There are many reasons to visit Mrs. Morrow’s Kindergarten, the blog of a whole team of educators–Mrs. Baugus, Mrs. Morrow, and Ms. Crout. One reason is to see the many photographs of their practice they share each month. I had to stop myself from paging through all of their older posts just to get this message out in time today. It was hard to get back to blogging when I wanted to look at “just one more” page!
Photo Credit: Mrs. Morrow's Kindergarten
The fun idea featured today is the use of individual offices (scroll down page to see the photo). Sheila Danaher and I feature a similar idea in From Tutor Scripts to Talking Sticks (using 3 sided science fair boards as the office) but this idea is much more accessible and much easier for smaller tasks and daily use. You might use the larger offices for testing or when a student is “on overload” but for a spelling quiz or to just focus on math work, these are perfect (and cheap)!
This is a great example of differentiating through creative use of materials. Often teachers think that if one learner has a sensory need, the whole classroom has to change. Sometimes that is appropriate but getting the right support can often be as easy as providing a support to just that student. Have a learner who can’t tolerate bright lights? Giving him a ball cap can sometimes help him deal with this challenge. Do you work with a student who dislikes loud noises? Let her wear headphones for part of the day. And if a few of your kids are easily distracted in a busy classroom…..have them retreat to their offices!
About Paula Kluth
