Two weeks down, eight to go! Is anyone else counting down the weeks until Easter break? It seems to happen that every year, no matter how much of a relaxing summer holiday I have, the minute I’m back at school I feel like I never left.
This year I have a great bunch of Year 4s. It has been lovely coming from Year 1, these guys can get started on work right away and don’t have to be taught every.single.little.thing! I do miss the enthusiasm and excitement that the firsties show though.
Anyway, with my new year level, I have a new classroom. I haven’t taken many photos, but here are some to show the general layout. Since I’m with older kids, I tried to reduce the ‘stuff’ and keep it very simple. I’m backing everything on black this year, so it isn’t as bright as my past rooms. No poms this year either… but if I can find a place they wont’ be chewed up by the fans, I might just add some soon 🙂
This was taken before school started but shows the basic layout. I have five groups of six desks. Behind the groups I have our small group area, an office (that I’ve made into a small group area for aides to work in) and the entry to our computer lab. I’m lucky enough to have enough computers for half the class to share with my teaching partner in a computer lab connected to our rooms.
This is the front of the room as it looks now. I have my desk here, since I need my laptop to connect to the interactive whiteboard. I felt a bit funny having my desk here but the alternative was a little moon table which I know from experience isn’t big enough. It hasn’t been too bad though, I keep a stool here and can pull individual students to conference with and can type up my notes straight away on the laptop, which I prefer over writing.
This is one of the goals. In the arrow, the kids come up with all the ways they could work towards their goal. Down the bottom, they decide on which of those activities they will focus on. We talked about how we learn best, so some kids chose listening to times table songs, others putting up flash cards around their house, writing out booklets, chanting them or playing games with decks of cards or dice etc.
I’ve also started using my Voices board which I use to set writing goals. I also use part of my front board to set up our weekly goals.
If you have also headed back to school recently, I hope it’s all going well! It’s 3pm Sunday here and I haven’t planned yet so I guess that is what I’ll be doing for the next few hours. I miss having my Sunday’s all to myself already.
13 Responses
Thanks for the alphabet posters, Kylie! LOVE your new room! How exciting for you!! 🙂
LOVE your new room Kylie! I’m thinking I need to move my desk to my smart board as I don’t have enough room at my little desk haha! I love your learning goals too!! 🙂
Thanks Shanyn, it has been a bit of a move but I’m loving it. I’m sure you’ll love year 1!
Thanks Kylie 🙂 I really like having it there, last year I was so cramped at the little table and it just frustrated me. Now everything is at my fingertips!
Your room looks great. Very organsied and colourful. Have a good 2015.
Thank you for sharing your set-up. Just wondering how you use the Voice posters when writing goals? Do you just get the students to choose a few goals from the posters, then write them down somewhere?
Hello,
Wonderful blog. I like the images you’ve created. Looks professional.
I don’t teach elementary school — I teach high school — but I really like the way you’ve organized your classroom. Word walls and posters, either bought our student-created, are great for the high school classroom too. They provide structure and reference for students. I always have a vocabulary wall for my ESL students.
I too have an education blog that I just got started.
You can visit if you like. Thanks. I will be coming back to check your posts!
– Anna
Thank you Julie, you too 🙂
Hi Jessica,
To set writing goals, I conference with each student, just like I do to set reading goals. We look over their writing and discuss what they are doing well and what they need to work on – and these become their goals. We write and date them in their writing journals (I also make a note so that I can pull small groups and plan mini-lessons based on the goals in the class).
Cheers
Kylie
Thanks Kylie 🙂
Classroom looks great and very big! I love the idea of the committees for jobs, might also have to steal that idea for the future.
I’vew taken some classroom shots too but haven’t written my blog post, been busy getting my class blog up and running first! Always the way!
Classroom looks great and very big! I love the idea of the committees for jobs, might also have to steal that idea for the future.
I’vew taken some classroom shots too but haven’t written my blog post, been busy getting my class blog up and running first! Always the way!
Wonderful arrangement of the classroom, very neat and tidy with proper setting of books and other useful things. Kids will really enjoy to study in such an environment. Thanks Kylie for your efforts, all the best!