Megan Johnson Classroom Management Plan

Room arrangement narrative

The first step to having an effective and well managed classroom is to design your classroom to be safe, stimulating, and engaging to for you and your students. The first thing I would do before designing my classroom is to decide how I plan on teaching my students. I want my classroom to work with me and my lessons, not inhibit my effectiveness. Kindergarteners are very active children, for a lot of them it is the first time in their life that they have to sit still and focus for long periods of time. In order to work

with this and not against it, I will have centers that they rotate through for a part of the day. I will have a guided reading center, a listening lane center, independent reading center (class library), and a math center. According to Yardsticks, five year olds learn best when the instruction is both structured and exploratory, therefore the centers will be times of the day when the students can personally explore what we have been learning. The centers will be spread out through the room, so the centers are not too close to each other. I will have a pocket chart system and the students will know where they are supposed to go without asking me. After placing my various centers, I would decide where to put my students tables. I have decided to use two big tables because kindergarteners are very social and enjoy sitting by their peers. I will have 10 students at each table, sitting 3 on each long side and two on the short sides. My students will only sit at these tables during transition times and when working independently on assignments, but no longer than 15 to 20 minutes, since they can only focus on something for that long. There will be a storage closet next to the student tables, and that is where they will keep their back packs and cubbies. This will keep them from being distracted by their back packs and papers they need to take home. Most of my instruction will take place on the carpet, in front of our white board and smart board. The students will listen/participate in lessons on the carpet and do their independent work at their tables. There will be a computer area in the middle of the room, with 6 computers. The students will be required to spend 30 minutes a day on I station, or using another program similar. It is very important for the students to use this program; it is specific to what they need the most help in. My class library will be composed of two

shelves surrounding a big rug with some bean bags on it. The books will be organized by level and type of book, for example: fairy tales, animals, people, science, etc. There will be a word wall, located on the wall closest to the student tables. There will be a science bulletin board and a writing bulletin board; these will be used to display current work and to show what we are currently learning. My desk will be at the back corner of the room, by the door. I do not plan on sitting at my desk during the day. I will constantly be walking around and monitoring my students. I will use the MAC system for behavior management, this will be a visual that students can see during lessons and activities, it tells them what movement they can do, what activity they can do, and what communication they can do. That way during a lesson if a student is asking to go to the bathroom they can refer to the MAC and they will see if that is allowed at that time or not. I will also use the card system; this is a great visual for parents and children to see how they behaved that day. I will base it on the green, yellow, red card system. These cards will be hanging by the door, so it is easy for parents to see.

Megan Johnson Classroom Procedures

Arrival- Upon arrival students will take out their folders and place them in the attendance bin. They will then hang up their back packs and lunch boxes in the closet on the hooks. They will then go to their table to see what social center they are at for the

morning. They will be at their social centers until the news is about to begin, in which they will return to their seats. Bathroom- When a student needs to use the restroom, they will raise a hand in the air with their fingers crossed. If the time is appropriate for the student to use the rest room, I will signal them to go. Students will not be allowed to wait in line for the bathroom. There will be a sign on the door, one side that says GO in green, and one that says STOP in red, this way they will know if the bathroom is available or not. Pencils- Students will not be permitted to sharpen pencils, I will have a basket labeled sharpened and one labeled needs sharpened. If they need a pencil, they will put the dull pencil in the needs sharpened box and take a new one from the sharpened box. Homework- Homework will be in their folder, which they will turn in every morning. The homework will be given at the beginning of each week, the teacher will go through and explain what they will do and model a couple answers. Mailboxes- Their mailboxes will be located by the front door and the students are to check their mailboxes every day. If there are items in their mailbox, they are to put it in their folder and take it home. Lining up- I will mostly have my students line up by table (red, green, yellow, blue) based on what table is being the most quiet. Other ways I will have my students line up though is by gender, and colors they are wearing. Folders- Students will each have a folder, made by me, with 4 pockets, labeled homework, keep at home, bring back, and sign and return. This allows the students to have some responsibility with organizing their folders, and helps the parents to see what exactly is due or needs to be signed, etc.

Misbehavior- If a students is misbehaving, and they have been given warnings, they will turn their card. There are 3 cards, green (I had a great day), yellow (I had a mostly good day, with just one bad choice), and red (I need to make better choices). This will allow parents to see how their children are doing each day in regards to behavior and allows the students to have consequences for their actions. Answering questions/ talking out- I will expect all of my students to raise their hand when they have an answer. I will not call on students who are calling out and I will use specific praise to compliment students who are raising their hand. Students will be reminded only two times not to call out, if they continue they will turn their card.

