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Classroom Management Plan

-3rd Grade

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

-Benjamin Franklin

Maranda Kapell 04/18/12

Table of Contents
Classroom Organization A. Physical B. Operational 1. Attendance/Lunch Count 2. Formal Record Keeper 3. Informal Assessment Record Keeping 4. Substitute Teacher Plans 5. Displaying Student Work 6. Classroom Cleaning Procedures 7. New Student Procedures II. Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics M. Personal/Professional Goals 1. Teacher goals N. Classroom Rules 1. Your Rights & Responsibilities O. Negative Consequences 1. Whats in Your Pocket Behavior Chart 2. Tardiness 3. Late/Missing Homework P. Positive Consequences 1. Bucket Fillers 2. Reward For Cooperative Teams III. Classroom Rules and Procedures A. First Day Procedures B. Calm Down Jar C. Hallway Procedures D. I Message E. Give Me Five F. Emergency Bathroom G. End of the Day Procedure H. Procedure for Heading Papers I. What If Procedures a. If a Visitor comes into the Classroom b. If a Student Finishes Early c. If a Student Needs Supplies d. If there is an Announcement e. If there is a Fire Drill f. If there is a Tornado Drill g. If the Student Needs Nurse J. Task Breakers K. Daily Use of Paper Drops-Handing Papers In L. Cooperative Teaching a. Team Formation b. Quiet Signals c. Team Captains d. Team Tubs
I.

4-5 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 9 10-11 11 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 17 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 23 23 24-25 26 27 28 29 30 30

e. Team Building f. Team Building Activities g. Class Building Activities M. Differentiation Policy N. Parental Communication O. In Our Class Poem IV. Resources a. Prize Passes b. Back to School Teacher Letter c. References

30 30-31 31-32 34 35 36 37 38-39 40 41

Part I: Classroom Organization

A. Physical
(Please refer to Appendix A for the diagram of the below
referenced items.) When you walk into my classroom the coat closet is right next to the door making it very convenient to put away coats/backpacks. Next to the closet is the drinking fountain/sink and a countertop, which is a nice accessory to have in a second grade classroom. Above the countertop there are cupboards for extra storage. The Science and Art supplies are located next to the sink and countertop and the Science and Art centers are located across from it. This is helpful for messy art or science activities. There are three small group tables that surround theses centers. These tables could be used or any activity and are great for differentiation. I have included a permanent map of the World and a permanent map of the United States in my classroom. These will be a great attribute to my class and a great reference to use throughout the day. My Smart board is in a place where all of the students can see without having to turn around. There are two small bookcases on each side of the middle table where students can keep their Daily 5 browsing book boxes. The student tables are in a design to promote a community and collaborative learning environment. In the far left corner of my classroom I have a reading area. There is a big colorful reading rug along with a lamp to create a homey feel. There are two beanbags on top of the rug that students may use. I have two bookshelves next to the rug where students can pick out books. The reading corner is designed in a place where students cannot hide in a corner and slack off, yet its not in the middle of the room where students can become distracted.

The classroom TV is hung from the ceiling above the reading corner. This is up in the air so all students can see it. I have plants next to the window and reading area to once again help create that homey feel. The guided reading table is near the reading area and has the class windows behind it to have some natural light when reading. The trash and recycling next to the reading center but are also near the student tables. There is another trash located by the door and a third next to the computers and morning calendar. There is a teacher storage area and a filing cabinet on both sides of the teacher desk. The desk is facing the entire classroom so the teacher can monitor every student when sitting at the desk. The desk has a phone/intercom, computer, and a pencil sharpener. Students are not allowed to use the electric pencil sharpener so that is why its on the teachers desk. The meeting rug is the rug where the students meet at first thing in the morning. It is also the area where students go when the teacher says, Lets meet. This area is used to assign partners, give directions, any time the whiteboard is used, and any time the teacher needs the class together in one circle. This area includes an adult chair and a student helper chair. The bulletin board, the whiteboard, and the daily calendar are on this wall.

Finally, the computer center is in the corner but facing the classroom so the teacher can monitor what the students are doing while using the computers. Overall, my classroom design promotes a communal, positive learning environment.

B. Operational
1. Attendance/Lunch Count:

I will have bucket containers that have the word Hot, Cold and Lunch pail on them. Hot stands for hot lunch and cold stands for cold lunch. Inside the Lunchbox bucket there will be tongue depressors that have the students name on them. Each morning when the students walk into the room they will come up to the bucket, find their stick, and place it in either the Hot or Cold bucket, depending on what type of lunch they are having that day. After all of the students have come into the room, I will check the buckets to get a hot and cold lunch count. I will then check the Lunch pail bucket for any remaining sticks. If I notice that a child that is in the room still has his stick in this container, I will quietly set the clothespin on their desk, signaling them to place their stick in the appropriate bucket. If the student is not in the room, then that means they are absent. This procedure is an easy way to take attendance and lunch count.

