Classroom Management Plan for Kindergarten

By Elena Clark Dr. Sally Beisser Drake University EDUC 122 April 29, 2013

Table of Contents Part I: Classroom Organization Physical Classroom Organization Operational Classroom Organization Record Keeping Procedures Welcoming New Students Displaying Student Work Keeping the Classroom Orderly Part II: Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics Disciplinary Policies Establishing Rules/Expectations Classroom and School Infractions and Consequences Disrespect of Peers and Teachers Student Conflict on the Playground Inattentiveness and the Lack of Motivation Tardiness Disrupting or Offending a Classmate Incomplete Work Ineffective Use of Class Time Plagiarism Parent/Guardian or Principal Involvement Professional Ethics Professionalism Lounge Gossip Professional Disagreements Part III: Classroom Routines and Procedures Student Sharing Classroom Expectations Room Helpers Field Trips Homework Free Time Handing In/Passing Back Papers Dismissal for Recess, Lunch, or the End of the Day Specials Restroom/Drinking Policy Meeting the Needs of All Learners Parent Communication Part IV: Differentiation Policy General Procedures Assisting Students Who Do Not Understand Directions or Tasks Adaptations for Struggling Students Extensions for Gifted Students or Students of High-Ability

Part V: Involving Parents Regular Communication Conferences Classroom Volunteers Chaperones Events

Physical Classroom Organization I will set up my kindergarten classroom for my students success. My classroom is designed for student ease in using reference the materials and resources. The following setup describes what I believe to be an effective use of classroom space so that I can monitor the students, support their success, and maximize wall and floor space. In my classroom, I put the white board with the projector screen and maps at the front of the room near the door so that when students walk in to class and sit down, their seats are facing the board, which contains the daily morning task. Next to the white board are two bulletin boards, one on either side, for easy reference. My bulletin boards will be colorful and attractive so that students will want to read them and reference them easily for information. One will contain a calendar with the daily plan and daily chores that need to be completed. The other contains a featured topic centered on the learning center. The learning center area contains a carpet, activity table and chairs, plants, and cupboards with a bookshelf featuring books and objects related to that unit or weeks topic. I wanted the learning center in the front because it is meant to be an area that I can demonstrate science experiments, where the whole class can see. The center of the room contains 4 rows facing the white board with 3 groups of two desks in each row so as to encourage partner work and row work. The E stands for an Elmo, which will be in front of the desks, and there is an overhead projector hanging from the ceiling behind the desks. Behind the desks are two student activity tables. One is shaped like a U wh ich I will use for small group instruction with myself. From here, I can monitor the whole class as I work with one group. The other is a roundtable for group projects and discussions where students can work together independently. The right side of the room contains a T for trashcan and an I for the intercom by the door. The rectangle SRC represents the Student Resource Center, which will contain the homework tray, stapler, classroom art supplies, reference books, white boards and supplies, clipboards, and a pencil sharpener. I wanted this by the door so that when students enter, they put their homework in the tray right away. The circles labeled D and S stand for the drinking fountain and the sink area. I did not include any books or computers by this area in case of leakage or spilling. Next to the sink area are language arts posters related to grammar, mechanics, proofreading, and other good writing tips. There is also a bulletin board that contains a word wall with pictures. The three Cs represent the computer station, which is by the reading corner to encourage quiet work. The rectangles labeled with Bs are bookshelves. Next to the bookshelves in the Reading Corner is the student checkout clipboard where students will be expected to record what books they check out from the classroom library. The Reading Corner contains a large carpet and three large dog pillows. I included these because they are more durable than beanbags. My schools library contained them when I was growing up, and they were very popular with students. There is also a bulletin board containing featured authors and books or literature circle materials on it. 3

The back of the room contains windows and in the corner is my desk with a P for the phone, and a C for my computer and a trashcan next to the desk. The two Fs are for my filing cabinets. Behind the cabinets against the wall are cupboards and a bookshelf with my personal supplies and copies of books. There will also be classroom book sets. I want these filing cabinets, shelves, and cupboards behind my desk so that students cannot access them easily. The wall between the learning center and my desk contains a large coat closet with cupboards above them where I keep additional supplies. This is by my desk so that I can monitor the area better so that students are less inclined to go through each others materials.

