Should my reading table be at the front or back of my classroom? What’s the best location for my sensory table? Where should I put my classroom library? Laying out a classroom isn’t for wimps, is it? 🙂
Every teacher wants his or her classroom to be set up for optimal learning and classroom management. Perhaps the biggest challenge in meeting this goal is being aware of the many things that need to be considered. For example, there once was a teacher who was quite pleased with her classroom layout until she realized she’d left no room for her students to line up. Yep, that was me! This consideration completely slipped my mind.
What are your tips and strategies for classroom layout? Think about the teacher who is setting up a classroom for the first time, the teacher who is moving into a different classroom, or the teacher who is looking to improve the layout of her existing classroom. How can you help? Are there certain considerations that drive your classroom layout? Where do you start?
To thank you for sharing your ideas, all posts made before the end of Friday, August 6, will be entered in a drawing for a free copy of our classroom management book Super Simple Classroom Management.
Good luck!
Diane
When I start to set up my classroom I think about the personal space of my students – can they scoot their chairs out and not be in the way of another student? Also, I sit in every seat once I get my arrangement set – this way I check that everyone can see the board, the word wall, etc.
I try to think of arrangements that foster communication and learning – usually groups of 4.
GOOD LUCK!
Yesterday, I visited my first grade classroom for the first time this summer. My first thought was, ” How am I going to put 27 desks into a space that was crowded with 24 desks?”. This certainly will be my biggest challenge this year. Coming from a movement and music background, I’ve always kept a big space for the students to take a break and move. How can I fit that in this year? I also will have to find room for a science area, cozy reading nook and small listening center. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Hmmm…that’s funny, I was just brainstorming ways to set up my classroom. But I am the teacher who is setting up her preschool classroom for the very first time and am super nervous and don’t exactly know what to do! So that book would probably be handy! 🙂 As of right now, I’ve been just brainstorming, and then moving around to see what fits and what I think would work, but I guess I won’t really know until it is tried out by the children, right?
I always sketch out a layout first just to help consider the options. I always begin with where are the students’ desks going to be because that is ultimately the most important in the layout.
After that, my goal is to always keep my classroom as open as possible. I like to optimize space and allow the possibilities for furniture to move in order to create whatever is needed for activities.
I’m a kindergarten teacher, and always arrange my desks in groups. Usually 2 large groups of 8-10 due to the way my classroom is shaped and the size of my desks. I make sure nobody has a seat that would put their back to the smartboard even though the majority of our work is done at the carpet. That said, I set up my carpet/smartboard area first and work the desks around that. I place 3 alphabet strips around the room, so there is never a possibility of a student not being able to see it. I also set up 2 sight word walls–one that has all the K sight words up from the beginning and one where we add the words as they are introduced. The part I struggle with the most is where to place my round and kidney tables that we use for centers and workshop. I need to be able to monitor the classroom from either of these places while also having a quiet place for my group to work.
I like what everyone has said so far but the one thing I try to remember is being flexibility. Everything can be changed and may need to be. Don’t be afraid to set up your room and experiment with moving furniture when you see something not working once the students arrive. I am in a very small portable again this year after being in a large state of the art classroom and it’s a big challenge. I like to make zones in my room but I try not to use furniture to block them off. Otherwise you may block your view of the students too. I try and keep everything against the wall in a small space to maximize the walking and working area for students.
I change my pre-school/daycare room around about once every 2 or 3 months. I try to seperate the more active centers (housekeeping and blocks) and mix them with the more quiet centers (manipulatives and book area). I like to have other teacher’s inputs on what they think I should change or have them completly change my room around. It is very intersting to see how differently everyone can move one room.
It is that time of year again…I have tables in my room that sit 8 at each. I try to even out the students at each table. These tables take up a lot of space so a lot of my room has to be arranged around them. I also base a lot around my carpet/calendar area since this is where we spend a lot of time. I usually try different layouts depending on my students. So, as you can see I usually move some things around after the start of school based on the personalities I have in my room:)I also post my alphabet and numbers in a variety of spots throughout the room. There are so many things to consider in your layout especially with little ones. Don’t forget to leave room for the traffic flow to line up and to your desk, and hand things in.
