Grand Central Station

A visitor to my classroom asked me how in the world I keep up with six reading groups, four math groups and all of the little projects that we have going on.  One of my little ones piped up and said "It's like Grand Central Station in here!"  Of course the person had NO CLUE of what the student was actually referring to until I gave her the tour of our project/problem based learning environment.

So here is our
GRAND CENTRAL STATION

This board is about three years in the making and still improving.  In my classroom, students are given projects and items that they are to work on through the week to practice skills or apply those skills into practical problem solving projects.  Visual reminders of  what they need to accomplish are placed on the board as they are assigned along with a basic example and options for publishing or sharing their learning.   

For each assignment, I make an example of basically what should be done. students are encouraged to go above and beyond what I did in my example.  The assignment is given a number and pinned to the board under the subject and "I can" objective for that assignment. 

Once an assignment is complete, students place their products in the basket with the corresponding number.  Sounds complicated but it has been a LIFESAVER!!!  Students no longer wander around looking for a place to put things, AND if there is ever a paper found around the room, students put that paper in the basket for the assignment.  If a paper is missing, students check the basket first and are usually relieved to find their papers.

The baskets above are for turning in any assignments 

that do not "live in" a journal.  Below are our journal

baskets.  We have 6 different journals that are used daily- 

"Reading (I keep those with my Guided Reading things), 

Word Study, Science, Poetry, Math and Writing 

(those are kept in the Writing Bins)

Below the turn in baskets, are our individual work tubs.  Here is where they keep any work in progress.  I also put extra practice or challenge work in these if I need to.  (I am almost ashamed to draw your attention to these-- such a mess!!)

Objectives for assignments are pinned to the board near the assignment so that students (and visitors) know what we are learning with each project.

My students are really into technology and using
the computers/devices to publish their work.
I try to give them a variety of ways to publish their writing.  I have made a picture icon for each of our programs/apps and slip the featured app in the clear pocket.  Students can always use other approved apps.

"App Smashing" is the new buzzword in my classroom.  Even my little ones love to see what they can come up with by mixing two or more apps.  Here I given them visual reminders of the programs to use and a challenge "SMASH" along with some of our "Anytime Apps" that they can use at any time during the day.

Free choice reigns supreme in my classroom.  My students are given the freedom to pick what things they want to work on and when to do that.  (Sometimes it does come back to bite me because they are very strong minded little people.  But, I have to weigh the overall benefits to allowing such freedoms. So far the benefits have FAR outweighed the negatives. Our little corner of the world is a happy and safe place where my students can make their own choices and experience the effects of those choices (positive and negative) in a safe and nurturing environment.