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Ms. Brown’s Third Grade Classroom

Classroom Management Plan Eleanor Brown

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Table of Contents!

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Part%I:%Classroom%Organization%....................................................................%3!Classroom!Layout!.........................................................................................................!3!Record!Keeping!..............................................................................................................!4!Welcoming!New!Students!.........................................................................................!5!Classroom!(Home)!Expectations!............................................................................!5!Student!Work!Display!.................................................................................................!6!

Part%II:%Disciplinary%Policies%and%Professional%Ethics%...........................%7!Classroom!Rules!and!Expectations!.......................................................................!7!Consequences!.................................................................................................................!7!Uncompleted!Work!......................................................................................................!9!Tardiness!..........................................................................................................................!9!Lack!of!Motivation!........................................................................................................!9!Cheating!.........................................................................................................................!10!BullySFree!Zone!...........................................................................................................!10!Parent/Guardian!Involvement!.............................................................................!10!Principal!Involvement!..............................................................................................!11!Playground!Conflicts!................................................................................................!11!School!Professional!Expectations!.......................................................................!11!

Part%III:%Classroom%Routines%&%Procedures%............................................%12!Teacher!Introduction!on!the!First!Day!.............................................................!12!Daily!Greeting!..............................................................................................................!12!Morning!Greeting!.......................................................................................................!12!Classroom!Blog!...........................................................................................................!13!Water!Policy!.................................................................................................................!13!Snack!Break!..................................................................................................................!13!Brain!Breaks!.................................................................................................................!14!Asking!for!Help!............................................................................................................!14!Homework!and!Paper!Collecting/Returning!.................................................!15!Classroom!Helpers!.....................................................................................................!15!What!Do!I!Do!Now?!...................................................................................................!17!Dismissal!For!Lunch,!Recess,!Special,!End!of!the!Day!................................!17!Differentiation!Policy!...............................................................................................!18!

References%.........................................................................................................%19!

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Part!I:!Classroom!Organization!

Classroom!Layout!

Walking into my classroom, you will notice a lot of minions around the room. My classroom theme is minions! The desk arrangements are in U shaped groups. I put the students’ desk in this position because I can always help a student individually without invading another students’ space. The students will be able to work in groups of 2,3, and 6 if asked to. Each desk is facing the front so students’ will never have their back turned on me.

Around the classroom have multiple circle tables, which can be used for learning centers and group work when needed. Each corner of the room has a certain purpose. One corner offers the classroom library and has a carpet and easel at it. This is where reading lessons and read aloud will be presented. Around the library offers multiple places for students to sit and independently read. The other corner is where the drinking fountain, sink, and bathroom is located. Opposite to that corner offers the pencil sharpener, class pet, and organized math and reading games. The final corner is where my teacher desk is located and also the kidney table. I will use the kidney table to pull groups aside and work with them.

In the front of the room is where the smart board is located. Next to the smart board are our calendar, weather, and money board. There is room in-between the smart board and the students’ seats, this is where students will have the option to bring their individual yoga mat to the carpet and work on

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independent work or listen to when I am teaching a lesson or giving instruction. I feel it’s important to give students some choice in the classroom, and being able to move around and learn in different situations is important. As a class, we will always create a small poster for every lesson we learn and I will post it around the room for students to reference for the near future.

Organization and labeling is very important when there are 15-20 students in a room trying to learn and find things. Around my room will be shelving units and cabinets that are clearly labeled for the students’, myself, and substitute teacher. Students will also be responsible for their own organization inside their desks and cubbies.

Overall, my classroom layout has the purpose to make my students feel welcomed and ready to learn! There are many options for learning space, which helps differentiate with each students needs. The room is widely spread out so students’ do not feel squished or pressured. My classroom is designed to fit and help each one of my students succeed in an open and loving environment.

Record!Keeping!Record keeping is crucial as a teacher. I need to have a well-designed and

organized record keeping, so if any other teachers, parents, or students want to know something particular about their grade, skill, or improvement, I will be able to locate that and give them an answer. I will always have an open question of the day that either pertains to what we will be learning that day, something silly, or what they did this past weekend. I will have them write their answer on a sticky note and post it on the side of my desk. This will be a way of taking attendance. When I have time later, I will take those sticky notes and mark those students here on my attendance sheet. This is a great way to keep track of students’ attendance without taking time out of the class, calling everyone’s name.

