Classroom

Management

Plan

Megan Glass

Curriculum and Pedagogy- Spring 2013

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Table of Contents

Section I- Classroom Organization

Physical Classroom…………………………………………………………………………………. Page 3

Record Keeping Procedures……………………………………………………………………. Page 5

New Students………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 5

Displaying Student Work……………………………………………………………………….. Page 6

Orderly Classroom…………………………………………………………………………………. Page 6

Section II- Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics

Establishing Initial Rules…………………………………………………………………………. Page 8

Token Economy………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 9

Student Disrespect…………………………………………………………………………………. Page 13

Student Conflict on the Playground………………………………………………………… Page 14

Cheating…………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 14

Parent Guardian/ Principle Involvement……………………………….……………….. Page14

Motivation………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 15

School Professionalism…………………………………………………………………………….. Page 16

Section III- Classroom Routines and Procedures

Beginning and Ending our Day………………………………………………………………….. Page 17

Free Time…………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 17

Announcement and Class Meetings………………………………………………………… Page 18

Bathroom and Drink Procedures…………………………………………………………….. Page 19

Room Helpers…………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 19

Differentiation………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 20

Parents…………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 20

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CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION

PHYSICAL CLASSROOM

The classroom that I have designed would be for a fifth grade setting in an elementary school. In

creating my classroom I thought strategically about the placement of my desks, storage, fun and

learning areas and other classroom tools. I wanted to make sure there were areas for the students to be

able to work together, areas to facilitate individualized learning and a place for the class to gather that

would be in a less structured environment.

The first thing I knew I wanted to do was to have the teacher’s desk in the back far corner of the

classroom. This would allow the teacher to be able to keep an eye on the students while they were

having quiet or work time. By being in the back of the classroom it makes it so the teacher can easily

see all of their students and make sure they are staying on task. I arranged the desks for the students in

groups of four desks each. I believe in a more social constructivist view of teaching that fosters

collaboration and cooperation. By putting the student’s desks in groups it will lead to an environment

where students are more easily able to learn from each other. While I do know that grouping desks in

this manner can lead to more off-topic talking and distractions for students, hopefully by having good

classroom rules and expectations set up this will not be too much of an issue. I also made sure to

arrange the student desks so that all the students can easily see the front of the classroom. This will

ensure that when the teacher is teaching or giving instruction at the front of the classroom all the

students will be able to see and concentrate on what they are teaching.

Another aspect of my classroom that I wanted to incorporate was plenty of storage and shelving

space. Both the shelves and storage are located on the sides of the classroom where they will be easily

accessible to the students and the teacher. It is important that if a student needs to get supplies from

the storage unit during an activity or lesson they can do so without distracting others. I also put a

shelving unit next to the teacher's desk for more storage space for the teacher's needs.

One of my favorite parts of my classroom design is the giant circle rug and bean bag chairs. I would also

have a rocking chair in the corner for the teacher to sit in. This would be a great place for a more

relaxed teaching lesson, a good reading area for students to read at in free time or just a way to gather

all the students in one place that would get them to calm down and listen to the teacher. I also

incorporated book stands around this area so there are plenty of books accessible for the students to

read.

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There are other functional aspects of my classroom design as well to facilitate in successful learning. I

put a kidney shaped table in the back of the room with multiple chairs around it. This will be a good

place for groups to meet, for the teacher to help a student if they need additional assistance or a place

for a visiting teacher or helper to sit. There are also two student tables between the storage areas that

can be a place to display the projects that the students are working on. There are two computers in the

front of the classroom that students can use for individual learning. In the back of the classroom are

two bulletin boards that will hold information where all the students can see. The projector and screen,

TV, chalkboard and maps are all in the front of the classroom. This is the area where the teacher will

facilitate most of their lessons and the students are all able to easily see what is going on. Overall I

wanted to make a functional classroom, but I also want to make sure it is bright, fun and has is a place

where students feel safe.

CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT

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RECORD KEEPING PROCEDURES

Students Grades will be kept on the school computers grading system. I will also have a grade file for

each student where I can put in progress notes that I have taken during the year. One item I plan to

utilize a “kid grid” which I can use when the students are giving presentations or as I am walking around

observing them. This will be helpful when I am doing conferences or to help me track the progress of

students.

