Mary Madalyn Miller

April 4, 2016
EDCI 2400, Section 2
Classroom Diversity Plan
Grade Level and Classroom Theme
Grade Level: Second Grade
Classroom Theme: Down on the Bayou
Getting to Know You
Ice Breaker: A Tangled Web Students sit in a circle on the carpet in
the Books on the Bayou Area. I will start off with a ball of yarn in my
hands, and holding the very end of the yarn. I will say my name and
my favorite thing I did over the summer. I will keep holding the end of
the yarn and roll it to a student, who will introduce themselves, and
say what their favorite thing from the summer was. We will continue
this until every student has introduced themselves and told the class
about their summer. At the end we will have a giant tangled web, and
discuss the importance of every child in the class who is a part of the
web, and how the class is a team together. To demonstrate the
importance of team work, I will ask one child to drop their string to
show how the web weakens. This will lead into our discussion of
classroom rules.
Whooo Are You? Students cut out and decorate an owl however they
like. On the owls stomach, there will be an area with lines. Students
will be instructed to write their name, the names of their parents and
siblings, their birthday, what they like to do, their favorite color and
their favorite book. One of my bulletin boards will be Whooo Are
you? with all of their owls displayed. I will also make an owl to display
on the board for students to get to know me better. If time allows, we
will read out what students wrote about themselves, and have the
class guess who it is.
Getting to Know You Bingo Game: Students will have to go around the
room, introduce themselves to each other, and find someone who
matches the description on the bingo space, such as Left Handed,
Has Visited Another Country, Has had Stiches, Can Speak a
Foreign Language, Has 2 or More Pets, and get that student to sign
their name. The first student to get Bingo by finding someone to
match the descriptions in a row. This encourages students to talk to
many different classmates, and ask them questions that normally
would not come up. It is also a good way to find commonalities with
other students.
Classroom Helpers
How students will be selected for roles:

o I will have a Crocodile bucket filled with popsicle sticks with

every students name on it. The lid of the bucket will be green
with two eyes that stick up and two green pom poms for the
crocodile nose. A card taped to the bucket will say: Crocodile,
crocodile down by the lake. Im going to look in, and see what
you ate! I will pick the six names on the first day, and they will
rotate through the helper jobs, and I will pick a new helper for
the rotation each day. Once they have done every job, their
popsicle stick will go back into the bucket. Names of classroom
helpers involve important Louisiana Symbols.
Front of the Flock: Line Leader
Swamp Sharpener: Sharpens Pencils and Keeps Supplies organized
Magnolia Messenger: Runs Errands
Pelican Passer: Passes out papers
Strawberry Picker: Picks up papers
Fleur-de-lis Feeder: Feeds classroom fish

Birthdays, Celebrations, and Parties

Princess and the Frog Movie: For our second grade money unit, we will
have about a month or two where classroom management largely
relates to our money unit with there being a movie at the end of the
unit. Each student will be given $1 of fake money to start with, which
will be enough money to get a ticket to the movie. Students will have
their own piggy bank. If students misbehave, they will owe me a
nickel, dime, or quarter, depending on the severity of misbehavior. If
students have a good day, do something extraordinary, or make an A
on a test, they will earn a nickel, dime or quarter. At the end of the
unit, students will have to pay $1 to attend the Princess and the Frog. If
they want additional things such as popcorn, candy, or a drink, they
will only be able to purchase it, if they earned the money. I will send
out a sign up link to a website for students to sign up to bring popcorn,
candy (without nuts), small plastic cups, and 2 Liter Sprites and Juice.
Very Merry Unbirthday! Throughout the year, we will celebrate
students birthdays on the day of. Students parents and grandparents
will be welcome to come for the last hour of the school day if they
would like to bring the childs favorite treat for the whole class.
Students will all make a card for the birthday boy or girl. Students can
play games such as word searches, Scrabble Junior, UNO, or Monopoly
Junior to promote social development and play while working on
linguistic and mathematical skills. In May, we will have a celebration
for all of the summer birthdays, and parents of those children will be
invited for a very similar celebration that will just be more official.
Students Birthdays will be posted on a bulletin board all year.
Grandparents Day: Since second grade is a big year to learn about the
United States, our grandparents day will be all about the United States.