Operational Classroom Organization Record Keeping Procedures As a kindergarten teacher, I plan to keep records in a variety of ways. In regards to attendance, I plan on having a magnetic white board attached to the entrance door. Each student will have a magnet with his or her name on it on the board. Students will move the magnets to boxes labeled Cold lunch, or hot lunch, when they enter. The magnets that are not in a box indicate absent students. In order to maintain an accurate record of student progress, I will keep a binder containing student samples throughout the year. The binder will have checklist rubrics specific to each formal and informal assessment. Assessments include running records taken throughout the year, journal entries, and a graph showing student progress. For other assignments, I will keep a file folder of anecdotal notes about students reading (specifically related to fluency, comprehension, and decoding). These notes help me keep track of students reading and writing progress. I will also include students bio sheets that tell me a little bit about who they are. I will include pictures they color and other writing samples that I do not display or hand back. Welcoming New Students Our class warmly welcomes new students. In the beginning of the year, I will emphasize the importance of a non-judgmental, selfless, classroom community. I will accomplish this by reading the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. Students will learn the importance of giving respect, kindness, and friendship to newcomers. When newcomers come to my classroom, I will prepare my class by encouraging them to make the newcomer feel safe. I will encourage my class to be friendly and thoughtful and inclusive towards new students by inviting the newcomer to play at recess, and to eat with students at lunch. Newcomers will sit at empty desks with their own name desk tags on the desk. I will go over some classroom routines and procedures with newcomers one-on-one. Other procedures, I will explain in class and allow other students to demonstrate. Displaying Student Work I think that displaying students work helps build confidence. I think it encourages students to take risks because their work will be displayed regardless of whether or not they like it. Therefore, I plan to have a bulletin board in the reading corner that is dedicated to displaying student work. At the beginning of the year, this board will display student bios. The board will change at least once within each unit we cover. On this board, I will display pictures that my students draw that relate to the unit, or other classroom writing projects. In addition to this area, my classroom will have a Family Fridge. This cutout will be by the door of our classroom. Students can turn in work that they work on independently of class time, such as pictures they draw, newspaper recognitions, and funny comics that relate to the unitbasically anything can go on the fridge that the students bring in to class to share. Any additional exceptional student work will be kept in the students file folder to be laminated and put into a binder at the end of the year for students to take home and show parents. 6

Keeping the Classroom Orderly All classroom procedures and routines will be explained, modeled, and rehearsed in the first couple weeks of school. Students will know exactly where and when to find certain supplies. In order to keep the classroom orderly, I plan on labeling bins with community supplies (such as scissors bins, crayon bins, glue stick bins, sharpened pencils, etc.) My goal is to keep students busy with authentic activities that help them grow into hardworking, accomplished students. To begin the day, I plan to have students work on a writing task that is displayed on the board in the morning when they come in. There will be a list of tasks on the board for students to choose from when they have extra time, so they should always know exactly what to do. In the first few weeks of school, I will model having a clean, organized desk. I will emphasize the importance of maintaining an orderly desk and the importance of students taking responsibility for keeping an organized space. Every other Friday, students will be given five minutes to sort through their desk and get rid of extraneous items such as wrinkled up blank paper, trash, etc. This will be time for them to reorganize loose papers into the folders provided to them at the beginning of the year. Students will be expected to keep their desks orderly always in order to maximize efficient use of time in daily work.