2. Formal Record Keeping:


I will record all student assignments by student name, subject, date, and assignment name in a grade book, which records the students results. I will first record grades into the grade book then transfer the grades into the schools computer program periodically. Having a hard copy of the grades will be helpful in case of a computer crash. My grading system will depend on the schools policy but I will use rubrics so students know my expectations. I will keep a binder for each student that includes their work, in order to track their progression. This binder will be used during conferences with parents so they can track their childs progress as well. In my grade book I will also record tardiness and attendance. If a student is tardy, I will put a T in the box. If the student is absent, I will put a slash in the box.

3. Informal Assessment Record Keeping

I will divide the inside of a file folder into boxes that are slightly larger than small sticky notes. I will write students' names in the boxes in alphabetical order, one name per box. Whenever I will want to make a note about a student's progress, I can jot the information on a sticky note and then place it in the appropriate box. Periodically, I will move the sticky notes to students' assessment folders. This will be a valuable informational picture shot at my fingertips when it's time to prepare report cards

4. Substitute Teacher Plans

I will keep all the necessary materials a guest teacher will need in a tub titled Sub Tub. The most important thing in the tub will be my substitute binder that is prepared at the beginning of the year and will always be sitting in the tub for an emergency day. The tabs in my binder will be:
Welcome letter (this letter welcomes the substitute and lists helpful people and students) Class list and Seating chart Schedule (these are the main pages the sub will refer to) Lesson Plans (these are detailed plans for things like math and writing) School Procedures (lunch room procedure, map of the school, important contacts, fire drill, emergency information on students) Class Procedures (sharpening pencils, bathroom, transitions) Behavior Management (positive reinforcements, consequences) Comments (the substitute can leave comments for me to see the next day)

5. Displaying Student Work:


I will have a bulletin board set up for just student work. I will create a theme for the bulletin board that matches the student work. I will use clips to hang the work, so that it will facilitate hanging. I also will have a personality board where one student at a timeshares their personality. This helps create community in the classroom.

6. Classroom Cleaning Procedures:


In order to minimize student disorganization, I will have a designated place in my classroom for students to turn in their seatwork. I will have a Thursday folder that goes home every Thursday and is returned on Friday. The Thursday folder will contain parent information, newsletters and graded student work for the week. I will have a desk clean up once a month where students can clean and organize their desks. To help maintain orderliness between scheduled cubbie/desk cleaning, students will be trained to keep all loose papers in a folder. There will be a folder for every subject and a takehome folder. Students will know my expectations on the first day of school, that every paper has a home- either a subject folder or the recycle bin. I will also expect their desks and the floor around their desks to be clear and clean at the end of the day. I will have students keep their school supplies in containers and only keep necessary items inside the cubbie/desk in order to locate things quickly. If students use something in the classroom, they will be expected to put it back in the right spot. Students will know it is their responsibility to maintain a clean desk and classroom.

7. New Student Procedure:( See appendix for copy of Parent letter.)


When a new student joins my classroom, I will pair them up with a buddy that will help show the new student around. I will have a new student packet that is prepared at the beginning of the year. This packet will have all the necessary items the student may need ready to go, so that learning time is maximized when the new student arrives. The packet will contain the following:
parent letter to welcome the new family to our school list of materials the student needs beginning of the year information labels for folders/journals nametag for the desk two pencils & checking pen notebook & folder

Part II: Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics

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A. Personal and Professional Ethics:

The following is a list of professional goals that I will set for myself each year. I will make every effort to live up to these goals: (Borrowed from Sandra Looper)

1) I will greet students each morning with a smile, and will be generous with my smiles throughout the day. 2) I will look for opportunities to reward and praise students for their work and good behavior. 3) I will not show favoritism, and will try to be fair to all. 4) I will use fair and appropriate methods of discipline. 5) I will try to make classroom instruction as interesting as possible and look for new and diverse ways of presenting materials. 6) I will maintain a positive atmosphere for learning. 7) I will treat my students with respect and will not embarrass them in front of their classmates. 8) I will make myself available and approachable to students. 9) I will recognize the individuality of my students and will provide opportunities for each of them to experience success. I pledge to work forward making this a very successful year for us all.

B. Classroom Rules
On the first day of school, the students will help come up with three to five classroom rules. Students will receive their own copy of the classroom rules. I will guide the students to create their own specific rules to coincide with three specific categories: Be Respectful, Do the Right Thing, and Be Ready. Once we have created the specific classroom rules, students will then sign the poster. By signing their name they are agreeing to our classroom contract. After we have created classroom rules, we will discuss schoolwide rules or policies.