Students will create poster board reports of a different state of their

choosing with the states key symbols. I will post the students states
around our Louisiana history board on display for grandparents day.
Students will create their own flags and decorations around the
classroom and learn songs like The Fifty Nifty United States that they
will perform on Grandparents Day! The Room Mother will be invited to
attend to assist on the day, but with so many additional visitors, we
will not invite parents for the day unless they are standing in for
grandparents. I will bake a rectangular cake at home, and have
students help me decorate it with 50 blueberries for stars and rows of
strawberries for 13 stripes. Students will serve the cake to their
grandparents.
Mardi Gras Mambo: Students will do a short written report an assigned
topic including a Louisiana swamp animal that we talk about in class, a
symbol of Louisiana, the history of Mardi Gras Beads, the history of
king cake, and create a painting, poster, display, or cook something to
bring and share the class. After students present their presentation on
an aspect of Louisiana history, parents will be invited to join us we will
play Mardi Gras Music, eat King Cake and other Louisiana dishes that
are brought in by students for their reports, and create our own second
line!
Guest Speaker from Wildlife and Fisheries or the Bluebonnet Swamp: I
will ask a guest speaker from either Wildlife and Fisheries to come and
talk to the class about Louisiana Wetlands, coastal erosion, fishing, and
the outdoors. We had a representative speak to my class when I was in
second grade, and they brought tree saplings for every student to
come home and plant in our years. Twelve years later, we have a a
large beautiful maple tree in our yard! An alternative would be to have
someone from Bluebonnet swamp come and talk to us and possibly
bring some animals with them for students to see or touch. If funding is
available, I would prefer to take students on a fieldtrip to the
Bluebonnet Swamp. I would do a lesson plan on the swamp to go over
the significance of our class theme, and have the field trip or guest
speaker afterwards, so that students could see real life examples and
ask the experts questions. Parents would be encouraged to help
chaperone the fieldtrip or come visit the class during the presentation.
No refreshments would be provided for this event due to the students
handing tree saplings or animals.

Academic Groups
Reading Groups
o Shrimp (Low), Crawfish (Middle), and Crabs (High)
Math Groups
o Pelicans (Low), Turtles (Middle), and Alligators (High)

Learning and Play Centers

1. a. Reading Shack and Books on the Bayou
b. This area includes a classroom library, a reading shack built of wood
with two beanbags. I will have a blue rug in this area to look like
water and bald cypress knees and plants for decoration to look like
a bayou. I will have three other beanbags or a bench. In this area,
students have free silent reading time.
c. There will be four sets of table in groups of five. Each table group
will have 20 minutes at each center, and have 20 minutes to do
table work and finish assignments.
2. a. Cajun Computer Corner
b. At this center, students will do math games and activities such as
Reflex Math. If
need be, this center can also be used for AR
testing or typing papers.
c. There will be four sets of table in groups of five. Each group will
have 20 minutes
at each center, and have 20 minutes to do table work
and finish assignments.
3. a. Science in the Swamp
b. Our class fish will be in this center. The science activity will change
weekly depending on the unit topic. Students will either have to fill
out a worksheet, construct a craft, or do an experiment. Students
will be invited to bring in things that they find to the science center
for others to see.
c. There will be four sets of table in groups of five. Each group will
have 20 minutes at each center, and have 20 minutes to do table
work and finish assignments.
Cooperative Group Activities
1. One of the ways that I will choose groups for large groups activities will
be to use the Crocodile crocodile down by the lake, Im going to reach
in and see what you ate! bucket with students names on them. This
way, it will be a totally random group, so that students will work with
people that they might not normally work with. Also, this method will
teach students how to work together, with people that they may not
necessarily get along with.
2. For short, in class activities, students will work with their shoulder
partner. This will keep noise down, because students can simply
whisper to their neighbor. Additionally, it will be quick because they will
not have to get up, and with repeated use of this method, it will help
students to develop a level of comfort and friendship with their
shoulder partner.
3. Students will occasionally be allowed to choose their own partner. This
will allow students to feel like they are involved in making some
classroom decisions and give them some freedom.
Classroom Management Plan

