My name is Kaleigh Richards, I am an Upper Elementary Teacher at a Montessori charter school in Reno, Nevada. I have been teaching at this level/in this school for 5 years. I teach 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. I have 34 students. Our school is tuition-free for all students in elementary and middle school. We are a Montessori charter school, so we must follow our school district expectations in regards to report cards, and standardized tests.
The shelves are set up in a progression through skills and lessons. Starting with the golden beads, and stamp game, through fractions and decimals. In this section, I also have geometry materials as. well. On top of the shelves are a variety of options for follow up work. The students especially like the checkerboard, stamp game, and the geometry stick box.
This is of my cultural area. There are a variety of biology, chemistry, history and geography options. The students like doing the pin maps, using the microscopes, and quizzing each other on the Presidents.
What is your favourite thing about your classroom and/or what is your favourite thing on the shelves at the moment?
My students are happy, and excited to work. The Sentence Analysis materials are among my favorite materials at the moment.
My students are happy, and excited to work. The Sentence Analysis materials are among my favorite materials at the moment.
What are some challenges about your classroom?
Limited space results in limited materials. Space is at a premium with so many students.
How have you changed your classroom in the last year?
This year, I moved from a huge classroom space, to a regular sized classroom space - this has been an adjustment for my returning students.
What does a 'typical' day look like in your classroom?
I plan specific focused lessons each day. One day is Writing, one day math, etc. with Social Studies lessons in the afternoon. Our work cycle is 8:45-11:45. Students work on math/geometry, writing, reading, spelling, cultural, etc. In the afternoon, we do silent reading, social studies/PE/Music/etc.
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