Classroom Management Plan

Allison Oeding -- EDUC-604 This classroom management plan is based on a mixed third/fourth grade classroom. 1) Building Relationships Building relationships is essential to gain trust and understand students needs but also to foster a strong community among learners. If students feel a sense of welcoming and security within the classroom, they will likely be eager to learn and feel success as a student (or member of our community). Following, are ideas I use for building a united class that is trusting of me and supportive of one another. Before school begins - Send a mid-summer postcard to each new student. The message may include something exciting you are doing this summer, a summer book suggestion, and wishing them an enjoyable summer break. - Send letters to both students and parents a couple of weeks before school will begin. These letters will give some background information about my education and interests plus important information to start the school year successfully. Included is an interest survey for the students to complete and bring in the first day of school. (see example #1) - Create an inviting classroom environment by clearly labeling student cubbies/ mailboxes/ supplies, decorating bulletin boards, and being organized.

First day of school - Greet students at door with a smile and using their name. - Have room ready with assigned seats and first activity on board. - First activity: Have students make an acrostic poem using their first name and words that describe who they are (likes, dislikes, personality, hobbies, etc.) Share these as a class and post them on the acrostic community bulletin board. - Lead an icebreaker activity. Pair up students and have them find three things that they have in common, but these three cannot be visible traits. Student pairs will then share with whole group and everyone raises hand when they have that in common as well. - Give students the opportunity to get to know you better through a get to know you activity. Hand out a Fact/Fib sheet with facts about you

and your life including two fibs. Have students guess which two are fibs and tell them more about the true facts. Explain that this will be an assignment for each student to prepare about themselves and tell them that they will be assigned a day to present their own Fact/Fib sheets.
All About ALLI -- Find the two fibs amongst my facts! -I grew up in southern Indiana. I have one sibling - a twin sister. I played volleyball and softball throughout high school. My first job was at a movie store. I majored in Environmental Science and Spanish at Indiana University. I worked in Mexico for 2 summers with endangered sea turtles. I have been paragliding twice. I have never broken a bone. I play the piano. I have 6 chickens at my house. I traveled in New Zealand for half a year after college. I have been bit by a snake, alligator, and scorpion. I love to read, bake, bike, hike, and garden. I am currently a student also!

Additional activity: Have students fill in points of the star answering questions about themselves. Hang these up for students to discover interesting information about each other. Ideas for questions: What is your favorite book? What is your favorite holiday? Where is your favorite place? What animal would you be? What was your favorite summer highlight?

Throughout the school year - An All-School BBQ held within the first two months of school. This provides a pleasant environment for families and teachers to socialize and enjoy good food and the changing leaves together on a fall evening. - Provide consistent parent communication in the form of a weekly newsletter, class website and emails. The newsletter will have highlights of the week, list upcoming events, and give reminders to students. (see example #2 for newsletter) - Students complete a Snapshot of the Week letter at the end of each week about what they are proud of, looking forward to, and one way they were respectful. They will bring it home to share with their families each Friday. (see example #3 for letter) Students have the opportunity to bring back the bottom signed portion of the letter and add it to a drawing box for a chance to win a ONE FREE PASS free pass of reading homework.

excusing the bearer from one night of reading homework

Compliment students regularly on good behaviors and/or work. Have students set goals for themselves. Celebrate birthdays. Hold teambuilding sessions in which you lead students through challenge activities that they need to work together to complete. Activities might include: the Human Knot, PRUI?, group juggle, Lava River, Monster Crossing, and more!

Inform students of class agenda by posting schedule in the same place each day. End the day with a class meeting to address any reminders or class issues and an electric handsqueeze to remind students that we are a community of united learners. If a student is absent, give them a We Missed You!! sheet with missed assignments when they return. This will show that we noticed and we care. Teach students several cheers and use them often to show you noticed good work. Show guidance and control by consistently enforcing positive and negative consequences with all students, remain emotionally neutral with all students, and maintaining a calm tone of voice in any situation.

End of school year - Create unique awards for each student showing something you appreciate about their personality. - Design a photo slide show that highlights activities and trips throughout the year. Have a screening on the last day of school and make a copy for each student to take home.

Outstanding Student Award

This award is presented to ______________________ for excellence, effort, and achievement in ______________________ during the 2012-2013 school year!

2) Basic Classroom Procedures Classroom procedures allow a classroom to run smoothly and effectively allowing for efficient use of time for academic learning. The structure will give the students a sense of consistency that will allow them to feel success and comfort. Entering classroom: Students prepare to enter the classroom by placing belongings in allotted cubby, placing any assigned homework in homework bin, and checking daily schedule board for class information all of which is in

hallway right outside the classroom. Then, they may enter with respect and find their seat to begin morning work or lesson.

