Couch

My farmer's parents dropped off a couch for my classroom last night. It was a HUGE hit with my kiddos today. I didn't have enough time before school to move things around, but that was okay because my 6th grade girls wanted to do the rearranging. Everything fits together quite nicely! We only had to move a few things. A spinney book rack slid over, the white writing shelf moved to where the easel was, and the couch went where the white writing shelf had been. Ta-da! We have the couch facing the rest of the classroom instead of the Reading Corner to keep the couch sitters from chatting with the people in the corner. 

I'm sure it won't be a big deal once the newness wears off, but for now, we definitely need to keep kids from fighting over it. We spent at least fifteen minutes discussing the rules of the couch and how we'll decide who gets to sit on it. The rule is two people can sit on it at a time. First come, first serve. And you have to have everything with you when you go to sit down. None of this "I sat here so it's my spot. Now I'm going to get everything I need to do my round!" So far, so good! No fighting at all. 

The other rule is that if you've already sat on the couch for a Daily 5 round and someone else wants to have a turn, if they ask politely, you have to give up your spot, no arguing. This is only in between rounds of course. That policy worked really well today too. 

The 7-8th graders were both excited and skeptical at the same time. They're a little annoyed that I'm having all these good ideas after they're out of my class. But like I told the 6th graders (who were also a little peeved they don't get to enjoy the couch for most of the school year), I can't help when I have good ideas!

The couch is a yellow striped loveseat that's seen better days, but it's comfy enough for 5-6th graders. The back of it is low so I can see over the top of it, and it came with a gray sofa cover that makes it a little more modern-looking. The cover is a bit dirty/stained on the bottom, but 5-6th graders hardly notice those things. It will serve our purposes quite nicely! 

Now, if I could just figure out a way to add in a lamp...