Part II: Disciplinary Policies Establishing Rules/Expectations For establishing rules and expectations, I plan to have two rules in my classroom: Be Nice and Work Hard. At the beginning of the school year, my students and I will participate in a community standards activity. On a large piece of butcher paper that I will post on the white board in the front of the room, I will draw a large circle. I will begin the discussion by stating one standard I desire for our community to have and write it in the center of the circle. For example, I might say that I want our classroom to be a place where it is okay to make mistakes and to learn from them. I will also write a negative trait that does not build community and write it outside the circle. I might say that students give up and do not learn from mistakes. I will also provide specific, relatable examples of what the positive and negative traits look like. I will then open up the discussion to the whole class. Students will be asked to provide either (or both) a positive and/or negative trait. I will share examples of past students and how their positive and negative behaviors affected the classroom climate, to give students a good picture of what a healthy classroom environment looks like. I want my classroom to be an environment that fosters responsibility, independence, curiosity, and diligence in learning. I will emphasize these expectations to students by reminding them that the purpose of having a healthy community is for students to live, learn, and mature. I will state that as a general rule of thumb, if any of their actions are hindering the academic experience of any student, that each student is responsible for supporting the honest academic achievement of their colleagues. I will talk about what collaborative learning looks like and act out an example, using certain students as my learning colleagues. Classroom and School Infractions and Consequences Misbehavior will not be tolerated or ignored. Consequences will always depend on the severity of the offense and discernible intentions of the offender. For example, if a student is found to disrespect a student, I will remind them, Student, your actions are not appropriate or conducive to promoting a healthy, loving environment for your colleague. So-and-so is a hard-working student. Please be more polite next time. A good student always affirms her classmates in their positive endeavors. If a student makes a comment that is not intended to disrespect a classmate, the behavior will be corrected. For example, if a student eats a cultural food at lunch time and her classmate interjects, Eww! I will correct her, saying, So-and-so, it is not polite to comment about other peoples foods. If you are unsure of what she is eating, you can ask her, but really it is none of your business and it probably hurt her feelings. Next time please be polite. If a student disrespects a teacher verbally, the student will be required to submit a letter of apology. The student will be allowed to express his concerns and upsets only if he can do so respectfully, and after the letter has been submitted. I will model this at the beginning of the year. I will pretend that I am a student who is mad because the teacher accused me of something I did not do. I will model the inappropriate response: stomping my foot, yelling, calling the teacher rude names. I will model the appropriate response: Miss Clark, I have a comment about the situation. You said that I did such-and-such, but I was not there. (My tone will be calm, I will not scream, 8

yell, cry, blubber, mumble, grumble, or murmur.) I will tell my students that since they are in kindergarten, they need to learn to respond appropriately when bad things happen. In general, I encourage academic discussion and respectful debate in class. However, if students choose to engage in conversation that is distracting to my instruction or to student productivity, I will promptly and quietly stand by the students desk and perhaps lay a hand on his shoulder. If the discussion continues, I will separate students for the day or permanently (depending on recurrence of the behavior.) In the event that a student has been warned and continues to misbehave, I will subtract class points from the total. I will express how very sorry I am to have to take away hard-earned class points, that I have so enjoyed the class and their modeling of good behavior, but that they will have to earn back the points whenever they are ready. I may call out recurring behavior in the middle of class if it continues. I will either have the student participate in Recess Academy (practicing the correct corresponding action to his or her misbehavior during recess) or reduce the number of class points. In the event of physical aggression of any kind, I will separate the victim and the perpetrator immediately in order to prevent injury. Both students will have a conference with the principal. Parents will be called. In the event that a student is dealing with anger problems and takes out his anger on peers, the student will be encouraged to have a cool down period at the desk outside my classroom, or at a prearranged location under the supervision of myself or another school authority figure. During this cool down period, the student will be allowed to journal his or her feelings or draw with provided supplies at the designated location. Disrespect of Peers and Teachers Students who disrespect peers will be separated from those peers. They will be asked to write three nice comments about the student. If disrespect and selfishness appear to become patterns in the classroom, I will reread Have You Filled a Bucket Today? with students. Students will be warned that if the misbehavior continues, privileges will be taken away. Students will be praised publicly for good behavior. Students who disrespect me will be corrected firmly. I will not yell. I will tell the student, Student, that really hurts my feelings. I expected better behavior from you. If the student appears to say negative things in order to receive attention, the student will be given more time and opportunities to channel the need in positive ways. For example, I may publicly praise the student every time I catch him doing something well. Student Conflict on the Playground Students will be encouraged to ignore bullies and walk away from situations that could potentially prove harmful. Students are not encouraged to tattle or bring situations to the attention of a teacher if the situation is resolvable among the students, and/or if the tattling student is not immediately involved. If a student is treating another student unfairly and appears unwilling to share school toys or playground structures with another student, or refuses to let another student play for inappropriate reasons, the teacher on duty will correct the misbehaving student. If the action continues, the student will be asked to sit out at recess unless they are able to abide by appropriate standards of a healthy playing environment. Inattentiveness and the Lack of Motivation 9

