Many of the classes I have taken this year explain the importance of providing a specific area for your students to read. Many of the places described have had bean bags, small couche(s), or comfortable chairs different from their regular classroom chairs. In one example I saw, it was decorated like a forest with bean bags and a large rug. In both of my practicums the rooms were very small. Every wall in the room was covered by a cabinet, shelves or bulletin boards. The only area for reading was the kidney shaped table pushed in the corner, and most of the students were cramed in tight. I know some of the older schools have larger classrooms, but many of the newer schools are extremely small. So here are my many questions:
Has anyone seen a classroom that has a creative reading area for their students? If so, what did they do?
When we are dealing with small spaces what are some ideas we could use?
Do you think the group table in the back is enough?
Would you replace that table for a bean bag reading area instead?
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3 comments:
I agree that reading areas should be fun and students need more then the reading table. The table is great for reading groups when students are meeting with the teacher, but for independant or partner reading I like the bean bags and pillows and stuff. I have seen older schools and they seem to have big rooms with lots of areas for couches and chairs and fun stuff. It seems like the newer schools have tiny classrooms and big great rooms or pods. I hope that I have a classroom with lots of room for those areas. I have seen a lot of canopy's and bean bags. Those would be great. I always hated sitting at my desk in the hard chair and reading. I spent so much time with my back and neck stiff then focusing on my book. The bean bags are great. I even saw a second grade class that had large stuffed animals. Those would possibly be cheaper and seemed to be just as comfortable as the bean bag.
It is very true what you say. In our classes, our teachers promote having big fun reading spaces for the students, in reality, many of the classroom are so small that everything is crowded. In my first practicum, I saw that in a corner, she had some beanbags for them to read on but the space was very small. In this practicum that I am in right now, the room is also very small and what the teacher does is she has them read in partners on the floor. The students get with their partners and they go off looking for a space in the room to read with their partners.
The school I am in has large great rooms with large cozy areas to read in. This is nice but it isn't always practical to have the students leave the room to read. Some classrooms in the school have a small reading space with a couple pillows and one bean bag. This is all they can fit in the rooms. I think this is better than nothing because kids really need to feel like reading is fun and not just an assignment. The tables are very important as well but for different purposes. I agree with Shannon, these tables are great for reading groups and meetings with students. I would not replace this area for a cozy reading area but I do think that it is important to create both spaces for reading.
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