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Imagine with me a group of 24 eager-minded first graders sitting on a rug anxiously waiting for the "show" to begin. It's one of their favorite times of their day. Listening, watching, reading, & discussing the different characters, events, and connecting real-life examples through concepts being taught. They come up to the easel and turn the page to that big book. They write their own examples, draw their pictures to match the story, identify patterns, share their own interpretation of the content and even teach the rest of the class using the easel with what they have themselves learned. During centers, they utilize if for art, show their understanding, and share their thoughts. All of their work on the easel helps me because I can see their work, stop to fix any misunderstandings right away, or use their work as exemplary examples to the rest of the class. The easel will be useful in many lessons. I hang anchor charts on it with magnets & use it to write & illustrate things for them. Students will be more engaged in each lesson. Teaching with an easel on the rug is more effective at keeping students' attention than keeping them at their desks and teaching in front of the classroom and losing their attention within minutes. Students want to show what they know and I want to keep encouraging them by giving them a simple tool to show the knowledge they're acquiring every day.
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