Chelsea+Perkins



**Students’ desks:** I love U-shape formations for students’ desks. In this open formation, it’s easy for students to see everyone in the class, and there’s a clear “center stage” for presentations, lecturing, etc. The rectangular desks are also great for group work and peer conferencing.

**Teacher’s desk:** I don’t plan on spending much time at my desk during instruction time, but I placed it at the front of the class anyway. Here, I have a clear view of all areas of the classroom and can keep an eye on almost everyone. My CT has her desk at the front of the classroom also, but rarely uses it.

**Library/Reading Corner:** Atwell and Rief both stress the importance of in-class silent reading. This area contains bookshelves full of amazing books for students to enjoy, and a comfortable reading area for some students to take advantage of. There is also a computer in this area, so students have access to the book database that I hope to have, similar to the one that Rief discusses in chapter 2. In this area, I would also like to have the book reviews that I have gathered from my peers, because I think they are a great resource to have. Students would be able to check out books by filling out a notecard, which both Reif (page 25) and Dr. Pope do in their classrooms.

**Teacher Conference:** The round table will be used for student-teacher conferences. I think meeting at a round table, instead of the teacher’s desk, will help put students at ease and make things less intimidating. The round table would also give us more space to spread out and be more comfortable. Rief mentions having a round table for conferencing in her classroom, on page 23.

**Computer Area:** The computers would be used for researching or publishing their work, and they are c onveniently placed between both storage units, and near the teacher conference area. Hopefully placing the computers near these resources would encourage students to take advantage of them while they are working on their assignments at the computer.

**Storage:** I placed a variety of storage areas in my classroom, because as Riefs stresses, organization is key! I plan to use one storage area for “creation.” Here, students would keep their writing folders and journals. There would also be scrap-paper, construction paper, old magazines, pens, pencils, glue sticks, tape, rulers, crayons, markers, and colored pencils – various supplies that students could use to create projects in the classroom. The other storage area would be for “reference.” In this storage area, I would have a “writers’ reference box,” like Rief describes in chapter 2. I think it’s a great resource for students to have when they are stuck or need inspiration. I would also keep some of my college textbooks in this area, and basics such as dictionaries, thesauruses and encyclopedias. In this area, students could also place pieces that they want peer and/or teacher feedback on in a designated folder, and exceptional work from students would be featured in this area.