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Classroom Rules
1. Be kind and respectful to all students, teachers and staff members. 2. Treat others the way you want to be treated. 3. Be prepared for class with all of your materials. 4. Be respectful of the school and the school property. 5. Give your be effort in all that you do!

YOUR RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

You have the right to: A safe learning environment Make choices Your own thoughts and ideas Be treated fairly Be yourself

You are responsible for: Maintaining a safe learning environment The consequences of your choices Respecting others Your own actions I will do everything I can to promote the learning, safety, and respect of myself and others.

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C. Negative Consequences
Consequences will be discussed with students for each rule. Students will know what is expected of them. I will have a behavior chart which includes a pocket on a bulletin board with every student's name. This chart will be called, Whats in Your Pocket. The idea behind this chart is to keep your pocket empty of red and yellow cards. After receiving three warnings for a minor infraction like talking out of turn or getting out of their seat, a student must get a yellow slip. If a student is asked to grab a yellow slip then they must write down their name, the date, and what they did wrong on the yellow slip. By having the student write down what they did wrong ensures that the student takes responsibility and understands what they did wrong. Receiving a yellow slip means that at the end of the month when the rest of the class is participating in the end of the month celebration activity for empty pockets, they have to spend the first 15 minutes doing schoolwork.

A student gets a red slip if they are doing something more harmful like bullying, damaging property, cheating etc. Once again they must write down in their own words what they did wrong. Any student with a red slip in their pocket does not get to participate in the end of the month activity. In order to try to keep this behavior management plan effective, students have the opportunity to cool down their red slip with a blue one. This prevents students from seeing a no win situation and misbehaving more throughout the month. Having something to look forward to and work for will help curb negative behavior. To cool down a red card the students must, on their own initiative, meet with the teacher and say they want to cool down their red slip. After a short meeting with the teacher to discuss what the student needs to do to cool the red card down and after the student reaches the goal, the student can fill out a blue card to place on top of his red card. A blue card allows the student to receive 15 minutes of the activity, the same as a yellow card. The student can only "cool" down their red slip to a yellow slip. They cannot be excused from any penalty because a red slip is more serious and deserves some kind of consequence.

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Negative Consequences Continued


I will not disrupt the class when I ask a student to grab a slip. I will simply say the students name and what color to grab. I will practice this routine with students so they know what is expected and so they do not disrupt others if they must grab a slip. I will also explain to students that a red slip will result in an automatic call home. Multiple red slips or serious infractions such as fighting or bullying will be sent to the principal. Students will know ahead of time which behaviors are serious enough to be sent to the principal. If at all possible, a private meeting with the student will be held first in the classroom. Using the principal will be a last resort or result of a serious infraction. Whats in Your Pocket behavior cards will be applicable throughout the school day and while the student is attending Specials, lunch, or recess.

TARDINESS: I will use the schools policy to address tardiness and absences.
If allowed, students will miss out on recess or stay after school to complete any schoolwork they missed for their tardiness.

Missing and Late Homework:


Students are expected to do their homework each night. Homework will follow the rule that establishes 10 minutes of homework times the number representing the grade level the student is in. (For example, a third grader could have up to 30 minutes of homework: 10(minutes) x 3(grade level)= 30 minutes of homework.) Homework will be used mainly to teach responsibility. It will only include reinforcement of a skill taught that day. Reading every night will be included in the homework. Homework will be collected daily by a student who will place the homework in the daily Job Pocket. Missing homework will be completed at a recess. If the student misses 3 days in a row, a phone call home will be made to make the parent of the student aware of the lack of homework. Late homework is always accepted to help ensure that the student will do all the assigned work and to make sure the student is getting the reinforcement needed on a skill.

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D. Positive Consequences/Rewards

1. Bucket Fillers
The idea of Bucket Fillers is based on the book "Have You Filled A Bucket Today? (A Guide to Daily Happiness For Kids)" by Carol McCloud. It is a wonderful way to create a positive safe learning environment where childrens self-esteem can flourish. The big idea of the book is that we all carry an invisible bucket that contains our feelings. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When our bucket is empty, we feel sad. Bucket filler is someone who says or does nice things for other people. By doing this, they are filling other people's buckets and filling their own bucket at the same time. On the other hand, a bucket dipper says or does things to cause other people to feel bad. A bucket dipper empties their bucket when they say and do mean things. In my classroom, I would have a Bucket Filler bulletin board where each student has a bucket. Everyone would be encouraged to fill the buckets by writing kind words and compliments to each other. At the end of the week, we empty the buckets and read the nice things our friends left for us when they filled our buckets.

2. Rewards for Cooperative Teams


I would reward positive behavior during cooperative group work. It is important to stay on task and to use teamwork while doing a cooperative task. Teams who are caught showing excellent teamwork, following the rules of staying on task, and using quiet voices will be rewarded a tally mark. At the end of the week, the team with the most tallies will receive the team trophy that gets displayed on their table for the entire next week.

