Book excerpt: You're teaching first grade this year. What do you need to know? Margaret Berry Wilson gives you practical information about daily routines, furniture, and much more. She starts with a concise review of first graders' common developmental characteristics and then shows how to adjust your classroom and your teaching to fit these common characteristics. The result: Students can learn, and you can teach, with minimum frustration and maximum ease and joy. In a warm, conversational style punctuated with anecdotes and examples from her own classrooms, Margaret shares practical know-how on topics like this: Arranging a circle, desks, and tables Choosing and storing supplies Scheduling a child-centered day and teaching daily routines Planning special projects and field trips that maximize learning and build community Understanding the special concerns of first graders' parents and finding the best ways to communicate