NEW STUDENTS

Being the new student in a classroom can be a scary and nerve racking experience for a student, and

that is why I want to do everything I can to make sure the student feels welcomed and prepared. Before

a new student arrives in my classroom I will have prepared for their arrival. I will make sure I have a

desk ready for the new student and a welcome folder for them. Inside the welcome folder I will have a

copy of classroom rules, a class synopsis and other information about the school. I will also let my

students know that a new student will be arriving in our classroom. I will explain to the students what it

can feel like to be a new student and to work as a class to make the new student feel comfortable. I will

also ask for volunteers to be the new student’s “buddies” when the student arrives. The role of these

“buddies” will be to help the new student get acclimated to the school, play with them at recess and sit

with them at lunch. This will help the new student to make friends and get used to their new school.

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Once the student arrives I will introduce myself and make sure I use a warm and friendly manner. I will

each class member stand up and introduce themselves and tell one or two pieces of information about

themselves. I will ask the new student to share some information about themself to the class. Where

are they from? What is their favorite color? What are their favorite activities? What is their favorite

music? Any other interesting facts about themself? If the student does not feel comfortable talking in

front of the class you can always ask the student these questions 1-1 and then report these to the class

for them. I will introduce the student to their class “buddies” and let them know these students are

there to help get them acclimated to school.

I will also call the new student’s parents to check in. I will let them know how the student seems to be

doing in school so far and if they seem to be struggling with anything. I will ask the parents about any

concerns they may have and if there is anything I can do. I will make sure the parents know they can

visit they school anytime and the best way to contact me if they have any concerns about their child.

Lastly, I will make sure I am checking in with my new student as well to make sure they are doing okay

and that they do not have any questions about anything.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7897121_introduce-new-student-classroom.html

DISPLAYING STUDENT WORK

I am very proud of all my student’s work and will display this around my classroom. One of my bulletin

boards will be dedicated to our unit work and all of the student’s work will be hung up and displayed.

The students will know ahead of time which project will be hung on the board so they can be prepared

when creating that work. I also have a table dedicated to certain projects we are working on, and these

can be science projects or other models of work to display. There will also be other fun projects we

work on throughout the year and these can be hung outside of the classroom so the whole school can

see all the great work my students are doing! It is important for students to take ownership and pride

in our classroom and displaying their work is a great way of doing this.

ORDERLY CLASSROOM

Having an orderly classroom is essential to being an effective teacher and having a successful class.

Cleanliness is a huge part of this and at the end of each day students will be expected to clean off their

desks, stack their chairs and clean up anything lying around the room. They will need to make sure

there are no scraps on the floor and all of their materials are put away in the correct area. Any

classroom items that belong to the classroom will have drawers or bins that are labeled and easy to see.

This will make sure that the students know where to put classroom materials and help to keep things

organized. Students are constantly in need of sharpened pencils and I have my own electric pencil

sharpener that I do not want students using. They will know that they are not to use this sharpener, but

they can ask me to sharpen their pencil for them. However, in order to avoid this problem I will have

two cups at the front of the room, one with a happy face on it for sharpened pencils, and one with a sad

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face on it for dull or broken pencils. My goal will be to sharpen pencils daily for the students so they

also have a good pencil to choose from.

If the classroom gets particularly messy throughout the day or during a certain project we will play the

“hidden scrap” game. During this game students will pick up as many scraps or any objects lying on the

floor as they can. I will tell the students that one of them will possess the “secret scrap” and the one

that does will get a .25 cent token. Before I announce who has the “secret scrap” I will make all of the

students throw away all of the trash so they do not just throw it back on the ground once they find out

they have not won. I will keep a list of who has one “secret scrap” so I can make sure I am being fair to

all the students that are helping out.

In order to have an orderly classroom I will also have a clearly labeled schedule that can be changed out

each day to reflect what is going on. The schedule shows exactly what we will be doing throughout the

day and what times each of them will be taking place. At the beginning of each day we will go over the

schedule as a class so the students know what to expect for the day and what their expectations are.

