My Classroom Doors

Classroom doors can be a great place to showcase the learning going on throughout the year.
I have two doors in my classroom that are "growing" as we march through the year.  I thought I would share their progress with you as this first semester ended.

Our classroom "graffiti wall" where the kids write one thing we learned in class each day.My front door is a year long record of our classroom learning.  I call it the "Graffiti Door" and at the end of the day, I ask the students to share something they learned over the course of that school time.  After listening to a few, I choose one of those students to add what they said to the door.

This serves two purposes.  One, it gives all of the students a chance to remember what we learned that day, so when they go home, they can actually share something with their parents who ask.  Two, it allows the students to contribute towards are growing set of learning.  They LOVE being the one to write on the door (with our fancy markers that write on black paper), so they are very eager to share an idea.  Even the typically shy kids will get in on this action.

A classroom "bookshelf" that can show the books that the class is reading throughout the year.
You can see how this has grown.
The second door I have in my room is our "book shelf".  This is just a brown piece of butcher paper I painted to look like it has "shelves" (ok, brown lines every few inches.)  I then leave out book spines that I found on the web doing a search of 'book spines'.   What happens here is simple.  Every time the kids finish reading a book, they put a spine up on the wall.  Since we have silent reading time every morning, that is when the kids actually do this.  The kids write the title of the book, the author, and their name on the spine.  Then, using tape that I have out, the kids tape up the spine.

I also have a little sign where I write how many book spines have been added to our door.  I update it at the end of the day (if I remember, which I do occasionally forget ;))
A little sign, made with a frame and print out on the computer, that I use to update how many books our class has read collectively throughout the year.  I use an overhead pen to write on the glass.

I really like these two growing parts of our room.  They make the room a living, breathing, learning space.   

20 comments

  1. You are so creative! I love the graffiti door. It is going to be my something new for second semester.

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  2. So clever! Can you please share what fancy markers you use to write on a black paper? Thank you and Merry Christmas!

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    1. They are just sharpies that I bought at Joann's...however they are "special" ones that are designed to write on black paper.

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  3. I love your "We Love books picture sign"! Can you let me know where you found it I would like to do something like that in my classroom! I do believe that changing the number for all kids to see is definitely making reading contagious! Thank you in advance!

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    1. I got the paper for free online somewhere and just added the text on it. Let me see if I can find it again and I will post.

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  4. I love your doors.....they are awesome! What a great use of space. I would also love to know where you found your "We Love Books" sign. It's a great idea to keep track of how many books the class reads collectively!

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  5. This is an amazing idea! I am thinking is it too late to start something like this? I especially like the bookcase idea it is so much better then the basic list of books I have for them to write on.

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    1. I don't think it is too late. Last year I started mid-year and it was just fine.

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  6. These are wonderful ideas! Love them and would like to try out in September. Would you be able to do a post at the end of the year on the finished product? I'm curious on how you end the year with these. Is there a celebration? Do you have the kids share these ideas on the graffiti wall out loud? Just curious! :)

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  7. These are such wonderful ideas! Does the graffiti wall last all year or do you have more than one?

    Anisa @ Creative Undertakings

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    1. It does last all year. The kids just start writing smaller as the year goes on (and the space is running low).

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  8. I love both of these ideas for making an interactive space for kids to contribute! The books spines are so neat - do kids look at them for recommendations from their peers?


    Buzzing with Ms. B

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  9. Do you have a template of the book spines that go on the "bookshelf"

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    1. I just typed in "book spines" into google and found a free clipart to use. :)

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  10. I used your Google Docs and Tagxedo lesson today! It was wonderful! Thank you for sharing your ideas and your template! We had to use Image Chef Word Mosaic because we could not get Tagxedo to work. We used the online book "White Socks Only". After the reading, students milled to music (Bob Marley, Redemption Song) to share ideas, then they typed their paragraphs in Google Docs, made their word cloud, printed both, glued them on black construction paper, used oil pastels to add finishing touches - they were awesome! Every student was engaged, and successful! Thank you!

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  11. I love these ideas. What a great way to get kids to have a love for reading and learning. Can you tell me where you found your "We love reading" sign? I would love to use your counting books sign!

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  12. Did you ever find the "We love books" sign? I'm trying to create one and it's not turning out as well as that one! lol!

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    1. I made it actually. But I used a background paper I bought that is not for commercial use, so I am unable to share it with you. So sorry about that!

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  13. I absolutely LOVE this and am using it in my room this year! I think trying to get the butcher paper to fit properly on my door was the hardest part...lol! Thanks so much for sharing your incredible ideas!

    Lyndsey
    Lit with Lyns

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  14. Where did you get black paper big enough to cover your entire door??

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