Megan Johnson Classroom Rules

1. Be a good listener- Students will be expected to be listening when I am speaking, and when other students are speaking. 2. Be a good learner- At all times my students will be expected to be engaged and participating in the lesson. Being a good learner means you are not talking, you are not playing, you are not doing anything except what the teacher has asked. 3. Use your walking feet- In our class we will always use walking feet. Running in a class with a bunch of objects and people is very dangerous, therefore we will always walk in my classroom.

4. Keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself- This rule is for safety, my students will always be expected to keep their hands, feet, and other objects to themselves. A lot of their reactions to stuff will be physical, therefore this rule is very important and will constantly be reminded to them. 5. Make your teacher happy- This rule is very important, students will always be expected to do what they need to do to make their teacher happy. This can be applied to several different things and will be used when students arent breaking a rule but they are not behaving the way they should.

Megan Johnson Consequences

1. Verbal warning- The first consequence for breaking a rule is a verbal warning; I will remind them of my expectations by referring to our class rules and telling them the appropriate behavior. Kindergarteners need reminding a lot, that is why I am using verbal warnings for my first consequence. 2. Change of card- The second consequence, after a verbal warning is given, will be to have the student turn their card to yellow. Students who have a yellow card will have to sit out five minutes, either that day or the next, during recess. After students have turned their card to yellow, if they misbehave again they will turn their card to red. Students who have red cards will have to sit out for ten minutes during recess.

3. Note home- Students who have turned their card to red and still misbehave will receive a note home in their folder. The note will be specific to what the child had done that day and the parent will be required to sign it. For my bilingual students, the note will be translated into the parents spoken language. 4. Sent to office- If the bad behavior persists, or for more severe behavior, the student will be sent to the office. The student will sit and talk with the school psychologist or an administrator and discuss the behavior. A phone call home will be made if necessary.

Megan Johnson Discipline narrative

I will use a very positive approach to discipline when possible. I have found that a lot of my kindergarteners shut down when they are disciplined in a negative way. I will always try to catch them doing good, if they realize that when they do what they are supposed to they get praised they will want to do the desired behavior more. I will also correct undesirable behavior with specifically praising the students who are demonstrating the desired behavior; this will remind the students of the desired behavior. If this does not work, I will then specifically ask the student to fix the undesired behavior. I will also use the card system; students will have three cards, a yellow, red, and green one. They will all start out at green and if they are spoken to about their choices twice they will turn it to yellow. If they have been spoken to more than two times the will turn their card to red. Students who have yellow cards will owe me five minutes at recess

and red cards will owe me ten minutes. While they are sitting out at recess I will ask them why they are sitting out and what better choices they will make next time. My penny system will also be used for discipline, while students are working at their tables I will go around and either give out pennies, or take away pennies from students who are not doing what they should be. Students understand that the goal is to fill up their cups with pennies, therefore when students see me walking around handing out pennies they will be on their best behavior.

Megan Johnson Classroom Schedule

7:30-8:00 Student arrival/social centers- When students first arrive they will turn in their folders, hang their back packs and lunch boxes up, and check which social center they are at. 8:00- 8:05 News/Morning announcements- Students will watch the news and participate in the pledge of allegiance. I will also use this time to inform the students about anything special happening in our day. 8:05- 8:20 Calendar math- Students will sit on carpet and participate in calendar math. We will go over the weather, the date, what today, yesterday, and tomorrow will be, etc. We will then practice counting Charlie the caterpillar. Each day we will add a new number to Charlie, and we will practice counting up to the highest number, eventually reaching 100.

8:20- 9:35 Phonics- Students will be instructed on the carpet and will have their white board mats with them when needed. I will first introduce the sound/ words we are learning, reinforcing with pictures. Then allowing them to practice by writing on their mats. For independent work, students will sit at their desks. 9:35- 10:50 Reading/Writing- Students will be instructed on the carpet and will participate in answering questions about the skill we are focusing on. If we are writing, they will have with them their journals and a pencil. 11:00- 11:30 Lunch 11:35- 12:05 Recess 12:05- 12:35 Centers- Students will rotate through the centers based on the pocket chart system. They will each go through 3 centers and full participation will be expected. Each center will last approximately 10 minutes. 12:35- 1:35 Math- Students will be instructed whole group on the carpet. I will explicitly explain the math topic we will be focusing on. I will teach it, model it, then we will practice together, then the students will be released to practice it by themselves at their desks. 1:35- 2:15 Science/Social studies- Students will be instructed whole group on the carpet. I will introduce the topic we will learn and begin the lesson. Any independent practice will be done at their desks. 2:15- 2:30 Pack up/line up- Students will be released in small groups (by gender, color, etc.) to get their belongings and return to the carpet. I will then release them by bus rider and car rider.

