I: Identify Classroom Demands:

1. Routines are in place

a. R.O.A.R cards and weekly raffle to reward positive behavior, COMPLIMENT
chart, 0-4 voice level system, along with silly bands and erasers.
b. Students may receive retraining slips for repeated misbehaviors.
c. “We are?” “Wildcats!”
d. If you can hear me clap once, twice, three times, etc.
e. Call and answer clapping

2. Classroom grouping
a. Mrs. G’s boys are very comfortable working with each other but benefit well from
being grouped with the students in our class. In any preorganized groups, try to
split them up, as the sole purpose of them joining class is to boost social
interaction with people outside of their normal circle.
b. Allowing students to pick their own partners/groups has proven to be more
harmful than helpful with this crew.
c. Students that are regularly in the class are grouped in all sorts of ways. Some
grouping may be to bring together differing abilities while some is purely
grouping students together with people we know they will have fun with. Some
students are grouped with people they don’t normally talk to or get along with to
boost social skills and problem solving strategies.

3. Instructional Materials:
a. Direct instruction
b. Smart Board
c. Books and text for read aloud/independent learning
d. Worksheet practice
e. Labs
f. Whiteboard markers and desks
g. Videos

4. Instructional Methods:
a. Direct instruction
b. I do, we do, you do
c. Partner and group cooperation
d. Frequent opportunities to respond (verbally and non-verbally)
e. Inquiry based instruction
f. Scaffolding when necessary

5. Student Evaluation:
a. CR and DR are assessed along with the rest of the class. The boys are allowed to
take tests at the back table and ask for any assistance with reading through their
504s.
b. LM, AB, and MS are normally assessed the way the rest of the class is, but are
often offered accelerated tests, especially through Wonders.
 c. Mrs. G’s boys only join for science, read aloud, and specials, and they are exempt
from science assessments but allowed to participate in anything they wish to.

N: Note Student Learning Strengths and Needs:

