That is such a good idea! I am currently an undergraduate but will be graduating in a year and hopefully teaching soon after that, but I really think that I would love doing that. Thank you for the advice! I think that that would be awesome to keep a scrapbook and then years later maybe have a student who's family member was actually in the scrapbook, that would be an amazing feeling. The rainforest idea was also a very cute idea! Thanks for giving the advice!

Alisa

I love the idea of the scrapbook and rainforest! The rainforest classroom is a great way to go about creating a grade unit too. I went to a school where every wing had a theme to it, and it made the hallways seem so alive. It's a great way to get the student's imaginations started and to welcome them to either a new grade or school. I also love the idea of creating a scrapbook for all of my different classes! I talked to my 2nd grade teacher about a month ago, and she still had mine! It was too funny! I think it would be neat to look back on all of the wonderful and not so wonderful times. Thank you for sharing a few secrets!

I have always wanted to keep a scrapbook or picture album of all of my students. I thought about taking photos of the activities that go on in my classroom and class photos and keep them in an album. Ilove the idea of turning them in a scrapbook to keep in my classroom. I love scrapbooking! I would love the keep this in my classroom if I stay and teach in the same community for many years so that my students will be able to look back for any family members that may have come through the same classroom. What a great connection to self for the students! I also like the idea of keeping a record of all of the things that students or some of the things that students are learning because it is such a great way to hold them accountable for their learning. I have heard about other ideas such as "read the wall." For example, when other colleagues or any teachers come in your room and need to speak with you for a moment or in the hall, the teacher is able to say "read the wall" where the children and teacher have posted their learning and discovery. In this way the students are able to read and recall what they are learning and share with others, all while maintaining classroom management. The jungle would be a great way to keep in interesting and really fun!

I have always wanted to scrapbook but I have never been that great at it, or I would start a scrapbook and then never finish it. However, I have already thought about keeping some kind of memory book and the best lessons from each lesson. My favorite teacher from 5th grade has done the same thing with pictures. I go back and see her every year and my horrible picture is up in her classroom along with every other class she taught. It is so neat to see how people and times change by just looking at the pictures. I also love the theme in the classroom. I went to a school when I was younger and every classroom had a theme. I feel that it involves the studnets more and they get to see their progress throughout the year and at the end they can look back and see what all they did! Thanks for the ideas!

I have always planned on keeping a scrapbook, and this definitely makes me want it even more! I love to scrapbook and do crafty things and cannot wait to make little books full of pictures for the students in my class.  I actually saw a classroom very similar to your rainforest idea last semester.  I was given the opportunity to go inside and talk to the students a little bit and every student in there could tell me all of the facts about their forest.  All of the imformation spread across animals to plants to weather and so on and these students knew all of it.  Because they were given the opportunity to create this forest and really know everything that was in it, they loved it and learned so much! Each animal had a name and the whole class could tell you all about all of it! It was absolutely AMAZING! I can only hope that I can do something like that in the future.  I loved the idea and cannot wait to try things like this in the future.  I think it is so important for students work to be displayed in the classroom and really be proud of their work and this definitely made that the case! I absolutely loved it! I cannot wait for my own place to make forests!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!  

Keeping photographs of my class each year is definitely something I plan to put into practice! Some of my elementary school teachers actually taught my parents and I always loved finding old pictures of them when they were my age.  Your rainforest idea is something I really like and is a great way to give students ownership of their learning environment.  This past semester, I saw a classroom similar to what you described except it was an ocean theme.  Seaweed went all the way up the walls and the students made sting rays and jelly fish that hung from the ceiling.  Each time they learned a set of new facts, they would attach it to a fish, waves, or other sea creature and stick it to the wall.  It was great! Thank you for your ideas! They are very helpful to us future teachers!

Wow! I have never thought about doing this, but it is such a great idea. Memories are so amazing, especially years down  the road. I love to scrapbook, so it would be a great way to keep up with all of my students. It is so easy to forget students fifteen years down the road, but if I taught one of their children  then I could look in the scrapbook to remember the parent of the child. I also love to take pictures and hang them all around the room. I want to keep every class picture in a visible place around the room so everyone could see. The rainforest idea is amazing as well. I bet the children loved having such a fun classroom setting to learn in everyday. I can't believe you collected $400! Pennies really do add up over time. I want to make my classroom into a thematic setting such as the one you did. I just haven't decided what yet.