I also strongly support literacy. I feel a literate environment is a great learning environment. My library is organized into colorful baskets by genre that are easily assessable to the students. They are also able to use a variety of pillows, bean bags and stuffed animals as they read to make them feel more at home. I have a couch in my area as well. Making it a comfortable environment is really important.
I also feel it is very important to display lots of text on my walls. The children have a lot of their work on the wall as well as many posters and my word wall. My word wall displays our sight words as well as other interesting words we learn as we conquer each unit in their text book.
My classroom is not only a fun place to learn but a safe one as well. My students know they can come to me with any questions, comments and concerns that they may have. They understand I am here to help them and listen to them and care for them. This is important because for some students, I may be all the support they have in this world and school may be a place for them to escape. I make sure it is a warm and inviting environment every single day.
