NUMBER 1:
A CLASSROOM LIBRARY
When I was in school, this was nonexistent. Now, I think the most important place in my classroom is the library. A classroom library can be constructed in a number of ways, from super cute and organized to a small shelf with books. Every successful classroom I've ever walked into had a space designated for reading and displaying hundreds of books. In my library, I like to place books in bins according to genre, author, topic, level, etc. This helps guide students to books of their interest, books on their level, and builds an understanding of categorizing books. Teachers have created warm environments with cute bins that are labeled with the topic in the bin. Libraries are the "it"spot of the classroom, its where your eye goes first as you enter the classroom. Why take the time to make it amazing?? It builds the love of reading for each child in your classroom. How can you build a warm library inside of your own classroom? Get some shelving (garage sales or Goodwill) paint them or back them with paper, visit your closest dollar store and invest in some good bins of all sizes, labels for the front of bins, and maybe a carpet in the library or foam flooring. These quick things add a huge pop for your own classroom library. Our students are visiting the library each day and we want them to be excited about shopping for books. What ideas are you thinking of for your own library or how is your library already organized? I often ask myself.... Is this a place where my students want to curl up, step inside their book and be whisked away??
NUMBER 2:
CARPET SPACE
There is nothing more that I love than gathering together on our "carpet" space with my kiddos. In my classroom, this is the area in the middle of my library. I love gathering together and learning while we're surrounded by hundreds of books. Although, many carpet spaces are a part of the library area, they don't have to be. I've seen some classrooms where the carpet area is in front of the SMART board or dry erase board. The importance here is that you have a central location Xed off as a meeting space. This allows teachers to closely share ideas with students, community building as a classroom unit, and collaborative thinking soars when students are closely knit together. What happens in this carpet space??? OOOHHHHH SO many wonderful learning opportunities..... in my classroom, we meet on the carpet space several times a day...... morning meeting, shared reading, whole group teaching, math journal check, and any time I want to have a deep whole group discussion. This area really where most of the heart of my teaching takes place. The students feel that sense of community and value as they sit as a team and a unit together on the carpet. If you're not into carpet in your classroom, I've moved to the giant foam puzzle piece mats. I like to get the mats at the hardware store or workout places so they are a solid grey. However other stores sell colorful ones as well. The benefit to mats are they can easily be wiped down where carpet is harder to keep clean.
NUMBER 3
STUDENT TRAVEL BAGS
Yes..... this is a STAPLE in my classroom! I don't think I could teach without them. What are they and why are students traveling around the room with baggage? When you think about an independent classroom full of readers, writers, and mathematicians..... you start thinking about what tools they need to support their independent thinking and learning. This is where a carpet bag comes in. Not only is it a great way to hold each child's important work and thinking, but it also serves as an individual learning support. Let's look at reader's workshop for a quick minute..... during RW students are moving fluidly around the room reading books on their own level, working independently or with a buddy on a reading task, or working with you in an individual conference or a group conference. As students move around the classroom, a RW travel bag supports this type of learning. Students are able to put their books, work, and folders from RW all in one place and have access to it at any moment. They can also place their RW notebook in the bag and access anchor charts, notes, and other helpful material as they snuggle up to dive deeper into a good book. These bags can be as easy as a gallon size ziploc bag to a nice canvas tote placed on the supply list. I have found that the gallon bags last maybe a good week before they are completely demolished! I've purchased canvas bags from the dollar store and used recycled bags from the supermarket. The best bag that has lasted all year, is a sturdy canvas bag. These however are pricey, I've learned to place them on the supply list so the parents can help with cost. They have lasted all year and are extremely durable.
NUMBER 4
A WORD WALL
If we're talking about independent readers and writers, it's imperative that classrooms have a word wall to foster independent reading and spelling. Word walls are actually a fun summer decorating project that give you students year long benefits. I usually use alphabet letters, thin ribbon, and bulletin board paper to create my word wall. Each letter has it's own section so each word can be easily found by the student. Where is your word wall in your classroom? I think placement is also important as well. We want to give students a large visual that is student friendly and easy to navigate. What words do you place on your wall? I usually place the sight words as I introduce them each week, any important words we come across during shared reading, and any other words that are valuable to my students that foster independent reading.
**I can remember my first year teaching....boy was I excited to decorate. I had just stepped into my first classroom and the canvas was blank. I was excited about making my pink and green mark all over the room. It was about day 5 and I was ready to tackle the word wall. I laid out all my pretty letters and placed each letter up on the wall. Then I ran across all the word wall words from our reading series. I was so excited to place each word up ready for the students to see as they entered the room on the first day, it took me a good 4 hours to hang them. Little did I know, I just set myself up for a note from the reading coach. You see in my early days, I didn't realize the benefit of waiting to place each word up as it is introduced and used in the classroom. As the principal and reading coach came into my classroom during the first week, they left me a note explaining that I needed to take down every single word from my word wall. I was devastated!! Then, as I grew as a teacher, I began to realize the importance of a blank word wall the first day of school. You see a covered word wall is about as beneficial to students as ready made anchor charts.