Assigning Seats: Seating is decided in a thoughtful manner in order to ensure a successful learning environment. Learning difficulties, social implications, and ability level are all considered when deciding appropriate seating. Assigned seating is known to students to be evolving throughout the school year. Beginning of Class Routine: Jobs and expectations at the beginning of each session vary. Students will understand these procedures through practice until they become a routine. Practice is essential in order to understand and complete a quick transition. A timer is used to show students what expectation is during a transition. Following are expectations at the beginning of each of the core subjects. Writing Students quickly transition and return to whole group circle with their writing notebook and folder. Students sit in their assigned seat on the floor with materials placed neatly in front of them. The expectation is that materials are left alone through instruction and discussion time at the beginning of class. Reading Students quickly transition from snack to whole group circle with their book bag, reading folder, and reading notebook. Students sit in their assigned seat on the floor with materials placed neatly in front of them. The expectation is that materials are left alone through instruction and discussion time at the beginning of class. Math Students quickly transition and obtain their Math folder from the in-class bin. They sit in their assigned seat and begin Quick Math for the first several minutes before instruction time begins. Spelling/Handwriting Students quickly transition to a boy-girl circle at the floor for a short instruction/information time. Taking roll: Roll is recorded by the teacher within the first hour of the school day. It is recorded quickly and without student involvement. It is a simple check of attendance (), absence (A), or tardiness (T). Turning in papers/assignments: Students turn in homework in a designated homework bin. They turn in classroom papers finished during the class period in a designated class bin. At times, students will turn in work directly to teacher as an exit ticket. Students have folders for all core subjects in which some work will be directed to

remain for teacher to look through on own time. Students are directed if they are to do something different with assignments but this is rare. Moving about the room: Movement in the classroom is limited during instruction time. Students are instructed to wait until a transitional time to ask about issues that can wait. Students will use designated signals to show emergency needs in the middle of a lesson. A hand on the heart will designate a personal need and a hand placed on top of head will designate a need to clarify information. During work time, students are asked to stay in their seat and raise hand for teacher assistance. They may also move about to obtain a needed supply for their work. Finishing early: Students are asked to first look over their work for quality and that they have followed all of the directions. For each work block throughout the day, students will have additional items to work on when finished with daily assignment. For math and handwriting, these items are arranged in a list found on the inside pocket of their folder. These activities are enrichment activities to deepen students understanding of a concept. These activities are independent and mostly individual (some partner work when appropriate) so that they can work quietly without disrupting those students still working on a given task. Supplies for these activities will be easily accessible and neatly arranged for a quick and smooth transition. If other enrichment activities are not available, students are to read independently.

Classroom visitor: Visitors are welcome at any time throughout the day with our schools open door policy. Students know that they are to continue their focus without being distracted. When appropriate, I will greet the visitor and encourage he/she to interact with students as they learn. If visitor has an announcement, class attention will be achieved and full attention is expected to be given to the visitor. Attaining Class attention: The school wide student attention getter is a clap and response in which a clap/snap pattern is given and students repeat that pattern. The expectation that follows is for students to have their eyes tracking the initial clapper (teacher/adult) and show they are ready to actively listen. Another signal that may be used in the classroom is a signal with teacher saying, If you can hear my voice, touch your nose. This may also be done in Spanish Si puede oir mi voz, toquen su nariz. Students seem to enjoy trying to figure out what body part you are asking them to touch and you can gain full attention.

Absent student: A We Missed You! form is filled out for students that are absent by teacher or a designated student. Lessons that were missed and work that was distributed is listed on the sheet. When absent student returns to class, they meet with teacher at lunch to review what was missed and make a plan for completion of work. If requested by parent, information and assignments are sent home by email or with a sibling.

________, we missed YOU!!!

While you were absent, we studied/worked on ______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ . Please see me at lunch so I can catch you up on this work!
(students name)

Missing materials: Responsibility and accountability are two words that are discussed quite often with the students. They have a responsibility to be organized and ready for class with all needed materials. They will be held accountable for this responsibility through consequences. The consequence for not having materials is to stay in the classroom for half of the recess time and read independently. If materials are not brought to class regularly, the student will write a letter to him/herself and have it signed by a parent. Distraught student: A one-on-one conversation in a quiet place where other students are not involved will take place to ensure student that they are in a caring environment in which their needs are of concern. The student will be asked to explain why he/she is upset and what it is they feel they need to solve this problem. Consideration is made to what they need and a plan is made for student to enter back into the classroom with the ability to continue their learning. A quick check-in is made with student after about 10-15 minutes to see how the plan is working. If necessary, parents are notified of students concern. Unproductive student: Internal student motivation is what all teachers hope for their students. Some need more help with that motivation to learn than others. It is important to realize the learning abilities and needs for all students and adapt productivity as needed. After assessing what students should be able to accomplish in an allotted time, rewards and consequences are set. If a student decides not to use their in-class work time in a productive way, they will expect to be doing that work during their recess time. If there is a student who habitually chooses not to use their work time productively, a parent/principal conversation is scheduled and a plan is discussed with the student to improve success. In some cases, an individualized behavior plan may be developed to help student take responsibility and focus on specific behavioral tasks. This picture demonstrates this procedure by listing two goals for a student (choosing appropriate workspace and staying on task through work time). After each learning session, student and teacher discuss if goal was met and places a check in the target where appropriate. The student will then respond with thoughts on behavior using one of the sentence starters provided.

