Does anyone have pictures of how to arrange your K room? I am new to K, and went to visit the classroom I will be teaching in this year. There are 4 round tables, a teacher's desk, 3 rectangular tables, 5 bookshelves, and lots of chairs pushed against the wall. How do you set up centers? We are an inner city district and do not have time for "play" areas as Admin. calls them. The room is semi-small too. HELP!!!
Sorry, I don't have any pictures of my room yet. It's a work-in-progress for the next month or so...What kind of centers would you like to include in your classroom? Can you possibly take pictures of the room? It would help to see it.
This is somewhat what I walked into last year with my room. In a nutshell, I used my rectangular tables in the middle of the room for their tablework times and then my round (or other shape) tables around the outside areas for my centers. I sectioned them off using the bookshelves which also served as storage areas for my center materials. I had chairs around all my tables, including the tables in my centers. I tried really hard to spruce up my room using my bulletin boards. I didn't have a lot of money in my budget, nor did I want to spend a ton of my own. I ended up making many bulletin board materials. It's tough walking into a classroom with nothing. In a few short years though, you'll have LOTS of stuff! I hope this helps! Good luck!
I don't have good pics from last year, but I'll put up what I do have. I agree since you have so many shelves to section off areas you can use for workstations-you can use the backs for sight word posters or pocket charts for the kids to use (that admins don't get kids learn by playing really irks me!). You also want an area for them to sit for your group lesson. The smaller rectangular tables I would use for like a writing station or science. Do you know how many kids you'll have-more than 4 at a table gets pretty squished. You may consider getting rid of your teacher desk-you won't be using that a lot and it gives you more space. It's really hard when you don't have much space-I've been in the same room for 5 years and have yet to be completely happy with the set up. This was before school started-so it did get tweaked a little more before we began.
Thanks!!! Your pictures and advice helped alot! I will have between 18 - 23 K students this year, and room arrangement will be key. Thanks again! I love this web site!
I am shocked you don't have time for "play". That is one of the biggest parts of kindergarten learning the social skills. The play reinforces what you are teaching. Sigh so sad. As for set up I can show you pictures of my room but I'm not sure if it would help you much. Here is my group area This was the house keeping. But my teacher desk is here now. Housekeeping I moved into the little group room.
This was one of my work station. But I traded it for two trapezoid tables ( I have seven trapezoid tables, six I make into work stations, by pushing two together to get seating for six at each station).
Hey JaimeMarie! Excuse me for jumping in but I love that big book thing you have in your group area! I was looking at the pictures and I thought I gota see where you go it, I have soo many books and this looks as if it will hold lots.