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Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics

ESTABLISHING INITIAL RULES

At the beginning of the school year I will establish classroom rules with my students. I believe that

students need to be part of creating these rules, and so on the second day of school I will gather my

whole class on the rug to discuss this. By having the students help create the classroom rules they are

taking ownership of what happens in the class and what they find to be important. We will talk about

rules in general, and I will have the students list off rules they think are important for the classroom. As

we are doing this exercise I will guide the students towards certain ideas or rules that I also think are

important if the students are not coming up with them on their own. Once we have a whole bunch of

ideas written down we will then pick the five most important classroom rules to establish for the year

for our class. The five rules that we pick should be broad enough to encompass many of parameters for

controlling student behavior, but I chose to only have five rules because otherwise it is too had for

students to follow and remember. I will then create a chart with these rules and hang them at the front

of the classroom. For the first few weeks of class I will go over the rules with the class and give

examples of what is good and bad behavior to make sure they understand the rules. Throughout the

year we will review the rules as a class to make sure the students always remember their expectations

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TOKEN ECONOMY

My main classroom management plan for my students will revolve around a token economy system.

This will be a credit and debit system where students can earn money for exhibiting good behavior and

lose money for bad behavior. There will be a clear list of what students can earn or lose money for and

how much each behavior is worth. At the beginning of the year I will go over this with the students and

will also give them a list of the behaviors as well as having the list posted at the front of the classroom.

When I introduce this to the students I will explain that this is my method for rewarding good behavior

and also for tracking negative behavior in the classroom. Each student will be given the list of good and

bad behaviors that can cause them to either earn or lose tokens. It will be explained that each behavior

is worth a certain amount, and that I can also give out tokens any time during the day if I catch a student

doing something I find “token worthy.” The students will know that I keep the tokens at my desk and I

can hear if any of them tries and get into the token container.

On every other Friday I will have a classroom store open for the students to be able to buy things with

their tokens. These items will be things I provide such as pencils, erasers, stickers, candy and other fun

toys or things the students might like. Beyond just what is in the store I also have a list of bigger ticket

items they can save up for. These items will not be tangible items, but instead will be more rewards. I

have listed out below how much students earn for good and bad behavior, and also these rewards they

can earn.

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CREDIT

Friday Folder Returned $0.10

Clean Desk $0.10

Moving your clip up $0.10

Homework $0.25

Line Behavior $0.25

Staying on Task $0.50

Quiet Work $0.50

Most Table Points on Friday $1.00

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DEBIT

Talking out of turn/blurting $0.10

Messy Area $0.10

Using bathroom (other than break) $0.10

No Homework/Friday Folder $0.25

Moving your clip down $0.25

Arguing $0.50

Note Passing $1.00

Gum Chewing $1.00

Cheating $3.00

Inappropriate Language $5.00

Destruction of Property $5.00

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REWARDS Choose an item from the store (Fridays only)

Take Shoes off for a class period $3.00

10 minutes of drawing time $3.00

Chew Gum for one class period $3.00

Skip one homework assignment $5.00

Extra Computer/Ipad time $5.00

Sit in relaxing chair for one lesson $5.00

Sit by a friend $10.00

Lunch with Ms. Glass $15.00

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Beyond using the token economy I will also use the following chart to monitor student’s behavior

throughout the day. Student’s will know that each day they will all have their name clips starting on

green for “Ready to Learn.” Throughout the day if I catch a student exhibiting good or bad behavior, not

only with they earn or lose tokens for this behavior, but they will also get their clip moved. If a student

is moved down to yellow it will be considered a warning for their behavior. Once they are moved to

orange it is “Teacher’s Choice” on the punishment. Depending on the infraction this may include things

such as writing a journal entry about their behavior and how to correct it, or having the student write

the same sentence 15 times on what the negative behavior was. Once a student is moved to red or a

“minor slip,” I will complete a form stating the student’s behavior and will send it home to have the

student’s parent sign. If the form is not returned within two days I will place a phone call to the parent

to discuss the situation. This system works well for all students because it not only punishes those that

act out, but also acknowledges and rewards the well behaved students.

