I have a very kind and busy group of twenty two Kindergarteners. The class is divided between nine girls and thirteen boys and is represented by a variety of cultures. They attend full day classes and are very tired by the end of the week. My students love recess, writing and Daily 5. They complain when I have to cancel any of those subjects.
Dakota Prairie Elementary in Brookings, South Dakota was built five years ago in a field.
It is a family centered Early Childhood to Third grade school. It is already bursting at the seams with the enrollment. Our school has a variety of teaching teams and endless opportunities for learning. We offer Art, ACES, Library, Music, Gym, and Technology classes t all students We have qualified for Title One services only one of the five years we have been open and were grandfathered in another year. Next year, we will be reduced to a .5 reading teacher for 500 plus students.
Our school presides in a town of around 22,000. We have a Division 1 college known as South Dakota State University. We also have manufacturing businesses such as 3M and Larson's Windows and Doors.
My Project
My school promotes personalized learning and provides flexible seating for all students. This year, my students really want to sit on the floor so I would like to try a couple of new seats. Currently, several of the seats that I have are either broken or worn out. Over the past few years, I have learned a lot about choosing seating and I think that the ones I have chosen will be a great addition to our room. I also am looking to add a "durable" cd/cassette player. I threw two of them in the garbage this past year. I recently purchased a cheap $20 one for my classroom but am sure that it won't take long for it to break. My students need easy to use equipment to get the most out of their time in the classroom.
Story time and flexible seating choices are a couple of the reasons my children love to come to school and are excited to walk through the doors at the beginning of everyday.
Listening to a good story and relaxing in a comfortable chair can really set the mood for optimal learning and that usually happens during Daily 5 time. During this time, my students work in small groups (3-4) on personalized goals/skills while I work with a small guided reading group. Daily 5 options are listening center, technology, reading with the teacher, word work, or writing. Having a reliable cd player makes it possible for my students to hear a story without me reading it. It can be very difficult for me to manage the whole class while working with a small guided reading group. If problems arise, I have to stop what I am doing to troubleshoot for them and my reading lesson is sacrificed.
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