I try to make most of the furniture multifunctional. I took out my teacher’s desk (it only was used to collect clutter anyway!) and have two larger tables at either end of my room. These are both teacher/group usable. When I need a place to sit with a small group I use one table and the other may be used by a group working on another project. My centers are located around the perimeter of the room on smaller tables. Materials are kept in baskets so one day one table might be a writing center but another day it can be used for a small group math lesson if needed. Student desks are arranged in the center of the room sometimes in rows, but easily turned to make small groups as needed. At the beginning of the year we practice routes around the desks and tables so when everyone is lining up, going to lockers, etc. we don’t have “roadblocks”.
Since I teach Kindergarten, I always make sure that I can see every area in the room. Usually, the layout that I start with gets chanaged sometime during the year as I see a better way of having the room. I always start with the perimeter and end up doing desk/student table placement last. I do it this way, because I tend to move the desks/kids tables around throughout the year depending on student demographics (who is better next to who) and activities that we do.
I am very lucky in some ways I have 2 classroom. The front room is called the active room and the back room is the work/art room. I separate the centers with the loud (block, house) in the front room and the writing table and quieter in the back room. It is still is crowded at times but I have found I like having the 2 rooms after many years of having one classroom.
I still hold to putting noiser centers together and quiet together. I also make sure that both rooms have number and letter displays.
Does anyone else have a 2 room classroom?? Any ideas?
I am returning to a full time classroom position after 25 years of a 20% job-share combined with Intermediate Fench, a primary PE job share, Fine Arts and Music. This happened due to cutbacks and my teaching partner retiring. I am excited to have my “own” classroom again(I share my French classroom with the Band teacher)and have spent a couple of weeks this summer getting ready. I have the luxury of a conference room as part of my classroom so have moved my teacher desk in there to give optimal space to the class. I have the desks arranged in 2’s and 3’s and still have room for a round and a large rectangular table for small group teaching and large group work. I am teaching a Gr.5/6 split and am looking for ways to ensure that the class setup is not too primary oriented and promotes more independence for the students. Any ideas?
For the first few weeks of school i like to have the desks facing the front. I think is important as you are going over the rules and routines for the classroom. After that I like to put the desks together in groups of 4 or 5. This makes it easy for students to work in small groups. I always put my desk in the back of the room. I don’t plan to be sitting in it during the day, so it does not need a prominent spot in the front. My reading table will be in a location where I can see all of the centers.
I did have two rooms. I used one for meals, Art, 2 sensory tables, book and puzzles. Everything else and more books and puzzles were in the other room. We would stay in the front room while we did a free choice breakfast and the other choices. After an hour we would move to the other room. It was a pretty nice arrangement. I also had book shelves in every area.
This year I will have a big room and a little room. Everything except Large Motor will be in the large room and LM and naps will be in the smaller room. I’ll have to see how it works, but the best thing is that it will be my own small daycare, and can do what ever I decide to do with the space.
I am new to the mailbox blog and so far i really like it. Theres always good information. I am going back to teaching preschool this year and will be setting up my classroon for the first time also. I would love to have the advice on whats the best way and do’s and donts’. Thanks so much for the input!
Of course I always think about the student desks, reading area, etc. but this year I’m adding a rectangular table to the front of my room by the whiteboard. Since that’s the area where I will be most of the whole class instruction time I thought it would be nice to have an area where I can keep the materials I need for the day handy. That way I don’t have to be running back and forth from the front of the room to the back of my room (where my desk is located) everytime I need something for a lesson. A coworker of mine did this last year, and I think it worked out well for her so I’m hoping to find it useful too.
