balls from Oriental Trading make for a fun lesson in any classroom! |
So these are the items on my list of fabulous products for upper elementary. What are your must-haves or wish list items?
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