Excellent

Way to Go

Ready to Learn

Warning Level

Teachers Choice

Minor Slip

STUDENT DISRESPECT

Student disrespect will not be tolerated among my students. This includes being disrespectful to me as

their teacher, any other adult or faculty member, and also to their peers. However, I understand that

students will be disrespectful and that these situations will come up in the classroom. The best thing to

do to deal with disrespect is to have consequences for the behavior and to follow through with this

when students are acting out. If a situation arises where a student is being disrespectful the best

method for handling the behavior is staying calm and setting firm limits with them.

Setting a tone of respectfulness in the classroom will also help curtail this behavior among the students.

As a teacher I will treat the students the way I wanted to be treated and this will help set the tone for

respect. I will also make sure I am using pleasantries such as “please” and “thank you” and let my

students know I expect the same from them. Lastly, if disrespect becomes an issue in the classroom we

will have a lesson on this as a class and I can model good behavior and do role playing with the students

to help demonstrate this.

http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2009/07/31/how-to-handle-disrespectful-students/

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STUDENT CONFLICT ON THE PLAYGROUND

If students are fighting or having issues on the playground thee issues will need to be addressed. My

first step would be to talk to each student individually to find out what is going on and what the issues

are. I will ask them what steps they think we can take to help prevent these problems from happening

in the future. Once I have gotten each students “side of the story,” if needed I will meet with all the

students involved as a group and we will try and discuss the issue and how to resolve the problem. I will

serve as a mediator for this meeting and we will discuss a plan for conflict resolution. If the problem

continues students may need to lose their recess privileges and parents may need to get involved.

Following these steps can also be used if students are having conflicts inside the school or classroom.

CHEATING

Cheating will absolutely not be tolerated in my classroom and this will be made very clear to my

students at the beginning and throughout the year. We will discuss as a class what cheating looks like

and sounds like and I will demonstrate examples for them. It is only hindering my students learning to

let them get away with cheating. My cheating policy will be that if a student is caught cheating on an

assignment they will receive a zero on that assignment and will also be expected to do make up work or

a project in lieu of the assignment they cheated on. If the cheating occurs during an exam parents will

be notified and the student will be expected to make up the exam at a separate time. They will also lose

points on the exam depending on the severity of the situation.

PARENT GAUDRIAN/ PRINCIPLE INVOLVEMENT

As a teacher one of my main goals is to have a well-managed classroom and to be able to control the

behavior of my students to the best of my ability. My hope is that I can manage my student’s behavior

within my classroom and not have to involved parents, guardians or the principle. However, I am aware

that in certain circumstances this will be necessary. If a student is violent or I feel the safety of myself or

my students is compromised I will immediately make my principle aware of this and also notify the

student’s parents. Fighting, bullying, inappropriate language or repeated inappropriate behavior will be

a reason to notify parents. This may first be in the form of a minor slip the parents need to sign. If the

behavior continues I can follow up with the parents using an e-mail or phone call, and if the behavior

still continues I will schedule a face to face meeting with the parents to discuss what to do.

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MOTIVATION

The motivation of students on my classroom will vary greatly on the student, the subject and the

assignment. Some students will likely always be highly motivated, others may need constant prodding

and some may only be interested in certain topics or subjects. If students are not trying in my classroom

or are not getting their work done, I will discuss with them individually about why this may be

happening. They may be having trouble learning or may be bored and are at a level beyond what I am

teaching. If either of these is true, then I will need to come up with accommodations to help that

student succeed. There may also be outside factors affecting a student performance, and these will

need to be addressed as well.

To help my students be motivated in the classroom I will use the following steps.

1. Expectations and Explanations

Students need to know what is expected of them and what they are expected to learn. I

will make sure students clearly understand the directions and our goal for the

assignment before they start their work. We will discuss why the topic is important and

interesting. My students will all be expected to participate and take ownership in their

learning. At the beginning of the lesson I will model what is expected so the students

have clarity on what it they need to do and how they can be successful.

2. Satisfy the Needs of the Students

Creating a fun learning environment and inviting classroom will help encourage

motivation and achievement. Another way to help students stay motivated is to give

them their choice of assignments. Students have different learning styles and ability

levels and they may help satisfy both for students by letting them learn in a manner

they choose and at a level they are comfortable with.

