Floor Plan
Rationale
- Open-space concept to facilitate play-based learning.
- Centres are separated into different areas.
- Desks and work areas are arranged to support cooperative learning.
Reading Area
- A quiet, cozy, and home-themed reading area for stage 0 and stage 1 literacy development.
- Family Picture Wall to remind students that we as a class are a family, and display pictures of their loved ones to show that we’re all ONE big community.
- Low bookshelves that are easy for students to access.
- Books of different genres and level appropriate for students to explore. Books are separated into bins with labels for organization.
- Listening centre for story playback.
- Students are encouraged to read in pairs or individually. Students can read to each other, discuss, and share ideas.
- Cushion couches for extra comfort, and small desks for those who prefer to sit in a chair.
Carpet Area
- Located at the corner of the class to make use of wall space for display.
- Colour grid carpet to facilitate student’s seating arrangement. Students know they must sit on a square whenever the teacher is doing a lesson.
- Bulletin and Board to display: calendar, weather, temperature, and other thematic materials based on the current topic of investigation.
- A low-easel easy for students to see and write on it during lessons.
- Teacher’s chair should be low as well to accommodate student’s view.
- Storage shelf for activity materials: blocks, shapes, manipulatives, etc.
- Book bins of featured books (books of the current unit of study, books teacher read to the class, or books students recommend).
Work Tables
- Arranged to accommodate a maximum of 4 students at once.
- Small chairs and tables to accommodate student’s size.
Conferencing Table
- Table for teacher to work one-on-one or with small group of students.
- U-shape design for teacher can attend to students easily.
- Word Wall in the back to provide quick referencing for students when trying to recall the alphabet.
Drama Centre
Art Centre
Math Centre
Inquiry Centre
- Kitchen and store furniture for dramatic play.
- Wardrobe and costumes available for role play.
Art Centre
- A big long table for a maximum of 4 students to work at once.
- Small group arrangement to facilitate discussion and idea sharing.
- Located near the sink so it is easy for students to wash their hands, and for teacher to clean-up.
Math Centre
- A variety of math activities for kids to explore numbers, shapes, and patterning.
Inquiry Centre
- Students can bring in material from outside to share and investigate.
- Clipboards for students to record their findings.
- Inquiry magnifying glasses to create excitement.
Classroom management & Organizational Tips
A carefully planned and organized classroom can greatly facilitate classroom management.
Colour Code Bins with Labels: Students in kindergarten might not be able to read all the labels, but they can differentiate colours, pictures and shape. So label books, bins, and shelves with different colours or symbols to help development independence during clean-up time.
Tape Line: Put down a tape on the floor by the door so students know where to line-up.
Special Helper: A good way to introduce classroom jobs to kindergarten students. The special helper gets to be the line leader as well as the teacher’s helper for the day.
Class Signal: In our class, the teacher claps a pattern and asks the students to clap back as a way to get their attention. This is very useful when the class is talking or in the middle of the activity, so they know to stop and listen whenever they hear this signal. Other suggestions can be: a bell, a chant “hand on your head,” or turning off the light.
Stationary Shelf: A shelf stocked with pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, glue, and paper that’s easy for students to access. They can retrieve and put away materials independently, and they know there’s a designated spot in the class where all the stationary material belongs.
Snack Area: A designated spot in the classroom where eating is allowed. This is to prevent students walking or running around the classroom with food and creating a mess. Allow a maximum of 4 students at the table at a time, so then it limits the amount of talking the students are doing. Students can easily forget to eat because they’re too busy talking to their friends.
Student Cubbies: This is the student’s personal space in the class. They can put any class work or personal belongings (minus clothing and backpack) there for storage. This is useful when teachers have something to hand out to the students so they can easily put it in the cubbies. The teacher can also redirect the student to put something into his/her cubby that might be distracting (i.e. toy).
Take-Home Bag: These bags goes home everyday and students are to bring it back the next day. This bag is for students to keep anything important (ie. forms, books, class work, etc) in it so that they get sent home and delivered to their parents or guardians.