When August comes and pre-school in-services start, teachers never think they have enough time to work in their classrooms. Meetings and social functions keep them from preparing their space, so it’s important to make every day count before the students arrive. We decided to spend July on a series dedicated to preparing each major area of a classroom for your students. That includes:
Classroom library
Classroom libraries are key for students to expand their own knowledge and exercise some autonomy. They can also turn a struggling reader into a voracious one. But organizing one isn’t as simple as placing a few dozen books on a shelf. There are strategies to consider, all in an effort to make the space more welcoming. The goal is for students to want to spend time there.
Collaboration station
Collaboration is a huge goal of the Common Core and other next generation standards, which has caused many educators to come up with exciting and creative ways to get students working together. That usually requires an appropriate space. What goes in a collaboration station? How do I make it age-appropriate and engaging? These are all questions we’ll get into during collaboration week.
The closet
The closet might be the most forgotten space in the classroom, probably because it’s hidden behind a door. But if the closet is working correctly, chances are the rest of the classroom is neat and tidy. During closet week, we’ll share some organizational strategies and the items you’ll need to make that closet a functional space.
The teacher’s desk
Although you shouldn’t spend a lot of time there during the school day, your desk needs to serve a variety of purposes when the students aren’t in the room. There are some definite best practices to observe when it comes to arranging the desk in the room, organizing it, and making sure it provides its proper utility.
This is going to be a very fun and fruitful week here at Classroom Direct. When it’s done, you’ll feel much less stressed about setting up your classroom. Instead, you can focus on preparing yourself to be the best teacher you can be this year.
