inside the classroom
i
Left: Dry-erase markers for writing on tables Below: Some of Bartley's “book buddies"
“Throughout the day, when the need arises, I’ll say, ‘Put a frog in the bucket,’ or ‘Hand me a frog,’ or sometimes I just walk over and stick out my hand,” Bartley said. “At the end of the day, when they’re coming to get their folders, they bring their tower with them, and we have a conversation about what color they’re on, how many frogs they pulled, why they pulled them, and it allows some privacy there.”
Morning Tubs
Dry-Erase Markers
About 20 stuffed animals — mostly
Learning manipulatives, such
Dry-erase markers are ubiquitous in
frogs — are available to keep students
as small, plastic animals used for
nearly every school, but the ink they
company during accelerated reading
counting, are a common sight in most
contain can be found on unexpected
time, as long as they keep to the task
first-grade classrooms, but Bartley
surfaces in Bartley’s classroom.
at hand.
has expanded their use to morning
“We write on our tables a bunch with
“If you’ve got that kid who’s reading
playtime as a way to begin her
dry-erase markers, which they think
and everyone else is kind of chatting,
is awesome because it’s something
you just say, ‘Go get you a book buddy!’”
you’re not supposed to do,” she said.
Bartley said. “And instantly, everyone
students’ day. “We call it exploring; we don’t call it playing,” Bartley said. “They get to explore through those and they have
With her students’ interest piqued,
else kind of jumps back into their book,
Bartley can better engage them with
because they want a book buddy as
their daily lessons.
well.”
that opportunity to just play and build, and talk with one another. That way,
Bartley brings her own interests and
Book Buddies
passions into the classroom each day,
when we do pull them out for math or
A special population of Bartley’s
and none of those is more visible or
reading, they’ve kind of gotten that out
frog collection is tasked with helping
evident than her love of frogs and her
of their system.”
her students stay focused on reading.
drive for student success.
Summer 2018
35
School Focus