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Team members also will choose from the prize box. Instead of always having a treasure box filled with pencils and trinkets, students can pick a prize pass from the Prize Pass Catalog. Passes for extra computer time, or for taking off your shoes for the day, or wearing a hat to school are some of the prize passes that would be used. (See appendix: Prize Pass templates.)

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III. Classroom Routines & Procedures

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A. First Day Procedures: (See Appendix for Parent Letter)


On the first day of school I will greet each student by standing next to the door smiling and welcoming them into the class. Above my door there will be a welcome banner along with my name and room number. I will allow students to sit where they want to prepare for my Cooperative learning teams. A Get to Know Me activity will be at each table for the students to fill out. Instructions will be written on the board. This will not only give the students something to work on right away, but it will allow me to get to know the students better when I read it. After, all students have entered the classroom; I will introduce myself and share my personality board. I feel it is important for students to see their teacher as a real person. I will give students the opportunity to ask questions. I will then explain and demonstrate basic procedures such as the Attendance and Lunch Count. Next, the class will learn what Cooperative teams are. After, describing Cooperative Teams, I will place the students in their first random Cooperative Team and begin Cooperative Learning team building activities. Finally, the students will come up with a name for their learning group and make a sign to display the groups name. Once, the Learning teams have been established the class will work cooperatively to help create rules. This will be the first of many cooperative classroom-building activities. Having students help create their own rules for their classroom establishes ownership, which produces a better-managed classroom. At the end of the first day, I will send home with the students a letter to their parents. My letter will emphasize my enthusiasm for having their child in my classroom. I will also state my contact information and invite parents to call or email with any questions or concerns. I will attach an informational sheet to inform them of my classroom procedures and a list of student supplies needed for the year will also be included.

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B. Calm Down Jar:

If a student can not calm down and is feeling out of control, I will have the student go to a special area in the room where the calm down jar will be placed. The student will shake the jar and watch the glitter settle in the water. When the glitter settles, they can get up.

C. Hallway Procedures
Hallway Procedures will expect students to model the following behaviors: walk carefully, be aware of personal space, and to make no noise. These will be practiced the first day of school through one of the following chants to help them remember the basic hallway procedures. 3Hs Heads, Hands, Hush Head forward. Hands by your side Hush no talking or make noise.

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D.

I Message Procedures

Students will need to learn what to so if they are having a conflict with another student. To avoid tattling and interrupting learning time, students will be taught how to give an I message to the other student. First tell the person that you would like to give them an I message. Stand face to face. Begin with I feel when you because and I would like you to The student receiving the I message needs to pay attention. They also need to respond with an I understand that you felt when I I am sorry for and I will The original sender needs to be looking at the person who is responding. Students will be trained to try this technique first before telling an adult in charge.

E.

Give Me Five

Students will model the following procedures when someone is speaking: 1. Eyes on the speaker 2. Lips closed 3. Ears listening 4. Sit/stand up straight 5. Hands and feet quiet

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F. Emergency Bathroom Procedures


Only one student at a time may use the restroom. The student will not interrupt me if I am teaching to use the restroom; instead the student will quietly take the bathroom pass and leave the room. The students will be taught to not talk in the hallways, no horse playing in the restrooms, to use proper cleanliness etiquette after using the restroom, and to use time wisely to minimize loss of learning time.

G. End of Day Procedure


Students will fill out their student planners, writing down any homework or important reminders. Students will be responsible to gather all the materials they will need to do their homework. Students will clean their workspace, including the floor around them. Students will load their backpack and get belongings from lockers. Students will be instructed that the teacher, not the bell, will dismiss them. Quite behavior will be reinforced before students will be dismissed.

H. Procedure for Heading Your Paper


If the student is using notebook paper, the following guidelines will be taught: The holes on your paper go down the left side. Your name goes on the first line on the right hand side. Your student number goes on the second line. The date (if required) goes on the third line below your number. Skip two lines and begin your work on the fifth line For all other work, names will be written in the top right hand corner with the student number directly below the name. I will use this fun little song to help remind students to write their name and student number on all their work.

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I. What If Procedures
1. If a Visitor Enters the Room
Students will need to know how to act if a visitor comes into the room. Students will be instructed to follow these procedures: During a Group Activity students will: Lower their voice to a whisper Keep busy unless the Give Me Five signal is up Be courteous and willing to share what they are doing with the visitor During Quiet Work Time: Continue what they are doing Be courteous and willing to share what they are doing with the visitor.

2. If They Finish Work Early

Usually during whole group lessons, there will be some students who just "get it" and finish their work early. Instead of interrupting the teacher with, Im done, Im done now what do I do, I will have an Im Done jar filled with activities for them to do. I would tell my students that it is a random pick; they get what they get and they don't throw a fit!