I team teach so I need a large group area and then two small group areas to pull small groups during work times. The large group area is in the front of the room with the bulletin boards and white board. The small group areas each have a space to store teacher supplies and guided reading books. We have a large genre library so we opt to use our square cubbies for the books in baskets. To house jackets and backpacks, we use 5 very large bins in the closet, one big bin for each table. It keeps the backpacks and jackets out of the way during the day. So students don’t go into their backpacks during the day, there is a shelf as you walk into the room to put your lunch box and a small a bin for lunch money and another to return the take-home folders each day. All of this organization as children walk into the room helps with the rest of the day.
Hmmm…I sketch my layout on paper first, then start moving things. Things somehow never go quite the way I hoped but after days I move it again.
I usually end up making minor adjustments after the kids are in class afew weeks.
This is my 3rd year in the same room, but I have never really quite liked the arrangement so I will try again this year. I wish I had more space maybe next if the funding comes through for a new building.
I teach PK and I put all my noisy centers to the back of the room. My quiet centers are on the side and the front of the room. I have a smartboard in front where my rug is for circle and other group activities. Then during centers they use the smsartboard as a center. Like several said the room has to be set up where the students can always be observed. New or old teachers have to find a room that will work for them and they will (as I do) change the arrangement over and over during the school year.
I’ve been teaching for 25 years. Each year I think back to the previous year and look at any problem areas. It’s so hard to rearrange the room once school starts so I just make note of things I want to change in the future.I draw out my classroom and place furniture in the drawing first. My second step is to plan where each of my stations/centers are. I want there to be a flow in the classroom and for students to have enough room in each station so there is no crowding. My tables are put together so that they form an L. Everyone is able to sit at their table and see my television so that they can see when I work on the flex cam. This year, I put my reading round table at the back of the room. This way I can see every station, but can also see when someone comes in the door. I’m pleased with the layout of my classroom this year, but if there are any problems I know that I can move things around next year. 🙂
I was just working at setting up my room last night. This year I am trying to make a cornor of my room look cozy and would be a good place to set back and read a book. I went to Good Will and found a little lamp and two small chairs. I took an old tv tray and put the lamp on that and put the two chairs on each side. Hope the kids think it looks like a good place to read. Would love to read the book for more ideas.
I have been moved to a different school to teach pre-k this year. The classroom is totally different from the one I’ve been used to for 6 years. I am required to have the following centers:
1. ABC
2. Math/Science
3. Library
4. Writing
5. Creative Corner
6. Construction
7. Pretend & Learn
8. Computers
My computers will have to be in the back of the room because of the internet connection.
Does anyone else have the same 8 centers? What centers do you put next to each other? Is it ok to have Construction next to Computers? (I have headphone for my computers; will block out noise.) Suggestions/ideas are welcome. I need them!
I am changing classrooms this year. My new classroom is long and skinny and only has 1 set of outlets. I placed all my centers requiring electricity first (computers, listening and my fishtank) and now I am trying to figure out how to place the rest. The room is really small. I tried drawing it out but it’s never to scale. I gave away my teacher desk. I never use it anyway. I will place my tables last. The reading area, centers and meeting area are a priority.
Ruth~
I have some of these areas in my daycare room. But I am interested to know what some of them are. The ones that I have are: library (bookshelf, chairs), writing/creative corner (lots of arts and craft items), construction (blocks), pretend and learn (housekeeping). And we have computer time once a week.
But I am wondering what you put in ABC and Math/Science. Feel free to email me at contactdanielle@hotmail.com and we can chat. Maybe we can share pictures also!
I am forever changing my preschool room around. I just moved centers around Monday and then on Tuesday I went to an all day training on room arrangements. It is suggested to keep noisy centers (kitchen, dramatic and block) be placed together and quiet centers (book, writing, manipulatives, science) together. I say whatever works for the children, cuts down on “runways” and makes it possible to see all parts of your room at all rimes.
