Classroom Design Kathryn Walsh 2/15/14 Mrs. Stephen’s 1 st grade classroom

Security and Shelter   The rocking chair and the carpet provide security and shelter for the students. The students tend to gravitate towards this area because it is a comfortable and welcoming spot to complete their assignments. The doorway provides shelter for the students. The class can close the door when they want to or leave it open for visitors. When the students walk through this door, they should feel safe.

Social Contact  The carpet allows for social contact among the students. This area is where the students gather to be read to, to hold their morning meeting, or to complete a center. I feel like this is where most of the social contact between the students and teacher occurs.

Social Contact  This table is used for small group activities. The teacher sits at the middle of the kidney shaped table while the students sit on the opposite side. Usually, a mini lesson is taught here while the students are grouped together, allowing for social contact.

Social Contact  The desks in the first grade classroom are grouped in either twos or fours. During an informal assignment, Mrs. Stephens allows for the students to help and talk with one another. This grouping of the desks allows for social contact in the classroom.

Symbolic Identification “Here’s what I’ve done!”  This “student of the week” poster is an example of Steele’s function of symbolic identification in the classroom. Each week, a student has the opportunity to make a poster about themselves including photos to show to their classmates.  The dolphin is the Cashell Donohoe mascot. Each time the students behave well in one of their specials, they receive dolphin dollars. This is where the students post their dolphin dollars to show everyone how well they have behaved.

Symbolic Identification  The students often have their work they have completed placed on their desks. I did not see much of the student work posted on the walls, so I took a picture of their journals. This journal is an “All About Me” journal. It is a place where they can gloat about what they have accomplished.

Symbolic Identification  It is hard to see in this picture, but Mrs. Stephens has a William and Mary flag hanging in her window. This flag represents where she went to school, showing the students a little bit about her interests.

Task Instrumentality   As soon as the students enter the room in the morning, they hang their coats up neatly and put their snacks on the table in the back room (picture to the right). Mrs. Stephens told me that they practice the routine of the classroom the entire first two days of school. She stated that it is extremely important that the students follow the specific morning routine. If the students did not follow this routine, there would be less instructional time as well as a chaotic environment.

Task Instrumentality   In Mrs. Stephen’s classroom, she has a bin labeled “book bags” where the students will drop off their bags each morning. The student’s will grab their essentials for the day and head to their desks. By having this bin, it allows for more room in the classroom, since the back packs are not lying on the floor. This space is where the students come to do some quiet work on their Ipads. The students know that if they want to have a quiet place to complete their work, they can come to this area..

Task Instrumentality   At this kidney shaped table, Mrs. Stephens leads a center. The students come to Mrs. Stephens to complete reading assignments. During their centers, the students know to come to this cart full of books to “read like crazy”.

Task Instrumentality   Every day, the students will look at this bulletin board to find out which center they need to attend. Each center has a heading such as “Read Like Crazy”, “Mrs. Stephens”, “Technology”, or “Journal”. By simply looking at this board, the students know which center to go to. In addition to the cart full of books, these books are available to the students to utilize during the “read like crazy” center.

Pleasure   These posters on the walls create some pleasure in the classroom. The students seem to love the colors in the classroom. I think by providing colorful images in the classroom, it stimulates the student’s learning even more!

Growth   On this bulletin board, there is a picture of a light bulb with a “word of the week”. The students are to use that word as much as they can in their writing and conversation. This word of the week provides for growth in the student’s learning. Students usually come to this table when they want to complete an assignment quietly. Additionally, the students use technology at this table to help them grow as learners. Introducing students to technology is essential as we make advances in the technological world!

Growth   The book case is intended for students to pick out several books to read during their centers. They can pick out as many as they want! The journals are a way for the students to write about topics discussed in class. As you flip through the journals, you can see how far the students have come in their literacy learning.

Growth  The textbooks are available to the students whenever they need extra help or assistance with a certain task. The students can utilize these books whenever necessary. The textbooks help the students who learn visually better grasp certain concepts.