Megan Johnson Academic & Behavioral Expectations

Academic

1. Come to class prepared. Students will be expected to have their back packs with them every day with their folders. Their supplies will be at the tables, including pencils, crayons, erasers, etc.

2. Be a good listener. Students will always be expected to be a good listener. This includes being quiet and listening when your teacher or a classmate is speaking.

3. Be a good learner. All students will be expected to be good learners at all times. This includes raising your hand to speak and always trying your best at your work.

4. Complete all of your work. Students will always be expected to complete all of their assignments, even if they dont know the answer, or if it is incorrect, they should try their best to finish it.

5. Help others. Students will always be expected to help their classmates out when they can, this will allow students to practice the material more and take some of the load off the teacher.

Behavioral

1. Be safe. All students will be expected to be safe, this includes: keeping your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself, always using walking feet in the classroom, etc.

2. Be respectful. All students will be expected to be respectful to their teacher, peers, and any other school staff at all times. This includes not speaking when others are, raising your hand to speak, etc.

3. Be responsible. All students will be expected to be responsible at all times, this includes: turning in their assignments, trying their best, telling the truth, etc.

4. Be caring.

Students will always be expected to be caring towards their classmate and teacher, this includes: helping others, being nice, and being courteous.

5. Be Honest. Students will always be expected to be honest, this includes: always telling the truth, not cheating on their assignments, etc. Megan Johnson Classroom Communication

1. Meet Ms. Johnson NightBefore the first day of school, I will send out invitations to all of my families inviting them to a Meet Ms. Johnson Night in our classroom. I will encourage all the families to bring a picture of their child; this will be displayed on the bulletin board during the first couple weeks of school titled Our Class. I will also have a flyer for all the parents to take which will have some personal information about myself listed, such as where I graduated college, where I am

from, my family life, and my hobbies. I will have a slide show playing that is composed of personal pictures that show who I am as a person, not just a teacher. I will take this time to talk with all the parents and meet all my students.

2. Monthly NewsletterAt the beginning of every month I will send out a newsletter to let parents know what content we will be learning that month, what supplies are requested, and any important information for that month. I will try to make it as short as possible so it is not overwhelming for the parents, if it is too long they wont read it. This is especially good for parents who do not have internet access, or time, to check the class website

3. Class Website-

The class website will be given to parents at Meet Ms. Johnson Night, there I will go over the website and show parents how to navigate and where they can expect to find certain information. It will be used to keep the parents connected to their childs education, it will be updated weekly to stay current with what we are learning. I will have educational resources posted to better help their children with the content we are currently learning. It will also contain a calendar, schedule, and any important reminders for parents.

Megan Johnson Home and School Communication

1. Student FoldersThe majority of home and school communication will take place through the student folders. They will take these folders home every day and return them every morning to the attendance basket. On the right side it will be labeled RIGHT back to school with a right hand cut out, and on the left side it will be labeled LEFT at home with a left hand cut out. They will take their homework home in this, leaving it in the right side of the folder. I will have a weekly communication sheet that is left in the right side of the folder as well, this is

where I will right notes home to inform parents of minor behavior issues and for positive comments. Parents will be encouraged to use this sheet to ask any quick questions they have or thoughts. This will be checked every morning to ensure that I answer all messages from parents.

2. Phone Call HomeI will call home to parents when there is anything other than a minor behavior issue. I will also make an effort to call home to students for positive remarks as well. This will make the parent feel like you care about their child and are proud of their success. It will also make it easier to communicate with the parents when there is a negative issue that needs to be discussed, this way they wont accuse you of only having negative things to say about their child. I will also call home to discuss any academic issues, which may lead to a parent teacher conference. I will also keep a log of all my phone calls to and from parents.

3. Parent Teacher Conferences-

In the event of a severe behavior issue I will have a face to face meeting with the students parents to discuss how we can fix the issue. I will also use conferences when there is an academic concern, I will discuss with the parents their childs strengths and their childs areas for improvement. I feel that face to face conferences are best to discuss these types of issues because it is more personal and there is more opportunity for a successful solution.

