Going into the classroom for the first time can be a nerve racking experience for some teachers. We have made it through the classes, passed all the tests, and blew away the interviewer. With a job secured, it is now time to plan for the upcoming year. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.......what centers should I have, what are the proper rules and regulations, how should the classroom be set up, is this the best design for a postitive learning environment? After searching the internet, I came across some websites that offer great ideas and strategies to help you get started and keep you going.
Pre-K Pages: Inspiration for Early Childhood
First year, or all, Early Childhood professionals
should visit this site before the beginning of the school year and during the
school year for great tips and ideas. It is full of useful information that is
easy to locate. The author and creator, Vanessa
Levin, has spent more than two decades teaching young children in public
programs for at-risk, English language learners. The website has
everything from activities, themes, parent communication, and classroom
management.
Pre-K Pages is organized using tabs
and drop down menus. The site gives a teacher about thirty different center
ideas. Each idea has pictures to help you properly organize and stock the
center. The classroom management tab was great to visit. It contains strategies
on rules and behaviors, homework, setting classroom helpers, family projects,
and volunteers. For any teacher that has questions on what centers to have, the
proper way to set up centers, lesson plans should bookmark the site. It will
quickly become a go to resource.
Miss Kimmel’s Pre-Kindergarten Class
At first glance this site is very catchy to the eye.
Andrea Kimmel is an early childhood educator in Ohio. The site is very useful
and contains many valuable resources. The site offers ideas on classroom
management. The teacher uses a wonderful power scale to manage behavior. It
also gives a great explanation on how the system is run on a daily basis. It
also gives a layout of consequences for each level of the scale. There are
plenty of pictures to show how the class is set up. Miss Kimmel’s site also
shows the effectiveness of setting up a class page for parents and
grandparents. The parents that are not able to visit the class often have a way
to see what is going on in the class.
Miss Renee’s Kindergarten Pad
This Kindergarten website was a jewel of a find.
Miss Renee offers visitors to the site an in-depth look into all parts of the
classroom. The photos of the class show a well-designed and organized
classroom. The many centers are age appropriate. The website lets you visualize
the exciting lessons being taught. The large group circle time includes doing
the weather, calendar, and letters of the week. She has a wonderful reading
corner that looks comfortable and inviting. The site also includes a Teacher’s
Toolbox. It offers ideas on organizing lesson plans, dealing with inappropriate
behavior, and various themes. Using some of the strategies from the site will
help with creating a positive, active, learning environment.
Mrs. Gold’s and Ms. Brown’s 3rd Grade
Class
What a great site to visit for teachers of older
students. This site was unlike many of the other websites that were for higher
elementary grades. The site is so inviting and easy to navigate. It also
features a search feature that allows you to get to the part of the website
that you need quicker. The site has a lot of photos of the classroom that gives
arrangement ideas. The desks are arranged to promote cooperative learning. There
are special tabs for students and parents to visit and stay up to date with
classroom activities.
The site also has a special place for teachers to
visit. The Teacher’s Page many resources to help you on the road to class management
and organization. Mrs. Gold gives practicing teachers help with creating
bulletin boards and must read books for students of the age. The site also
offers a look at other outstanding classroom websites. She also offers ways to
get prepared for the much anticipated first day of school. The classroom tour
invites you into the learning environment. The teachers also created a list of
extra activities for students that completed assigned work. This area can be
used in all classrooms to reduce the amount of idle time and decrease mistaken
behavior. One of the greatest features is the help that is given in creating a
website for your class.
These sites are well worth visiting. Take a look and I am sure that they will be a part of your favorites folder as they are mine.
