Sunday, January 14, 2018

Graduate Teacher Tips Series: 3. Classroom Setup





 I feel the need to put a disclaimer about these posts: there is no one right way of doing things. I am in no way suggesting that this is what every teacher should do in their classrooms. This is for multiple reasons! Every school is different. Every teacher is different. Every classroom is different. Every student is different. All of these will influence how you need to set up your classroom.

The purpose of these posts is to promote ideas for what teachers can or may like to use in their classrooms. With that being said, here is some food for thought regarding classroom setup...

Once you get a look at the shape of your classroom (and boy are there some interesting shaped rooms out there) and what furniture you have, try to sketch out a mud map of how you'd like your room to look.
This image is from the text Handbook for Qualities of Effective Teachers.

When coming up with your mud map, you need to consider how your students will be seated. Today some classrooms use flexible seating. If you choose to adopt this strategy, you will need to carefully plan out where your seating options will be around your classroom. If your room will include student tables or desks, this is also something that needs to be thought out very carefully.

Can we access emergency exits?
Do my students need to be facing a whiteboard?
(In the early years of schooling, this is very important for developing left-to-right direction for handwriting and letter formation)
 Can students and teachers easily move between tables/seating areas?
Will the sun be hitting the desks and cause distractions?

There are endless factors to consider.
All you need to do is Google 'Classroom setup ideas' and thousands of photos of classrooms all around the world pop up. Below are some links to some possible desk arrangements:

My Favorite Desk Arrangement and other Back to School Wisdom, Ideas for getting you school off on the right foot

11 Desk Arrangements for your Best Classroom Yet

For the older classrooms, 'Teacher, Teacher, I declare!' uses the following system with sticky notes:
http://teacherteacherideclare.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/seating-chart-possibilities.html?m=1
 
 Below is a great read about setting up a classroom for students with ADD/ADHD
ADHD in School: Room Set up
Some classrooms will be a part of a large building and may not have many windows to consider. Others may feel like fish bowls, for every passing person to gaze in.
Different schools may have certain expectations or rules around windows. For example, some schools allow teachers to paint their windows to stop little ones being distracted from outside factors. On the other hand, there are schools that do not allow anything to be covering windows at all. Make sure you seek advice from your school administration before deciding what you're going to do.
 
If you choose to go down the cover-up road, here are some ideas from other teachers:

A beautiful 'stained glass' inspired display by Art with Mrs J.
The Charming Classroom made this simple ocean theme window covering.
Reggio inspired rainbow window that casts color around the room
Epic Classroom has some great ideas for rainbow windows.
Something I've learnt over my teaching career so far is that a lot of the time 'less is more'.
Yes, it is exciting to find beautiful posters that fit exactly with what you are teaching. However, they do not need to all be on display at once from the very beginning of the year.

My displays are now these (keep in mind I am in an early years classroom):
 
Alphabet charts
Number charts
Birthday display
Handwriting charts
Visual timetable
Classroom rules
 
Yep. That's it. That is all that goes up on my classroom walls from Day 1 and stays the entire year. Almost everything else only goes up when I teach it. This makes the posters or charts more meaningful to the children. When I teach letters and sounds, we create the posters together and then hang them for future reference. When I teach reading strategies, we introduce a strategy at a time and then hang that poster up - one at a time. Otherwise it is information overload for the little ones and has little meaning to some.
Like I said, just some food for thought 😀

Here are my go-to student labels for an early-years classroom:

Name tags
(for Kinder/Prep/Foundation/Reception and sometimes Year 1/First grade)
Desk plates
(above Prep)
Tidy Tray labels
 (for extra school equipment, if this is how your school sorts these things)
Class names window display
(fitting with theme)
Bag rack labels
(for the younger ones)

Some teachers like to prep name labels for classroom jobs or behaviour charts, too. Again, not every teacher will want or need these.
Last, but most definitely not least, please, please, please prioritise your 'to-do' lists!
 
If you're anything like me, you think of things you want done for your classroom, write them down on your lists and then have this overwhelming urge to get absolutely everything on that list done immediately.
 
Real talk: you don't need to and you will end up draining yourself of energy!
 
 Don't worry about what you see others doing for their classrooms on social media. Prepare what you need to get done first and then work on that 'to-do' list.
For example, those awesome addition games can wait to be made/purchased. They don't need to be done for Day 1.
Your Week 1 plan? YES! Do that! That is a high priority!

Something I learnt from my wonderful father is to write my list of everything I want to get done and then number them in priority of what needs to be done first. This keeps me on track and stops me from doing things that I want to do before things I need to do.

I'd love to hear how some of you are going with your preparations!

