I used the Lakeshore Learning website to create this classroom floor plan. I find that it’s very useful because it gives me an idea of what kind of furniture and storage units I can use, to compare what would work better, and to show me options for a lower budget or a smaller classroom.
Walls around the classroom:
I think that walls are fabulous spaces to set the tone of a classroom environment. Here are some ideas of how I would decorate my Kindergarten classroom wall:
• Tribes Agreement & Poster
o The Tribes agreement (Attentive listening, Respect/No Put Down, Right to Participate/Right to Pass, Appreciation) will be introduced from the first day of school and reinforced through games and activities throughout the year. The poster will be posted on the wall beside the agreement, which is created with the students.
• Feelings Board
o This is a white board to invite students to draw or put a happy/sad sticker to express their feelings on a daily basis.
• We did it!
o Students’ work will be posted on the wall to celebrate their effort and achievement.
• Season Board
o This is a bulletin board that changes 4 times in a year, and we’re going to add ideas to it as we observe and find out more about each season.
• Word Wall
o The word wall consists of high frequency words and words that we’ve learned as well as students’ names.
• Traffic light
o A clothespin is clipped to different colours to indicate the noise level that we expect our children to be at: Green – we can talk and discuss freely with our indoor voice; Yellow – we can talk quietly or whisper to our partners or small group; Red – we shouldn’t be talking, because we should be listening.
Centres:
Organization of my classroom:
The Reading Area is located in a corner of the classroom. It will provide students with a quiet and comfortable space to explore and be engaged in reading. Beanbag chairs are good for this area, especially if the classroom is small. The Writing Centre is nearby, which would facilitate the sharing of materials. The Listening Centre is also nearby. These three centres are put in close proximity because they suggest quiet activities, and the materials that are required are similar. For example, if a child chooses to write a journal at the Writing Centre but wants to see an example of what a journal looks like, she can easily go to the Reading Area to get a book that’s written in journal format.
The Math Centre is situated beside the Blocks Centre because of the similarity of their nature. Tools stored in the nearby storage, such as rulers, can be used for measuring at the Math Centre as well as measuring the height of a structure at the Blocks Centre. Children in both centres can also share findings and insights with each other. I also put the Science Centre close by because of its inquiring nature. Students can look at plastic bugs with magnifying glasses, while children at the Math Centre inquire about big and small objects. A “challenge of the day” activity at the Blocks Centre can be to ask students to try building the tallest standing building. They will be encouraged to draw a rough design first, to build it (they can do it independently or with a partner), and then to record it on paper. The winner will be announced at the end of the day after everyone has an opportunity to try it out.
The Sensory Centre and the Art Centre are located near the sink, on a tiled surface. Art supplies such as paint and construction papers are stored in the cupboard under the sink, and a drying rack is near the sink. Pencils and papers are available for them to write their names on their artwork, to write a description, or to record something from the sand/water table. This is the area where students can get a little bit messy, which also makes it an area where they’ll learn how to clean up! They’ll learn to use a small broom to clean up tiny pieces of scrap papers on the floor, to wipe the table with wet cloth when there’s glue, to dry the floor with paper towel when water spills, etc. These tools can be easily accessed near these centres. The Dramatic Play Centre requires a lot of storage bins, so a relatively larger space is designated for it.
I imagine the centres to be flexible and always changing. I would encourage some centres to be interactive with each other. For example, a child may choose to write a letter and put it in an envelope in the Writing Centre. He can write his friend’s name on the envelope and put it in the postman’s bag. The students at the mailing office (Dramatic Centre) can be the mail carrier, who takes the bag, sort through the letters, and put the letters in the corresponding student’s mailbox.
Organization Tools:
In my classroom, all the bins and storage units will be labeled with words and pictures. For example, the bins where we store the food in the Dramatic Play Centre will be labeled “Fruits”, “Vegetables”, “Meat”, “Plates”, etc., with the corresponding words and pictures. This facilitates children’s cleaning up, because they can match the toys with the pictures if they don’t know the words. It also helps to provide a rich print environment, where children can see lots of environment print and associate the words with the visuals.
As a morning routine, students will print their name at their desk, and then place it in the pocket chart by the group time carpet. As a group, we’ll make sentences using their names. For example, “I am ______.” or “_________ is here.”
Each centre will have a sign in chart hung beside it, where students put their name cards in the pockets on the chart. If each centre allows for four students, then the fifth student will know to choose another station, because the pockets on the chart will be full.
As mentioned earlier, a “traffic light” sign will be posted on the wall to indicate the acceptable noise level. For example, when it’s circle time, then the clothespin will be clipped to the red light, because students are expected to listen, and only speak if they raise their hands. When it’s centres time, they’ll know by the green light that it’s okay to talk and discuss with their friends freely (but with an indoor voice!).
References:
Elementary Teacherʼs Federation of Ontario. (2008). Kindergarten Makeover: ETFO
! Edition. Retrieved from http://www.etfo.ca/Multimedia/Webcasts/
# Pages/KindergartenMakeover.aspx. [July 24, 2010 ]
Morrow, L. & Rand, M. (1991). Promoting literacy during play by designing early
# childhood classroom environments. Reading Teacher, 44(6), 396-403.
National Association for Young Children. (n.d.). Top Ten Signs of a Good Kindergarten.
! Retrieved from http://nccsc.k12.in.us/perduec/topten.htm. [July 25, 2010 ]
Organizational Tools for the Kindergarten Classroom. Retrieved from
# https://d2l.educ.queensu.ca/content/CTESUM/CONT800/downloads/
# cont800_712_Organizational_Tools/index_files/v3_document.htm. [ July 25, 2010 ]
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