Classroom Environment Plan

Classroom Environment Plan

Annie Penland

EDEX 4275 Individual and Classroom Management

Georgia College and State University

Classroom Environment Plan

Narrative Description:
My classroom is a first grade inclusion classroom at Sumowski Elementary School. In
my inclusion classroom I co-teach all academic subjects including mathematics, English
including reading and writing, science, and social studies to my class. My co-teacher and I plan
together, each providing different information and ideas to make our classroom successful. Since
my co-teacher is a general education teacher, she uses her skills to provide activities and lessons
to our whole class, and I provide modifications to the activities to ensure both students in general
education and special education, can be successful. Since I am the special education teacher in
the classroom, I am also responsible over a caseload of multiple students with disabilities. The
disabilities of my students will vary along with accommodations, needs, strength, learning styles,
and goals. Since I am responsible over several students with disabilities, I ensure they have
accommodations that make their learning experiences productive. These accommodations are
unique for each student depending on their own disability, needs, and strengths, and they range
from extended time on tests, directions read aloud to them, frequent breaks, and more. Another
responsibility of mine is to plan modifications for my students. For example, if one of my
students has a disability that impairs his or her attention span, and they were given a lengthy
assignment, I may modify the assignment so my student could still productively work to the best
of their abilities by assigning my student half as many problems. A list of all accommodations
and modifications for each of my students receiving special services can be found in a labeled
binder on my desk, next to a labeled binder with lesson plans. A copy of our class schedule, class
roster, and sub plan can be located in the sub folder next to both labeled binders.

Classroom Environment Plan

Detailed Classroom Drawing:

My particular classroom is designed to meet the 8 components for arranging a classroom

to maximize student learning and minimize distractions (Maag). I believe my classroom meets
the components because the student tables are all 3 designed to face the whiteboard, which is on
the wall, by the square rug in the front of the classroom. The students are all mostly facing away
from the one classroom window to help minimize distractions. Each table should fit about 6-8
students, so I plan to have the students heterogeneously mixed at each table regarding their
abilities and skill level. This way the students at a lower level can interact with students at a
higher level to hopefully improve their knowledge base. Any student with behavior issues will
also benefit from the heterogeneously mixed tables by having a model student to look at and
learn from. Any students with behavior problems will be placed at the ends of the tables closest
to a teachers desk, whether it is my desk by the kidney table or the general education teachers
desk by the rug. With the students with behavior problems closest to the teachers work stations,

Classroom Environment Plan

proximity control will be put into play and minimize behavior problems. My classroom also
follows the eight components since each teacher desk is in a corner of the room facing the
student desks. The kidney table is used as a workstation for small groups of students and self
correction station for students who miss behave since it faces a teachers desk and is away from
the other students (Maag).
There are several shelves and storage centers along the walls and backs of teachers desks
in the classroom that hold materials and classroom supplies needed throughout the school day.
Each shelf and storage unit is labeled with what materials they possess, and the students are told
about each station in the beginning of school when routines and expectations are established. The
cubbies are placed in the back corner of the classroom to decrease traffic in the classroom and
prevent students personal belongings from being scattered throughout the classroom. There are
bulletin boards displayed on the walls in the classroom to display student work, vocabulary, and
classroom expectations. The content on the walls are limited to prevent further distractions for
the students.

Classroom Routines:
Three classroom routines my co-teacher and I really focus on include how we transition
from each activity in our classroom, when our students need their pencils sharpened, and what
students do with their work after we they have completed it or their work time is over.
The routine my class used to transition from each activity in our first grade classroom
involves two things, a bell/chime and a colored cup to represent each table. Each of the three
student tables in our classroom are named by a color. We have the purple table, blue table, and
green table. Since the school day in a first grade classroom is separated into multiple units that
must be covered, we transition about every 30 minutes. When it is time to transition, either my

Classroom Environment Plan

co-teacher or myself will sound the chime. The chime works as a signal to our students that they
should stop what they are doing, clean up their area, and listen for instructions from the teachers
regarding the next activity in our school day. The table that ends or stops their current activity
the most efficiently and waits for instructions the best will have a straw placed in the colored cup
designated for their table. At the end of each week I will count the straws in each cup in front of
the class to make them aware who has collected the most straws. I will then explicitly reward the
winning group with a treat. This activity will help motivate students to quickly transition and
listen for instructions between activities, which will decrease wasted time in the classroom.
The routine in my classroom used when students need sharpened pencils is fairly simple,
but one routine I believe decreases distractions from students and prevents class time from being
wasted. In the front and back of my classroom are two shelves that hold two labeled cups of
pencils and one labeled cup of erasers. One pencil cup will be labeled Ready to Write and the
other pencil cup will be labeled Need to be Sharpened. The cup full of erasers, In Case of a
Mistake. This means instead of sharpening their pencil every time it wears dull, the students
simply walk to the cups, put the dull pencil in the Need to be Sharpened cup, grab a pencil out
of Ready to Write cup, return to their seats, and resume working. The students will have no
excuse to wander the classroom since there are two shelves of pencil cups located in different
regions of the room. They will be instructed to always use the cups closest to them. The
distraction of the pencil sharpener is taken a way as well. A teacher or student helper will
sharpen freshly dull pencils throughout the day.
The third routine I will use to help activities and work times in my classroom running
smoothly is how my students will turn in work when they are finished or work time is over. At
each of my student tables will be a folder that is placed in the center of each table. This folder

Classroom Environment Plan

will be called the Work Folder. Also at each table will be a student who is assigned Teacher
Helper. The Teacher Helper title will rotate the right each day, so all students are given the
opportunity. Once papers are finished or ready to be collected to be graded by the teacher, my
co-teacher and I will announce to the students that this work is being collected so it should be
passed to or collected by the Teacher Helper and placed in the Work Folder at the center of
the table. This gives the students an opportunity to possess responsibility and work together. If I
am planning to send the work directly home, I will ask each student to place it in their Student
Mailbox once they have finished the assignment and have had it checked off by me or my coteacher. This prevents the students from losing or misplacing stray papers and decreases the
opportunities for disruptions and distractions.

Expectations:
My classroom expectations will focus on the overall well-being, safety, and learning
opportunities of each of my students. My classroom expectations have been taught to all students
and are located on the wall in our classroom next to the square rug and whiteboard. My
classroom expectations include:
I will
Be Respectful to everyone
Act Responsibly
Be Engaged
Be Kind
Try My Best
Learn From My Mistakes

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Teaching Routines and Expectations:
All teaching routines and expectations will be taught and explained on the first day of
school and reviewed each day of the first couple of weeks. The expectations will hopefully be
partially created by the class as a whole, so my class will both agree and understand our class
expectations. The routines will hopefully be fully understood and productive after the first few
weeks of school are complete. The students will also be instructed that not meeting a class
expectation of failing to follow a class procedure will result in a warning or a consequence.

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8
Resources

Maag, John W. Behavior Management: From Theoretical Implications to Practical Applications.

San Diego, CA: Singular Pub. Group, 1999. Print.