JILLIAN HATTIE
WELCOME TO ROOM 208
In my suburban, Metro Detroit school district, all of the elementary school buildings house Kindergarten through 4th grade. In my building, there are over 460 students, 20 of which are in my classroom. In my classroom, housed at the front of the school building, there is a diverse group of second graders that are eager to learn. In this classroom, we learn reading, writing, math, science, social studies, along with being a good friend, working together, and having a growth mindset.
Flexible seating is a must in my classroom. There are plenty of comfortable options, including a couch and many different pillows which can be moved around the room. Countless books have been enjoyed in these places!
There are 3 different table heights in my classroom. There are average height tables for sitting, two of which are composed of 6 smaller triangle tables and the other 2 are "puzzle-shaped" tables. The gray table in the center sits lower, so students can sit on the floor or on those short stools. The table in the very back of the room is taller, which allows students to stand and work if they choose.
In the back of my classroom, I have a library sorted by book level and book genre. On a different shelf, students have their own individual book boxes that they decorated in order to store the books they are currently reading.
In the front corner of my classroom, we have the Cooldown Corner. The kids in my class have been taught how to effectively use the tools in this space when they are beginning to feel upset. There is a soft rug, pillow, and box of tools to use to help students calm down when they start to feel upset. In the box, there is play-doh, a pinwheel, and lots of fidgets for kids to squeeze.
The front of my classroom has student "dot spots" facing my Smartboard. This is where we meet as a whole group as I deliver instruction. Each child is assigned a spot to sit on while I read a story, teach a whole class lesson, or as we kick of our morning with a morning meeting. Often times we "circle around the circles" and sit around the dot spots so that we can see one another to greet each other first thing in the morning, reflect, or see a demonstration.