Classroom Setup Resources

Visual Picture Schedule Set-Up Tips... The visual picture schedule should:

• Be located in the whole group meeting area where it can be easily reviewed with all children

• Be placed at children's eye level

• Be set up either horizontally or vertically

• Include a separate visual representing each daily component and its written description (the visual should be big enough for all children to see and clearly represent each daily component)

• Be set up to allow for flexibility (separate visuals representing each component could be placed in a pocket chart or mounted with Velcro so that they can be easily removed or exchanged; on a rainy day a visual representing Outdoor Gross Motor Time should be replaced with an Indoor Gross Motor component)

• Include an interactive element or in set up in a way that clearly indicates what activities have passed, what activity is currently in the progress, and what activities are yet to come (examples include but are not limited to a movable arrow, turning over the components that have already passed, etc.)

** In addition, "a detailed daily schedule and weekly plans (...) [should be] posted for adult use and information (displayed for families and visitors)" (as per The Fidelity Tool Teacher Checklist).

Breakfast/Lunch/Snack

- As much as possible staff engages students in conversations during mealtimes (topics could include but are not limited to students’ life outside of school, food - its nutritional value and beyond)
- Independence is encouraged and self-help skills are taught as needed

 Group Meeting

- Limited to 15 (P3) / 20 (PreK) minutes at the most; at the beginning of the school year could be shorter if needed
- Every student is greeted by name
- Daily schedule and group meeting rules are briefly reviewed and referenced if needed
- Discussion and Shared Writing experience is incorporated (Discussion and Shared Writing daily sections within study guides could be adapted as needed; this part of the Group Meeting is closely linked to the study and the learning objective for the day/week)
- Question of the Day is reviewed (question of the day could be answered by the students during the arrival routine; please note that asking every student to answer the question of the day during group meeting one at a time may prevent you from meeting the learning objective of that learning session)
- A calendar could be briefly referenced to (1) speak about important events (e.g., birthdays, holidays, etc.), (2) enhance study-related learning (e.g., discussion about the changes in the trees and the behaviors of animals who live in those trees with the approaching season change during the Trees study implementation)
- Weather could be briefly referenced in a meaningful way (e.g., it is raining and therefore we are going to go to the gym today instead of the playground, etc.)
- Demonstration of Learning in the form of News and Announcements concludes the meeting and highlights the activities available during the day that support the focus of the day/week

Choice Time

- Duration: at least 60 minutes from the time the last student selects an area and engages with materials/activities to the time clean-up time is announced
- At the beginning of the school year fewer materials are available on shelves; independence is encouraged right from the start
- Some intentionally planned activities are available as a choice (an announcement is made at the end of Large Group to communicate, for example, that materials to create musical instruments are available as one of the choices in the art area)
- Technology is the only consistently timed activity (15 minutes of active use of technology per day per student; 10 minutes of passive use of technology per day per student)
- At least two informal read alouds to individual children or small groups take place (for example: paraprofessional reads a book to two children in the library area)

 Read Aloud

- Limited to 15/20 minutes at the most; at the beginning of the school year could be shorter if needed
- The story aids you in meeting the learning objective of the day/week
- Repeated read alouds are critical and should be consistently planned

 Small Group

- Ideally, no more than 5 students are assigned to each small group
- TS Gold assessment data is used for planning purposes
- Differentiation is clearly evident (e.g., all 15 students should not be asked to “create a pattern” using the same materials)
- New assessment data is collected

Rest Time

- The students do not have to sleep
- Staff has a plan that addresses the needs of the students who do not sleep and have difficulty quietly remaining on their rest time mat
- Staff wakes the children up at the time indicated in the schedule, the lights are turned on, the window coverings are opened, the rest time music is turned off and the students participate in the scheduled activities

 Limited Choice

- Interest areas that are closed are alternated if needed to ensure that the students have interesting options to chose from
- Staff reflects on the reasons why specific interest areas are accessible and others are not

 Gross Motor

- Duration: at least 30 minutes from the time the last student selects an area and engages with gross motor materials/activities to the time clean-up time is announced
- Both types of equipment: stationary and portable are used
- Weather permitting outdoor gross motor space should be used if available
- Afternoon music and movement activities are set up keeping in mind technology-use-related limitations

 End of Day Reflection

- The day’s highlights are discussed

When events occur in the building that cause you to shift and alter your classroom schedule due to a fire drill, security drill, assembly program, etc., please be sure to privilege the following in your schedule:

1. 60 minutes of choice time

2. 30 minutes of gross motor time

You can slightly revise and shift your whole group lesson(s), read aloud, and small group instruction time.

Attached  are the classroom labels organized by interest areas. Please feel free to email me any photos or links to classroom materials that you would like me to add to this file. 

Please note that all previously used blue rest time mat storage bags should be discarded.
Below you will find the guidelines for rest time mat and linens storage. 

"If you fold both ends to the middle, so the sleep-sides touch [STEP 1], and then fold them again so the floor sides are touching [STEP 2], then the sleep sides are protected. You can stack the mats on top of each other [STEP 3]. Put each child’s sheets into his or her cubbie, so they don’t touch any other child’s. Children can be taught to do this properly with good supervision. 

Or you can fold sheets so they are enclosed within the sleep sides of mats, with no part sticking out. And stack as I described above. 

The important thing to do is keep sleep sides from touching floor sides or the sleep sides from touching any part of another child’s mats. And linens can’t touch any contaminated surface or the linens of another child."

Debby Cryer, ERSI, 2022