3. Caring

As a teacher I make sure I always appear caring and interested in what we are learning

in our classroom. Students will also be motivated in the classroom to do well if they

know I am caring, as they will want to gain my approval. I plan to provide a positive

learning experience for all my students in order to best help them learn.

4. Rewards and Privileges

Not all students are intrinsically motived, and therefore some students will need

rewards or privileges to help them get motivated to achieve. This can be done in

congruence with my token economy plan and students will sometimes be given tokens

for staying on task or completing their assignments. This will also be seen in my positive

classroom environment. By giving students recognition for a job well done it will help to

keep them motivated.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6507350_motivation-techniques-student-achievement.html

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SCHOOL PROFESSIONALISM

Inside the workplace there is always going to be people you get along better with and become closer to.

However, I find it extremely important to keep a professional attitude and demeanor while I am at work.

I also understand that by being a teacher I serve as a community figure and as an example to my

students and will want to be professional and a good role model outside of school as well. Having been

in an office environment for the past seven years I do understand that conflict can arise among

colleagues whether personal or professional. The best way to handle these situations is first not gossip

with others about the situation. Office gossip is always going to happen but I always do my best to stay

away from that kind of talk and to steer the conversation to another topic as a way to avoid it.

Secondly, I think if I do have an issue with a co-worker I need to discuss it with them privately and see if

we can resolve the situation. If that does not work I may need to get my principle involved to help solve

whatever the problem is.

Coming into a school I hope that I can agree with the leadership strategies and the views of my

principles. However, based on my past experiences or feelings we may not always see eye to eye. I find

it best in this situation to keep an open mind and find out why these strategies were put into place.

Leadership typically has a reason for implementing learning strategies and it is not fair to judge these

without knowing why they were chosen and the reasoning as to why leadership feels they are best. If at

this time I still disagree with a policy I will want to come up with a new solution or policy that I feel may

work better. With this I will want to have strong reasoning as to why I feel this way and why I think it

will have a better outcome for the school. By having an open discussion with my leadership and

principle I can bring forth my opinions by listening, sharing my ideas and compromising when needed.

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CLASSROOM ROUTINES AND PROCEDURES

BEGINNING AND ENDING OUR DAY- DISMISSALS

At the beginning of the year I will set the expectations with my students of what they are to do at the

beginning and end of the day and how to line up to be dismissed. Right when students walk into my

classroom door I will have a magnetic board that has popsicle sticks with every students names on it.

On this board I will have a column for the hot lunch options and cold lunch. Students will be expected to

move their popsicle stick right away in the morning to whatever lunch option they choose. There will be

a basket underneath this board where students can put their cold lunches. This will also serve as a way

to take attendance each day.

Once students have gotten to their desks they will be expected to make a journal entry. I will have a

different topic written on the board each day and the student can either choose to write about the topic

or write on anything of their choosing. They can write about what they did last night or something

exciting they have coming up. I just want to get their minds going and start the day in a quiet manner.

They will know that these entries will be something I am reading each week so they need to be

classroom appropriate. Students will also be expected to have at least two good paragraphs each day

and our writing skills will be something we working on throughout the year.

Whether my students are lining up for lunch, specials or end of the day dismissal they will know that

when they are in line they are expected to be quiet. They are not to be talking to their friends or

distracting others. As a class the expectation will be that they will not be dismissed until everyone is

quiet and ready to go. Throughout the day if a student needs to leave for things such as extra help in

the resource room or band lessons, the expectation will be that they leave and return to the classroom

quietly without disturbing their classmates.

FREE TIME

The expectation for students during their free time will be to work on homework that needs to be

completed for the next day, reading a free book or doing another activity that is not disruptive to other

students or the class. The students will know that they need to keep quiet in their free time or they will

lose tokens and their clips will be moved. At the beginning of the year I will discuss with students about

acceptable activities they can do in their free time and expectations for quiet time will be set. I will have

bins with activities students can do for the subject we are working on to help them do an independent

quiet activity.

