Classroom Management Plan

M.C. Root

I.

Preventative Techniques Classroom Rules o Our class will have one major principal to guide us and that will be RESPECT. It will be posted in the front of the room prominently. Many discussions throughout the year will be brought back to this defining word: respect. This is why we will be transitioning to the song RESPECT). o Our class will have 5 rules (Smith, R. 2004) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Bring all materials to class in the morning. Follow Directions Speak only at appropriate times Follow the school rules Do not hurt others right to learn or my right to teach.

o Brainstorming rules (during whole class discussions) 1. Defer Judgment 2. Offbeat Original 3. Vast Number 4. Expand Elaborate Character Building (Charles, C.M. Chapter 13) We will work through these topics as a class in the form of brainstorming, activities, character movies, thoughtful discussions, amongst others. Students will be a part of creating the definition for each of the seven virtues by discussing what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like. o Personal code of conduct- use pyramid to show different levels of thought (level 6 thinkers is what the goal is). o Seven Essential Virtues of Goodness Empathy Conscience Self-Control Respect Kindness Tolerance Fairness o Manners Essential polite words (please, thank-you, excuse me, Im sorry, may I? pardon me, youre welcome) Meeting and greeting each other 1

Classroom Management Plan

M.C. Root

Conversation manners Sports manners anywhere and anytime- doesnt swear, belch, gossip, covers mouth.

Classroom Incentives Our classroom will be a conglomeration of an economy and tribes. Each tribe will be a self-contained economy where students will need to depend on each other in order to pay their bills and buy specific privileges. Students will each be assigned a role (i.e. banker, clerk, librarian, etc.) in their tribe. Each tribe will earn money for the jobs they complete and will then be required to pay rent for their desks, pay fines for not respecting materials, and taxes on their property. They will not be paid for any absence from school (just like the real world). Once they begin to save money, they will have options to buy privileges such as sitting where they choose at lunch. They will be responsible to themselves, each other, and the class for gaining rewards. If their tribe wastes other tribes time, then they will repay the time as a collective unit. They will also reap the rewards together when they are on task or being urgent with their schoolwork. Recognition Students will not receive candy for any reason other than as a gift. It can be included as part of an activity or part of the day, but it will not be used as a reward for doing something they should have been internally motivated to do.

Classroom Management Plan

M.C. Root

II.

Supportive Techniques Proximity, body language, mini-lessons about I messages (Gibbs, 2006), Put-down circles (pg. 117, Gibbs, 2006), Flies on the Ceiling, T (timeout)signs during class for students who argue, class discussions about behaviors. This specific question(s) will be used often: What message are you sending? Is that the message you want to send? Chart with clips will be utilized at the beginning of the year. It will have a green starting place (Good) and then have places to move down (Warning, Reflection, Writeup, Office Referral) and also places to move up (Great, Excellent, Awesome). Clothing pins will be used and will have a name on each one.

III.

Intervention Techniques If a student moves a clip down to Reflection, they will be required to fill out a Reflection form asking them what happened, why it happened, how they can avoid it next time, and a letter of apology to whomever they offended/hurt/disrespected. Students will be asked to stay after class to talk to me about things that might have happened in class. Communication will be a huge part of intervention in my classroom. Together we will brainstorm ideas that will help the student make better choices in the future.

Classroom Management Plan

M.C. Root

IV.

Classroom Environment Our classroom will utilize the Tribes method of creating a sense of community.

After students are assigned a tribe, they will work in that tribe for the rest of the year. These groups will be assigned according to the outline described in the Tribes Learning Communities based on having one friend, one leader, and learners of different levels included in each group. New students will have an adoption ceremony in order to join a tribe. Energizers and group circles will be a constant source of community building with activities such as: (All from Tribes Learning Communities) Barnyard Babble to form tribes Dear Abby Five Tribles (faces for feelings) Graphing Who We Are Im Proud Appreciation Circle The Big Lie (about summer vacation)

Classroom Management Plan

M.C. Root

V.

Classroom Procedures Basic Management o Quiet!! A simple hand in the air from me will signal to students that I need their attention and their voices to be off. Each student will also raise their hand to help their neighbors hear my request for quiet. o Triple Doubles o I will use a loud chime to get students attention during loud group work. Homework No student will be sent home with homework that is meaningless and just for homeworks sake. Homework will be purposeful and worth the time and effort involved. Ideally, students will be given a Problem of the Day for their math homework that includes a short answer about their thinking. They will not be graded based on correct answers, but more on effort and thoughtfulness. Nightly reading will be expected, as will weekend reading and a signature from a guardian that verifies the amount of time spent reading. Assessment and Progress Monitoring Students will be given a rubric for any major project they are expected to complete. These will be clearly stated in class and explicitly taught. Each student will receive a grade for his or her finished products and these points will be recorded. I do not want students to become overly concerned with the concept of 100 percent as being perfect is not a realistic goal in life. Instead, I want them to be able to succeed (and receive good grades) without the added pressure of perfection each time. Classroom Arrangement The year will begin with students in rows, however, after about one month has passed, tribes will be formed and group desk settings will be utilized (4 or 5 per group). Transitions o Music accompaniment (30 seconds, example R-E-S-P-E-C-T) o Timers will be used constantly to help students make efficient transitions during the school day. o Each tribe will be dismissed (for example to the meeting circle) after one person in their group answers a content question correctly. o Stopwatch (i.e. You have 30 seconds to put away your math books and get out your reading journals) Beginning of the Day Routine Students will come into the class in a quiet manner and understand that they are to do something quietly at their desks (reading, spelling, book club, etc.) After the first