- Whole class: Our class is made up of 13 girls and 2 boys. 3 boys from life skills join us
4/6 of the rotation for science and occasionally read aloud (specials, too). I plan for
inclusion when I know the boys will be joining us. Being a female dominated classroom,
we tend to see drama and some bullying behaviors more frequently than we would hope
for. This class is full of students who love to have fun and get silly whenever possible.
Our students work hard and often show a lot of excitement for sharing ideas in class.
Coming out of missing so much classroom time during the start of the pandemic when
these students were in second grade, there is a lot of uncertainty with second grade
content. This causes us to take things a bit more slowly and carefully to ensure that we
are not working at a speed that is unrealistic with their understanding.
- CR (504) is very capable academically, but his stress has affected his ability to keep up.
When he misses information, it affects his confidence. He is allowed bathroom breaks
whenever asked as outlined in his 504, and lately is using them to get out of time spent
learning important information. These breaks then worsens his confidence further, thus
creating a cycle of avoiding parts of the day and missing important information over and
over again. CR has developed a habit of running away from things that cause him stress,
creating a message of, “If I avoid this thing, I will get out of it.” CR loves to have fun; he
is constantly asking his classmates questions and telling stories that make the whole room
chuckle and smile. He is passionate about his family, farming, and firefighting. CR has
demonstrated great ability mathematically, and works with a specialist for reading.
- DR (504) is a student that recently stepped away from emotional support. I have watched
DR’s comfort in the classroom improve exponentially during my time in the classroom.
DR responds well to nonverbal recognition, as it draws less attention to him while still
feeling appreciated and welcomed in the classroom. DR and CR are very good friends
and are the only boys in the classroom for the full day. They depend on each other a lot
and benefit very much from it. DR tends to act like he has it all together, even if he
doesn’t fully know how to approach an academic concept. He is working on recognizing
when he needs help and asking for it. DR has developed a bit of learned helplessness over
time, making it hard to make decisions on his own and confidently. Occasionally, DR can
shut down if a task feels too hard for him. In these times, all voices of reason are shut off,
making it very hard to push forward. DR builds understanding in mathematics very
quickly, cares deeply for the quality of his work, and spends time with the same reading
specialist that CR works with. He also sees the school social worker regularly to check in
with emotional needs at home and school.
- AB (GIEP) is equipped with a fantastic memory that serves her well in the classroom.
AB has an incredible ability to fixate on things she enjoys, almost becoming an expert in
them quickly. Sometimes these things can be a distraction from learning, but most times a
source of joy. AB benefits very well from routine. She is granted any necessary bathroom
breaks as they help her regroup if needed. Abrupt changes in routine can be very stressful
for AB. AB generalizes information very quickly, showing great skill for drawing
effective conclusions during critical moments of lessons. When working independently,
AB can work very quickly, leading to simple errors that don’t reflect her understanding.
 She also has a hard time staying organized at school. These are things we have been
focusing on. AB set a goal for herself to become more organized in the final marking
period. AB is a big fan of enrichment and looks forward to it every Thursday.
- MS (GIEP) is a very bright student. She demonstrates quick understanding with new
content and has a very bright imagination. MS struggles behaviorally; she will often
respond to things she doesn’t want to do or being told no by crying, pouting, making
noises of disapproval, and occasionally major tantrum behaviors. If MS is frustrated or
upset by something, she makes it known within the room. On good days, MS is a ray of
sunshine. Her smile brightens the room, and she really enjoys reading and making art.
MS struggles with hygiene and will often come to school with major knots in her hair or
in clothes that no longer fit her growing body. MS is a student who looks to get away
with something (even very mild misbehaviors) once, as it brings upon the argument that
she was allowed to do something before, so she should be able to do it again. It is
important to show disapproval for sneaky behavior with MS, or it will spiral out of
control. Recognizing her great behaviors also is a great motivator for her. She also
responds well to just simple conversation and being given the opportunity to talk about
things she likes to do. MS is often a target for teasing and bullying in our class.
- LM (GIEP) is a very dedicated student who loves to share what she knows. Her
giftedness shines through in many ways. LM is often correct in all academic conclusions,
but can struggle socially to know when it’s appropriate to discuss academic success. We
are working on using uplifting language that doesn’t put our peers down, and LM has
been a victim and offender in classroom drama. Building empathy to see past our own
thoughts and conclusions is a constant goal with LM, and she always demonstrates an
effort to grow. LM responds very well to feedback of any sort, so sharing what is
observed (no matter the feedback) is always beneficial for her. She gives great effort
when given a task and always wants to do a good job. LM often shuts down when an
academic task requires some choice and uncertainty. She likes having a set way to
approach something, so when she is in control of the task and there is not one perfect
answer, she will sit and avoid approaching it. This happens often with writing, and we are
working on maintaining confidence about our great ideas in class.
- HU (IEP, Life Skills) socially blends in very well with his peers. HU loves to interact
with his teachers and classmates, so it is very great to play off of his socialness! HU can
get very anxious about active tasks, and likes to be careful overall about his approach to
things. Making the classroom a safe environment is crucial to the comfort he displays.
His nurse is always with him to ensure his medical safety, and he sees her as someone
very trustworthy. He does a great job being independent in the classroom and only going
to his name when he needs it. He also comfortably interacts with SG and me during
science. He is never reluctant to participate. He has made a lot of progress with reading,
writing, and math, but is not quite at the same understanding as his classmates. Because
of this, his written or reading based participation is always optional and not expected. Our
main goals for HU is to boost social interaction with the students in general education.
- JM (IEP, Life Skills) is typically very happy and relaxed in the classroom. He loves
speaking to anyone that will entertain it, and he displays such positive curiosity about the
world around him. His reading, writing, and math skills are not on the same page as his
classmates, but he can participate in whatever he wishes. Our main goal for JM (similar
to HU and JB) is to boost comfortable interaction when in a traditional classroom. He
 does a great job with this already. There are occasional moments where JM makes bad
choices or has mild tantrums. It is alright to be firm about expectations with JM, he will
always listen, even if it involves him showing frustration with correcting a behavior. JM
demonstrates great respect for the adults at school, and will always try to do the right
thing, even if he’s not fond of it.
- JB (IEP, Life Skills) is a pretty independent guy. If JB needs something, he will let you
know. JB is working on sight words, and his writing has come along well. JB and JM are
absolute buddies. They are attached at the hip at most times, and have great comfort in
each other’s presence. We are working on JB’s group skills, and using his words to
communicate how he is feeling. JB can get frustrated easily if asked to do something he
does not want to do. Things going his way is important to him, so tolerance is a big goal
of his. Transitions can be stressful for him, so active communication is important.

