Your+first+classroom

__**Your first classroom**__

This page is all about making January (for those of you with jobs already - nice work) less painful. Think of this page as a checklist which will help you create the carefully crafted illusion for the interested parent on day 1 that you actually know what you're doing.

Homework : Ask your supervising teachers for their "top 5" tips for getting your first classroom up and running. This could mean birthday wall charts, welcome names on the door, reading corner, getting to know you games, behaviour management.....


 * Flags of the world (Week 1 activity) - get the kids to pinpoint all the places on the globe (or google maps) their families come from (remember this from ICT semester 1?)...then make/colour in the flags & stick 'em on the walls.
 * mrspancake.com is a great website for resources for setting up the classroom, has birthday displays, welcome displays, calendars, etc.
 * Some picture story books to read on the first day of school (particularly good for preps!):
 * "Franklin Goes to School" - Paulette Bourgeouis
 * "When I Was Little" - Jamie Lee Curtis
 * "Spot Goes to School"
 * Could introduce "The 5Ls of Listening", this is great to get the kids to role play at the beginning of the year and take photos to use for a classroom display:
 * Look with your eyes
 * Listen with your ears
 * Close your lips
 * Cross your legs
 * Hands in laps
 * Setting up the classroom:
 * Welcome display
 * Early finishers activities for literacy and numeracy
 * Reading/Library corner
 * Numeracy and Literacy groups taskboard
 * Classroom helpers display - e.g. "Helping Hands" - classroom helpers or a "A hive of activity" - beehive with bees doing different jobs
 * Alphabet display, word wall, number display, colour display - mrspancake and sparklebox websites are great for this!
 * Writing/reading strategies
 * Thinking hats
 * Days/months/seasons, calendar
 * Notebook for obs notes - 5 pages for each child