From Plain to Pinterest-Worthy: An ELA Classroom with Retro Rodeo Decor

I’ve discovered one of my new favorite summer hobbies: classroom makeovers. 🎉

Partnering with a teacher to completely transform a space with decor is SO much fun. 🤩

Come check out this 4th grade classroom decor makeover for some inspirational ideas for your own space! 

Sam is a 4th grade ELA teacher who instantly knew she wanted to use the Retro Rodeo decor bundle. 

I’m still mindblown at how this transformation came together. 

4th Grade ELA Classroom Decor Makeover Before & After

There’s something special about seeing the beginning stages of the classroom makeover process. 😊

You get to see not only what the classroom looks like now, but what it looked like before. 

And those before shots? They are sometimes the most relatable. 

Here are some big picture views that show you the ELA classroom before and after the rodeo retro bundle came to town. 

This is Sam’s front classroom wall before we got started  ⬇️

We were starting from a blank slate in this classroom. 

The possibilities for what this space could look like are endless! 

After adding Rodeo Retro decor around her ELA classroom, this is Sam’s new front wall! ⤵️

I’m always astonished at how adding color and creating some extra “bulletin boards” on the walls elevates a space and brings fresh life. 

Sam had a ton of amazing organizational cubbies, totes, and drawers already in her classroom. 

Peep the before below. ⤵️

We simply added some accents that were in the same color scheme as the Retro Rodeo decor bundle to make everything become a cohesive, cozy space. 

Check out how it looks now, after the classroom makeover! ⤵️

This is the same wall as the previous picture, and may be one of my favorite places in Sam’s classroom. ❤️

This final wall in Sam’s classroom might be my other favorite space we ended up creating. 

Here’s what the space looked like before ⤵️

We leaned into the space that she had and found a GREAT way to use some of the “awkward” spacing in between the windows and her whiteboard. 

Here’s the “After Picture” for that same wall  ⤵️

How cute does this look with everything connected, tied together with the colors, and a few new items that help the area pop? 😍

Can I tell you how amazing it was that her cube baskets already matched this color scheme? INCREDIBLE. 👏

ELA Classroom Focused Resources 

Since Sam is an ELA teacher, I was pushed to create some ELA-focused resources. 

I’ve been thinking about adding these resources to my bundles for a while, and this was the final nudge I needed to actually do it! 

Here are some of the items we added to Sam’s 4th grade ELA classroom to support the skills she teaches her students. 

RACES Writing Strategy Display 

I finally created a RACES writing strategy display. 😂 Cue the confetti 🎉

All jokes aside, this has probably been one of my most requested items over the last several years. 

Thanks to Sam’s classroom makeover, it now exists! 🙌

Commonly Misspelled Words 

This was a resource Sam specifically asked for, and I thought it was a genius idea. 

Creating a space to house commonly misspelled words so your students can reference it as they write is brilliant! 

All the Little, Western Details

As I was coming into Sam’s room, I was already dreaming of some key accent pieces that would be perfect to tie everything together and elevate her space. 

Here are some of my favorite things I found for Sam’s 4th grade western classroom. 

The Pink Couch

Okay, I HAVE to tell you the story about this pink couch. 

I had seen a couch just like this one in another teacher’s room on Instagram. As we were transforming Sam’s room, I kept thinking about how amazing that pink couch would be in this space. 

It was the last day of our classroom makeover. 

I hadn’t found a pink couch. I was bummed, but I knew we still had a great transformation. 

As I was absent-mindedly scrolling through Facebook Marketplace, I FOUND THE PINK COUCH. 🤯

Not only did I find it, but it was in my city and in amazing condition. 👏 

Don’t forget about Facebook Marketplace as a place to browse for furniture items to bring into your classroom. 

The Rug

You know I’m always hunting for a good rug for classroom makeovers. 😉

And this pastel blue one I found from Rugs.com? It was so perfect for this 4th grade classroom decor makeover. 😍(Plus they are always running sales, so it was a great price!)