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3. If A Student Needs School Supplies


I will have a two pencil cups in a designated area. One will say Sharp and the other will say Dull. If student is in need of a sharp pencil, there will be no need to be interrupted with the noise of a pencil sharpener or for me to take time from my teaching to find the student a pencil to sharpen with these pencil cups. Designated students will sharpen the sharpened pencils each morning during the job time or by me after school each day. Students will be instructed to place their broken or dull pencil in the cup and take a sharpened one without any teaching time being disrupted. There will also be an area that houses containers of crayons, scissors, and glue sticks. If students are in need of any of these items, they will get one from the designated area without interrupting learning. Students are responsible to returning the borrowed items.

4. If There is an Announcement
Students will follow the same procedure for Give Me Five.

5. If There is a Fire Drill


Students will quickly and quietly head out of the classrooms and exit the building by the designated door closest to the classroom. The last one out the door closes the door. Students will be taught to get into ABC order quickly and stand in a 3H lines (Heads, Hands, Hush) to listen for further directions. I will take a class list to help me account for all my students.

6. If There is a Tornado Drill


Students will quickly and quietly head out of the classroom. The last one out the door closes it. Students will sit away from windows in a criss-cross applesauce position with their heads down. They will cover their heads with their arms and silently wait for further directions.

7. If a Student Needs to See the Nurse


If a student needs to see the nurse for any reason, the student should take a Nurse pass from the file holder and write his/her name, date, and time of day on it. The student will then check off the reason on the pass for wanting to visit the nurses office. Before leaving the classroom, the student will show the teacher the pass and get permission before exiting the classroom. Showing the teacher the pass is absolutely necessary to prevent those unnecessary trips to the nurse. Having the students fill the information out frees the teacher up and limits the distractions and interruptions in the teaching day.

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J. Task Breakers:

Young children have trouble sitting still too long. In order to enhance learning I will use quick 1 minute task breakers that involve movement to stimulate the students minds and bodies when I see that students are in need of a break from learning. I will pick a colored tongue depressor that has one of the following labels on it to get the children moving for a minute.

1. Tic Tac Toe: Play a quick game with your elbow partner. 2. Spin 3x: Students stand up, spin around 3 times, and sit back down. 3. Seat Switch: They have 10 seconds to sit in someone elses chair. They then check the last problem that person did. They then have 10 seconds to return to their desk. 4. Dance: Turn on a fun song and dance for a minute. 5. High 5s to 5 people. 6. Rainstorm: Start by everyone tapping one finger on the desk, then two, then three, then four, and then lightly tap whole hand, a little harder, a little harder, now pound! Now do it all backward. It should sound like a rainstorm hitting the building. 7. Pop! - This is a skip counting exercise. I say Pop! 2s, then we go in a circle, each child saying a number, but on each 2 they say Pop! 1, pop, 3, pop, 5, pop, 7, pop, etc. 8. Beachball: Sit on desk and pass around a beach ball for 1minute. 9. Zoom: Students sit in a circle. The first person says, Zoom! and turns their head quickly to their neighbor. The next person says, zoom and turns their head quickly to their neighbor. That person passes the zoom to the next person and it travels around the circle. Try and beat the time it takes to get around the class. 10. Classic telephone game: Students play with the friends at their table to make it go quicker.

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11. Category: Pick a category such as words with long a, verbs, junk food, etc. Go around the room and each student says one word that fits in the category. 12. Order it! -Say an order for the students to get in, such as height, birthdays, ABC first name, ABC last name, etc. Give them 1minute to get there. Challenge do it without talking! 13. Body Parts: Say two body parts, shoulder to hand, elbow to knee, etc. Students must find a partner and put those body parts together. Call out another pair. Students must find a new partner. 14. 20 Jumping Jacks 15. Jump rope for 30 seconds 16. Be Banana: Say: Banana Loves of the World! Unite! Peel Bananas, Peel, Peel Bananas! (ditto) Eat Bananas, eat, eat, Bananas! (ditto) Go Bananas, Go, Go Bananas! (ditto) Action: Clap hands above your head as if to make yourself look like a banana. Next, when the song starts, begin to act like your hands are the peels of the banana peeling. Then, when it comes to eat bananas, act like you are shoving bananas in your mouth Finally, go dance silly when it says, go bananas! ***Start with a softer tone then gradually advance to a higher tone. 17. Banana -Fana Song: Pick a few students to use their names to this chant: Katie, Katie, bo-batie, Banana-fana fo-fatie Fee-fi-mo-matie. Katie! 18. Sign Language ABCs: Sing the ABCs and sign them as singing. 19. Tooty Ta: Sing and follow directions: (Hands over head and clap) A tooty ta, A tooty ta. A tooty ta ta. A tooty ta, A tooty ta. A tooty ta ta Thumbs up. (Stick thumbs up in front of you) Elbows back (Elbows back) Feet apart ... (Extend feet) Turn around (Turn around): 20. Singing in the Rain: (Similar to Tooty ta) Im signing the in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a wonderful feeling, Im ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch hey! Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch hey! Thumbs up, elbows back, knees bent, head up, tongue out! Then sing it all again, looking silly.

