Susan Kline

Family and Consumer Science Teacher

Kane Area Middle School
2013-2014
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
2b: Creatin a Culture !or "earnin
#$am%le 1: &o' do ( encourae students to be acti)e %artici%ants*
1+ The students are e$%ected to %artici%ate 'ith their team durin !oods
labs, -hen ( see someone not 'or.in ( try to hel% him or her see that
there is much to do and try to et the /rou% leaders0 to hel% et the
a%athetic one in)ol)ed, ( re1uest that students sam%le the !oods2 at
least one bite2 unless they ha)e %re)iously in!ormed me o! !ood
concerns related to the inredients,
2+ ( use colored3numbered stic.s to hel% choose rou%s, As the students
select the stic.2 they don4t .no' 'hat ( 'ill be usin to determine the
rou%s 5colors2 numbers2 %ictures2 or a mi$+, This creates an e)ol)in2
not static2 classroom and hel%s %re)ent the same students 'or.in
toether all o! the time, -hen they select the stic.s2 they .no' that (
am not assinin rou%s and there is no /last %erson chosen0,
#$am%le 1: ( 'as tauht to sho' res%ect to adults and lo)ed to learn, ( 'as
a boo.'orm 'hile ro'in u%, ( don4t understand ho' students can4t li.e to
read and3or to learn, ( .no' ( need to 6nd their moti)ators, ( .no' most
students li.e to %artici%ate in hands-on acti)ities that sho' the conce%ts in
/real-li!e0 e)ents, Family and Consumer Science classes %ro)ide many
o%%ortunities !or /real-li!e0 e)ents that s%eci6cally relate to their home li!e
and 'hat they see others in the !amily doin day-to-day, #$am%le: coo.in
in both 7
th
and 8
th
rade9 se'in and re%airin clothin3!abric in 7
th
and :
th

rade9 and 'ritin chec.s and balancin the account in 8
th
rade,
-hen my classroom ets )ery noisy2 ( ha)e learned to ste% bac.
56urati)ely+ and loo. at 'hat the students are actually doin, (t usually
ama;es me ho' much 'or. is actually ettin done and i)es me a chance
to see ho' they are %artici%atin, <y doin this2 ( can see the /leaders02 the
/a%athetics0 'ho need a bit more o! a nude2 the0 'or.ers0 'ho are
com!ortable !ollo'in directions2 and those 'ho =ust don4t understand 'hat
to do, ( ha)e come to reali;e that most students %re!er to 'or. in small
Susan Kline
Family and Consumer Science Teacher
Kane Area Middle School
2013-2014
rou%s, "are rou%s seem to be ine>ecti)e at the middle school le)el2 at
least in FCS because there is not enouh !or each one to do,
#$am%le 3: ( try to listen to the students 'hen they ha)e a real2 leitimate
re1uest, This is sho'n 'ith the Chemical ?eactions in Ca.es lesson, The 8
th

rade students 'ere bored 'ith the 6nancial and resource manaement
acti)ities and 'e had reached the end o! the unit but still had more time in
the mar.in %eriod, ( 'anted to 6nd somethin !un but educational2 that
they could %re%are but learn somethin ne' as 'ell, Since my oal !or the
year 'as to incor%orate more science into my classes ( came u% 'ith /The
Chemical ?eactions in Ca.es0 lesson, Students ha)e to research online 'hat
reactions ta.e %lace 'hen ma.in )arious ca.es, -e discuss 'hat 'e read,
The ne$t day 'e do a chemical e$%eriment 'ith )arious inredients
commonly !ound in ca.es and they ha)e to 'rite an obser)ation re%ort,
@e$t2 'e %re%are ca.es that use those inredients and they 'rite a re%ort
about 'hat they sa' or the reactions ta.in %lace in their ca.es, Finally2 'e
analy;e and eat the ca.es,