KINDERGARTEN SMORGASBOARD FREE

The students then use their new bat knowledge to write about bats! We use read alouds and graphic organizers to conduct our research! As we read, we complete our tree charts, labeling, Venn Diagrams, and true-false sorts!Īs we are completing our graphic organizers and class charts, the students are also completing their own pages in their research journals! Using the big vocabulary is so necessary! Like we always do with our research projects! We use Post It Notes so we can move our thoughts around as we organize our learning! As we go through our bat research unit we add learning and move any misconceptions! This is a very visual way for students to organize their learning and it’s very engaging! My ‘staches know that our schema is what we already know about something. And it helps keep the main area of the classroom cleaner because it keep wet shoes from entering the classroom.I wanted to share our Bats Research Project with you and share the fun and learning we had during our 2 weeks of bats! The ‘staches were so engaged and excited learning about bats and learn they did! This year we added the orange and green rugs (6 total) and that has really helped with the noise/echo issues.

One of the negatives of this hallway in the classroom is the echo.They build the furniture with high school shop classes. The shelves are custom built by a local non-profit.When someone asks me for a book I can say “Check bin 34.” And I can pretty much tell you what each bin is. The number system allows them to return the books to the right bin. This means the KIDS keep the library organized.

The library is organized by author/topic/theme.

The book bins are ice bins from Wal-Mart.

We have a detailed blog post about our library linked below, but I’ll share some details: And it serves as a reminder to adults that we’re five and we’re learning to read and write and that books are so important to our daily experiences. I want my students and visitors to know that reading is that important. I placed the library here for a very important reason: it’s the first thing you see when you walk in the door. The library sits in the hallway in our classroom. I keep all of our books there, even the read alouds that I use for lessons.

KINDERGARTEN SMORGASBOARD FREE

They are free to read any book in that library. Our classroom library is open to the kids all the time. (And we might or might not have had stool races for indoor recess…)Ĭlassroom Design: Student Work Areas-Classroom Library The wheels are optional but I do love sitting in them and zooming around the room. I love that they can slide under the table so they don’t sick out. This year we upgraded to these stools from Amazon. Originally, as seen in the above pictures, we used green folding chairs. The seating for the round table has changed recently. It will trap you and you will never get anything done. This is a favorite reading spot for the kids! (Warning: Do not sit in the big comfy chair during planning. We put a slipcover on the chair and added the round rug from Amazon. The other work are is our cozy corner.The chairs are kept at their lowest height and are pushed to the wall to help with safety.

High Top Table-this is where we sit and enjoy beverages.

This table sits in the back of the room and is a popular spot for students to work. That means you can easily move it when you need more space.

Round table-this round table was purchased on Amazon.

It lets the kids have a voice and choice in where and how they work. And that choice is why we have these areas. But flexible seating is about choice so we do have some options for students to use during independent work time. 8 years ago we decided (because we had a W shaped room with no space for kids!) to get rid of all of our tables and desks. Our flexible seating started before flexible seating was a thing. In our classroom, we utilize flexible seating. We actually have 4 areas to show you today: three seating/work areas and the classroom library! Today we’re doing to show you our student work areas and give you some specifics on why we set up our student work areas the way we do and how it works. Specifically, how and why of each area of the classroom. We get lots of questions about our classroom design.

Kindergarten smorgasboard