This is my first comment on the Mailbox blog. I am returning to 4th grade after several years as a 6th grade science teacher. I am excited, but I have been tossing around ideas for arranging my room all summer. I have enjoyed reading all your entries. I hope to synthesize many of your ideas as I plan. I have always had my desk at the back of the room, so that it is out of the way. I know I will keep that the same, and I intend to have all my tools for my writing workshop in one area. I am still trying to decide where to put everything else. Thanks!
Figure out what is most important to you first and start there. My large group time is important to me (also takes up the most space) so I start there. Then it is smal group , etc. How come classrooms are always too small? There is never enough space for everything.
I am not a very visual person, so I find it difficult to figure out where everything should go and make the most of my class space. One thing I do keep in mind is being able to easily access wherever each student is. I have found this important with tending to discipline problems as well as being able to monitor my students with health issues.
For those of you who have given up your teacher desk, what do you do with all those supplies and files that you kept there?
I have been teaching for 35 years and I still get excited for that first day. I have already been at school getting things ready for the new year. I have never been in the same room more than two years in a row so I have had lots of experience arranging things. New room again this year and the first time to teach 2nd grade to the same kids I had last year. I like the idea of having everything you need to teach for the day in one place. I always get everything ready at the end of each day for the next day. Having Mon-Fri. folders helps as I do my lesson plans and get books and teaching materials ready for the next week. I try to have this done by Thursday if possible but it doesn’t always work. I love having my centers around the perimeter of the room and make my library really cosy with a rug, a tent, pillows, stuffed animals, and lamps. My kids love the library and really help to take care of it. Don’t be afraid to change anything that is not working after school starts. You can make great plans but sometimes the class you have may need to have changes made. Flexibility should be every teacher’s middle name. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. (parrishp@shcsc.k12.in.us)
How much space should I save for my circle time area.
I feel I have wasted space because I usually leave a large area for my circle time. I could have up to 16 kids in my pre school classroom. My room isn’t very big and I sure could use that space to make a new center. Any sites where I can see classroom set ups? Thanks
I teach preschool and it is very important to me to have space
I have to say that my classroom is never “set in stone” for the year. Over the summer I go into my class and actually get down on my knees to scope out how my arrangements are looking. As a preschool teacher I need to put myself at my students’ level and be sure everything looks appealing, is easily accessible, etc.
But once the kids come in I am ever-observant of what works and what doesn’t. I am not afraid to change things around after school. Actually my kids always love to see who can notice what is different first!
ndisilvio @ gmail . com
I teach preschool so for me I arrange my centers from quietest to loudest. First I have 2 computers with headphones stationed off in a separate area,next is the cozy/ quiet area, next is reading, then science, home living and block center. Music is stationed off separately. Art and Discovery area or located in the center of the classroom. Tables are placed at the end of the classroom. My classroom is very open for easy supervision of the children.
I teach kindergarten, so I always start with my meeting area. I try to figure out what I will need at my fingertips while we are doing whole group instruction. I’ve reused play kitchen furniture for this space several times. A fridge with the doors taken off makes great cubbies for storing markers, erasers, white boards, and other quick materials kids might need.
Next, I decide where I want my classroom library. This changes every year based on what worked or didn’t the year before. I always want there to be someplace soft for the kids to sit, and also a place for various sizes of books (big books, charts and trade books).
Then I play with where my small group instruction table will be and make sure that I can see everyone easily from that spot. Finally I get to my tables and other furniture.
Keeping my materials organized and together is important too! Each year I’ve tried something new. This year I’m going to have a supply bin on every table with each compartment labeled so the kids know where everything belongs.
Harmony,
I gave up my teacher desk my first year teaching. I have a counter top that is my teacher space, but it’s too tall for the kids to really utilize well. I have a two drawer filing cabinet for report cards, cum folders and parent contacts. All my books are stored in the cabinets or in the closet and all my teacher made things are kept in hanging folders either on the counter, under the sink or in the closet. (It really depends on the space you have). I keep a little caddy on my small group instruction table that is full of “Teacher Tools” that only I use. Also, I have two three drawer sets of rubbermaid drawers (the ones that fit a stack of paper). I label them one for each day of the week, and the odd drawer is for notices for me from the office. I keep handouts, worksheets, books and any other materials I might need for that day in the draw. It makes it nice for when you’re out for a two day in-service because you can just pull out the two drawers and put a lesson plan on the top of each drawer! I love not having a teacher desk! During the school day, I never have time to be at desk, I’m always working with kids so if I ever need to spread out, I just use the kids’ tables afterschool!
