After teaching kindergarten for over a decade, I relocated to my current school during a pandemic. For safety reasons, when I arrived the student desks were facing the white board, six feet apart, without the quintessential kindergarten classroom carpet in sight. After teaching a full year with these safety guidelines in place, having the ability to gather on a community carpet and interact with each other is important for formal and informal learning.
The new carpet will give my students a place to assemble, interact, and socialize throughout each day. They’ll be able to stretch out and sit, or lay down as they learn. The size of this carpet will allow them to socially distance while still being in close proximity to read alouds, our classroom easel, and their peers. Proximity to text makes a huge difference in reading comprehension! Early readers use illustrations to help determine the meaning of a story. Having a community carpet allows them to be close enough to see the visuals and interact with the text. Cooperative learning is nearly impossible when students are physically separated from one another. With the use of this carpet, students will be able to turn and talk to each other and reference common materials. When sitting in their cooperative learning groups at their tables, the addition of this wiggle seat to our flexible seating options will allow my students to move their body as they focus on their learning.
These two items will make a huge difference in my student’s academic progress! Use of a community carpet will help students excel both academically and socially. Use of the wiggle seat will allow my more active students to attend to the learning at hand while satisfying their need to move their bodies. My students will love having these seating options!
About my class
After teaching kindergarten for over a decade, I relocated to my current school during a pandemic. For safety reasons, when I arrived the student desks were facing the white board, six feet apart, without the quintessential kindergarten classroom carpet in sight. After teaching a full year with these safety guidelines in place, having the ability to gather on a community carpet and interact with each other is important for formal and informal learning.
The new carpet will give my students a place to assemble, interact, and socialize throughout each day. They’ll be able to stretch out and sit, or lay down as they learn. The size of this carpet will allow them to socially distance while still being in close proximity to read alouds, our classroom easel, and their peers. Proximity to text makes a huge difference in reading comprehension! Early readers use illustrations to help determine the meaning of a story. Having a community carpet allows them to be close enough to see the visuals and interact with the text. Cooperative learning is nearly impossible when students are physically separated from one another. With the use of this carpet, students will be able to turn and talk to each other and reference common materials. When sitting in their cooperative learning groups at their tables, the addition of this wiggle seat to our flexible seating options will allow my students to move their body as they focus on their learning.
These two items will make a huge difference in my student’s academic progress! Use of a community carpet will help students excel both academically and socially. Use of the wiggle seat will allow my more active students to attend to the learning at hand while satisfying their need to move their bodies. My students will love having these seating options!