Disruptive student: A warning is given if a student is being disruptive during instructional time or distracting other students during work time. If a second warning is given, the student is moved to a different location in the classroom. If a third warning needs to be given, the student will spend half of their recess time reading independently in the classroom. If I am not in the middle of leading an instruction time or helping other students with their work, I will quietly talk to the student to understand why he/she is choosing to behave in this way and discover how they need to be supported. After the lesson, I will reflect on active engagement strategies and see if this lesson needed more in order to have prevented the disruption. Inappropriately dressed: Students do not have school uniforms but they are asked to follow several basic clothing rules. If they come to school in clothes that are inappropriate, I will have a quick conversation reminding them of the dress code. They are asked to either fix the problem with other clothes they may have along or to find a piece of clothing to change into from the outdoor education bin. Arranging student groups: Student groups are arranged in a variety of ways to meet the needs of the lesson conditions and the students. Groups are arranged by ability level for reading. Groups are heterogeneous for writing. Cooperative partners are given in math for peer help and work time success. All groups or partnerships change throughout the year so that students learn how to work well with many peers in the class. 3) Additional procedures planned for first day of school Lunch: Aspen Community School does not have a cafeteria; therefore, students bring a lunch from home every day. For this reason, students eat their lunch in the classroom and need to be taught what the expectations are in order to keep the classroom tidy and clean. Students are to be in a seat throughout the whole snack or lunch time. When I indicate cleaning time, students are to work together at each table to spray and wipe down the table surface, push in chairs, and finger vacuum the floor if necessary. They may leave the table to transition after a teacher has confirmed their cleaning effectiveness. Forts: The third and fourth graders have an extra space to play at recess: The Forts. This is an area of scrubby oak/sagebrush that serves as a wonderful area to play for this age group. It allows plenty of creativity and adventure. Before the third and fourth grade students are allowed to enter the forts during recess time, several class discussions need to take place to discuss behavior expectations and rules of the forts. The class is also taken on a boundary walk to set clear markers for out-of-bounds. All-School Meeting: Every Friday the whole school comes together for an All-School Meeting at the start of the day. Expectations should be very clear by third and fourth grade because they have been attending these meetings since Kindergarten; however, each year we discuss expected behaviors with the students as a reminder.

End of the Day: At the end of the day, the whole class comes together into whole group circle to participate in a hand-squeeze. This is to remind the class that we are a united class and need the support of each other to have a successful year. Students connect hands with the person to their left and right. Any announcements a given and the student to start the hand-squeeze is named. This selection goes in order by first name, last name throughout the year. After a successful hand-squeeze, the student who started hand-squeeze obtains a bottle of hand sanitizer and issues each student a squeeze (to keep a healthy class) as they leave the classroom. The teacher will call out students by name to leave.

4) Teaching procedures Procedures are taught, modeled, reviewed, and practiced until they become a routine. Selected procedures are taught within the first week to have a successful learning environment, while other procedures are taught later so that it is not overwhelming at first. After school breaks or if a routine is appearing to disintegrate, the procedures are reviewed again and more practice occurs. 5) Lessons that support procedures and rules Teaching of procedures is embedded into lessons throughout the day. They are repeatedly discussed and practiced daily at appropriate times until they students know what to do and when without reminders. A discussion of how procedures are going (including transition times) occurs during a whole class meeting. This meeting time is scheduled either during lunch time or before the daily handsqueeze. 6) Providing positive feedback Positive feedback is provided in either written or verbal forms to the students. I want to strengthen motivation and self-confidence when giving feedback. Therefore, I explain the parts of the assignment they did well and then explain areas of needed improvements. I want to empower them to take responsibility of their work by talking to them about the level of quality and often giving out a rubric to consider their work and/or previous student exemplars. Then, I am able take into consideration their thoughts on the work before giving feedback. Word choice is carefully considered and tone of voice is comforting if giving verbal positive feedback. My goal is for all students to feel safe and included in the classroom learning environment. I want them to have the desire to perform at their best and feel comfortable with high expectations. 7) Substitute preparations