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K. Daily Use of the Paper Drop:


This is a fast efficient way to find out who did their homework and to resolve name issues. Best of all students will do the work for me! 1. When students turn in classwork, homework, or tests, they will place their work into a designated folder called: Paper Drop. On the top of this folder, I will write with a transparency marker the title of the current assignment. 2. Using the classroom job chart, one person is assigned the Paper Drop checker. They will check off all the work that has been turned in. 3. If people forget to put their names on their papers, the Paper Drop checker will find out who turned in what and resolve name issues. 4. The Paper Drop checker also lets the teacher, know who has not turned in an assignment so you can find out why.

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Cooperative Learning

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I believe in cooperative learning in the classroom. Research has shown that all students do better when they are allowed to discuss and defend their ideas as they learn. I will place my students in mixed ability groups so that they may help each other during the learning process. Working in small groups also helps students learn valuable social skills they will need throughout life.

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Team Formation:

Each team will consist of one high student, two average students, and one low-ability student. Teams will generally include both boys and girls. Each team will reflect the ethnic diversity of my classroom. CL teams generally stay together for about six weeks. After forming my teams, I will provide opportunities for them to get to know each other. These icebreaker activities are called "team builders" in the structural approach

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I will need to get their attention immediately at times. Students will be taught the quiet signals for the room. Students will be expected to be quiet within 3-5 seconds of the signal. I will practice this at the beginning of the year by having the students put their heads together and talk over something like what their favorite movie is. After a few moments, I will use the quiet signal and start watching the clock from the moment I give it. I will wait until the room is absolutely quiet and then record the amount of time it took. If it was more than 5 seconds, tell students that they will have to do better. I will give them another discussion topic and try again. I will keep working on it until they have mastered it. My favorite quiet signals are starred below, but I plan on using all of them. 1. Tapping a tune on a set of chimes. There's something soothing about the sound of chimes! **2. Teacher holds up one hand and slowly counts to 3. Students look at teacher, hold up one hand, and put finger to lips to signal others. Room must be quiet by the count of 3. **3. Teacher claps 2 times slowly. Students respond by clapping 3 times quickly (which means they have to stop working and put things down that they are holding.) 4. Teacher holds up rain stick and shakes it. Students hold up one hand to signal others. Room must be quiet by the time the stones in the rain stick fall to the bottom. 5.Teacher taps on wind chimes or xylophone. Students raise hand to signal others to get quiet. **6 . Teacher winds up music box at the beginning of the week. He/she opens lid and lets it play until room is quiet. By doing this repeatedly throughout the week, the music box winds down. If there is any music left at the end of the week, students earn 15 minutes free time. 7. Teacher turns lights on and off quickly. Students turn to teacher for instructions. 8.Teacher rings a bell 3 times. Students look at teacher for instructions.

2. Quiet Signals: Cooperative groups allow talking activities.

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3. Team Captains:
A Team Captain will be designated each day. This person is in charge of the materials in the Team Tub, gets materials for activities, cleans desks after messy activities, collects papers, etc. Since I have the students numbered off anyway, I just have a certain captain for each day of the week. Person #1 is always captain on Monday, Person #2 on Tuesday, and so on. I will spin a spinner to see who will be captain on Friday. The Team Captain also has to write down assignments for students who are absent.

4. Team Tubs:
I will use plastic containers (about the size of a shoebox) for Team tubs. Each tub will be kept in the center of each team. Each team tub will have 4 scissors, 1 bottle of glue, 4 glue sticks, 4 calculators, 4 rulers, 1 box of crayons, markers, post-it notes, small erasers and 4dry eraser markers for white boards. This will keeps from having to pass materials out all day long. I will number the items in the tub with the number of the team tub.

5. Team Building:
During the first week of school it's critical that I allow plenty of time for building team spirit. I will have random teams for the first few days of school, and then I will change the teams daily. Changing the teams each day, combined with having the students participate in lots of team builders, will allow the students to really get to know each other. After the first week of school, I will set up my real heterogeneous teams and I will do a few more team builders with them.