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M.C. Root

10 minutes of class has passed quietly, we will get into our meeting circle to discuss any number of things (see Classroom Environment) for about 10 minutes. o Daily Schedule The daily schedule will be posted, however, it will not have any times listed. Instead, it will just have the order of subjects and the content for each subject. This is so I have more wiggle room during the day if I find we need to spend some extra time on something. There will also be a FUTURE board in which upcoming tests or projects will be due. I want students to begin thinking ahead and preparing. This will be helpful for students who know they are going to miss school, by giving them the perfect opportunity to be proactive in their education. End of Day Routine At the end of each day, we will try to conduct town halls where students can take care of their tribes business, such as paying bills, getting paid, buying property or privileges, creating business licenses, doing their assigned jobs, and taking care of our classroom. This will take about 10- 12 minutes and the final 3 minutes will be in the meeting circle to sum up the day in school. During these last few minutes, 5 students will be randomly selected to comment about their favorite thing from the day. This is a time to end the day on a positive note and make sure everyone remembers the highlights instead of just the things that may have gone wrong. Absent Students o Students have one week to make up homework while they are absent. Homework will be available on the classroom website, but will also be collected in a special folder during the school day as hard copies. o Chronically Absent Students- Once these students are identified as missing over 25% of school days. My philosophy on these students is evolving but I feel strongly that they should not be punished when they finally do make it to school. I want to make sure they catch up on as much content as possible but without taking away all of the fun and enjoyable parts of school. I believe these students have some control over whether or not they make it to school each day but they are also at the whim of their parents. Obviously, if this becomes a serious problem, the principal law enforcement will be notified and the parents will be contacted. A home visit will also be an attempt to connect and change the home situation. Miscellaneous o Checklists A class list of names (one page will be cut into 3 lists) will be copied and cut and ready to use at a moments notice. Fire drill? Grab a checklist. Unexpected student project? Grab a checklist. Students forget where they are

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M.C. Root

supposed to be in line? Grab a checklist. This is a fast and easy way to keep track on the fly. o Bathroom & Leaving the Room There will be a chart with many pockets and a card for each students name near the door. Students will move their card when they arrive so I can quickly see who is absent. Then, if they leave the room for any reason they must move their card to the appropriate pocket which helps me know where they are at all times (they do not move the card when the entire class is going to the same place). Students leaving to go to resource, ELD, or other programs will also move their cards. There will be a bathroom option so I know if someone is using the restroom. Only one student is allowed to use the restroom at a time. They may NOT go to the bathroom during instruction time. They may go before or after class, during lunch, recess, or specials, or during transitions between subject areas (for example Math to Social Studies). They do not have to ask permission but they must move the card and then move it back into its home spot after returning to class. If a student abuses this procedure we will have a one-onone talk about it. o Lining up There will be 2 different lineups. One will be alphabetical order for certain situations (perhaps where I need to make sure every single student is there for an emergency) and the second line will be the seasonal order. In this line, students will line up so that they are in order by their birthdays and therefor the seasons as well.. The person at the front of the line will be the next person to have a birthday and after their birthday they will move to the back of the line. This way, I know whos birthday is coming up, students get to take turns at the front of the line, the back, and the middle, and its always changing. Its a great way to separate into 4 groups for a lesson (fall, winter, spring, summer). Students who have birthdays in the summer will be rotated through the line depending on gaps. For both lines, students will have multiple opportunities to memorize where they are in the line (one week alphabetical order, next week seasonal order). o Sharpening Pencils Each student will be given a small pencil sharpener to keep at their desks for quiet sharpening during class. They are only permitted to use the electric pencil sharpener during the same times they are allowed to use the bathroom (see above) and only one person is allowed at a time. o Water Fountain Only one person at a time is allowed to use the water fountain. Students will be encouraged to bring reusable water bottles from home to keep at their desks during school. Students who do not have access to a water bottle will be provided one (and only one) at the beginning of the year to keep 7

Classroom Management Plan VI. Communication with Parents/Guardians

M.C. Root

First day questionnaire for parents' home computer availability, amongst other things about their home life and situation. Planners: Students will be sent home with a planner requiring a guardian signature due each Monday morning. Parents will be signing off on home reading over the weekend and adding any comments/questions/concerns for quick communications with me. Class Website: Homework and basic outlines of what happened in school will be posted daily, in addition to other materials, announcements, or news. Class Blog: This will function as a newsletter because it will be comprised of student writing. A printout will be available to parents who do not have access to the internet at home.

Classroom Management Plan

M.C. Root

References Charles, C.M. (2011). Building Classroom Discipline, 10th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Gibbs, J. (2006). Reaching All by Creating: Tribes Learning Communities. Windsor, CA: Center Source Systems. Smith, R. (2004). Conscious Classroom Management: Unlocking the Secrets of Great

Teaching. San Raphael, CA: Conscious Teaching Publications.