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FIELD TRIPS

Field trips are a privilege and this message will be conveyed to my students. Before we go on a field trip

I will discuss with the class on appropriate behavior for a field trip and let them know that our class

behavior reflects on use as a school. We will discuss what items each student needs to bring and what

kind of clothing would be appropriate if it is an outdoor field trip. Each student will get to pick a

“buddy” of their choice that they will be expected to stay with during the field trip. We will discuss rules

and safety guidelines which would include: Don’t run, stay with the group, complete work as needing

during the field trip, listen and be respectful to the teacher volunteers, use the buddy system. I will

print out a copy of these rules and have each student sign the “rule contract” prior to going on the field

trip.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & CLASS MEETING

Announcements for the day will be made before we start our classroom activities. This will be a

reminder for anything different or special we have coming up or anything else I need to let the students

know. I will also do a reminder of these announcements at the end of the day as needed so the

students do not forget them. I will also pass out papers with announcements at the end of the day to

ensure students take them home to share with their parents. I will have a special bin where students

will hand in permission slips, minor slips or any other announcement form that needs to be turned in.

Every Wednesday afternoon we will have a “Class Meeting.” I will have an agenda on the board for each

meeting. This may include behavior trends I see we need to work on or classroom rules the students

need reminded of. It may also include any upcoming special activities or anything that I need to convey

to my students. Once I have finished my agenda the students will have a change to make an

“announcements” they would like. This can include anything they would like to say about what is

happening in the classroom or questions they may have for me on something that they would like the

class to know. I will have a stuffed turtle that I use during our class meeting and only the student

holding the turtle can speak. Once that student is done with their turn they will pass it along to another

student. This will help me not only make announcement but also keep communication open in my

classroom.

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BATHROOM AND DRINK PROCEDURES

We will have scheduled bathroom and drink breaks throughout the day so students should not have to

use the restroom or get a drink too often. I will have a bathroom pass that the students can use if they

need to go to the restroom or get a drink throughout the day. I will have one girls pass and one boys

pass so that no more than two students are out of the classroom at one time. The students will know

that the expectation is for them to get the pass and then either ask for my permission or hold it up for

me to see and then I will either grant or deny permission. Usually I will always grant permission to a

student unless I see privileges being abused.

ROOM HELPERS

Room helpers will change weekly and students can lose their room helper privileges if they do not do

the role that is expected of them. The following list will be the room helpers in my classroom.

2 Paper Sorters- puts papers in student cubbies for weekly folder

2 Messengers

1 Door Holder

2 Librarians- takes library books to library and straightens up classroom books

3 Desk Washers- we spray and wipe down desks every day

2 Board Washers

2 Material Managers- puts away, pass out supplies and subject journals during the day

2 Lunch Carriers- carries lunch basket down to lunchroom

2 Sub Helpers- collects make up work for an absent student and helps then get caught up

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DIFFERENTIATION

Students learn at different paces and through many different methods. This is why I will use a multitude

of techniques when teaching a lesson. If I see that students are having trouble understanding, I will use

a scaffolding technique and try and approach the lesson in a different manner or use different examples

to help the students have a greater understanding. I understand in the classroom my students will have

different abilities and I want to make accommodations for these to make sure all students get the most

from their learning experience. For students who need extra help I will make sure they are getting extra

help or can modify assignments to their needs. If we need to work one on one to help them understand

directions or an assignment I will do that as well. If students show above average ability I will make sure

I have plans ready to challenge them within our assignments to keep them motivated as well. I want all

of my students to succeed and I will help do all I can to make this happen.

PARENTS

Parents are an integral part of a student’s educational achievement and I will encourage parent

involvement as much as possible. At the beginning of the year I will send out a letter introducing myself,

my classroom expectations and the best way to contact me. I will encourage that if parents have any

questions or concerns to please let me know. Any parent that would like to volunteer in the classroom

will be more that welcome to come help out. I also plan to have a classroom blog that will carry any

important announcements and will showcase what we have been doing in the class.

When preparing for conferences my plan will be to use my notes I have on students throughout the year

including my kid grids and other progress notes I have taken on them. I will also pick out specific

assignments that a student excelled at and maybe one area a student may need more work on. I want to

show parents their student’s progress and also have an open conversation with them about anything

they can do to help their students excel.