Jody's Classroom

Hello there! I am a high school special education teacher. I have students with varying abilities. I'm lucky enough to get to spend my weeks with them. This will be my fourth year teaching. I enjoy learning as much as I can from the teachers in my building, in my district, and reading blogs. I'm always looking for resources and inspiration from other teachers. Education is always evolving and as teachers we must be lifelong learners so we can stay up to date on new strategies. With this blog, I hope to find new ideas and share my own ideas that work well with my students. Thanks for stopping by!

Classroom Before & After- 2015-16 School Year

I am finally getting my photos of my classroom uploaded. I was moved to a new school this year and the room I'm in hasn't been used as a classroom for a few years so I had my work cut out for me. I really enjoy getting my room set up each year.

When I first came into my classroom I was overwhelmed and wasn't sure where to start. I spent several hours in my classroom before school started to make it look more like a classroom.

This is my desk area. I do my best to keep it as organized as I can but that can be a challenge. On the end of my desk I have my behavior data clipboard that I have all of my students behavior and bathroom data on. I keep this close by so it is always in reach whenever I need to track something. Behind my chair is a small bookshelf that I have all of the binders I use often (caseload, parent communication, assessments, special education papers, data pages). 

Each of these has a close-pin with a number on it for each of my students so they can hang up the work they are proud of and want to show off. 

Here is my computer station. There are tech cards on the whiteboard by the computer for each student. Along with their log in information is their MobyMax information. I use MobyMax as one of our center rotations. My students really enjoy MobyMax and I really like that it gives me feedback to look at. It is good information for me to see. 

This small table is where my students do independent, partner work, or work with the para. I have a bucket on the table with resources for the students to use. I have their Jolly Phonics charts, 100s charts and multiplication tables in it. On the bookshelf is where I keep our supplies and the center boxes. At the top I have all of my sorted work binders. I will post a blog post on just those binders soon! :) On the wall is where my students keep their folders with their individual work geared towards their goals. 

This is where we do group work and where I take data with students independently.  If you like the alphabet line I got it from Teaching Special Thinkers. She has other great things that I use in my room as well.

I have these hung behind my table. These are all of my cards I use to take data. I like to have them in reach at all times. This is where I also store my color assessment. If you would like to try out my color assessment you can find it here.

These are our writing goals. I have my students pick a goal they would like to focus on for two weeks at a time. This is a great motivation and a reminder for them to work on during our writing times. If you would like to try it in your classroom you can get it here. 

This is my reading area. The books are all leveled and color coded so the students know where to put their books. 

I hope you enjoyed my classroom tour!