Depending on the school, I will either have my record sheet be organized by standards needed to meet, or activities and tests that are given. I will update and print off a new record sheet every week. At the end of the month, I will transfer all of my paper records and put them onto my computer software. It’s important to have two sources of my records, just incase one goes missing or gets damaged.

As a self-reflection in class, I will always have an end of the week record sheet for students to fill out. This sheet will contain the list of activities and tests

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we took that week. Next to each row will be the option to rate their thoughts on their understanding of the material (1-3). They will pass this in on Friday and I will always hand them back out on Monday for them to see my comments. I will always have a positive message for them to read and if needed some comment of practicing something they might not have fully understood from last week. This will help students reflect on their learning and help them become self-reflectors.

Welcoming!New!Students! When a new student arrives to our classroom, I will have our whole group do some icebreakers. These activities are beneficial for every student because they can always learn something new about their peers. After icebreakers are finished I will have the new student fill out an All About Me worksheet. When he/she has it completed, I will look over it and decide which student would be the best buddy for them. Once I find a buddy for the new student, they will have a desk next to them for that week. This buddy is responsible for telling the student where to go for lunch, including them in lunch, hanging out during recess, and helping them with any questions they have. The buddy that will be paired up with the new student will be allowed to choose one educational game to play before joining the class to learn. They will play at one of the circle tables. Even though this is taking time out of instructional and learning time, its important for both the buddy and new student to feel comfortable and welcomed into the classroom. During lunch for the first week, I will ask the new student and their buddy to eat lunch with me. During this time I will explain more to the student how the classroom and school works. This helps build more connection with their buddy for the next week when they go back into the lunchroom. Since their buddy is only with them for one week, on Friday the new student will have the option to invite two other classmates to lunch with his buddy and him. Again, the most important thing I want my new student to build is friendship and confidence in the classroom. If a student doesn’t feel welcomed and safe in the classroom, they will not be able to learn.

Classroom!(Home)!Expectations! Our classroom should be treated like a home. It needs to be respected, treated correctly, cleaned, and organized. Each student is the member of our family so we all have a responsibility to keep our classroom clean and put together. Before we leave the classroom, whether that is for specials, lunch, or recess, students will be expected to clear off their desks and make sure nothing

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is around them on the floor. As well as keeping items cleaned and put together, the expectation of taking care of things correctly is important to note as well. I will remind students that everything in this classroom has a value on it and it cost money. It’s important to treat these items in the classroom appropriately and if they can’t they will loose that privilege. At the end of each day, if a student’s desk has any pencil, marker, and glue on it, Clorox wipes will be available for the students to use to clean off their desk. Each table group will also be assigned a part of the room for the week to be responsible for. At the end of the day, each group will go to their designated spot of the classroom and make sure it is organized and put together. Students will put their desk on top of their chairs, so the janitor can vacuum later that night as well.

Student!Work!Display! It’s important to have the students’ proud of their work that is done inside and outside of the classroom. At the end of each week when the student fills out a self-reflection sheet, there will be a question at the end that will ask, “Which work from this week would you like to go up on the Look At Us board?” The Look At Us bulletin board is where student work will be displayed. This is right next to the door when you walk in so teachers, students, and parents will be able to see it when coming into the classroom. This bulletin board will be changed every week. As a class, we will have a discussion on displaying our work and the importance of being proud of what we can do in class. I mention that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses so we can’t judge our own work to someone else’s. For big projects and beginning of the year All About Me projects, I will display those outside of the classroom in the hallways. I want students in my classroom to see their work on their way into the classroom so they feel proud coming in. I also want other peers and teachers to see our work so they get to know my students better.

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Part!II:!Disciplinary!Policies!and!Professional!Ethics!