C: Check for Potential Paths to Student Success:

- Whole class: This class benefits from constant reminders about expectations. The idea of
teaching and reteaching expectations reigns true with this crew, and the more I remind
our class of our positive reward system, the more intentionally they react with what we
have planned in class. These students have also shown improvements following time
dedicated to social emotional learning. Many students constantly reference SEL
conversations when working through a tough time. The more we can remind our class
that this is a safe room filled with classmates that appreciate them and teachers that care
deeply for them, the better class time is!
- CR: CR’s 504 guarantees bathroom trips, so allowing him to take a break when needed is
important. CR loves having the ability to express himself and focus on things that make
him happy (hunting, camping, his family). Connor also needs reminders that he is a very
capable student. This will look like specific praise, recognizing participation, and setting
very clear expectations.
- DR: DR doesn’t love all eyes on him unless it is in a positive way. Negativity causes a
very quick shut down with DR, so it is important to slowly increase expectations that are
realistic with his level of comfort. If there’s one thing I know about DR, it’s that he wants
to grow and work hard in school. This is essential in his improvement with comfort.
Since DR struggles to ask for help, frequent check ins help him take those steps to getting
the assistance he may need.
- AB: Providing AB with opportunities to organize herself is crucial. She knows she wants
to be more organized, but has a hard time making that happen on her own. AB also can
get distracted by her thoughts and routines, often just needing to say things she’s
experiencing out loud in order to feel better about it. When appropriate with the school
day, it is just fine to let AB talk about whatever is making it hard for her to focus.
- MS: MS definitely displays a need for attention. It might be beneficial to give her
opportunities to share, showing her that we care about her and what she has to say. It is
important to give her attention in times of good behavior rather than negative behavior.
Rewarding the negative behaviors definitely encourages MS to continue them. Giving
MS perspective when she reacts intensely to small things helps her work through them.
MS is a student who benefits from de-escalation strategies such as slowed, intentional
breathing and writing about her thoughts.
 - LM: LM knows the power of her brain. If she feels that she is doing everything “right,”
she is happy. In our goal to help her build humility in her abilities, we are starting to push
her to work with students that challenge her, to accept moments where she may not be
right, and to learn that it is not polite to correct an adult. We do this in small waves
followed by preferred circumstances so that LM doesn’t get overwhelmed and shut down.
This is a slow climb, but we have noticed improvement over time.
- HU: HU is an eager student. Work with his excitement, honor the things he wants to try,
and trust in his awesome social abilities! It is important that HU has the tools he would
need to be successful, so heading into all lessons prepared will help him feel comfortable
with whatever we do, especially in science.
- JM: JM tends to be a very easy going guy during science and read aloud. It is extremely
rare for his time in SG’s room to be stressful for him. Frequent check ins are important
with JM because it’s easy for him to fall behind. He loves to interact with his teachers, so
taking the time to check in with him and see how he’s doing is very important for his
comfort in the classroom.
- JB: JB typically gets overwhelmed during unexpected transitions. Be very clear about
time and how much time is left in a particular task. This helps him feel like he was able to
foreshadow a change in task. This is especially important for times JB is doing a
preferred task. JB is also very curious, so encouraging that curiosity with questions is
very helpful for his growth with language and speaking with complete sentences.

