My classroom is finished and ready for the little ones to arrive on Tuesday. I have to admit, there are still a few small things that I plan to do VERY early in the morning on Tuesday. Just a few odds and ends. Marty said that it will never truly be finished as something like this is always a work in progress. True.
Thank you to all of you that posted comments and sent me emails about my classroom. I am really excited about the finished product this year. It has my creative vibe all throughout it. I hope that it is an environment that promotes learning, creativity and relaxation.
Allow me to show you around...
This is the Reading Reef (thank you mucho, Pat) where the I have my classroom library. It is labeled by Fountas and Pinnell levels as well as by themes. Thanks to this amazing site http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Classroom%20Organization/classroom_organization.htm I was able to find some labels along with pictures for my library baskets. Thank you to this fine teacher who provided this resource!
This is a view of some of the children's desks in a group. To the right is a sink with cabinets. The long orange thing is a mesh holder (not sure of the actual name) from IKEA. It has holes along it...perfect for ocean puppets to peek out their little heads. The cabinet with the doors holds all of the art supplies! Crafts, creativity...exciting stuff. To the left of that is the Writing Center equipped with tons of writing activities and paper.
This is a view of the second group of desks as well as the table at the Writing Center. The far corner is the rug area. New York City is very big on the Workshop Model http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC052376/whatisworkshop_new.html of teaching. The rug is the meeting area where the teaching is done. It is one of the most important areas of the classroom as that is where all of the mini-lessons are taught to the children. (Yes, those are curtains on the windows!)
This area is where I will teach Guided Reading each day. Behind the table are coat hooks. I am not thrilled with all of their coats, etc. being exposed but this is an opportunity to teach them to be neat and organized. The bulletin board is "Behavior Beach" which is a behavior plan that I am using. (If you are a teacher and want to know more about this, please email me directly at fluteprincess619@yahoo.com)
This is a bigger view of the Reading Reef. Marty put orange coral and ocean paper in there. Hope you can see it. It's super cute!
This is the Math Center and another bulletin board in the room. I like to leave boards blank and decorate them with kid work through the first week. It helps to liven up the room and have the kids take ownership of the space. Labels: classroom, classroom theme, reading, Under the Sea, workshop model
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4 comments:
Congratulations !!! Heidi, you did a wonderful layout. I love the reading Reef!!! I wish my little one was in your class!!!
I also love the sheer curtains..it reminds me of your Stamping Mecca!!!
Wow! All that in one room! I'm digging the segmentation of the room with specific functions in designated areas. Very learning friendly with those great color combos. Congratulations on creating a welcoming learning environment. Your students are in for a wonderful new experience.
It looks great!! I love the curtains as well - how you used different colors - very calming. Thanks for including the links. If I ever have my own classroom again I will refer to them!! Oh yeah, the puppet holder form IKEA - so cool!! I love that you have found many ways to bring creativity to an ever growing academically and test driven curriculum!! :)
TERRIFIC job, Heidi. What a fun & soothing environment for LEARNING you've created! The curtains, the colors, the cool images. Awesome! Wishing you a wonderful year. :) ~Sharon
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