Throw Pillows 

When thinking about accent pieces for your classroom, it doesn’t have to be huge, big items. 

Even some simple throw pillows that match the color or vibe you’re going for are game changers when it comes to transforming your space. 

I found this cute little flower pillow at Hobby Lobby and it adds the perfect level of Western charm to this ELA classroom.  🤩

There’s something about throw pillows that increases the cozy factor. 

The checkered pattern pillow came from Hobby Lobby, while the pillow cases with words were from Amazon. 

And paired with that miracle pink couch? A perfect, cozy little nook inside this classroom. ❤️

Other 4th Grade Classroom Decor Inspiration 

We also filled Sam’s classroom with a bunch of other elementary classroom decor staples. 

Here’s a peek into how these items came into her classroom so you can use them as inspiration for your own. 

Choose Kindness Wall Quote

I created a giant “Choose Kindness” wall quote to go along the top of one of Sam’s walls. 

I love how it turned out so much, I added this to the Retro Rodeo bundle AND made it a standalone in my TPT shop! 

Growth Mindset Bulletin Board 

We made sure to create a space in Sam’s 4th grade room to hang this growth mindset display. 

Her students will be reminded daily how to restructure their thinking to unlock the power of “Yet” in their learning! 

Cursive Alphabet Posters 

Since Sam is an upper elementary ELA classroom, she opted for the cursive alphabet posters.  

It’s always so fun to see how putting up an alphabet line brings a classroom together. 

Parts of Speech Posters 

Is it a noun, verb, or adjective? 

Post these parts of speech posters around your room to help your students nail down the differences. 

Flip Calendar

Sam never needs to write the date on her whiteboard again!

Her flip calendar will do it for her. 👍 

Editable Classroom Labels

We had SO much fun sprinkling these editable classroom labels all over Sam’s classroom.  

From using them to label the bins on her rolling carts, to library book bins, to her supply tubs. 

Now everything is in the same theme and creates a cozy, unified look. 

Teacher Toolbox Labels 

I LOVE the stark contrast between the black of the teacher toolbox with the brightly colored labels. 

And on top of the cube organizer is a perfect spot for this little toolbox to sit. 🤩

Learning Targets Wall 

Something Sam told me she needed to include in her 4th grade ELA classroom setup was a space to hold the learning objectives for her students. 

So, we devoted a bulletin board to objectives. 

And then I created a learning targets display to make displaying and changing out your objectives a breeze. 

Voice Level Posters 

We decided to put the Retro Rodeo voice level posters off to the side of Sam’s main whiteboard. 

This keeps them in easy reference for Sam and her students during her lessons each day. 

Schedule Cards 

Check out how great these schedule cards look with that amazing cowgirl boot border. 😍

The schedule cards make sharing the flow of the day with your students simple, straightforward, and efficient. 

Classroom Rules Posters 

Showcase the rules you have for your classroom in style with these retro rodeo posters. 

We placed them under the whiteboard at the front of Sam’s room for easy reference! 

Birthday Display 

Sam is ready to celebrate the birthdays in her room this year with this display! 

We used one of the printable bulletin borders to make this display pop off her wall. 

WOW Work Display 

Sam really wanted to include this display for her students, but there wasn’t enough space in her classroom. 

So, we took it outside! 

We used some of the empty wallspace outside of her classroom to create a mock bulletin board set up to show off student work. 

Setting up your WOW Work display outside of your classroom is a great way to showcase your student work for the entire school! 

Bringing Sam’s 4th grade retro rodeo ELA classroom to life was SO fun. 

It was incredible to take an empty space and turn it into a cozy, Western-themed home for Sam and her students this year. 

If you’re ready to bring the same transformation to your space, grab my Retro Rodeo bundle. 
If you want to see a different classroom makeover, check out the 1st grade Tropical Vibes one here!