Designing an Ideal Classroom Project Based Learning

designing-your-ideal-classroom

Designing an Ideal Classroom Project Based Learning

Hey, y'all! Each year we work on several things right from the start: getting to know each other, developing routines, procedures, and behavior expectations, and building our classroom community. One of the ways I like to do this is to have students design their ideal classroom

It doesn't have to be fancy, and you certainly don't have to use all the kids' ideas. But getting students to think about the space, the kind of learning they're going to do during the year, and using one or two of each kids' ideas gets everyone on board with thinking of the classroom as "our space." 

design-the-ideal-classroom

We start by thinking about what our ideal classroom would look like, sound like, feel like, and even smell like! (No stinky feet, please!) Then, we think about what we'd like to learn about this year. This is a fantastic way to get to know your students and their interests. I may not get to everything my students write but I can easily slip most of their ideas into different units throughout the year. 

design-the-ideal-classroom

Next, I want my students to think about what kind of supplies they'll need and how they think the space should be setup. Our classroom changes quite a bit throughout the year so even though things are already kind of setup on the first day, our layout is pretty fluid based on what we're working on. 

back-to-school-writing

When they're done, I like to have students reflect on the process and how they designed everything. The writing page above asks students to think about the process they just did and map it out step-by-step. It's totally optional but a great option for your students who yell, "I'm done, now what?" after just a few minutes. 

You can find this free mini-PBL unit in my TPT store here. I hope this gave you some new ideas for back to school and setting up your student-centered classroom. I'm always adding new resources so be sure to follow me on TPT for all the latest updates, ideas, and resources. 
 
Have a great week and I'll talk to you soon. 

Stay cozy,

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