Inattentive students will be corrected by a verbal remark from me. Students who are making ineffective use of their class time and/or appear uninterested in the task at hand will be given the opportunity to correct their behavior. I will direct their attention to the student to-do list for the day. If students are simply bored or unmotivated, I will give them a new task or literacy or other learning center game to play to refocus their attention. Students will have browsing boxes of material for them to read and reread, and students will also have a file folder of work that they have left to be completed. I expect students to work hard day in, day out. They should not have any down time. That said, if the work I assign appears to have no explicit, beneficial learning purpose appropriate for the level the student, then I will adjust my assignments to meet the diverse needs of my students. Tardiness Students are expected to be seated by the time the bell rings for class to begin. Students who arrive after the bell should have a note from the office. Students who make a habit of tardiness will receive a point deduction for class participation, and for wasting classmates time. Students who are late once or twice because of a reason other than weather or another unique circumstance will receive a one point deduction for participation for every day they are late. This is to ensure that I am able to maximize the opportunities for student growth during the school day. I will be on time daily, and I expect the same of my students. Disrupting or Offending a Classmate If a student is disrupting a classmate, he will be asked to move. If the disruptive behavior continues, the student will attend Recess Academy to address the disruptive behavior and to correct it and complete work. If a student offends a classmate intentionally in word, deed, or gesture, the behavior will be addressed. I may say to the student, Student, is that a gesture that is conducive to building a healthy classroom environment for your classmates? The student will be asked to step outside for a cool down period and may be kept back from recess or specials. During the time he spends with me when he is not at specials or recess, he will put his head down for five minutes and then I will discuss his behavior with him. The student will get to work on productive literacy activities quietly and alone until the class returns. Incomplete Work Students will have one week from the due date of an assignment to complete their work for late credit. Five percent of the total points of the assignment will be deducted for the first day late, and one percent will be deducted for every subsequent day late. I will remind kindergarteners that the purpose of the point deductions is to teach students to be self-reliant when it comes to checking planners, paying attention to due dates, and turning in work. Inefficient Use of Class Time I will verbally correct off-task students. I may say, Student, what are you supposed to be working on? or Can you tell me about such-and-such a task that you have here? or Do you have any questions or points that you need clarified about this assignment/task? Students may also be redirected towards their free time materials (phonics games, learning center games, browsing boxes, etc.) If the behavior continues, students may be separated from the distraction (another classmate, for example) or will be asked to stay in for Recess Academy to practice focusing attention on a task at hand. 10

If extraneous circumstances (such as difficult home circumstances) contribute to the inefficiency of the child, these will be addressed accordingly. For example, if a student is inefficient in his use of class time because he did not get enough sleep the night before because of an abusive situation at home, he will be accommodated and given a short time to nap in class. Mandatory reporting may be a necessity to address the physical needs of the child.

