Arranging the Classroom for Young Students

Educational Studies The purpose of the study guide is to help you outline the readings for the unit and to give you a place to note the key points of each section. Each study guide outlines the chapter/reading for you and gives you a space to fill in key points under each heading. You should write a brief paragraph (4-6 sentences) under each sub-heading for the paper (see the "write summary here" area). When you complete the study guide, submit it through the unit's study guide Dropbox.

Remember to write in complete sentences and use your own words. Plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in a zero grade and be reported to the Provost's Plagiarism Database. Each study guide is worth 10 points. Chapter 5 Emergent Literacy Strategies Print-Rich Classroom Environments Designing a Print-Rich Classroom Environment The Classroom Library Center The Writing Center Literacy-Enriched Play Centers Environmental and Functional Print Write Summary Here: The way that classrooms are physically organized has an impact on learning experiences.

Areas should be well-defined, with related areas near one another so that there is a logical order to the room. There should be a well-stocked library in the room to promote reading and children's familiarity with books. There should also be a writing center with a diversity of writing materials, different sizes/kinds of paper, different types of writing tools, pencils, crayons, markers, pens, etc., writing folders, and so on.

The room should also have environmental and functional print, which reinforce ideas related to the lived experience outside school (EP) and the activities conducted in the class (FP). Sharing Books with Young Children Selecting Good Books for Children Effective Story-Reading Strategies Write Summary Here: Quality picture books should be selected for children to read and these can be found by accessing the American Library Association's website. Books should show children of different cultures to promote multiculturalism. Teachers should also share numerous genres with students.

Computer programs should also be available to students. Interactive reading is an effective story-reading strategy, as it allows for interaction between the student and teacher and allows children to engage more directly with the reading material. Read-alouds are also an effective reading strategy for the classroom. Shared Writing Group Stories Individual Experience Stories Interactive Writing Write summary here: Shared writing helps teachers show the relationship between speaking, reading and writing. It shows children that what is said can also be written and that what is written can also be said.

Group stories originate in a shared experience within the class and everyone involves contributes to the story. Another shared writing strategy is the individual experience story. This strategy lets a child interact one-on-one with the teacher and tell the story to him/her. While the child tells the story, the teacher writes it down.

When the child is finished, the teacher reads the story back to the child, and the child can read it as well; this helps to give the student an understanding of fluency and oral reading as well as the opportunity to revise the story. Interactive writing helps students work together on a story like in group writing; but here the teacher does all the writing.

Family Focus: Sharing Instructional Materials and Offering Guidance Classroom Lending Library Book Bags Write Summary Here: Having greater access to numerous high quality children's books helps students to achieve better literacy scores. Having a lending library in the class is a good method of giving this access. It depends, however, upon maintaining materials. Books need pocket identification cards. Children can then learn to borrow books by checking them out. Book bags also facilitate reading and promote family interaction.

Book bags can be individually decorated and packed to contain response journals, interactive media, and inventory sheet that helps students keep track of belongings. Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners: Storybook Time Write Summary Here: Using patterned, predictable books is a good way to introduce ELLs to reading. They are typically repetitive and reinforce concepts to new learners. Sometimes a story should be "talked" rather than read so that learners can better comprehend it. Story time should be short rather than long.

Small group book reading can promote better personal interaction and engagement. The same book can be read again and again so that it is understood. Vocabulary can be taught by selecting words from the book. Parents can be invited to read the books at home with their children. Strategies for Children with Special Needs: Reading Storybooks with Children with Disabilities Write summary here: Promoting engagement in the shared-reading and promoting communication throughout the activity are keys to helping children with special needs during reading time.

Children with special needs can benefit from active participation. It helps them to enjoy the experience more. This can be done in a number of ways. Teachers can allow the child to pick out the book. They can allow the children to choose where the book will be read. The child can set the pace of the reading. The child can make sounds when a page is turned or whatever he/she wants to do to interact with the reading process. Children should be praised for their contributions.

What they say should be repeated verbatim back to them so that they can hear how they sound. Whole Unit Summary After reviewing the end of the chapter "Summary," identify the main "big ideas" of this chapter. Write them here: The main big ideas of this chapter are that a classroom is a physical space that should be designed to promote logic, reasoning, order and engagement. Classrooms can also promote reading by having a library that includes high quality reading books for children.

Students can engage with these books by borrowing them from the class library. They can have a book bag which helps them to be organized and involved in the process. Parents should also be encouraged to read the books with their children at home. Teachers should interact with students during reading time and children with special needs should be praised for contributions and allowed to make decisions about the reading, where to read, and how to read.

Teachers should be careful to repeat what children say verbatim so that they can hear how they sound. Chapter 7: Assessing Early Literacy: Finding Out What Young Children Know and Can Do Determining What Children Know and Can Do.