Classroom Blueprint
It was very exciting to plan a fantasy classroom that my kindergartner at home said that she wished she could be in. The classroom is mainly divided into centers, as Dewey believed storing materials in subject-area centers encouraged interest and learning. Research has shown that rooms partitioned into smaller spaces facilitated verbal interaction among peers, fantasy, and cooperative play more than did rooms with large open spaces (Morrow, p 332). All items in the classroom are clearly labeled in English, Spanish, and Chinese, as there are children from a diverse background in the classroom, but also to expose all of the children to these three languages.
As you walk into the classroom, there is a sink located next to the art center, and a bathroom directly outside the classroom, to allow the children easy access to cleaning up in order to explore and get messy. Like the art center, most centers have content related books and word walls added reflecting the topics being studied or that the students have expressed interest in. The books are facing with the covers out, and are changed frequently, and word walls are updated as new vocabulary is introduced.
As art is one of the noisier areas, I have placed it next to the dramatic play and block area, allowing that side of the room more freedom for a higher noise level. The dress up area is incorporated into a smaller area of the dramatic play area, and while there are some kitchen elements there, it is a less specific place, allowing the children to more easily transform the area into whatever they wish. The round table that the teacher uses for small group or individual work is sometimes incorporated into this play area, and hollow blocks have been added to the block area that can be used in transforming this center into a space ship, supermarket, scientist’s lab, or any other place the students wish to explore. This area has books that change to reflect the environment that the play area has become. The dramatic play area and block area do not have word walls, but the block area has many different maps, from local to international, in addition to books that the children may refer to when planning their block play. These areas are set up to provide opportunities for children to problem solve, acquire new understandings, role play real-life experiences, cope with situations that require sharing and cooperating, and develop language and literacy through play (Morrow, p 345).
There is a back entrance to the classroom that leads to a playground and garden area, which the outdoor play items are placed next to. Like in Montessori curriculum, the students will have access to practical life materials, the outdoor play items including gardening tools that the students may use for planting and harvesting. According to research, creative materials for outdoor play give children incentives to play creatively and generate language during play, class discussions, and for use in writing (Morrow, p 333).
Next to the outdoor play area is the science center, which has started to fill up through the weeks with the students’ collections and experiments. According to Morrow, (p 335), centers need only to hold a few items early in the school year, and new materials can be gradually added as the year goes on. As the topics change, the books in this area do as well, and like the math center next to it, the specific vocabulary of math and science are reflected in the growing word walls in these centers.
From the quiet corner next to the math center, around the room to the puppet theater, this whole side of the room is a more quiet area very much dedicated to literacy. The books in the quiet corner are on outside of the rug, to make the area more separated from the rest of the classroom. Instead of the spine of the books facing out, the books are placed with the covers facing out, and are changed more frequently than any other area, insuring more interest, especially for the students who use the area the most. The new set up will encourage more independent reading, which Neuman et al (p 11) agrees that children need time for in a balanced early literacy program. On the wall next to the quiet corner, the students are allowed to paint on the wall, creating a mural that can be changed seasonally.
There is a large literacy center that incorporates both writing and listening and can accommodate up to five students. The writing area will include pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, chalk, a chalkboard, stamps, different types of paper, book making materials, and two computers (Morrow, pp 29 and 335), encouraging drawing as well as writing, helping the students to understand the relationship between illustrations and a story (core standards). The listening area will have head phones and a number of texts that the students can choose from, as listening to stories is one approach to enhancing students’ vocabulary, critical in developing early childhood literacy skills (Neuman et. al, p 8). According to research, children need regular and active interactions with print in order to develop the ability to read and write (Neuman et. al, p 4), and the students will have access to the literacy center daily. The students’ work and a word wall that focuses on the theme being studied are displayed above this center. Between the literacy center and the quiet corner offering many interesting items for both reading and writing, this will encourage the students to engage independently in reading and writing (Morrow, p 33).
