The next several posts are what I will turn in as a First Day of School project for one of my classes this quarter. I hope you enjoy a little peek into my brain as I'm thinking as a first-year teacher!
http://classroom.4teachers.org/
The physical environment of my classroom is hard to think about because I don't have a lot of choice about how big my classroom will be or how it will be structured. Honestly, I will have to work with what I have once I know what I get.
I like the classroom setup above, although in my eyes it's not perfect. I hope to have flexible seating in my classroom, with only a couple tables and chairs for students, no desks, and lots of comfortable seating space elsewhere.
However, I hope to have tables and not desks because I want to foster a space of community and collaboration. I want my students to work together with projects and tables (rather than desks), is the best way to facilitate this. My students will not have assigned seating, however each table will have a certain number so that I can dismiss students by table group or assign them a specific seating when necessary. That's why there are so many shelves behind them - they will have their own labeled bin(s) for their things, but no specific place to sit each day. I will be doing this because I want my students to work with all of their peers, but I also want them to choose not to sit next to someone that they may be distracted by.
The many sofas and beanbag chairs are symbols for the variety of seating I want to offer my students. I want to have a kidney desk to work with students that need more individual support, whether they are performing below or above grade level. I want to have a book nook in one of the corners. No matter the grade level, I think reading is so important and I will have a classroom library where students can check out books that are just right for them. Books will be stored in the book stands and shelves at the nook, separated by genre and series or author.
My teacher desk is off in the corner because I don't think my desk should take up a lot of useable space for the students. On my desk, I want to have a teacher mailbox, where students can send me concerns, something going on in their life, or just something they want me to know without the fear of being overheard by a peer or being looked at as we talk. I can reply to them in their student mailboxes near the door. All of my classroom supplies will be stored in the storage section of the classroom map above, as well as in the shelving along the wall, and cupboards throughout the classroom - assuming those are provided in my room.
My door will almost always be open, and on the inside of the door I want a large piece of white paper that goes down the full length of the door, that looks something like the picture below (pinterest). I saw this first at a practicum placement a couple years ago and really loved it.
Near the door, I want a poster that is called the Shout Out Wall - a place where students will "shout out" one of their classmates for being kind, helpful, a good friend, etc., before they leave each day. Students will also have class mailboxes and there will be a turn-in bin on top of the mailbox shelf.
On the walls, I want to display class work and anchor charts of units we are studying, but on the first day, the walls will be pretty bare. There are a few anchor charts that I really want to have up, that will let the students know what is expected of them, and what they can expect from the first day and on, such as our Flexible Seating, GROUPS, Growth Mindset and Turn & Talk expectations. All pictures from pinterest.
The physical environment of my classroom is hard to think about because I don't have a lot of choice about how big my classroom will be or how it will be structured. Honestly, I will have to work with what I have once I know what I get.
I like the classroom setup above, although in my eyes it's not perfect. I hope to have flexible seating in my classroom, with only a couple tables and chairs for students, no desks, and lots of comfortable seating space elsewhere.
However, I hope to have tables and not desks because I want to foster a space of community and collaboration. I want my students to work together with projects and tables (rather than desks), is the best way to facilitate this. My students will not have assigned seating, however each table will have a certain number so that I can dismiss students by table group or assign them a specific seating when necessary. That's why there are so many shelves behind them - they will have their own labeled bin(s) for their things, but no specific place to sit each day. I will be doing this because I want my students to work with all of their peers, but I also want them to choose not to sit next to someone that they may be distracted by.
The many sofas and beanbag chairs are symbols for the variety of seating I want to offer my students. I want to have a kidney desk to work with students that need more individual support, whether they are performing below or above grade level. I want to have a book nook in one of the corners. No matter the grade level, I think reading is so important and I will have a classroom library where students can check out books that are just right for them. Books will be stored in the book stands and shelves at the nook, separated by genre and series or author.
My teacher desk is off in the corner because I don't think my desk should take up a lot of useable space for the students. On my desk, I want to have a teacher mailbox, where students can send me concerns, something going on in their life, or just something they want me to know without the fear of being overheard by a peer or being looked at as we talk. I can reply to them in their student mailboxes near the door. All of my classroom supplies will be stored in the storage section of the classroom map above, as well as in the shelving along the wall, and cupboards throughout the classroom - assuming those are provided in my room.
My door will almost always be open, and on the inside of the door I want a large piece of white paper that goes down the full length of the door, that looks something like the picture below (pinterest). I saw this first at a practicum placement a couple years ago and really loved it.
Near the door, I want a poster that is called the Shout Out Wall - a place where students will "shout out" one of their classmates for being kind, helpful, a good friend, etc., before they leave each day. Students will also have class mailboxes and there will be a turn-in bin on top of the mailbox shelf.
On the walls, I want to display class work and anchor charts of units we are studying, but on the first day, the walls will be pretty bare. There are a few anchor charts that I really want to have up, that will let the students know what is expected of them, and what they can expect from the first day and on, such as our Flexible Seating, GROUPS, Growth Mindset and Turn & Talk expectations. All pictures from pinterest.
Some anchor charts that I will have posted but couldn't find examples for would be classroom rules, school-wide rules, and expectations that the students have of me and what they want in a teacher. On the first day, I want to develop these charts with my students, asking them what they want for rules and expectations, and what they look for in a good teacher that will make them feel safe and free to have fun learning.
The anchor chart with classroom rules and expectations may look something like: In This Classroom We . . .
Show Respect
Are Kind to Others
Love to Learn
Or something similar depending on the grade level and my individual students. These will be coming from them, not just me, after all!
By the time I have my own classroom, I am guessing that most, if not all, schools within the Everett School District (where I hope to teach), will be 1:1 with students and chromebooks. That being said, I am assuming that by the time I'm teaching I'll have a class set in a huge portable charging unit. Most schools don't have desktops anymore so I assume the only one I will have is mine on my desk.
At the front of the room, I will have a small table with projector and classroom supplies - and a screen for the projector and either a chalkboard (do schools still use those?)/whiteboard/Smartboard to show visuals and display learning targets during lessons. I also want the schedule to be listed on the whiteboard/Smartboard every day, where the students can see it easily and know what will happen next.
On the board I also want to have a word-of-the-week - something that students don't normally use in their vocabulary, and whenever I or a student hears another student saying the word, the whole classroom can get a token in a jar that can earn them something once they reach a certain amount (or something like that).
Near the front of the room, I will also have classroom jobs posted that will change occasionally so each student can try out every job. I want to have student work posted as well, so that the students can claim their classroom as their own. I will also have a calendar with birthdays or day of birth marked to make that day a little extra special for the student.
I want to have a classroom rabbit as well - but this is also something that I don't have 100% control over.
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