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Graduate Teacher Tips Series: 2. Classroom Essentials!

When I entered the classroom for the first time as a graduate teacher, I had no idea what necessities I should have in my room. Today social media has made it so much easier to know what others have in their rooms to guide graduates. BUT it can also be a lot of pressure to see established teachers with all of their years of resources piled high and ready to go.
 
Don't forget, every school has some resources (books, games, etc). Yes, some more than others. You don't need to have every...single...thing printed, laminated and ready to go for Day 1 (this is something I still have to keep reminding myself).

SO if you are heading into your very own classroom for the first time, some of my teacher friends and I have put together a list of some things that every classroom should have and we can't teach without.

Thanks to my friends for contributing:
From the PondClassroom PonderingsLittle Bookish TeacherTeachable Moments Creations

Whether you are heading in for those first few days to start setting up your room at the start of the year or you pick up a contract after school has started, the following are absolute MUSTS. Believe me, you will need them and if you're in the primary years then you will need them daily! Make sure you set aside a designated area for the following, out of reach of little hands.


Liquid or foam pump soap (this is for you AND the students!)
Dishwashing liquid
Chux, sponges or microfibre cloths
Hand towels (lots)
Dustpan & brush
Baby wipes (yep, you'd be amazed at how handy these are)
 Old sheets/towels for messy projects
Spare plastic bags
These are essentials for general classroom organisation for primary:



Good quality Sharpies
Laundry marker
Easel pad/butcher's paper (giant writing material)
Stickers
Stamps
Bell (or something to get the students' attention)
Whiteboard markers/chalk
Rolls of clear contact adhesive
Safety pins
A 'finished work' tray
Teacher letterbox/tray (for students to put permission slips or notes)
5-10 great picture books to start off
Welcome poster
Stop watch & Timer 
Pegs
Multiple printed class rolls
Visual timetable
Velcro dots
Stapler/staple gun
Blu tack
The last list is all about you! Those first few years of teaching are pretty full on - stressful but so exciting! It is important to remember to look after yourself, too. Preparing these few things will help you when you're too busy to remember!


Panadol
Spare water bottle
Pressed powder
Lip balm or lip stick
Mirror
Coffee, tea bags & cup
Raincoat or umbrella
Hair bands
Brush
Peppermints
Chocolate/Snack stash
Warm jacket (to leave in the room)
Ballet flats
Spare coins (for emergency coffee)
Deodorant
A spare phone charger

Click the image below to get a printable copy!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Essentials-List-3575100

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

FREE Group Tin Labels


How do you organise your stationery supplies in the classroom?
Are students responsible for their own equipment?
Do you have group tubs, tins, boxes or caddies where resources are shared?

I am teaching Prep (Foundation/Kindergarten) again this year. I want the children to build responsibility for their equipment over their first year of schooling. In order to do this, we begin the school year with group tins where we share equipment that I supply. These tins include:

* Writing/lead pencils
* Coloured pencils
* Crayons
* Scissors
* Glue Sticks
* Sometimes felt pens

I model how to use the equipment safely and appropriately. I also model how to take care of it all by putting lids back on glue sticks and putting things back where they belong. As the year goes on, we introduce their own pencil cases where the children are then responsible for their own stationery.

To help remind the children of what to do with the shared group tins, I put a label on it for them to clearly see.
I include clear visuals for students to follow and some simple words for classroom guests (or even the those ones who may already be able to read).

If you'd like a FREE copy, click on the image below.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Group-Tin-Signs-3562693

Monday, January 1, 2018

Editable File Folder Labels

 
 Happy 1st day of 2018!
 
I'm about to go into my ninth year of teaching. It's safe to say that I have gathered my fair share of resources over those years. I started getting frustrated with being able to locate and find resources that I knew I had but could not for the life of me find.

I needed a system. Something simple and easy to use. I'm a visual person so I knew I needed pictures and colours to help me with this.

I already had a bunch of file folders that I had just thrown some resources into but there was zero method to my madness.

So, I put some method into it and came up with this:
I sorted all of my smaller laminated and printed resources (games, posters, etc) into their own file folder and attached some labels that I made. I put one large one on the front and then two small ones at either end on the top of the folders so they are easily visible. I have so many Literacy and general classroom resources that I already have to folders for both of them.
 
I'm super happy with my new system. Everything is so much easier to find. No more second guessing myself about a game or set of display posters that I thought I'd printed but could not find.

I have put together a set of labels for the file folders plus an editable file for teachers to customise in our TPT store.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EDITABLE-File-Folder-Labels-3559261

Click the image above to see what labels are included.
If you have any suggestions of labels to add, let us know!