Tried it Tuesday-Reading Area Revealed!

Well, today was the first day of school, and I feel like I hardly had time to take a breath! We'll see how my first day of school theory pans out this year.  My kids came in very quietly first thing this morning.  That usually bodes well for a calm year...my fingers are crossed!

I don't really enjoy all the talking I have to do on the first couple days of school, but there were some moments today that I really enjoyed.  The first one was trying out the Back to School Egg Hunt that I created this summer.  The kids choose an egg out of a basket and open it to reveal a picture.  Then they find all the other students that have the same picture as them.  That creates their group.  The students in each group then take turns going and hunting for eggs around the room.  When they find one, they bring it back to the group and open it up to reveal a question or discussion topic like...what is one thing that everyone in your group did this summer?  This got the kids up and around the room and talking to their classmates.  One of my students said, "This is really fun!"







The Back to School Egg Hunt is available at my TPT store.




The other part of my day I really enjoyed was introducing my love of reading to my students.  But wait!  I have to show you the before pictures of my library so you can really appreciate the transformation.  Here is before...




And here is after...


A little better, right?

So, I talked to my kids about how I grew up in a library and how reading can take you to all kinds of places.  I told them that this summer I went to a place where aliens had come to take over earth and to a Nazi concentration camp in Germany.  Of course I was talking about books I had enjoyed over the summer.  But when you really get into a book, it does feel like you are actually going to those places! 

I pointed out the sign in our reading area that my father-in-law helped me to make.  The sign shows places that books can take you, these places being from eight of my favorite books ever!  I got the idea from a picture on Pinterest from Fresh Picked Whimsy.

Fantasy pickets

I thought...I have to have one of those for my reading area!  Thankfully my father-in-law is gifted at turning my visions into reality!  He made the sign, and I painted it.  Isn't it awesome?!


My eight locations are:  Hogwarts, Narnia, Panem, the Misty Mountains, Treegap, Camp Green Lake, Mississippi, and Avonlea.  Can you figure out what books they are from? Instead of the number of miles to the place, I put the number of pages of the book.  Love it!

The sign sits on top of one of my student book racks.  Each student has a spot on one of the racks.  They are expected to have two to three books in their spot at all times that they want to read in the future.  That way if they finish a book during reading workshop, they simply go get a book from the rack.  No professional book shoppers in my room!

It's past my bedtime on night one of school, so I will have to save the rest for Reading Area Revealed Part Two!

Check out all the other Tried it Tuesday ideas at Fourth Grade Flipper!








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