I started out the new year in Greenwood, Arkansas on a return visit to Westwood Primary. On my last trip there in June, we set up a first grade classroom together and made over the space in a day. We also learned about literacy work stations. Boy, did these teachers put it into action! A [...]
Posts Tagged ‘whole-group area’
Awesome Arkansas Classrooms
Posted in Great classroom spaces, tagged literacy work stations, whole-group area on January 15, 2010 | 10 Comments »
Setting up your classroom with technology in mind
Posted in Technology in the classroom, tagged technology, whole-group area on December 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Recently, an upper grade teacher told me she couldn’t have a whole-group teaching space where kids gather close to her, because she uses a document camera or projection device. She told me her students need to stay in their desks to see what’s projected on the interactive white board. Yes, there are times when you [...]
Wonderful teaching in Cabot, Arkansas
Posted in Great classroom spaces, tagged classroom library, My travels, special education, whole-group area on November 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
One word for the teaching I saw in Cabot… WOW! What wonderful classrooms I visited. It was hard to tell the difference between the special education rooms and those that weren’t. The only difference was smaller class size and more adult support. It was an amazing visit! Photos below tell the story in some of [...]
Classrooms for pre-K and K students
Posted in Great classroom spaces, tagged classroom library, kindergarten, pre-K, whole-group area on September 12, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Today we’ll look at classrooms just for Pre-K and K students. While visiting Ford Elementary in Denver, I saw great things set up in spaces for the youngest learners. Their 4-year-olds are in an ECE room. Kindergarten is housed in another classroom. Such kid-friendly environments! Everything was just the right size for little ones. The [...]
Welcoming classroom environments
Posted in Classroom makeovers, Classroom tips, tagged classroom library, classroom makeover, small-group area, whole-group area on September 10, 2009 | 3 Comments »
This past week I visited Ford Elementary in Denver, CO. Teachers there are committed to creating welcoming classroom environments. We visited classrooms from ECE (4-year-olds) to 5th grade and moved a bit of furniture along the way. I recommend starting with classroom environment at the beginning of the year. It sets the foundation for all the [...]
Lovely classroom libraries in Reading, PA
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged classroom library, Practice with Purpose, whole-group area on September 1, 2009 | 4 Comments »
While doing back to school inservice at Mt. Penn Elementary Center in Antietam School District in Reading, PA, a few 6th grade teachers asked me to peek in their classrooms. I saw some lovely classroom libraries! One teacher had organized books with a fiction section and a separate nonfiction section, as I suggest in my book, [...]
After pictures of Polly’s classroom in Ozark, MO
Posted in Classroom makeovers, My travels, tagged bulletin boards, classroom makeover, whole-group area on August 5, 2009 | 1 Comment »
We worked together last week to give Polly’s classroom a whole new look! She said that last year she moved things around every few weeks, but it never really felt right. We started with a plan for instruction, and that makes all the difference. As part of our summer workshop in Ozark, we met in [...]
Classroom makeover in Ozark, MO
Posted in Classroom makeovers, My travels, tagged classroom makeover, literacy work stations, whole-group area on August 3, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Last week I worked in Ozark, MO with about 200 dedicated educators in Pre-K-grade 5 classrooms. We talked about literacy work stations and how to best utilize classroom space for maximum instruction. A classroom makeover was a part of this, of course! Polly’s classroom featured an odd color of built-ins, a color somewhere between salmon [...]