6. Team builders:
A. Name Tents Students get a 6" by 9" piece of white construction paper and fold it to make a "tent" that stands up. They write their name on it in fancy letters and decorate it with pictures that tell about themselves. Then they take turns telling about their name tents. Give 30 seconds to a minute for each person's introduction. B. Team Interview - Brainstorm a list of interview questions with the class on the overhead. The list can include anything the kids want to learn about each other - favorite foods, birthplace, hobbies, family members, favorite vacation spots, etc. Then designate one person on each team to stand and be interviewed by their teammates. The other students take turns asking the interview questions in Round robin format until you call time (about 2 minutes). Then that person sits down and the next person stands. Students should know they have the right to pass if they consider a question too personal for any reason.

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C. Me Bags - Give each student a small, plain paper bag. I will tell them that they are going to go home and make Me Bags out of them. Then I will show them the Me Bag I made. One by one I pull out items that tell about me. For example I might have an airplane ticket stub, a photo of my family on top of a mountain, a miniature camera, a recipe card, a chocolate candy bar, and a Ziploc bag with some shells in it. As I take out each item, I will explain what it represented about me. For homework students will decorate and created their own Me Bags. The next day, after moving them to a new team, this activity is a perfect way to share information about each other. Everyone keeps everything in their own bag until it is their turn (so they wouldn't play with their stuff). Each person is given a minute or two to pull their items out of their bag and tell their team a little about themselves. D. Buddy Venns - A Venn graphic organizer will be used for this activity. Students are paired up with kids on their teams. Each pair draws a large Venn diagram. Then, they each write their name at the top of one circle. In Rally table format, students pass the paper back and forth as they tell about themselves (favorites, hobbies, family, etc.). When they discover they have something in common, the person holding the paper writes it in the middle. If a person names something that is unique for him or her, it is written in the circle under that person's name. After each pair is given 10 minutes or so to make their Buddy Venn, they share and compare with their teammates.

E. Team Compliment Cards (Our Team Rocks!) - This is a quick team builder
that works wonders when your teams are having trouble getting along. Each team member creates a compliment card to team members to describe how their team rocks!

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7. Class-building:
In addition to Team-builders, I will do plenty of Class-builders during the first week of school. These activities will help the students to get to know everyone in their class, not just the kids on their team. Start by having everyone wear nametags for the first day or two. Play your favorite name games so that kids can learn each other's names. The following will be class-building activiites to do with my class. A. Name Toss - This is a simple game just designed to practice names. Have everyone stand in a circle. Give a playground ball to one person and start a stopwatch. That person has to say a person's name and pass the ball to that person. After doing so, they quickly sit down. The ball gets passed around the class, with an emphasis on calling each classmate's name correctly. When everyone is sitting down, stop the timer. Announce the time and challenge the class to beat the time on the next round. B. Spelling List of Names Make a spelling list of the names of everyone in the class. To make a game out of learning the names, I give each person an index card and pair the students randomly. The students interview each other and take notes about their partner's interests. Then we write down everyone's name on a large spelling list. While the teacher is writing the person's name, the partner stands up and introduces the student to the class. Students copy the names down and we use them in other activities like Bingo. C. Appointment Clock Buddies - The objective of this activity is to pair students in several ways so they will have different sets of partners for upcoming lessons. It works best after your students are familiar with the basic "Classmates Mix" activity above. Making sure students are writing their buddies' names on same line for each step, or you'll have problems at the end.

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D. Classmates Mix - This is a fun icebreaker activity. Students mix around the classroom until you say give a signal to stop. Then they pair up with the closest person. You call out an icebreaker topic such as the ones below. Students talk over their answers until you call time, and then they begin mixing again. Continue with several rounds for as long as time allows. You might try 3 rounds one day and 3 rounds the next day if your students have trouble handling the movement at first. (The STOP technique works well for classroom management during class builders.) Here are some discussion topics I will use: Share a little information about yourself and your family. What are some of your favorite things? Talk over your favorite foods, colors, animals, or anything else that's a favorite of yours. What do you like to do in your free time? What's the best book you have ever read? What did you like about it? What's the best movie you have ever seen? Why did you like it? What's your favorite subject in school? What do you like about this subject? What are your strengths? What kinds of things do you do well? How would you change this school if you were the principal? What can students do to make school a better place to be? E. People Bingo - Students have a bingo form that includes descriptions of things people like to do, places they've been, family information, etc. Print a copy for each student. They mix around the room asking people to sign in the various blocks. You can decide how long to let the activity continue. You might require them to get everyone to sign their sheet somewhere, or allow them to stop when they have 2 rows completed.