A. Students will have an alligator clothespin with their name on it. Their clips
will all start out on green, Geaux!. If students have a really good day
they will move up to purple, Laissez les bon temps roulez!. If students
are misbehaving, they will first be moved to yellow, Youre Krewesin
Kid! and next be moved to red, the Stew Pot!. Students will receive a
note home if they get purple Laissez les bon temps roulez!(great day) or
red Stew Pot!(bad day). If students receive three yellows, they will
receive a note home. If students receive three reds, they will be sent to
the principals office. Students will owe 5 minutes of recess and run 2 laps
if they are on red. This plan sticks with the bayou theme, while
incorporating Cajun French terminology, often heard in Louisiana.
B. Whooo has been good? will be my owl themed treat jar for a reward
system. If students receive 5 greens, they can pick out a treat on Friday.
Treats will include cute pencils, stickers, and school supplies as well as
snacks such as gummies and granola bars. If students get 18/20 greens or
purples, they can choose a reward at the end of the month. Rewards can
include no shoes for an hour, extra treat from the treat jar, extra 15
minutes of free time,
C. Princess and the Frog Movie plan will be a fun class event which rewards
good behavior while watching a fun movie related to our class theme.
D. Desk Fairy once every few weeks the Desk Fairy will check students
desks for neatness, and leave a Smartie in their desk if it is neat,
organized, and clean.
Bulletin Boards
1. Bayou Birthday Graph I will create labels for all of the months of the
year. I will take a picture of each child at the beginning of the year
holding up the day number of their birthday. This would help students
to see how many of their friends have a birthday each month. For
example: My birthday is September 13, so I would take a picture of
myself holding up cutout letters 1 and 3. I would print the pictures and
glue them to a cute background, and staple them next to the
September, like a graph.
2. Cajun Class Calendar I would have a calendar with test dates,
holidays, and class events up for the current month. Additionally, I
would have the Announcements for the Week posted on this board with
spelling words and homework for each night, so that students would
remember upcoming assignments.
3. Best in the Bayou! On this bulletin board, I will display the students
work. I would first display Whooo Are You?, so that students can read
them and get to know each other. Once we had some projects and
work done, I will display cute arts and crafts and papers on this board.
Impressive Papers that make 100% will also go on this board.
Welcome Letter to Families

Dear Parents,
Hello and welcome to second grade! It is my pleasure to have your
child in my class. I want to introduce myself, and let you know a little bit
about our class! I am looking forward to meeting you in person at Parents
Open House. My name is Mary Madalyn Miller. I graduated from Louisiana
State University in 2019 with a Masters Degree in Elementary Education, and
am from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I feel that the best way for children to
succeed in their schoolwork is through hard work and the help from and
communication between both parents and teachers. If for any reason you
need to be in touch with me this year, please email me at mmill67@lsu.edu.
Be sure to check our Ms. Millers Second Grade Facebook page for pictures,
important information and to be in touch with other parents!
If you would like to meet with me to discuss anything, please email me
to set up an appointment. I can meet after school most days at 3:00, and
some during the day while the class is in ancillary classes if that is more
convenient. Parents are invited and encouraged to join us for lunch any day
from 11:30-12:00. Just be sure to check in at the main office any time that
you visit. On your childs birthday, we invite you to spend 2:00-3:00 with us
and bring your childs favorite treat to share with our class of twenty. We will
have a Very Merry Unbirthday in May for all of our summer birthdays to
celebrate! Please be mindful of peanut allergies: we ask that you do not
bring anything with peanuts for lunch or birthdays. Parents are also invited
on all class field trips. I would also love to have a room mom or dad, so
please contact me if you are interested in helping in this way! I always
encourage parental involvement at our class events.
Please look through your childs folder with them everyday to check on
homework assignments, announcements, and notes. I will send home your
childs behavior sheet every day, and ask that you look at it with them and
talk about it when you get home. You also will receive a note home if your
child has a great day (purple), or a bad day (red), and I ask that you initial it
and send it back to school. Every Monday, I will send home Announcements
for the Week with homework assignments for each night, spelling words, and
reminders of upcoming tests and events. On Wednesday nights, students will
not have homework, so that you can have a family night! I appreciate your
support with homework and behavior!
I so look forward to meeting you and getting to know your children.
Thank you for trusting me with them. Its going to be a great year in Second
Grade!
Sincerely,
Mary Madalyn Miller