expr:class='"loading" + data:blog.mobileClass'>

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Tried It Tuesday {Book Nook Rotations}

Wahoo!!!  Any NFL fans out there?  One of the many reasons I love the fall is because I love Sunday football.  I am still basking in the glory of a Bills win.  Usually the last minute wins are NOT in our favor, but this one was!  With about 6 seconds left in the game, the Bills beat the Panthers by one point with the winning field goal.  This always makes Mondays so much better.  You should have seen all the Bills gear people were sporting Monday at my school!  Anyway, since most of you aren't Bills fans (you would have to be crazy like me!), it is now Tuesday and I am anxious to see what you have tried recently! 

My Tried It:
Book Nook Rotations
All summer, I struggled with how I was going to organize my book nook rotations.  With great posts like this one by Ideas by Jivey, I was inspired to try something a little more organized than my system last year.  My "system" last year was to draw my handy dandy popsicle stick numbers each time we used the book nooks. Then, I would stick them back in the container upside down (pink end up) so they wouldn't be called on again until everyone had a turn.
This worked okay but I would often forget to draw sticks because I was so focused on moving to our rotations.  Then, the students would remind me, "Who is using the pillows?"  It was a pain sometimes.  
I also purchased two more SUPER SPECIAL book nooks this summer.  One is a pretty fluffy purple floor pillow and the other is a memory foam butterfly chair.  You can see those in the picture below.  I also have a light blue husband pillow ($1 at an estate sale and going strong on its third year) and there is another husband pillow ($15 at Walmart and has a hole in it after one year) under the window.
I decided I didn't want to rotate the book nooks everyday since with just these four most popular book nooks and my three sections of ELA, that would be 12 changes from three different classes each day!  I finally decided to rotate the book nooks every week and set up this board next to the classroom jobs.  
FYI:  For classroom jobs, I have a homeroom line leader, homeroom board boss [not assigned yet, still modeling], homeroom pencil police [not assigned yet], and a classroom librarian for each ELA block.  Read more about my library checkout system here.

My student numbers do not match up for each ELA block because of missing students or add ons.  Next, I decided to print a class list for each block and make a small highlighter mark (color coded for each book nook) on the name as they have had a week's turn at the book nook.  For example, the purple pillow is highlighted in pink.  You can see portions of the names here and the first four students who have the book nooks.  I found this magnetic holder for the name tags at Dollar General last year.
This system is working so far and I am just proud of myself for coming up with a system that I think will be manageable for all three groups.  Also, since students will have their book nook for a whole week, this should also eliminate most last minute changes due to changes in schedules such as assemblies or student absences (only extended absences would be considered for changing the book nooks since certain students seem to miss a day of school often!).  I hope my "tried it" helps someone that may be struggling with book nook organization for multiple classes!

Before you go, I hope you will stop by and enter Gary's giveaway at Scrappy Guy Designs!  He reached 100 followers in such a short time and is offering some amazing prizes!

I am also linking up my post from when I hit 100 Followers with his linky party.  It wasn't that long ago, but at the same time, it feels like ages ago!  I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Thank you!!

8 comments:

  1. Your room is so cute- I want to come over and read in there! The book nook system sounds great- I also think having the spot for a week makes it even more special!
    Aylin :)
    Learning to the Core

    ReplyDelete
  2. I did the same thing last year with sticks!! I'm only teaching math this year, otherwise I would "steal" your idea! Thanks for sharing and hosting!
    A Tall Drink of Water

    ReplyDelete
  3. Put my name with a Book Nook. I'm comin' to read in your room...sooner than later! I had lots of pillows until the dreaded "L" word showed up in my room. Then I got paranoid and took them all out. I had some awesome pink and green husband pillows too. They are missed! So glad your Bills won!
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't brought my special stuff in yet because I really intended to wash my pillows and still haven't! I need to do this though because my kids all crowd in the same areas.

    Jessica
    Literacy Spark

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your reading area looks amazing. I don't think the other pictures I saw of the shelves and bins really gave me an idea of how awesome the area is!! I love the READ sign with the owls and the tree. I am debating buying pillows etc. to add some more fun reading areas to my room. I can understand why you are doing rotations once a week - that is a lot to keep up with.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your room does look pretty awesome. I really like that you shop at estate sales...pretty sure that's where over half of my school stuff comes from. Very cool

    matt
    Digital: Divide & Conquer

    ReplyDelete
  7. LOVE your reading corner-it looks so inviting! I bet your students never want to leave that corner! I love Book Nooks! Of course, my students get very excited when their clip lands on the high heels chairs!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

    ReplyDelete
  8. Are you looking for Accounting Homework Help or Finance Homework help?

    We do all courses with A Grade assurance whether its Online course or via email.

    We can help you get all the results you need for any class you are struggling in.

    We offer our services in maths, business, Science and statistics.
    We Provide:-
    Algebra homework help
    Calculus homework help
    Trigonometry homework help
    General Statistics homework help
    Finance homework help
    Economics homework help
    Accounting homework help – Managerial, Financial, Cost
    Science(Physics/Chemistry/Biology/Geology) homework help
    Java homework help /C++ homework help/Database/Visual Basic homework help
    Essay Writing help / Paper Writing help
    …and any other subject you may have!

    You can reach us :- [ info@homeworkhelp247.com ]

    or Visit: www.homeworkhelp247.com

    Keywords :homework help online , online homework help, help me with my homework, algebra 1 help, help with algebra, math help online, algebra homework help, math tutors

    ReplyDelete