Megan Johnson Motivation

Extrinsic Motivation 1. Penny system- Each student will have a plastic cup on their desk, whenever they are working at their seats, I will walk around with pennies and put them in students cups that are following directions, working hard, being a good learner, etc. Once their cup is full of pennies they receive a prize from the treasure box. Pennies can be taken away as well, if students are not on track, or misbehaving I can come by and grab a handful of their pennies. This will motivate students to want to be better learners because they will want to fill their cup. 2. Treasure box- The treasure box will be used for different reasons. It will be used for students when they have filled their penny cups, and for our reading awards. It will contain only academic prizes, such as pencils, erasers, books, etc. 3. Reading awards- At the beginning of every month, students will take home a reading sheet and record every book they read outside of school on it. At the end

of the month they will return the sheet and students who have read over ten books will get a certificate, pencil, and an eraser. Students who read over twenty books will get all that plus a sweet treat, and students who read thirty or more will get all of that plus a pick from the treasure box. This will motivate my kindergarteners to read outside of school, which will make them become better readers. 4. Classroom jobs- I will have the classroom jobs: line leader, door holder, caboose, electrician, chefs, librarians, mailman, water monitor, and substitute. The nine jobs will rotate weekly, but if a student is misbehaving or making bad choices, they can be fired from their job.

Intrinsic Motivation 1. Specific praise- Words can be very powerful to students, I will use specific praise with my students to reward them for following directions, answering a question correctly, behaving the way they should be, etc. I will tell them specifically what they did right, for example That is right Sally, tree is spelled t-r-e-e, she spelled tree correctly, great job Sally. This way the students will know exactly what they did right, and it will motivate them to do it again. This will also motivate other students to do the appropriate behavior, they will want the specific praise as well. 2. Proud wall- This wall will be for students who have work that they are proud of, this will intrinsically motivate them to try their hardest. They know that if they get a good grade on an assignment that they can choose to hang it on the proud wall for everyone to see.

3. Star student- Every week we will have a star student, this student will be someone who had a great week the week before, meaning they didnt have to turn their card. They will get to fill out the star student poster and bring in two things to share with their class. This will motivate students to behave the right way so they dont have to turn their cards.

April 15, 2013 Dear Parents, I wanted to take this time to let you and your child know how excited I am to be teaching your child this year. My name is Megan Johnson and I graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. I have always wanted to be a teacher, and I want you to know that teaching your children is an honor and a privilege. I will always give my 100% best when it comes to you and your child. I would like to get a jump start on knowing your child, I have attached a form that I would like you to complete, giving only as much information that you feel comfortable with. Since no one knows your child as well as you do, I would like an inside perspective of what your child is like. I will provide your child with a folder that they will be responsible for taking home and returning to school every day. In the folder there will be a weekly communication sheet and this is where you can communicate and

issues and or concerns with me and I will respond to these daily. You can also reach me at my classroom between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm at 813-123-4567, and I can always be reached by email at meganjohnson@sdhc.com. Respectfully, Megan Johnson

Megan Johnson Preparation for the first day

Review all student records to check for levels in all subjects Send out welcome letters to students and families Have a class get together to get to know your students Label everything in room with word and picture for LEP students Nametags on tables where students will sit Plans for the first two weeks Prepare bulletin boards that will get students excited and engaged about kindergarten/school

Organize classroom library by type of book and level

Designate center areas Organize my teacher resource area by subject I will have an area for students to place their school supplies I will create and display our classroom schedule Prepare my substitute binder for emergency absences Prepare take home folders for each student with name Prepare and display class rules and expectations Display MAC

Megan Johnson First Day Narrative

The first day of the school year is extremely important for a successful school year. This is the day where you teach your procedures, routines, and expectations. This day is unlike any other day in the school year and every teacher should be well prepared for it. My classroom is labeled, organized, and ready for students. When the students first enter the room I will introduce myself, ask them what there name is, shake their hands and their parents hand, and record the attendance on the attendance chart. I will then explain that they are to go to the table in the front of the room and locate their name tag and put it on. This will allow me to see which students can recognize their written name and which ones cannot. They will then locate their chair with their name tag on it and take a seat, keeping with them all their belongings.