Classroom!Rules!and!Expectations!! I feel it’s important to my student understand all my expectations of them and the classroom. Doing so, the first day I will go over my expectations of the classroom and what students should be doing during each task. I will always talk about my expectations and rules, as a positive action. Example is showed in the picture to the right. While introducing these expectations, as a classroom we will create a contract together saying that we understand what is expected of each other and we will do our best to always do them. The students will sign the contract and I will hang it up in the classroom.

Consequences!!In terms of consequences, I will have a behavior chart in the front of the classroom to record students unwanted behaviors. I will always warn a student of their unwanted behavior and let them know that if it continues their name will be put down on the behavior chart. If it does continue, their name will go down on the behavior chart. Every morning the chart will reset and each student will be at the “ready to learn” level. If a student get’s to the lowest level “Contacting Parents”, they will be asked to fill out an Ops Form. I will also write in my students planner little notes for parents to see. Students will be responsible for having their planner signed by a

guardian for the next day.

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Ops Form Name: __________ Date: ___________ Today in class I…

I should have…

Next time I will…

Student Signature: _______________________ Teacher Signature: _______________________ Parent Signature: ________________________

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Uncompleted!Work! When I see that a student is turning in uncompleted work, or isn’t turning in anything at all, I will schedule a time to talk to them one-on-one. There is usually a reason why a student isn’t completing his/hers work. Whether there is an issue going on at home, they don’t understand the material, or they are having problems with a peer. Once I discover the issue at hand, I will decide whether they need more help and guidance, if they need time during the school day to complete their work instead of at home, or if they have to change seats because of distractions. I will always try to give students time in class to finish their work, because I understand schoolwork sometimes isn’t the top priority when they get home.

Tardiness! Being present in class is crucial to students learning because if they aren’t here for instruction or lesson, they will not understand the material and I will have to take time out of my own day to have them catch up. If a student is coming to school late because of home/family issues, I will not punish them. Instead, during independent time or when students finish early on projects/activities, that is when I will meet with students who might have missed something from being tardy. If I see a student coming to class late from recess or lunch because they want to take their time and do other things, they will be asked to make up that time the next day during recess. It’s important for the students to realize that every minute in the classroom is valuable time and they shouldn’t take advantage of that.

Lack!of!Motivation! It is my responsibility as a teacher to have my students motivated and excited to learn. If I notice a student who has a lack of motivation to learn or pay attention, I will schedule a meeting with them one-on-one. I will try to get a better understanding on why they aren’t motivated to learn, whether something

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is going on at home, the material is too hard, or it just isn’t interesting. Together we will come up with some ideas to make class more engaging for him/her.

Cheating! Since third grade is still a lower elementary grade, I hope that cheating will not be an issue in class. Just incase, I will have discussed the topic of cheating at the beginning of the school year with my students’. I will ask them why they think that is not okay. I will also let my students know that if I do find someone cheating, the assignment will have to be redone and in front of me. They will also loose recess for the day and a parent will be contacted.

BullyNFree!Zone! Bullying is very present in the schools even more than ever. I will have a discussion on bullying with my students at the beginning of the year. I will show an interesting cartoon Youtube clip that doesn’t have any words but shows a cartoon character in the school being bullied. This helps students see the perspective of the bully and the person being bullied. We will talk about different situations of bullying and coming up with a classroom contract that we will all sign and pledge to not be a bully. I will also have a discussion with my students about being a bystander and explaining what that word means. We will talk about that if we see someone getting bullied, it’s important to tell an adult immediately. Our classroom is our family, and it’s important to make sure each member of the family is being treated the same and is respected.

Parent/Guardian!Involvement! I will send an introduction email to all parents at the beginning of the school year. I will also host parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year so I can get a better understanding of what the parents are want me to know about their child and what they want their child to work on. I will have a classroom blog that will be updated monthly for parents to reference. In the 3rd graders planners I will also put little comments and notes and the parents are required to sign their planners every night, this will be an easy communication between each other through the planner. When a student has done something

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that requires parents attention brought to it, I will send home an Ops Form and as well as an email regarding the incident. I will make sure our communication is open so parents feel open and welcomed to come to me with any concerns or issues they might have.