Substitutes are emailed with the days plan and a hard-copy is placed on the teacher desk to also refer to during the day. Supplies needed for the day are all easily found on the desk also or with directions to where they are in the classroom. A responsible student leader is selected to help with any confusions that the day. Students will know what to do because of the routines in place, but the substitute teacher will also have a copy of these expectations. Students will also know that a report will be written by substitute on behaviors and successes at the end of the day. 8) Classroom rules/consequences Students are expected to be STAR listeners during instruction time and to be responsible for their learning during their work time. To be a STAR listener, students need to make sure they are sitting up, tracking the speaker, ready to ask and answer questions, and being respectful to their neighbors. During work time, students are expected to be productive and to do their best work. If students are choosing not to comply with these standards, they will expect to spend some of their recess time in classroom reading independently. 9) Calling on School Counselor There is no on-site counselor available regularly at Aspen Community School. Counselors are available on a need basis through the district. A counselor would be called upon if there was student behavior that was dangerous or if it would be difficult for classroom teacher to discuss with student without losing confidence in student. A counselor is often called upon for IEP meetings and at times as part of these services. 10) Sending student to School Principal Students are sent to the principal for two reasons: for violent behavior or for exceptional work/behavior. The principal is very connected to the happenings of the classroom and an expected presence in the classroom at some point throughout the day for informal observations and to engage with students. Most behavioral problems are handled by teacher. 11) Classroom arrangement Adequate floor space is saved for whole group circle time. Tables are arranged to allow for easy movement and beneficial cooperative work areas. Some work space areas are available for easily distracted students that provide a more independent environment. Pillows are available to use during reading time if student chooses to read on floor space. Teacher desks are nestled in the corner of the classroom. 12) Field trip rules/procedures Before leaving for a field trip, students are reminded that their behavior outside the classroom will reflect the views of the whole school and they have a responsibility to be on their best behavior as a student of a community of learners. It is also explained that if there is an instructor at our field trip destination, he/she may have different expectations that we must conform to and respect. If students choose not to be respectful on the field trip, they are given a warning and must stay next to a teacher. If they continue to show disrespect, parents will be notified and an apology letter will be written by student to the field trip destination (if applicable).

13) Dressing for success Teachers have the same dress code as the students; however, I believe professionalism should be portrayed in the type of dress chosen for teaching. This type of dress will show that you should be taken seriously and that you care about how others perceive you in your teaching position. There are times throughout the year that this professionalism can be scaled down. For example, of course it is necessary for Halloween! Also, appropriate dress should be considered if you are going on a hike or other outdoor excursion for a field trip. Another instance would be if a reward for the whole class is to dress up a certain way (pajamas, crazy hair, etc.) In this case, I think it is more important to show that you are a part of the class team. 14) Setting positive expectations

My plans to build strong relationships with my students, to provide consistent expectations, to give - Harry & Rosemary Wong positive feedback, and to design lessons/assignments with choices will set a positive tone to the classroom environment and motivate students intrinsically. Sincerely listening to students and empathizing with them when appropriate will also show that I care about them. Monitoring student responses in class discussions and amount of wait time given to allow for all students to think through question will ensure equity. Students will receive compliments on work daily and student work will be displayed to acknowledge pride in their academic success. Students will know that I have high behavioral expectations and believe in academic success for all of them because I will directly tell them about these beliefs regularly.

There is absolutely no research correlation between success and family background, race, national origin, financial status, or even educational accomplishments. There is but one correlation with success, and that is ATTITUDE.

15) Addressing the Democratic Ideal / Universal Design The Democratic Ideal and the Universal Design methodology both consider student choices to be of high importance. In my classroom, I will honor student choices throughout the year. Lessons will be planned with multiple options for students to take in the information in order to maximize learning for everyone. Universal Design teaching methods and 21st century skills will be reviewed and embedded in lesson format. Many assignments will be issued that allow for student choice in showing their understanding. Students will be given opportunities to vote on a change in the classroom, a read-aloud book, how to solve a class issue, etc. The goal is for students to feel that they are a vital part of a community through a sharing of responsibilities and considering the well-being of all classroom citizens. Primarily, I hope to help them discover the power of learning and develop a lifelong learning mentality. In the end, this will be most important in preparing them for the life as an adult.

16) Respecting Diversity Examining the world from different points of view will be embedded in lessons in a variety of ways. Teaching students the importance of treating others the way you would like to be treated (golden rule) is an important classroom rule and life lesson in all situations. Giving students opportunities to collaborate with one another is important in helping them learn how to listen to others ideas and views. Designing lesson (format and content) with an understanding of each students diverse needs, abilities, and beliefs. Also, teaching character education and acknowledging good character in students. To be an individual who has the ability to accept differences, they will need the background understanding in being trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and a good citizen (The 6 Pillars of Character).