In the corner next to the literacy center is the large rug used for morning meeting, read alouds, and other large group work.There is also a piano and other musical instruments in this area. According to Morrow (p 342), music provides ample means for literacy development by increasing vocabulary, and emphasizing word and syllabic patterns. Songs are also excellent shared reading material and encourage a movement element in lessons. The books in this area are arranged into one area of leveled readers in well marked small bins that the students may use for independent reading or to borrow to take home, and one area of books with the covers facing out that reflect the theme of what is being studied. On the walls around the large rug are a number line, a calendar and weather chart, a list of classroom jobs, and a list of classroom rules that the students have helped to generate. There are also maps on this wall that will change depending on the topics being studied. According to Neuman et. al (p 5), the single most important activity for building literacy understanding is reading aloud to children, and between large group read alouds in this area and smaller read alouds at the round table, the students will have multiple opportunities each day to be read to. The read alouds will be interactive, assuring the students have opportunities to ask and answer questions about key details in a text, characters, settings, and major events (core standards).
Directly next to the large rug is the puppet theater, placed here so that the students can easily transition a read aloud or shared reading into a retelling or more in depth performance of the story or original work (core standards). Research shows that literacy rich dramatic play areas based on themes stimulated increased language, literacy activity, and enhanced literacy skills (Morrow,p 332).With the puppet theater and dramatic play area, I hope to allow many more connections with literacy. More of the students’ work is displayed on this wall, and pictures of the students, their families, and a sight word wall is up on the wall behind the students’ cubbies and teacher station.
I believe this floor plan is a literacy rich environment for the students, with most centers enhanced with related books and word walls, diverse and hands on activities for exploration, and a set up that allows for concentration in quieter areas and more noise in more active areas. This classroom is set up to ensure students are active participants in their learning and will capitalize on their natural curiosity, inquisitiveness, and spontaneity which Piaget and other theorists agree helps them to learn. With a more diverse range of activities, student assessment can be based on a variety of measures, not just one approach (Morrow,p 43), and allows for more in depth thematic study, which makes literacy meaningful (Morrow, p 26). Young children especially need to be engaged in experiences that make academic content meaningful (Neuman et. al., p 3). With a large area of the classroom being dedicated to literacy, we as teachers are letting the students know that we value it (Morrow, p 333), and they will be able to use what they learn here in all aspects of the classroom and real life situations. There are many opportunities for the reading, writing, listening, speaking, spelling, and viewing components of a balanced literacy program (Morrow,p 29).
Research
Morrow, Lesley Mandel. Literacy Development in the Early Years. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston, MA, 2009.
Neuman, Susan B., et. al. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington D.C., 1998
Common Core State Standards Initiative. Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards
It was very exciting to plan a fantasy classroom that my kindergartner at home said that she wished she could be in. The classroom is mainly divided into centers, as Dewey believed storing materials in subject-area centers encouraged interest and learning. Research has shown that rooms partitioned into smaller spaces facilitated verbal interaction among peers, fantasy, and cooperative play more than did rooms with large open spaces (Morrow, p 332). All items in the classroom are clearly labeled in English, Spanish, and Chinese, as there are children from a diverse background in the classroom, but also to expose all of the children to these three languages.
As you walk into the classroom, there is a sink located next to the art center, and a bathroom directly outside the classroom, to allow the children easy access to cleaning up in order to explore and get messy. Like the art center, most centers have content related books and word walls added reflecting the topics being studied or that the students have expressed interest in. The books are facing with the covers out, and are changed frequently, and word walls are updated as new vocabulary is introduced.
As art is one of the noisier areas, I have placed it next to the dramatic play and block area, allowing that side of the room more freedom for a higher noise level. The dress up area is incorporated into a smaller area of the dramatic play area, and while there are some kitchen elements there, it is a less specific place, allowing the children to more easily transform the area into whatever they wish. The round table that the teacher uses for small group or individual work is sometimes incorporated into this play area, and hollow blocks have been added to the block area that can be used in transforming this center into a space ship, supermarket, scientist’s lab, or any other place the students wish to explore. This area has books that change to reflect the environment that the play area has become. The dramatic play area and block area do not have word walls, but the block area has many different maps, from local to international, in addition to books that the children may refer to when planning their block play. These areas are set up to provide opportunities for children to problem solve, acquire new understandings, role play real-life experiences, cope with situations that require sharing and cooperating, and develop language and literacy through play (Morrow, p 345).
There is a back entrance to the classroom that leads to a playground and garden area, which the outdoor play items are placed next to. Like in Montessori curriculum, the students will have access to practical life materials, the outdoor play items including gardening tools that the students may use for planting and harvesting. According to research, creative materials for outdoor play give children incentives to play creatively and generate language during play, class discussions, and for use in writing (Morrow, p 333).
