Arranging the Classroom for Literacy Success

This article is taken from PETAA book Where do I start? written by Robyn Wild. This text is an excellent book for teachers embarking on their first classroom role who want help with getting set up for literacy education success and includes a fantastic array of photos providing examples from classrooms.

Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve as a literacy teacher, and have decided upon the procedures and routines that you’d like to use, it’s time to get started. However your classroom, its resources and the print around its walls will all impact on your students’ success. 

The size of your classroom, the number of students in your class and the grade that you are teaching will all require different room arrangements. Usually each room has an area where the whole class can gather, desks where students can work independently or cooperatively, designated areas for various subjects, storage for class resources and an area for the teacher.

Teachers need to make the most of the available space in their rooms, regardless of the size. If possible, create areas that enable the whole class to gather in front of the easel, interactive whiteboard or chalkboard. Students should have a space of their own and various areas that are designed for specific purposes. It is equally important for teachers to have a space of their own to plan and to store programming and student information. Teachers have to organise space to suit their record keeping and planning needs.

Classroom libraries are essential to every literacy classroom. They should be inviting, comfortable and full of a variety of interesting and treasured texts. If space cannot be spared for pillows or couches then classroom libraries can be stored and displayed on top of shelves and in book boxes.

Technology now plays a central role in literacy classrooms. The amount and type of electronic equipment that is available to teachers will influence room layout. The equipment must be easily accessible to both teachers and students.

Additional areas could include space for writing, as well as special interest areas such as: science and mathematics, art and crafts, construction material, toys and games, home corner, the class puppet theatre, shop and school bag storage.

Gather equipment that supports literacy development

The equipment that teachers have will influence how they teach and what they ask students to do. Some of the equipment is typically supplied by schools, e.g. books, pencils, paint, glue, while some equipment is made by teachers, helpful parents or friends, e.g. pillow slips for use in the class library, word cards for literacy games. Some equipment is bought from educational suppliers and still other equipment can be found in local shops, e.g. plastic containers for pencils or books. Additional equipment such as milk cartons or
old newspapers are rescued from rubbish piles and reused.

Students also need equipment at their fingertips, e.g. pencils, glue, scissors, word lists, calculators, dictionaries and even water bottles, name cards and number lines. This equipment will need to be stored neatly on or nearby their desks.

The smooth running of classrooms is facilitated when equipment is well organised and is easily accessible to students and when routines for collecting work for marking has been established. 

A wide variety of reading materials need to be made available to students in the literacy classroom. Materials can be gathered for inclusion in literacy centre activities and for use during guided and independent reading.

Mathematics programs are enhanced when students engage with each other, while using a variety of hands-on materials. Their mathematical understandings will also be supported as they read and discuss quality texts. So also, students study and read about the environment. Quality texts and a range of resources such as computers, printers,
digital cameras, tripods, microscopes, light tables, listening posts enhance learning opportunities across all subjects.