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Principal!Involvement!!! After I have taken the time to meet with a student about an unwanted behavior or action that has occurred, I have met with the parents, and then I will finally involve the principal. In other situations in regards to weapons, safety of a student, or abuse, I will report immediately to the principal and social worker/nurse.

Playground!Conflicts!! If I see that two of my third grade students are having some conflicts with each other, I will set up a time to talk to both privately. Once I have discovered the situation, I will access whether or not they can speak to each other and apologize to each other. If some reason the conflict is strong, each student will write down what happened, what they are sorry for, what they can do to move on. I will conduct a meeting with both of the students present and have them share their paper to each other. I will then decide in consequences are needed to be used. Changing of seats and groups will be available if students can’t work corporately together.

School!Professional!Expectations! Being professional inside and outside of the classroom is extremely important to me. I will always demonstrate my professionalism by the way I present and dress. I will always refrain from gossiping of my students or other teacher’s students and if I’m ever in a situation where that is going on, I will take myself out of that situation. I will always conduct myself in a appropriate manner outside of the school, because any family member or student could run into me. If I were to ever damage my reputation, then my credibility as a successful teacher would not be there. Being on time and prepared is the most important goal for being a professional.

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Part!III:!Classroom!Routines!&!Procedures!

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Teacher!Introduction!on!the!First!Day! On the first day of school, my introduction is very important because it sets the bar what students can expect of me, and the atmosphere of the classroom. When the students’ walk in I will each individually greet them and ask them to make a circle on the carpet. I will introduce myself again on the floor and I will pass around some items that describe me: picture of my family, CD, soccer medal, picture of my dog, pencil, and gum. I will explain to the students why each one is important to me and then we will play some icebreaker games throughout the day. Students will be able to bring in one item that describes them for the next day and will we do the same thing we did today, but instead I’ll get to learn about my students.

Daily!Greeting! In order to have a positive day of school, I will always greet each and every student that walks into my door in the morning. I never know what happened in the morning or the night before, so a nice hello might be the best thing the student has heard all week or day. If I notice a student who isn’t having a good day, I will always take time to acknowledge them and offer them to talk to me when we have our morning routine.

Morning!Greeting!

To start are day, after everyone has arrived into the classroom, we will begin our morning greeting. The classroom helper of the day will present our morning greeting. We will sit at the carpet and go over the day, the weather for today, how many days we have been in school, and what our schedule will be today.

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Classroom!Blog! A great way to keep parents in the loop and a way to integrate technology into the classroom is our classroom blog! The link to the blog will be sent to the parents at the beginning of the school year. At the end of our units we will either post our work onto our blog or describe what we did in class. Students will be responsible for posting onto the blog, whether that is in class or at home. I will also be updating it monthly with information on what we will be working on in the near future. My classroom rules and expectations will be posted as well for parents to reference when needed. Finally, my information will be available if ever needed to reach me.

Water!Policy! Many studies show that being dehydrated in school hinders students learning and attention to focus. I understand it’s important for students to drink water and stay hydrated, but it’s also distracting and taking time out of the day for students to get up and grab a couple sips at the drinking fountain. At the beginning of the school year I will allow students to bring a water bottle. They will be allowed to fill up their water bottle before class and after lunch. This will keep students hydrated and will not take away time from the classroom. If students can’t provide a water bottle, I will have recycled water bottles for them to use.

Snack!Break! Being hungry during class distracts the students from their full potential of learning and shouldn’t be ignored. I understand that students come from all different backgrounds and incomes, so I will offer students who can to bring two healthy snacks for the day. The snack will be eaten during designated snack time only. We will have a snack in the morning before lunch and at the end of the day around 2pm, an hour before they dismiss. For students who forget their snack, or for some reason can’t provide one, I will have healthy snacks available for them to choose from.

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Brain!Breaks! I can’t expect my students to be fully active in learning and paying attention for 8 hours straight they need brain breaks! I will have a Popsicle stick of different brain breaks students can do, the teacher helper of the week will be the one who will pull out a stick and decide what we will be doing. Brain breaks will be allowed when students have been staying on task and working hard (rewarding). They will also be available for students to use after or before lunch and specials.