Next to the outdoor play area is the science center, which has started to fill up through the weeks with the students’ collections and experiments. According to Morrow, (p 335), centers need only to hold a few items early in the school year, and new materials can be gradually added as the year goes on. As the topics change, the books in this area do as well, and like the math center next to it, the specific vocabulary of math and science are reflected in the growing word walls in these centers.
From the quiet corner next to the math center, around the room to the puppet theater, this whole side of the room is a more quiet area very much dedicated to literacy. The books in the quiet corner are on outside of the rug, to make the area more separated from the rest of the classroom. Instead of the spine of the books facing out, the books are placed with the covers facing out, and are changed more frequently than any other area, insuring more interest, especially for the students who use the area the most. The new set up will encourage more independent reading, which Neuman et al (p 11) agrees that children need time for in a balanced early literacy program. On the wall next to the quiet corner, the students are allowed to paint on the wall, creating a mural that can be changed seasonally.
There is a large literacy center that incorporates both writing and listening and can accommodate up to five students. The writing area will include pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, chalk, a chalkboard, stamps, different types of paper, book making materials, and two computers (Morrow, pp 29 and 335), encouraging drawing as well as writing, helping the students to understand the relationship between illustrations and a story (core standards). The listening area will have head phones and a number of texts that the students can choose from, as listening to stories is one approach to enhancing students’ vocabulary, critical in developing early childhood literacy skills (Neuman et. al, p 8). According to research, children need regular and active interactions with print in order to develop the ability to read and write (Neuman et. al, p 4), and the students will have access to the literacy center daily. The students’ work and a word wall that focuses on the theme being studied are displayed above this center. Between the literacy center and the quiet corner offering many interesting items for both reading and writing, this will encourage the students to engage independently in reading and writing (Morrow, p 33).
In the corner next to the literacy center is the large rug used for morning meeting, read alouds, and other large group work.There is also a piano and other musical instruments in this area. According to Morrow (p 342), music provides ample means for literacy development by increasing vocabulary, and emphasizing word and syllabic patterns. Songs are also excellent shared reading material and encourage a movement element in lessons. The books in this area are arranged into one area of leveled readers in well marked small bins that the students may use for independent reading or to borrow to take home, and one area of books with the covers facing out that reflect the theme of what is being studied. On the walls around the large rug are a number line, a calendar and weather chart, a list of classroom jobs, and a list of classroom rules that the students have helped to generate. There are also maps on this wall that will change depending on the topics being studied. According to Neuman et. al (p 5), the single most important activity for building literacy understanding is reading aloud to children, and between large group read alouds in this area and smaller read alouds at the round table, the students will have multiple opportunities each day to be read to. The read alouds will be interactive, assuring the students have opportunities to ask and answer questions about key details in a text, characters, settings, and major events (core standards).
Directly next to the large rug is the puppet theater, placed here so that the students can easily transition a read aloud or shared reading into a retelling or more in depth performance of the story or original work (core standards). Research shows that literacy rich dramatic play areas based on themes stimulated increased language, literacy activity, and enhanced literacy skills (Morrow,p 332).With the puppet theater and dramatic play area, I hope to allow many more connections with literacy. More of the students’ work is displayed on this wall, and pictures of the students, their families, and a sight word wall is up on the wall behind the students’ cubbies and teacher station.
I believe this floor plan is a literacy rich environment for the students, with most centers enhanced with related books and word walls, diverse and hands on activities for exploration, and a set up that allows for concentration in quieter areas and more noise in more active areas. This classroom is set up to ensure students are active participants in their learning and will capitalize on their natural curiosity, inquisitiveness, and spontaneity which Piaget and other theorists agree helps them to learn. With a more diverse range of activities, student assessment can be based on a variety of measures, not just one approach (Morrow,p 43), and allows for more in depth thematic study, which makes literacy meaningful (Morrow, p 26). Young children especially need to be engaged in experiences that make academic content meaningful (Neuman et. al., p 3). With a large area of the classroom being dedicated to literacy, we as teachers are letting the students know that we value it (Morrow, p 333), and they will be able to use what they learn here in all aspects of the classroom and real life situations. There are many opportunities for the reading, writing, listening, speaking, spelling, and viewing components of a balanced literacy program (Morrow,p 29).
Research
Morrow, Lesley Mandel. Literacy Development in the Early Years. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston, MA, 2009.
Neuman, Susan B., et. al. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington D.C., 1998
Common Core State Standards Initiative. Kindergarten English Language Arts Standards