When setting up my classroom, I think about what I would have wanted in my own first grade classroom. I believe the classroom environment makes a huge impact on students' attitudes about school and learning. It should be a place that they enjoy and feel safe coming to everyday while still serving as a place of learning.
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Set-Up:
My classroom is set up for mostly cooperative learning with each table group identified by a color. Throughout the year, I group my students both homogeneously and heterogeneously based on the needs of my class.
Expectations:
Our classroom expectations and objectives are also posted throughout the year so that students know exactly what is expected of them both in their learning and their behavior.
Instruction:
I use both whole-group instruction and small-group instruction to ensure that all students get what they need to be successful in each objective and skill they are expected to master each year.
Environment:
I understand the importance of having a text-rich environment in a child's early school years. A literacy-rich environment encourages and supports speaking, listening, reading, and writing in a variety of ways.