Language and Literacy: The Listening/Reading Center

Language and Literacy: The Listening/Reading Center

Posted by Sarah on August 09, 2020 in setting up your classroom,

Just like setting up the other centers, you will need to have a copy of the Instructional Quality Guidelines (if you teach pre-k in the state of Georgia under the Bright From the Start program) or whatever guidelines are relevant in your state. As you set up your center you can check off each item to prepare for when your site director follows up with the checklist.

Here is a picture of my reading/listening center. I really love how I set it up this year.

Requirements (Georgia BFTS)

• A cozy reading/listening area
• Variety of books for enrolled students
• Listening device
• 2 books/stories for listening device

Cozy Reading & Listening Area

You want your reading/listening center to be an inviting little nook in your classroom where students can enjoy books. This can be achieved with beanbags, scoop rockers, or other types of comfortable seating. You might add a rug and a cute lamp, or any other decor that will make it a place kids want to spend time in. My reading/listening center includes a small couch, a chair, a front-facing bookshelf, and an end table that serves to store a lot of my music center instruments. I also decided that I wanted to arrange it near our family tree this year, where we hang photos of our families. We won't be able to have a lot of family events like we usually do this year, so I wanted to find different ways for students to be able to still feel comfortable. 

Variety of Texts

I am pretty sure the basic rule is that you need at least one book per enrolled student. I will have 22, so I try to keep at least that many books in my listening center. I have books in several other places around the classroom that help. Variety just means you'll want lots of topics and types of books. You may want some board books for students who are new to learning about print concepts and how to handle books. You may want some interactive books, like pop-up books or books with moving parts. The key is to expose them to lots of books this year. Most of them cannot read independently, but you definitely want them turning pages and "tracking" words. They love to retell familiar stories to each other. I have so many videos of my students "reading" Brown Bear, Brown Bear to each other!

Listening Device

This is something that students can use to listen to others read to them. This can be audio books and CDs/tapes that are paired with a physical text, videos of people reading to them, etc. You can use iPads or CD players. I have a CD player with several headphone jacks on the back of it. I like to put command hooks on the wall for headphones to hang from to try to keep them from tangling all the cords. Just remember to keep your device near an electrical outlet or charger because they will need to access it daily. Since I don't introduce the listening center until a few weeks into the school year, I have limited the items that I currently have out. The table in the corner will have the CD player on it once I open the center up for play.

Books/Stories with Audio

You need at least 2 books with audio out for your listening devices. I like to change these out with my themes or based on student interest. My kids fell in love with Dragons Love Tacos a couple of years ago, so I decided to buy the CD and book set from Scholastic. 

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Setting Up the Science Center

Setting Up the Science Center

Posted by Sarah on July 25, 2020 in setting up your classroom,

Just like setting up the blocks center, you will need to have a copy of the Instructional Quality Guidelines (if you teach pre-k in the state of Georgia under the Bright From the Start program) or whatever guidelines are relevant in your state. As you set up your center you can check off each item to prepare for when your site director follows up with the checklist. 

Here is a picture of my science center this year. It does not take long to set up. I still need to print some labels for items that I decided to add this year, but it is mostly complete.

Requirements (Georgia BFTS)

• Sensory table with sensory materials
• 3 different basic science materials
• 3 types of discovery materials
• 2 sets of pictures/collections
• Something living to care for
• Materials to promote literacy development

Sensory Table/Materials

I will not be using my sensory table at the start of the year due to the current pandemic. I will update or post about it when it is allowed in our classrooms again.

Basic Science Materials

These are just items students would use to carry out any scientific investigation, like magnets or magnifying glasses. You are only required to have 3 types out, but I put out several to try to drive more interest in the science center. You can see that I have magnets, magnifying glasses, color paddles, prisms, sand timers, and kaleidoscopes. 

I like to organize things in the same colored/types of baskets in each center so students know which center the objects they were using came from. I also place a label with a real photo (rather than an illustration) inside of each basket and on the shelf where the item or basket sits. This makes clean up time go smoothly.

Discovery Materials

These can be any number of items your students can use to explore. I have magnetic discovery board, which holds several different items. Some are magnetic and some are not. The students can use the magnets in the science center to see which items "stick" to the magnets. I also have a container full of toy gears that the students can use to build things.

Pictures/Collections

These are just other groups of objects that your students can explore. I rotate out rocks, marbles, seashells, pine cones, leaves, and other objects. I am starting the year off with feathers and seashells. They are sitting in baskets on the top shelf with goggles and a different magnifier.

Your Class Pet

You need to have a living thing in your classroom for students to help take care of. This can be a plant or animal. I purchased a bearded dragon during my first year and my students love him. We named him Squirrely Dan. They help feed him by using tongs to grab his crickets and worms and making him salads. They help bathe him. There are lots of ways students can help with class pets and they are a really engaging way to teach about science.

If you need help purchasing your class pet, you can apply for a grant through an organization called Pets in the Classroom. It is really easy and they have a large variety of pets you can choose from, including birds, fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, lizards, snakes, etc. The grant can be used at a variety of pet stores, so you can choose to apply for a store that is local to you. It will cover a significant portion of the cost (if not the total cost) of the pet, their habitat, and food. Just make sure to do plenty of research about what type of pet you would like because you can only get the grant one time. You can continue to apply for a yearly grant that helps with the cost of the pet too. 

Materials to Promote Literacy

This is going to be similar in every center. You will want to have a basket of books related to science. These can be changed out every month or so to relate to what you're teaching or the theme for change of environment. I also like to keep clipboards and pencils out so students can draw pictures and copy science words. Anything that can be used for students to practice concepts of print and reading is going to fall into this category.