L: Look For Possible Problem Areas:

- Whole Class: We are a big piggy backing crew. If one student attempts a misbehavior
and gets away with it, so many others will hop on board and try the same. This can
quickly get out of control if not handled immediately. Difficult classmate behaviors can
also jetset the lack of kindness that we have seen from time to time.
- CR: It is important for CR to be held to a high standard. Although he is dealing with a lot
of emotional stress, he is a very smart boy who can easily take advantage of systems that
may allow him to avoid classwork or undesired tasks. CR will time his bathroom breaks
to line up perfectly with undesired tasks. This means missing a lot of important
information that makes him less confident in his learning, thus wanting to avoid it even
more. He also has a hard time refraining from calling out and breaks rules very often.
- DR: If too much time goes by where DR is feeling stuck on a task, he will shut down and
refuse any strategies that will pull him out of it. He always remains positive and kind
through the process, but it is very clear that he is not being kind to himself in his mind
during these moments. Working through these situations is crucial to DR’s growth.
- AB: If AB is having a hard day, it feels impossible for her to get anything done. Her
mother communicates with us ahead of time on these days, helping us determine what
might be going on. On days like this, she takes double to triple the bathroom breaks she
usually does to boost that ritual and routine, she struggles to stay focused, and she will
get very distracted by any pain she may be feeling (whether it’s minor or major).
- MS: MS will begin to cry in almost all moments of redirection. We are working on
understanding the right ways to respond to tough moments as third and almost fourth
graders. She will try bending the rules over and over again until something sticks, and
does not favor being caught doing so. Her outbursts can be a major distraction to the class
and to learning.
 - LM: LM’s confidence can come at the price of putting down her classmates. She has a
hard time understanding when her language can be harmful to the people around her. We
are working on finding empathy and what that looks like in the classroom. LM has a hard
time seeing things from any perspective that isn’t her own. She has been put down by
others for this and also puts down others for this reason.
- HU: HU’s eagerness can sometimes look like asking questions without waiting his turn.
He will often approach the teacher that is working with other students and interrupt to get
his needs met. He is working on filtering that situation and being sure to wait his turn
when the teacher is busy with another student.
- JM: JM will very rarely get worked up and have a tantrum. This usually looks like crying
and stomping. I have only ever seen this happen during specials, especially gym during a
difficult game.
- JB: JB does not like doing things he doesn’t want to do. He will loudly respond with
disapproval. He might use aggression towards his items as well in response. The usual
response for these moments is that his paraprofessional will take him back to the life
skills room where he can cool off. This happens often with unexpected transitions.

U: Use Information to Brainstorm Ways to Adjust Instruction:

- Whole Class: With the entire class, it is important to take the time to reflect on how
students are grasping new information. Utilizing WIN time is crucial for gathering small
groups of students that need an extra review on content helps us meet great results. Also,
try to maintain the idea of teaching lessons as if every student is in the same place of the
student who has the least knowledge. This provides understanding for the students who
need it and practice for the students that get it.
- Our GIEP ladies also benefit from continuing to work. We often provide them with logic
based tasks that challenge them more than the classroom material that we are working
with. We also began giving them accelerated tests for Wonders, but not math with the
content that is new for all parties involved.
- For HU, JM, and JB, any collaborative work is the best place for them to be included.
That social interaction is incredibly important for them and aligns well with their IEP
goals. They are allowed to interact with any materials we hand out for completion in
class, but they are not graded the same way. We encourage them to write or draw
whatever they feel is necessary for the task. This usually gets their creative juices flowing
and leads to some great discussions about classroom material. They also love read aloud,
so I try to let them share as much as they would like during stories that excite them, as it
helps them practice sharing their thoughts with complete sentences.
- DR and CR both are in need of frequent and positive feedback. This does wonders for
their learning! Checking in throughout instruction, scaffolding a discussion about their
work, and providing praise for hard work help them feel capable of performing just as
well as their classmates.