Be sure to keep enough space around the room to spread out on the floor- even intermediate grades need floor space for group work and centers. More importantly, be flexible! You may need to rearrange after only a few days or weeks.
I have a nice corner in my room that I’ve used as my cubbies, in the past. This year however I’m thinking about making it my reading corner, with a nice rug, and the wonderful natural light. The one important thing that I have to keep in mind is that I have only 1 outlet, and that I need to be able to stand anywhere in the room and be able to see everything and everyone in the room. I also make sure that my center areas are clearly defined. Also, since I teach Pre-K, I make sure that everything is at their eye level- which is easier said then done 😉
I teach older two year olds. I tend to use Lakeshore’s classroom designer and my assistant and I usually go shopping together, and we both design what the room will look like. Plus we are a Reggio inspired school, so we tend to let the kids help design the room.
I have been at the same school and in the same classroom for the last two years and at the end of the year in June, I vowed to change my classroom around for the upcoming school year. I, like Diane (poster of this blog!), didn’t make space for lining up. I had my rug right in the doorway along with my “hand-me down” rocking chair and chart paper easel. I just went to my classroom yesterday to help the custodians put my room together the way I wanted it and I have now moved my rug area to the back of the classroom (out of the way of doorways!!!!) I have also taken a table I didn’t know what to do with and that always gathered clutter to right up against the front of my desk to be used by the special educator OR my listening station. I will be putting one of my shelves along my blackboard behind my guided reading table to hold all of my supplies as opposed to cluttering up my table and my other two shelves will become partitions for another literacy station area. My guided reading table is now in the front of the room where I can use my white board when necessary and also to post my new reading strategies bulletin board set to aid in my teachings. Since I also use that table for writing conferences, I will also have a space for my writer’s workshop workboard which tells me which step in the writing process my students are on. I think you need to do what works for you and your students but in a way that maximizes space and allows you to be comfortable in a place you spend a whole lot of time!
Since space is at a premium for me, I keep all my centers in Sterilite Ultra™ Latching Storage Boxes, which stack but don’t easily slide off one another or tip over 🙂 This system allows me to easily rotate centers in/out and to use the contents of each box for more than one purpose. For instance, the 18-qt boxes are the perfect size to store paper towel/plastic wrap/aluminum foil tubes for use as “telescopes.” I use them along with binoculars and magnifying glasses for both science exploration and word wall/ceiling work.
I also keep rolling drawer carts on each end of my work table–one with art supplies (erasers, pencils, pens, crayons, markers; glitter glue pens, washable glue sticks and bottles; school scissors, craft scissors, popsicle sticks, etc.) and the other with craft supplies (paint boxes and bottles; stencils, stamps, and washable ink pads; hole punches and craft punches; pipe cleaners, pompoms, googly eyes, sequins, or confetti). This way, I can see what’s being used and where it’s going during the school day, and being able to wheel the carts over to the storage cabinets/bins makes replenishing the supplies a snap.
Sitting atop my Art Cart is a desk tray full of “scratch paper,” which usually consists of extra handouts or my printouts with boo-boos. The “what do I do now” student is encouraged to use the scratch paper as extra practice, a source of graphics or print material for a project, or simply to draw or write on the back of.