Asking!for!Help! Asking for help is a skill that students need to learn in the classroom. I will explain to my students at the beginning of the school year my expectations of asking for help and when it is the appropriate time. During whole class instruction, students will be asked to raise their hand to be called on. During independent work, students again will flip a card to the red side when they have a question, green side means they are understanding the material or task on hand. When working in groups, students will ask their question to one of their partners and if they don’t know the answer, then they will be allowed to ask the teacher.

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Homework!and!Paper!Collecting/Returning! Returning and collecting papers can be very hectic and time consuming. In order to not take away any time during instructional and learning time, I will always pass out papers and work at the end of the day or during lunch/specials. Each student will have a small cubbie in the classroom where I will pass his or her papers back. This will help student organization and not have piles of paper on their desk. When it comes to collecting papers and homework, I will have a “Completed Homework” bin where students can place their work. I will sort through this bin during special and lunch so it doesn’t become to full.

Classroom!Helpers! Classroom jobs are always a great way to build community and keep the classroom in order and clean. These jobs will be on rotation by alphabetical order of the student’s names. Each student will have a chance with each job at least once a year. I will post these jobs on the bulletin board that reads “Minion Helpers” A sticker with the students name on it will be placed next to a job. The jobs will change weekly. Below are the classroom jobs.

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 Calendar Leader Teacher Helper

             

 Door Holder Lunch Count

Electrician Line Leader

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What!Do!I!Do!Now?! This is a question that gets asked too often in the classroom, “What do I do now?!” In my classroom, I will not have that questioned asked. At the beginning of the year I will show my students what they can do when they are finished with a project, activity, test, ect. If we are working on a reading activity and a student finishes early, they can go to the reading/writing game bin in the classroom. They may play with another peer but only if they are finished as well. If they are done with a science project, then they may go into the science game bin. The other option students have if they have finished early is to silent read!

Dismissal!For!Lunch,!Recess,!Special,!End!of!the!Day! Whenever we are heading out of the classroom, whether that is for specials, end of the day, or lunch, we always have a routine to get ready to go. I will give my students always a 5 minutes warning before it’s time to clean up, and a 1 minute warning. Once I ring the bell, students will clear off their desks, look around the room for any papers on the floor or garbage, get ready for what we will be doing when we come back, and then line up quietly at the door. The line leader will be in the front. A way I will incorporate learning and community while we transition from class to the room is our line up activity. The line leader will pull out a Popsicle stick from the line-up cup and tell the students how they are going to line up. Once the line leader has announced the way, students will have 2 minutes to get in that order, without talking. This builds community and team building.

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Differentiation!Policy!

Differentiation in the classroom is an essential part that needs to be implemented everyday. I understand that it is my responsibility to give each of my students the best learning environment and chance to succeed, but not ever student learns the same. I will monitor and assess each of my students’ ability and then go from there to decide what differentiation is best suited for each individual. Here are the following ways I will differentiate:

• Assessment: I understand that assessment can be difficult for some students because they might not so well with reading or writing. For assessments that are not standardized, I will always let students take them verbally or have more pictures on the assessment to help guide the students.

• Grouping: When it comes to grouping, I will always group my gifted students with each other to help push them to keep going further in thinking and will give them more higher level activities on the side. For students who might be ELL, I will put them together during reading and pull them aside for guided reading.

• Time: Some students might not be able to complete something as fast as their peers, and that’s okay. I will always allow extra time for students to finish their projects and homework.

• Guidance: For projects that might be to in depth or out of their ZPD range, I will always create a guidance sheet for students to use. This will either have “helpful tips” on it, pictures, or even examples.

• Higher Level/Challenging Material: When working independently or in a group, students who need more of a challenge, I will have higher-level questions and activities for them to complete. For each activity and lesson plan I prepare, will always have higher-level activities for students who are gifted.

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References!!!!

Information!!

Mackenzie, R. J., & Stanzione, L. (2010). Setting Limits in the Classroom: A complete Guide to Effective Classroom Management with a School-Wide Discipline Plan. (3rd Ed.) New York: Three Rivers Press.

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The First Days of School: How to be an Effective

Teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc. !!!

Ideas!!

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