STEELE’S SIX FUNCTIONS Laura Taylor February 24, 2015 Classroom Design Ms. Borres’s First Grade Classroom

SECURITY AND SHELTER Students should be allowed to have a classroom they feel safe and secure in. Plans for evacuation should be posted in a spot you can see. Having a reading area with animals also allows to children to have their own space and read to the animals if they desire. Rules also make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to and no one is getting hurt. Ms. Borres has three steps she is able to use for reading and morning meeting. Her class rules are also posted and gone over everyday before class begins. They also have a place for all their belongings that they know is theirs. The entire school Is involved in a No bully zone. I have posted a picture with the saying students say everyday.

Highland Springs has a school wide discipline plan. Each day they recite what they will do as a BARK student. This gives students an understanding that everyone is working together to keep everybody safe and having fun.

TASK INSTRUMENTALITY Students need to know what’s going on in the classroom. A disorganized classroom will lead to chaos. This function is about how we get things done during the day and having organization along the way. Ms. Borres has multiple areas for storage. She also post anchor charts around the room to remind students of what to do when done with a worksheet or how to use a center. She also has a mailbox where the students return finished work. She has multiple areas where she just stores things. The two book shelves are for students to keep their books

TASK CONT’D The center chart is how she rotates where students will go after their last center placements. Along with areas for materials she has a couple drawers next to her desk with each days worksheets already to go inside.

TASK CONT’D Ms. Borres has many discipline systems in place, but the two I love are the clip chart which the student has to move. Then they have an entire class tally chart with brownie points. If they receive ten brownie points they get a special treat.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONS We work in our classrooms everyday, so there should be students’ work all over the wall. This allows the students to show what they have been working on and learning. A theme is usually common for a classroom, but my class doesn’t seem to have a general theme. Ms. Borres does however have representation of her students’ work within the classroom. A word wall is included in this because the students come up with the words as they go along through the year. This shows them how far they have come and the words they know.

SOCIAL CONTACT We of course don’t want our students speaking every second of the class, but normal interactions are important. Ms. Borres has a big room, the only thing is every piece of space is taken up. She of course has the three steps for the students to sit next to, but she also has them in rows going across the classroom. This allows the students to interact with at least two students, but still be able to focus forward.

GROWTH Students don’t learn unless they can grow. Having centers or learning areas that are effective is important. Ms. Borres runs her entire reading section as centers. One center involves rolling a dice with different letter sounds and match that sound to a word. She is also fortunate to have four IPads and two IPod touches.

GROWTH CONT’D These are some examples of Ms. Borres’s centers she uses with her students. I really enjoy her word sticks. She also has many great manipulatives for math her class gets to use often.

PLEASURE Students should have spaces they can enjoy, and have their own personal area. Ms. Borres doesn’t exactly have a lot of pleasure in her room. Since her room is set up like a trailer she doesn’t have a lot of space for an entire set up. She does however have the open space which she uses meetings and her reading space.