Once all students have arrived I will introduce myself to the whole class and let them know how excited I am to be teaching them this year. I will then explain where they will put their belongings every morning when they come in. The first thing they will do is take out their folders and put them in the bins, this is how I will take attendance on a daily basis. Then they will put their back pack and lunch boxes in the closet, hanging on the hooks. The only think at their desks will be their jackets if needed. I will explain to them that every other day they will come into class, see which social center they are to be at and go there. After explicitly explaining this and modeling it, I will release the students by table to put their stuff away nicely. We will then watch the news and after that I will have my students move to the carpet area, releasing them by colors they are wearing; this will again let me know which ones know their colors and which ones dont. Once situated on the carpet I will explain the directions for our first activity of the day. The students will be given a worksheet with pictures of items around the room; they will have a scavenger hunt around the room and circle the items they find. This will allow them to personally explore the room a little bit and get comfortable with their surroundings. After the students have finished their scavenger hunt, I will have students return to the carpet and I will have them line up, by colors they are wearing. After the students are in line I will explain to them that we are going to be taking a tour around the room and I need them all to be quiet mice so they can learn about the places in our room. We will first visit the class library. I will tell them that this is where they will go to read during centers. I will explain how the books are organized and I will explain the expectations for when they are in the library, referring to the library rules poster. There

is no talking in the library, it is for reading, and the only noise I should hear from the library is the sound of students reading quietly to themselves. I will explain to them how to handle books, and refer to the poster with visuals. I will stress how important it is to clean the library up when you are done. We will then visit listening lane, I will explain to them that this is a center and when they are at this center they are too open the book to the first page, put on the headphones, and one person will push the play button. They are to follow along with their finger while reading. When they are done with the center, they will put the books back in a stack and hang the headphones on the rack. I will explicitly explain this; I will model how to properly use this center. Then we will visit the computer area, I will explain to them that they are only to get on the computer when I have asked them to. They will all be required to spend 30 minutes a day on I-station. I will model how to logon and use the computers. After the computers we will visit the bathroom area, I will explain the rules and expectations for this later. Then we will visit the guided reading table and I will explain that this table will be a center. I will introduce the word wall and explain how to use it. I will already have words on it, and I will have students tell me what letter some words are in. I will tell them that if they need to know how to spell a word, they can look at our word wall. We will then return to the carpet and I will teach my students the rules and procedures of our class. I will explain to them that when they need to use the restroom, they will raise their hand with their fingers crossed; this will let me know that they have to use the restroom. They are not to wait in line outside the restroom, they will stay sitting until the restroom is available. I will explain to them that if they need a pencil, that

they can go to the front of the room and grab a pencil out of the sharpened box and put their dull pencil in the needs sharpened box. I will explain that their homework will be given at the beginning of each week and explained to them. They are to put their homework inside their folders in the pocket labeled homework. I will then explain how the folder works, there are 4 pockets, labeled homework, keep at home, return to school, and sign and return. I will explain that in this class we do not call out, we raise our hand when we want to speak. I will tell the students that they will be warned twice to not call out, after that it is a card change. I will explain how the cards work, explaining that green is good, yellow is okay, and red is bad. The students will then leave for specials; I will release them in small groups, asking for my boys to line up quietly, and then my girls. When they return from specials I will ask them to sit on the carpet criss cross applesauce. The next activity is to help us learn a little bit about each of our classmates. I will pass out pieces of paper with the outline of a child, the students will write their name, to the best of their ability, and draw in the person to describe things they like. I will give them about 15- 20 minutes to color their person. After they are done decorating their person they will all get to share a little bit about themselves. I will begin by modeling my decorated person and telling them what I enjoy. Each student will stand up, say their name and what they like to do, this will continue until all students have participated. After introducing ourselves to our classmates, we will play with magic mix playdo. I will explain to the kids that I heard about this magic playdo, and if you play with it and it turns colors, then it will be a great school year. I will tell the students that at their seats there is magic playdo for each of them to play with. I will release the students

by colors until they have all returned to their seats. I will walk around and observe them as they play with their playdo and it changes color. The students will be amazed with the magic playdo and it is a great way to start the year. Students will then line up for lunch, wearing their nametags with their lunch numbers on it. Upon returning from lunch, we will have 30 minutes for recess. The students will play on the playground and I will observe them to monitor behavior and to better understand my students. After recess we will gather on the carpet and I will read a book by Dr. Seuss titled Oh! The Places You will Go, this will be a time where the students can just enjoy a story. After reading the story, I will explain to the students how the centers work. I will explain that there are 3 centers, the library, the guided reading, and listening lane. The students will be able to see which center they go to and when by the pocket chart system. I will explicitly explain how it works, although the students will need help with it for the first few weeks. After explaining how the centers work, we will rotate through our centers but they will be playing educational games instead of what they would normally do. This is mostly to get them used to the centers and allows them to socialize some. I will explain the procedures for packing up and going home. I will show my students that there are two spots in the room for lining up to go home, a spot for the car riders, and a spot for the bus riders. I will then release them to get their back packs, lunch boxes, and to check their mailboxes for anything they need to take home. They will then line up by car rider and bus rider. I will ask my students first, but check to make sure they are right. This will give them a feeling of independence.