Plagiarism In the event that a student claims that the work being turned in is his own and it is found to be the work or ideas of another and credit is not given properly, the student will receive zero credit for the assignment and will receive a call home. Parent/Guardian or Principal Involvement Parents will receive a letter at the beginning of the year succinctly outlining my goals for their students. Parents will be asked to sign the letter indicating their support of my classroom instruction and appropriate discipline of their child. I do not want to have any childs behavior come as a surprise to them at any point during the school year, so parents will be kept up-to-date on the behavior of their students. At the beginning of the school year, I will introduce my principal to my students and let him interact with them. I will also allow students the opportunity to eat lunch with the principal. Students will be praised for good behavior and will be given a slip of paper to put their name on it each time I catch them doing the right thing. At the end of the month or semester, I will draw a couple names to eat with the principal. Principals will be involved if students demonstrate physical aggression or of parent involvement gets out of hand. I plan on handling discipline problems within my own classroom.

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Professional Ethics Professionalism I believe that it is important to always treat individuals with the proper respect due them. For example, to my students, I will treat them as responsible, mature, hard-working students, according to their respective ages. They can expect me to hold them accountable for their actions and I will expect them to follow my directions and treat me with respect. My colleagues can expect me to believe the best about them, to speak well of them, to criticize them constructively as is appropriate, and to respect their different teaching practices. They can expect me to be honest and hard working in conducting my responsibility to uphold high and appropriate standards of education in my classroom. They can expect me to push my students to achieve academic excellence. My supervisors can expect me to respect their authority and expertise. They can expect me to send misbehaving students to them sparingly and only as a last resort. They can expect me to be honest about students and my own behavior. Lounge Gossip I believe that there is a very fine line between lounge gossip and appropriately seeking practical solutions to any problems and issues that may arise in the school setting. In regards to teacher-teacher relationships, parent-teacher relationships, and student-teacher relationships, I believe that it is both inappropriate and unprofessional to put down a student or colleague to another colleague. There is a time for constructive criticism, but in the lounge scene, it is not proper for colleagues to discuss someone elses failures or private business. Confidentiality is mandated, and I do not plan on discussing other peoples business to anyone not involved, or if it is inappropriate to mention it to individuals who are involved. If I am seeking a colleagues advice to help or handle a particular student or behavior, I may keep the name anonymous and simply describe the behavior unless special circumstances provide that it may be appropriate to use the students name. Professional Disagreements Professional disagreements will arise, no doubt. If I disagree with my supervisor in regards to a matter of professional opinion or practice, I will most likely submit to his ideas the very best that I can. If I feel that the practices required of me interfere with furthering the academic development of my students, I will voice my concerns with respect, and supply concrete details for why I have taken my position. I will not confront my principal or other supervisor in public about differing from his expectations. If my principal or other authority demands unethical behavior of any kind from me, I will bring the issue to their attention, state my concerns and why the behavior is unethical or unprofessional, and state that if the behavior continues (depending on the gravity of the behavior), they can expect my resignation letter promptly. If a colleague and I disagree about a particular teaching practice, I plan to discuss the matter in a respectful conversation, and not draw out the issue. If we disagree about a moral or ethical situation, I still plan on being tactful and respectful about approaching the subject with colleagues. 12

