Whenever a new school year begins there is always one major item on my to-do list and that is to get my classroom set up and organized. Once I have done this, for some reason my mind can really focus on the other big things like lesson planning and preparing the first week's materials.
EAK is not a year-round 'grade', but rather a program that runs from January to the end of the school year in June. This is a great first school experience for little kiddos that have missed the birthday cut-off for other programs like preschool, TK, or even Kindergarten. This year I have 19 four year olds that will be attending school for the first time so creating a space that was effective and functional was key.
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Teacher Desk & Meeting Area
One of the most used areas in my classroom will be our meeting area. My walls are not cinderblock, so I was able to buy brick pattered paper from Lakeshore and staple it to the bottom of my board to give a more homey feel. I love how it turned out and even continued the brick along the back of my bookshelf where I intend to place the play kitchen and other dramatic play center items.
Since EAK has very little funding, I didn't have much to choose from in the way of a classroom rug or even furniture. So, I took a little trip to Ikea and found this amazing square rug on sale for $50 (a steal when originally it was $78-80)! Although it's not quite large enough for the space or the number of kids I have, it does work as a meeting area and distinguishes it as a space. My plan is to seat students around the edges but will adapt my seating once the first week begins.
Teacher Hack: Use a magnetic curtain rod to hold your anchor charts!
Pre-K Schedule Cards (adapted from these Daily Schedule Cards)
Building Station
This is my block center and where I will place items that are meant for STEM or other building projects. This was the only other bookcase I could find that was available in a storage room and the blue is perfect for our room! I wish it was a little longer or had more storage, but I'll take what I can get!
And I wasn't given any block center materials like, you know, blocks...so I bought these fun cardboard building blocks from Ikea! And from the Facebook Marketplace I found Mega Blocks for cheap and this large floor puzzle is actually my son's.
Ikea: blocks
Sink/Maker Station
This area of the classroom I've dedicated to the Maker Station. At this station students will work with art/craft/STEA(art)M activities that I've set out each day/week. It's also a place where students can clean themselves or get a drink of water. I've included picture cue cards for my little guys to help remind them of the rules of using the sink and where to locate each thing such as the sink, soap, paper towels, and trash.
I do plan to take photos of the kids representing good behavior for station work time and posting them in the various areas of my classroom. This will help them take ownership of their behavior and really encourage independence by having these picture cues.
Writing Station
It's never too soon to have a writing station in a pre-k classroom! At this station I will have letter or name practice writing sheets and other activities like play-doh mats or other fun games. These materials will be kept here, but students will use the trays at the table as a work space.
Amazon: Trays
Target $1 Spot: bunting, ABC dry erase books
Here's a better view standing from the sink area of my classroom. I'm thankful for the space and even though 90% of my classroom was funded by me, I'm happy with how well it came together.
SNAIL Mail Folders
I'm calling my take-home folders SNAIL Mail because it stands for what will be sent home in them:
S - School work from the week
N - Newsletters
A - Activities to explore at home
I - Important class and school information
L - Letters from me or to me
My school gave me green paper folders but I've decided to use them instead for the parent take home folder at orientation. I've found having transparent plastic folders survive much better and parents check it more often when it's see through. :)
Amazon: clear plastic folders, labels
Orientation
On Monday after some staff PD at our school my class will have a parent EAK orientation where the families get to come into the classroom, meet me, and get an overview of our curriculum and school year. I always really enjoy this time with the parents because it gives me a chance to make an impression on them and relay helpful information about what to expect. Especially being a mom now, I understand the emotions that a parent goes through when sending their child off to school for the first time!
Lakeshore: Name Lanyards
I found this cute poem online and adapted it for our EAK classroom. I thought it would be a nice sentiment to share with my incoming families who are sending their child off to school for the very first time.
When it came to the desk name tags I kept finding tags that were too busy with information that we would rarely use in our classroom so I designed my own. Each name tags has room for either a first and last name, but considering these kiddos are learning to spell their names I - of course - only wrote first names on them. Then there's a simple alphabet with upper and lowercase letters and finally just a reminder of right and left. That's it! Simple, simple, simple...
Lastly, on their desks for the first day I've included these lanyards that have each student's name and what room we're in just in case they get lost. It will also help me remember names for the first few days of school!
Inside each folder I have information that is included in my presentation for parents to look over while I'm talking and again at home. I've included some helpful infographics about purposeful play, tips on fostering behavior at home, and some ideas on how to reinforce the learning that's happening at school at home. Another great tool I utilize at the beginning of any year is gathering information about the student and family. I've adapted my BTS Parent Packet specifically for my EAK class, but can be helpful for any preschool or pre-k grade!
And that's it!
I couldn't be more nervous and excited since this will be my very first year teaching such a unique 'grade' like EAK. However, I know everything will work itself out and one of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years in my teaching career is to just embrace the chaos and lean into it all!
Stay tuned these next six months to see what all we're up to in EAK!
