Presents factors crucial to the success of the combination classroom: planning, teacher selection, student selection, parent support, and schoolwide support. (MD)

Suggests that live plants can brighten up the classroom and can serve as the focus of interdisciplinary learning activities for elementary students. Briefly describes the organization of a "living laboratory" in an elementary school. (SJL)

Nine elementary teachers explain how they design their classrooms to match and support their instructional styles. The teachers focus on whole language programs, student portfolios, science activity set-ups, technology transformation, learning center strategies, and space utilization. (SM)

Presents a list of affordable decorating suggestions for elementary classrooms, including: a reading tepee where students can read quietly; bouquets of construction paper flowers with students' pictures in them; an art center that displays posters of paintings by famous artists; colorful curtains created with bulletin board paper; and a secret…

The author finds that her students concentrate better and become more organized when she allows each to begin the year by selecting and arranging a private work space--an "office"--in the classroom. (SJL)

In conjunction with National Children's Book Week, this article provides activities to motivate children's reading; descriptions of some unusual elementary reading programs; ideas for creating book clubs and reading corners in the classroom; a children's literature quiz; and Allan Yeager's annotated list of the best children's books of this…

Presented is the stage-set design approach to classroom environment, in which the classroom is designed as a stage so that learning experiences and situations may become life-related and purposeful. (BD)

Outlines a study of two teachers' image of "the classroom as home" illustrating how personal and professional experiences are expressed in their classroom practices. Offers a theoretical concept of "image" as knowledge incorporating theoretical, practical, objective, and subjective experience. (MD)

Ideas for learning centers that will motivate students include: (1) a "railroad station" for reading groups; (2) a model rocket where children can use calculators; (3) a walled-in castle study center; (4) a model one-room schoolhouse; (5) a map center; and (6) a music center. Procedures for building and stocking the centers are…

A former elementary school teacher shares suggestions for decorating a classroom on a low budget. The article includes tips for decorating bulletin boards and keeping them up-to-date, organizing workspaces and storing materials, and creating appropriate seating arrangements. (SM)

Ways in which elementary school teachers turned spaces into environments conducive to learning are described. Included are: (1) student offices; (2) seldom-used stairwells; (3) reading lofts; (4) a "fort" learning center; and (5) a garden spot for quiet study. Ideas for classroom storage are also presented. (CJ)

Over 30 activities for elementary school classes during the first week of school are described. Ideas are included for a first day checklist, correct pronunciation of names, getting acquainted games, and classroom organization hints. (CJ)

In multigrade instruction, children of at least a 2-year grade span and diverse ability levels are grouped in a single classroom and share experiences involving intellectual, academic, and social skills. "The Multigrade Classroom" is a seven-book series that provides an overview of current research on multigrade instruction, identifies key issues…

A project to redesign an elementary school classroom was undertaken by 14 architecture students at the University of Buffalo (New York). Six basic steps are listed which any class can take to make its living space better meet its needs. (KC)

A literate classroom environment immerses a student in a rich, stimulating, interactive, and purposeful print and language environment which is designed to provide for success in reading, writing, listening, and speaking and the needs of individuals responsible for their own learning in a natural, non-competitive, non-threatening, risk-taking…