Second Grade Ditched The Desks!

Mrs. Bondini spent all Friday night changing out her desks for tables! She was so inspired she didn't want to wait for help! Looks great!! 

Third Grade Has Ditched The Desks!!

Mrs. Bartel's made a big change in her classroom this week! She has ditched her desks! It is not easy to take a risk like this and redesign your teaching and classroom management but increasing the opportunity for collaboration and student led discussions make the risk well worth it! I had been thinking about redesigning my classroom for some time but Erin Klein really gave me the push and inspiration needed to make such a big change in my classroom. Here is an article about "The Cemetery Effect" and ditching the desks. Flexible seating in classrooms also has a positive effect on student learning. Here is another article about making your classroom as comfortable and inviting as Starbucks! If you are on Twitter @Klein Erin and @MrsDelz are two great people to follow. Their classrooms are truly an inspiration! On Twitter search #starbucks4kids to get more great ideas for your classroom! I would be happy to share what has worked well for me and what I found challenging! If you find yourself at Kittredge, stop and see for yourself! 

Weather Books

We are currently working on creating books on extreme weather. Students are working in groups to research and produce a book about either hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzard or tsunamis. This is part of our nonfiction unit in the Lucy Calkins reading workshop. Today we spent some time identifying helpful websites. Once we have finished with our research, students will create their books in Book Creator. Stay tuned for the final product!