Effective Classroom Checklist 

Meeting area

ü     Do you have a defined meeting area, where all students sit comfortably on the floor?

ü     Do you have an easel in this area?

ü     Do you have your resources located in this area? 

                             Markers

                             Pointers

                             Highlighting tape

                             Post-it notes, etc.                 

Classroom Library

ü     Do you have a defined reading corner?

                             Book bins

                       Comfortable chairs

                        Lighting (lamps)

ü     Do you have 750 – 1500 books available for students to read?

ü     Are your books placed by themes, levels, browsing bins?  (60%, 30%, 10%)

Writing

ü     Is there a variety of supplies available for writing?  (Post cards, lined/unlined paper, fancy pens and pencils, fun notepads?)

ü     Is there a common place for markers, staplers, crayons, writer’s notebooks, scissors, etc.?

ü     Is there a variety of genres/forms of writing on display?  (Rhymes, morning message, fiction, non-fiction, lists, etc.?)

Word Wall

ü     Is the word wall visible around the room?

ü     Environmental Word Wall in addition to the sight word/high frequency wall?

ü     Are the words placed on the word wall as they are taught? (K = 1- 3 per week; 1^st – 4 – 5 per week)

ü     Word Wall folders…

Instructional Posters

ü     How many do you have on the wall?

ü     How many are/were made by you or the class?

ü     Do the students use the charts as a classroom resource?  (Does each have an instructional purpose?)