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Setting Up the Blocks Center

Setting Up the Blocks Center

Posted by Sarah on July 18, 2020 in setting up your classroom,

The first thing you need to do when setting up your blocks center is to pull up the Instructional Quality Guidelines for your learning environment. (That link will take you to the Bright From the Start guidelines for Georgia Pre-K, so if you are in another state your requirements may vary slightly.) The blocks center is going to be one of the most popular in your classroom, so it needs to be pretty spacious. Teachers usually set up their blocks shelving around the rug where large group instruction takes place. You will probably want to do the same because you do not want to listen to kids slamming wooden blocks down on bare floors for an hour every day. 

Here is a picture of how I am setting up my blocks center this year. I was able to mostly finish working on it today. Yes, I listened to the entire Hamilton sound track while I worked. I was singing and dancing, thinking I was the only person in my building, when another teacher tapped on my window and scared me! 

Requirements for the Block Center (Georgia BFTS):

• Minimum 200-250 unit blocks
• Minimum 20-30 hollow wooden blocks
• 3 types of blocks accessories
• 2 types of "real and found" items
• Materials to promote literacy
• Minimum of 10-20 of an additional type of block

Unit Blocks

The first listed requirement is 200-250 unit blocks. These are smaller wooden blocks that come in various shapes. Make sure that you count how many that you've got in your classroom. Depending on who your consultant is, they may ask you to pull them out and count them when they visit for inspections. 

You also need to make sure they are stored properly, on block shelving and not inside of bins or containers. They need to be placed on the shelving in a manner that provides your students with daily opportunities to sort and organize them as they put them away after free-play centers! I painted the ends of my blocks with the same non-toxic paint the students use and traced the shapes on the shelves. This provides my students with two ways to sort the unit blocks (by color and by matching the shapes to the outlines on each shelf). 

Hollow Wooden Blocks

You're also going to need to have 20-30 hollow wooden blocks for your students to play with. You're going to want to count these as well and make sure that you keep an allen wrench/hex key set handy to tighten the bolts holding the blocks together. They get loosened up throughout the school year as the students play with them. 

I organize my hollow blocks by placing colored stickers on them and placing clear tape over the stickers. I then place the same colored stickers and clear tape on the shelves that the blocks go on. The students still have to work hard to think about how to arrange the blocks on the shelves, but it helps them to know which blocks go on each shelf.

Block Accessories

You're going to need 3 types of block accessories. These are the things that I usually wind up changing out frequently. You will have to do a "change of environment" where you rotate in new toys and things to keep students interested in each center. For blocks, one month you might do a zoo theme, so you might have a basket of zoo animals out. The next month you might do community helpers and set out a basket of dolls or toys that relate to that topic. 

I also like to keep out a basket of toy vehicles all year. The kids love to drive the cars all over the big blocks and it provides lots of chances to assess them on some of the science standards related to movement. I'm starting out this school year with plastic cars, animals, and community buildings.

Real & Found

Real and Found items are just things that are not toys but can be used for play-based learning. For the purposes of the blocks area, this can be something students use to build with or items that are related to literacy, like blue prints or maps. I am starting the year off with a bucket of PVC pipes and fittings. I also plan to add a basket of empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls. These items are both easy to come by and work well for the start of the school year.

Materials to Promote Literacy

These items are going to vary based on what your students' interests are. I like to keep a basket of those basic wooden blocks with letters and numbers on them out. I have big foam letters and numbers. I like to keep a few books out too. I do a construction theme some months and add maps or blueprints. Basically, these items just need to expose your students to letters/numbers and the concepts of print. I've got a dry erase easel out for the students to write on. I also am going to add some letter magnets to the front of my teacher assistant's desk after we have been in school a few weeks.

Additional Blocks

In Georgia, you are required to have 10-20 blocks that don't fall into the hollow wooden blocks or unit blocks categories. In one of the photos I have a basket of foam blocks that I usually leave out. I swapped that out today with a crate of large Legos. 

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Getting Started: How to Set up a Pre-K Classroom in Georgia

Getting Started: How to Set up a Pre-K Classroom in Georgia

Posted by Sarah on July 16, 2020 in setting up your classroom,

If you're anything like me, you walked into your pre-kindergarten classroom and immediately felt overwhelmed. Our classrooms do not look anything like K-5 classrooms! There are no desks and there is stuff everywhere. I was fortunate enough to have a 9-year veteran teacher's assistant to walk me through everything I needed to know, but I realize that everyone is not so lucky. I am going to go through everything, step by step, to hopefully help other Georgia Pre-K teachers ease into the start of their school year.

First Things First:

Get the big stuff set up first. Focus on things like your teacher/teacher assistant areas (desks, tables, filing cabinets, etc.), personal cubbies/storage for the students, kidney/horseshoe tables, and center furniture. You need to see how the space looks and feels once all of the larger furniture is in its place. Make sure you set your chairs up too. The chairs make a big difference in the available space. You want to be able to walk around and between tables when there is a child sitting in a chair.

You're going to need to set up space for several learning centers and classroom activities. Centers will include dramatic play/kitchen, blocks, art, math, science, listening/reading, and writing. If you teach pre-kindergarten outside of the state of Georgia or if your pre-k is not under Bright From the Start, you may have different requirements for which centers you have to have in your classroom. The concept should be the same, as far as creating enough space for your students to utilize each center comfortably. 

Every floor plan is going to look different due to whatever fixed features you've got inside of your classroom. Some classrooms may require you to use a space for multiple activities. I use my block area for most of my large group lessons. You're going to figure out what works for your classroom as you and your students use the space. You may decide to rearrange several times during your first year. What worked last year might not work this year, depending on your students. That's okay! 

Take it one day at a time, one thing at a time. You're going to be ready for your students before you know it!

Here is a look at what I got done on my first day of set up.

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