D: Decide what Adjustments to Make:

- Whole Class: It is important to catch behaviors as soon as they occur. If the students
understand my disapproval of misbehavior, they are much less likely to attempt it
themselves. A polite redirection usually does the trick. Harsh responses and anger are a
very last resort option and should never be the source of classroom management. Also,
 teaching important SEL strategies is essential in motivating kind behavior. When we
reference the lessons from class, our students who are bullying or being bullied often
move forwards more easily from the issue and apply any necessary adjustments to do
better next time.
- CR: Reminding CR of his awesome accomplishments is crucial. When he sees concrete
examples of his hard work, he is more likely to believe in himself. Also, he loves taking
on the helper/older brother role in the classroom. He is great to pair with HU, JM, or JB
because he wants to help his peers however he can, whenever he can. CR also is given
the option to take any assessments at the back table with me (outlined in his 504) so he
can get any necessary support during stressful assessments. It is also good to time class
bathroom breaks so that it is unlikely for CR to try and avoid tasks we know he does not
prefer.
- DR: If DR is raising his hand, call on him as much as possible. As his participation
grows, we need to recognize it to send him the message that his ideas are important and
worth being heard. If DR is refusing any helpful strategies during times of shutting down,
requiring him to take a break is helpful. It also helps him to reflect on the situation after
it has passed. We try to recognize the things that stress us out in the first place and how
we can work through them next time.
- AB: AB just needs clear expectations. She loves to work hard and maintain the structure
that the school day brings. It’s okay to push her to work through tough days, but it is also
important that we do not make things worse for her. Maintaining reason is important with
AB. Explaining why we might want to wait for another bathroom break can sometimes
prevent too much of an abundance of them. When AB is communicating about pain, it
helps to ask her if she thinks something would be helpful for her pain such as an ice pack
or wet paper towel. It usually never requires a trip to the nurse and turns out that she just
needed to say it out loud so the thought can conclude in her mind.
- MS: MS is a student who cannot be “babied.” Being coddled is the reaction she desires in
acting out, which is why giving her attention for positive behavior is so important. It is
also crucial to disrupt, halt, or express great disapproval towards MS’s breaking of
classroom rules. MS will definitely respond back with tears or disapproval, but leaving
her to do so usually results in her pulling herself together and getting back on the right
track. On days where positive attention and redirection do not work, MS usually will join
us for retraining that relates to whatever choices she was making that day. This often
helps her turn things around on tough days.
- LM: Maintaining this groove of pushing LM out of her comfort zone and challenging her
in between moments of great success is the most comfortable way to help LM work
through her current struggles. We want to push her to recognize that it’s okay to mess up
sometimes. The smartest people in history messed up all the time! As of right now, LM
has no tolerance for anything less than perfection, so we are building comfort with simple
errors and flaws that all people have. We do this very gently, as we do not want to
discourage her great ideas and learning in school!
- HU: Frequent response and excitement with HU’s work does wonders for his confidence.
I will often join him to play catch during recess to boost our relationship and trust. At
times, HU interrupts 1:1 work I’m doing with another student, so I will either wait to
acknowledge HU until I’m done or politely remind him that I am working with another
student, so he will have to wait. He has no problem hearing such things.
 - JM: JM just loves to interact with the people around him. He worked very well with CR
during a group project, so partnering him with mentor-like classmates definitely
motivates his comfort in the classroom. If JM is ever upset about something, giving him
perspective usually does the trick in pulling him out of it. He does not love to be in the
wrong, but will acknowledge what needs to change, even if that means doing something
that he does not prefer.
- JB: JB responds well to teachers that go along with his curiosities. Usually allowing him
to chat a bit about something that is distracting him (even if not related to the lesson)
helps him relax a bit and even helps him hop into the learning task for the day. JB
responds best to being treated as a third grader. JB doesn’t want to be treated like he is
more fragile than the others. If you hold him to those expectations of maturity, he will
respond more effectively.

E: Evaluate Student Progress:

My goal for these students is growth. For all students listed, they all have goals that
will likely take years of work (and that’s okay)! If I expect perfection from these students,
I will be doing them a significance and holding them to unrealistic standards. My goal is
to see progress within these goals, and in my time with each student, I have seen
significant growth. I am constantly trying new things with my mentor in hopes of seeing
improvement. If improvement is not occurring, I know that the approach needs to change
until something lands well with that particular student. If my students can grow as
learners and people, I know they will be better equipped to head into fourth grade and
continue that growth!