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L. Differentiation Policy:
Differentiation in the classroom is the idea that all students learn differently so teachers need to implement more than one way of instructing them to help them learn most effectively. It is very important to know what you want students to learn; who already knows the information or can perform the task; and what you can do to help students progress and continue learning. These three questions will guide all my lessons: 1. Planning: What do I want students to know and/or to be able to do? 2. Preassessment: Who already knows the information and/or can do it? Most of this data is collected by informal assessments and/or by using pre-assessments designed from the skills I want my students to learn. I will use the informal pocket assessment record keeping (as mentioned in Operational Section) to help organize the data I collect. After giving the pre-assessment and analyzing it, I will design my instruction to teach each child what they need to learn 3. Differentiation: What can I do for them so they can make continuous progress and extend their learning? I will differentiate subject matter by providing higher level or more complex work for my higher-level thinkers and simpler activities and/or questions for students only able to handle those. This same procedure will be followed for quizzes and tests. I will tier assignments so that above grade level students able to understand more quickly can move through the subject matter at an accelerated rate, while approaching students will have more time to move through the curriculum. This will prevent my faster students from becoming bored and/or disengaged and my slower students from becoming frustrated and giving up. Learning Profile Inventory: Not only is it important to know what my students need to learn, but it is very important to know how my students learn. I will give a Learning inventory on the first day of school to get to know my students learning profiles. I will use the information gathered in these inventories to plan lessons that match my students learning profiles.

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M.

Parental Communications

Parent Letter: As mentioned earlier, the Parent Letter will be sent home on
the first night of school. A sample of the letter can be found in the appendix.

Newsletter: Each month a parent newsletter will go home, letting parents


know about the upcoming events for the school and class. This newsletter will also showcase the current curriculum being studied and any special activities that coincide with it. The newsletter will also be used to announce any special accomplishments and birthdays of the students. My contact number and email will be available on every newsletter so I may be easily contacted for any questions or concerns.

Planners: Planners will be used daily to connect with Parents. Students will
write their homework and any special announcements that are needed in the planner each day. When the student completes the homework, parents sign the planner to verify that the student completed the work. If a parent has a question or concern, it would be written in the planner. In turn, I would respond immediately, by writing a response or making a phone call.

Phone Calls: Phone calls would not only be used to share inappropriate
behaviors about the students, but I would make it a habit to call parents frequently to give them a Positive statement about their child. I would make it a routine to choose two students a week, to call their parents to share a put-up about the student. I will keep track of who I call and when by creating a spreadsheet of the students names. This chart would be displayed near my desk so that students can share the excitement of receiving a put-up.

Parent Teacher Conferences: My informal record keeping folder chart will


help make up the data I collect and share at Parent-Teacher conferences. I also will keep track of performance grades through an Excel spreadsheet grade book on my computer. It would be important to save the grades onto a flash drive also, to avoid losing the information due to a computer glitch. Each student will also have a notebook that they help record their attendance record, and goals for Reading and Math assessments. This is another way to help students show ownership in their learning and creates a worthwhile piece of data to share with Parents.

Parent Volunteers: Parents will be encouraged to volunteer in the


classroom. Students can read to volunteers or the volunteers can help on special projects occurring in the classroom. Students will be taught to show respect to the guests in the classroom.

In Our Classroom
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We do Thank Yous

We do Real
We do Im sorrys

We do laughter
We do Mistakes

We do Respect We do happiness
We do Dreams

We do Peace We do Growing
We do Working Hard

We do Friendships

We do Learning
We are a team

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Resources/ Appendix A

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Prize Pass Templates

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August 18, 2013 Dear Parents and Guardians, Hello! My name is Miss Maranda Kapell and I will be your students teacher this year. This is my first year of teaching and I am so excited to be a part of your students learning. I graduated from Drake University in Des Moines in May of 2013 and just recently moved to this area. This year we will all become better writers, readers, and mathematicians. In order to do this, we need to work together as a team! With your support and involvement, and my commitment to teach what the students need to learn, together we can achieve wonderful things. Our school day starts at 8:20 every morning. Learning begins promptly, so it is very important that your child is on time and ready for school everyday. If your child is absent or going to be absent, please make sure you call the office by 8:45 a.m. to report the absence. Please try and schedule appointments after the school day is over. The fewer days your child misses, the more successful the school year will be. It is also important that your child be reading 20 minutes each and every day. I will send a reading log home with your child for you to sign after your child has read the 20 minutes. Help your child establish a love for reading by supporting and modeling reading. Perhaps, you could schedule a time each night that works best for the whole family to read together! Thank you for your commitment to your child's education and success and I look forward to getting to know you and your child. You are invited to phone me or visit the school any time that you have a question concerning your child's progress.

Sincerely, Maranda Kapell kapellmaranda@gmail.com (563) 370-1864

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Works Cited
Chandler, L. (2012). Teacher Resources. Retrieved April 2012 fro http://www.lauracandler.com Clockbuddies. (2012). Retrieved April 2012 from, http://www.teamstraus.com/SchoolDaysBorder_files/Teacher%20 Farm/clockbuddies_Lower_El.pdf Pinterest. (2012) Retrieved April 2012 from, www.pinterest.com Images: Google Images Wong, H.K., & Wong, R. T. (2001). The First Days of School (2nd ed.). Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.

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