1. Classroom Design By: Mary Keck Mrs. Hale’s 2 nd grade class at Broadrock Elementary School

2. Security & Shelter Physical Security—no potential danger Psychological Security—classroom is a safe, comfortable place to be—Homey/welcoming classroom environment Examples: Cozy chairs to relax Carpet Stuffed animals Arrangement—free from interference (minimalize traffic) Noisy activities separated from quiet ones “Take a break” area—private place to “get away from it all” Personal space—cubbies

3. Mrs. Hale has a cute welcome sign outside of her door that welcomes students to the class, as well as a poster that reads, “When you enter this classroom…You are…” and lists out qualities such as—amazing, intelligent, a friend, loved, etc. These help students feel welcome and at home in her classroom. She also has a colorful carpet, rugs, comfy chairs to read in, cubbies for personal items, stuffed animals (students can also bring a stuffed animal in), and a “take a break” corner with a comfy chair and rug.

4. Social contact Strategically planning seating arrangements based on desired level of social interaction Different for different activities Mrs. Hale strategically planned each space in her room to incorporate different activities When students are doing private work, they sit at their desks in rows facing the smart board, whiteboard, and carpet For group activities, Mrs. Hale has separate work spaces to accommodate different needs Reading table with teacher is in the back, students’ chairs facing away from room, teacher’s chair facing room for monitoring purposes Computers in corners, with screens away from class to minimize distractions Space for “traffic” between rows and around room

6. Symbolic Identification The information that a setting provides about the people who spend time there What the classroom tells us about the students—their interests, activities, backgrounds, accomplishments, and preferences Mrs. Hale posts work done by students on bulletin boards, including one of “selfies” in which students wrote about themselves then drew a picture of themselves to go along with their writing. Mrs. Hale also has her class write each other birthday cards as a morning journal activity. She also has pictures of her family posted around the room, as well as a word wall of words that are used often as students learn or need them throughout the year.

8. Task Instrumentality Physical design of the room—rows for private work, tables for groups Positioning of: Reading area Listening area Each element to minimize distractions Seating arrangements—clear view of instruction Teacher’s desk Organize shelves & storage areas so that it is clear where materials belong Plan pathways to avoid congestion Space for students to line up at the door Separate incompatible activities

9. Mrs. Hale’s room Mrs. Hale did a phenomenal job organizing her room for optimal task instrumentality. She met all of the criteria previously listed. The reading area is in a quiet corner, near the computers (another quiet activity) which are facing the walls to avoid distraction. She does not have a desk (which is a great way to implement task instrumentality). She has a table in the back corner where she runs centers, with her chair facing the class and the students’ chairs facing her (away from the class). The rows are all facing the front of the room, which gives the students a clear view of instruction. Furthermore, she has all materials labeled, organized, and easily accessible for students.

13. Pleasure Physical attractiveness of classroom—pleasing to visitors/students Environmental attractiveness Variety: (moderate and orderly) Colors Spacious areas and small Cozy corners Hard and soft surfaces Smooth and rough textures Mrs. Hale’s room is very visually appealing. She has stuffed animals related to the material they are learning (just did a Dr. Seuss unit). She provides a variety of colors, textures, spacious and small areas, cozy corners, and surfaces. The carpet is brightly colored and soft; there are a few other carpets strategically placed around the room as well. She also has comfy chairs, a “take a break corner.”

15. Growth Setting promote children’s development Stimulates cognitive growth Stimulates their interest in reading and writing Print rich environment Literacy centers Well stocked supplies Variety of writing materials Well organized Audio recordings Literature props Folders for writing samples Good library—featured books displayed so front covers are visible; well organized (shelves) Variety In quiet area Show academic achievement Invites children into the learning experience Wide variety of materials

16. Mrs. Hale’s Class Mrs. Hale’s classroom is an extremely print rich environment. She has done a fabulous job of setting up her classroom in a way that stimulates growth. Outside of the room, she has a chart that displays the SOL scores of her classroom in each subject, as well as one that shows her class roster with stars that represent how many sight words each child knows. She also has a poster which implements the growth of self-character.

18. Works Cited All pictures were taken by me of Mrs. Hale’s classroom at Broadrock elementary school in Richmond Virginia. Weinstein, C., & Mignano, A. (1997). Designing the Physical Environment. In Elementary classroom management: Lessons from research and practice (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.