NUMBER 5
MATH WORD WALL
Have you ever thought of having a separate space for math terms? I began doing this about 3 years ago and have found that it really benefits my learners. On my math word wall, I have the word paired with a picture to help build and make meaning. This is great for growing math vocabulary and my students use and refer to it daily. It hangs in the math area of my room. This wall is about half the size of my large word wall. Students are able to gain a clear understanding of the terms once they are able to refer back to it time and time again by using the math word wall. Then the vocabulary becomes fluent in their everyday discussions centered around math.
NUMBER 6
MATH MANIPULATIVE AREA
Math manipulatives are a must and a staple on a daily basis in my classroom. When I was thinking about arranging my classroom, I knew math was an essential area and I needed an "organized" space where students could freely use and access math manipulatives. This space is used by my students multiple times a day. I love the idea of not telling them or mandating which manipulative they must use to help the think through a problem. By having all the manipulatives in organized bins, students are able to select which manipulative they think will best help them think. I made labels and attached them to the front of plastic shoe boxes. My students know they may visit the math manipulative area at any time to help them organize their math thinking It's important to give mathematicians a choice in their thinking and to help them bridge the concrete and representational thinking to abstract thinking. I truly feel like the math manipulative area accomplishes this.
Here is a link for labels to get you started on your math manipulative area...... Click picture for link
NUMBER 7
A SMALL GROUP TABLE
Don't you love the quaintness of a small group table? The idea of meeting with students on their individual levels while the rest of the class is in workstations? A small group table provides teachers with the ability to meet with a few pinpointed students at each setting so they can dive deep into the focused learning on the students' levels. How do you keep it all organized? Where are your small group materials housed? Well, it just so happens that the small group table is the perfect height to house a plastic 3 drawer pull out system. I had two plastic sets of drawers on either side of me under the table. This was great for accessing the materials I needed for each group. I kept their leveled books, dry erase markers, games, etc. in the drawers. Whatever materials would support small group instruction, were housed in those drawers.
NUMBER 8
ANCHOR CHARTS
Did I mention how much I like ADORE anchor charts? They are a necessity to support learning in any classroom. Anchor charts support the learning that you are doing by charting out thoughts, evidence, and important focuses of the lesson. Anchor charts can be created to support any lesson (reading, word work, math, etc.). The are a great "anchor" to the learning happening and students can revisit the chart hanging in the classroom to transfer skills and extend learning. Anchor charts are exciting to make, because they are a blank canvas ready to be painted by the teacher. You can use chart markers or the ever so exciting smelly markers. Did you know they now make movie theater and ice cream smelly markers? That's exactly what I was thinking.......... yummy! Personally, I love anchor charts because not only are they a great learning tool, but they keep me focused on the lesson and the direction I'm taking it. It allows you to stay focused and to chart the thinking of the student. The idea of the anchor chart is that the teacher creates a sort of back bone before the lesson that guides the lesson but fills in the thinking during the lesson with the students. This allows the students to invest in the lesson and become a stakeholder in the learning.
NUMBER 9
WRITER'S WALL
Writing workshop is such an exciting and fun time in any classroom. It's a time where students become real authors and illustrators. It's a time for students to share experiences they've had through characters they create! Just like anchor charts help support a lesson, a writer's wall can help support and scaffold all they are learning and building upon in writer's workshop. A writing wall is simply a designated area in your classroom that focuses on all the things you've learned or are currently tackling in writer's workshop. It nurtures the writer and helps guide them through their writing. Some ideas that might be included in your writer's wall....
- examples of strong mentor writing
- ideas for gathering writing samples
- mentor authors and their works
- writer's conference schedule
NUMBER 10
LET GO OF THE TEACHER'S DESK
Y'all, my small teacher's desk was important to me..... I mean REALLY important. Not only did it make me feel like a professional and important, but I used it for piling up all my papers and paperwork! I mean I went through four years of undergrad to earn a spot behind this so called important desk. Well after moving back to New Orleans and seeing the size of my new classroom, I knew I was going to have to get creative in using every single space available in this teeny tiny new classroom. That's when it hit me..... What in the world is my teacher desk really used for? Does it benefit my learners? Can I live without it? What purpose does it serve?......... That's when I came to the conclusion that my desk was..... A HUGE WASTE OF SPACE. There I said it...... the amazing desk I had waited so long for and was excited to decorate the front of, was no longer needed. Not only was it no longer needed, but it was a complete waste of learning space in my classroom. I went to my principal the very next day and asked if she could please have it removed from my classroom. I think she thought I was speaking Portuguese at the time, because she gave me an utter stare of confusion. "Did you just say remove the teacher desk?" I went down my long list of why I didn't need it anymore and how it would benefit my learners if it were removed, and her look of confusion turned into a bright shiny smile. She said, "Sure we'll have them take it out right away." I was elated, because now I was about to have exactly 5 feet of more usable space in my teeny tiny classroom. Where did I put all my "stuff" and "junk" you ask? Well, I had to re-purpose my closets and some bins around the room. After doing all of that, I can honestly say that I am so happy that I no longer have a junk collector with piled up papers in my classroom. It's exciting to know that all the space in my classroom belongs to my students and their learning.