I also keep a desk tray full of both whole and scrap construction paper atop my Craft Cart, which conveniently sits near a foldable bookcase where I keep my manipulatives. Besides the usual assortment of magnetic and non-magnetic marbles, transparent and opaque chips, and plain and decorated paper clips, the second bookshelf holds boxes of brightly colored beads of varying sizes, shapes, and shades that I use for craft projects, lacing, patterning on pipe cleaners, or as math counters. (And yes, I have been known to use the pipe cleaners themselves as math counters. Pompoms and the larger sizes of googly eyes also make fun math counters as well.) The top shelf holds jigsaw puzzle books and boxes, and I use the space under the second shelf to store the decorative melamine plates I often purchase on clearance for tray tasking.
I keep my file folder games in a vertical wall organizer/storage pocket chart next to my manipulatives area because I think the paper counters that come with some of the math-oriented FFGs are not nearly as much fun as the more hands-on craft/science/math manipulatives I have available 🙂 And to ensure the noise, mess, and demand for manipulatives is kept to a minimum, I use the privilege of having a turn at the nearby computer station as a reminder to be respectful of both classroom people and possessions.
Finally, no classroom would be complete without a Book Nook, where a student can plop down on a bed of old pillows with a good read and an even better reading journal 😀
One of the things I suggest for classroom layout is to have a wall of shelves built so that most of your floor space is freed up for centers, desks, tables, etc. Any extra cabinets or book shelves that took up space can be eliminated because everything can go on the wall of shelves. My daughter teaches 1st grade and my husband built shelves that cover the back wall of her classroom. She has so much more space this year than she did the previous years. I plan to be teaching kindergarten next year and look forward to having my own set of shelves built.
I’m very excited to be starting at a new school this year in a Pre-K full time inclusion classroom (where half of the students are receiving special education services and half are not). Although I haven’t seen my room yet, I plan to arrange it so that quiet activities are together (i.e. reading, writing) and ‘noisy’ activities are together (i.e. housekeeping, blocks). I want to be sure to label all areas, shelves, and cubbies to encourage and facilitate organization and individual responsibility. To ensure my students’ safety, as others suggested, I want to arrange the seating so that all areas of the classroom are visible, regardless of where I am. I have found plastic tubs (of all sizes) to be useful in organizing materials as well as small, plastic drawers.
I moved my computer center next to the dramatic play area last year & it worked out great! The headphones blocked out the noise very well. This allowed me to move my writing center to the quiet area where my computers used to be. The kids got much more done in that center with it being more out of the way!
I’ve discovered a simple way to separate areas, make the environment welcoming, and still be able to keep an eye on little ones. Hang sheer fabrics from the ceiling. They can hang half way down, just reaching the top of a shelf, or they could go all the way to the floor, creating a cozy feel to a quiet area. I’ve also used bamboo shades. They can be raised and lowered, and opened and closed throughout the day.
I teach kindergarten in an older school building. One entire wall in my classroom is nothing but windows so that limits the space that I have to work with. Once I set up my room I check and double check traffic flow to make sure I have a design that is functional for both me and my students. I found a layout that worked wonderful last year so I’m using the same one again this year too.
When determining your classroom layout it really comes down to trial and error. You’ll know pretty quickly when something just isn’t going to work. The kids have a way of “showing” you things you never thought of when arranging your classroom.
I have been teaching Kinder for 10 years. I usually change my room around about every other year. I love tables for that age. It helps the kids really interact and learn to share. I keep all my noisy centers together and put the quiet centers (reading, writing, alphabet, computers) near my desk.
I am getting many good ideas from all of you, rethinking how I am using my space. Thanks, Colleen, for answering my question about what to do with my desk things. I really could better use the space that my desk takes up. I rarely sit there anyway! I think I will start relocating those things, especially as I have had to move to a new school this year.
I have read a couple of books about using feng shui in the classroom arrangement. Has anyone else tried this?
I am in my third year teaching at a preschool but this year I have older children (3 years old and 2 turning 3 this year.) I have a large room but have to make due with a lot of hand me downs from other classrooms. So I only have about four shelves. I am trying to figure out the best way to divide centers in my room with limited physical boundaries. Plus there are those items that have to be against something or else they will fall over. Any help will be greatly appreciated!