Part III: Classroom Routines and Procedures Student Sharing Students will have the opportunity in class to share their answers with the raising of hands. I will call on students when it is their turns to talk. Every other week, we will have Authors Chair where students can either read a piece out loud to the class (with expression, approved by the teacher prior to performance) and or students can share their own work. Classroom Expectations Classroom routines and expectations will be explained, modeled, and rehearsed at the beginning of the year. They will also be posted in the front of the room and referred to when praising student behavior. If patterns start to develop in which students are not following specific expectations, I will review expectations with students. We will discuss appropriate ways to carryout the community standards and refer back to the circle diagram if need be. Room Helpers All students in my class are expected to help out in the classroom. Every student is responsible for cleaning up his mess, for picking up trash like bits of scrap paper around the floor. Students are responsible for making sure centers are picked up and put away, desks are aligned neatly, and books are stacked nicely in their proper positions on the bookshelves. In addition to these tasks, I will have one student, the Pledge Leader, who will guide the class in the Pledge of Allegiance. This student will stand up in the front of class every morning and hold the American flag. This student will then ask, Please stand, and guide the class in the Pledge of Allegiance. The class Mailman/woman will help me pass out papers to students mailboxes as needed. The class Messenger will deliver messages to the office and pick up any papers in my mailbox there. Students who misbehave run the risk of being released from their duties as the specified room helpers. They are replaced for the day. Helpers will hold their specified posts for a week, and on Monday morning, new helpers will be selected. Field Trips Field trips are a privilege, and students will only be allowed to go if they have demonstrated appropriate, respectful behavior in class. On field trips, students will be broken up into small groups, led by teachers, associates, and chaperones. I will model good behavior during field trips prior to going, so that students are clear on my expectations. I will prepare my students for each field trip by giving them a field guide to help scaffold their time at the site.

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Students will have Friday Folders that contain homework assignments for them to complete over the weekend. Students will turn in their Friday Folders (with a parent/guardians signature) into the homework tray by the door of the room, unless I write a notice on the board that states that the homework will be graded in class. Otherwise, I will grade the homework and pass it back to students in their individual mailboxes. Students will be expected to complete homework on a weekly and weekend basis. Students will always turn in homework to the homework tray, unless otherwise noted on the board. Free Time In my classroom, each student will have a browsing box in which I will help him keep books at or around his independent reading level. When students have free time, they will be allowed to read and reread texts in their browsing boxes to practice fluency and to build reading confidence. I will also provide a variety of literacy center games that students can play (depending on the amount of free time.) Additionally, I will have a library of books that students can select from, if I give them permission.

Handing In/Passing Back Papers Students will always hand in papers into the homework tray by the door of the room. Papers will always be passed back into students mailboxes. Students are responsible for taking home the contents of their mailboxes everyday. At the end of the day, I will remind them to check it. This ensures prompt home-school communication for paper reminders. Dismissal for Recess, Lunch, or the End of the Day My students will wait for me to dismiss them for recess, lunch, or to go home. The bell marks the end of the school day, but no student will be excused until I say that it is time to go. Specials Specials are considered a privilege. Students will be allowed to attend specials only if their behavior is appropriate to be a part of another teachers classroom. Students will line up quietly before specials and will walk down the hallway, led by a teacher, to their specials. Restroom/Drinking Policy Students will not be allowed to use the restroom during class time (excepting emergencies) and they will not be allowed to go to the drinking fountain. Before lunchtime, our whole class will walk to the bathroom and drinking fountain. Students will be allowed the opportunity to use the restroom and get a drink at this time. Meeting the Needs of All Learners Students will be treated fairly, according to their diverse needs. Accommodations will be promptly made for any students physical needs. If a student requires a visual/audio/etc. aid device, I will do everything I can to make sure the student has access to the appropriate 14

device. If a student needs wheelchair access to activities or centers, I will create space for wheelchair accessibility to necessary materials. For students with learning disabilities, I will maintain the same content objectives for them and adjust the content, process, product, or environment to meet their needs. For students of high ability, I will strive to push them forward in their academic achievement by mixing up small groups. I may push a student forward by giving him the task of undertaking a leadership initiative for a community service cause related to a unit of study, and I will support his endeavors by encouraging the involvement of class. I may have this student work on extended level-appropriate research and application of projects. Needs and interests of the student will be evaluated on an individual basis. Parent Communication I believe that maintaining communication with parents can make a significant impact in a childs life, if this line of communication is regulated effectively. In order to establish effective communication with parents, I plan on sending a letter home to parents in the beginning of the school year explaining classroom and school policies. In the second or third week of school, I will host a Back-to-School Night in which parents can come visit their childs classroom and meet me. They can see their students work and get a feel for the environment and meet other parents. Throughout the year, with every major change in a unit (about every few weeks) I will send a letter home highlighting events for the students to look forward to, in addition to any opportunities for parents to get involved. Occasionally, I will send a handwritten note praising a students behavior. As often as is appropriate, I plan to call home (unless a student comes from a culture in which a call home signifies bad news and may cause trouble for the student) to highlight a students strengths.

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Differentiation Policy General Procedures All handouts and presentations will contain large print and graphic cues on them. Additionally, signs and posters around the room will contain appropriate graphic cues. Objects around the room, such as bookshelves, supplies, technology, etc. will be labeled with large font cards. Assisting Students Who Do Not Understand Directions or Tasks After giving directions for an assignment, I will ask students if anyone needs clarification. I understand that some students are too shy to ask for additional clarification. To boost their confidence, I will have a poster in the room that states what to do when a student does not understand. The poster will contain example questions to ask such as, Could you repeat that, please? or I am still unclear about and will also suggest that the student ask a neighbor (or two) to quietly explain the task before asking the teacher. Adaptations for Struggling Students In order to accommodate for struggling students, I will adjust my objectives for specific lessons accordingly. Students will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine appropriate adaptations. Students who are struggling with a concept will have a more specific, detailed timeline for when certain parts of an assignment are due. For example, students may be assigned to complete the writing section of a journal entry during the designated time, but will be asked to complete the illustration portion during free time or independent work time, or at home. Extensions for Gifted Students or Students of High-Ability Students of high ability will be evaluated on an individual basis regarding specific strategies to further the achievement of each student. For example, students may be asked to extend their understanding of a unit by researching a topic within the unit. Students may be asked to do a group extension project such as a social, scientific, or community-based experiment.

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Involving Parents Regular Communication In order to keep parents updated and involved in the classroom, I plan on sending home a friendly letter at the beginning of the school year detailing my expectations, procedures and routines. The letter will also contain ideas for parents to help their students practice literacy and study skills at home. Additionally, I plan to send home a general letter every month or so that discusses upcoming units, events, and projects that students will be involved with during that month. I also plan on putting pictures of the students with their artwork into the letters. Regarding progress reports, I will not send a paper copy home to parents. I plan on updating parents as needed throughout the year. I plan to call all my parents and give them a praise report on their child within the first couple weeks of school. I want to make the first call home a good one in order to establish a positive relationship with parents. Conferences I plan to have conferences once during the first semester, unless otherwise required by my school or district. At conferences I will discuss student behavior, interests, and progress. I plan on sandwiching my comments about student improvement between praise-reports. I also plan on keeping the negative comments succinct so that the sting of the negative is lessened for parents. I also plan on having student portfolios present to show student progress. Classroom Volunteers I plan on strategically placing my parent volunteers. I will welcome as many as are willing to come. I will politely explain what positions I have open for them to fill. I plan to place parents according to what class needs their strengths would effectively meet. For example, if I have a parent who has some teaching background, I may have her assist me with leading small groups or leading an arts-based learning assignment to utilize her expertise. Chaperones I will ask for a specific number of chaperones per field trip, so that the ratio of parents to students meets the schools standard. Chaperones will be in charge of leading a small group of students over the course of a field trip. Events I plan on showcasing the students art work around April or May by having an Art Show. This Show will give me the opportunity to put up the students best work on display around the room. Parents can come browse the room and students can show off their work. I plan to do this in conjunction with other teachers so that parents can view all their students work. Additionally, there will be ice cream provided so that students can enjoy a special treat on that night. To accommodate ELL students and their families, I plan on having a special night just for those parents. I plan on bringing in translators to welcome them to the school and 17

explain general procedures about the class and the school. I also plan on using this time to explain certain American customs and listen to some of ethnic traditions.

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