Lighting The Way

For Success

Jenice Rollins December 1, 2014

Philosophy of Classroom Management As I think about classroom management, I envision myself as the lighthouse and my students are the boats out on the sea, needing someone to direct their way. As the lighthouse, I guide my students to their destination throughout the school year. As the lighthouse, I guide the boats around the obstacles in the sea, showing and leading them to the shore using numerous strategies to assist them. Through this, students can have ownership in their learning or “chart their own course” with my guidance, using the resources and strategies that work best for them. Having an effective classroom management plan ensures that the classroom is a learning environment and the teacher has created the necessary steps to deal with misbehaviors in a way that do not inhibit the environment of learning. It is essential that the teacher communicates and models the classroom management plan with the whole class, so every student understands what the expectations are of them. I believe having a safe, caring, and respectful classroom environment is essential for every student to be successful. This includes having an effective classroom management plan. A management plan is another effective tool teachers can implement into their classroom to ensure that students feel safe and comfortable to be themselves. When students are comfortable in their classroom, they have more opportunities to practice what they are being taught. During the beginning of the school year, I will explain and describe the lighthouse analogy to my students by having a discussion about lighthouses. In this discussion, I will talk about the history and purpose of the lighthouse, and connect the role of the lighthouse to my role as their teacher. I will then introduce my prevention and intervention plan to my students to show them what I expect of them. I want them to understand that as their lighthouse I will always be there to guide them back to the light and will not lead them astray in the darkness.

The First Day(s) of School The first days of school are a foundation for the school year for the student, their families and the teacher. These first days are essential for students and the teacher to begin establishing a special bond that never ends, even after the school year is over. The teacher shows the students what is imperative to know to ensure that everyone has a successful academic year. On the firsts day of school, I will make sure my classroom is an appealing and peaceful place for my students and their families, foster a positive and respectful place of learning, and ensure that every student has a role in the classroom. Create an Inviting Classroom Atmosphere ~ Welcome each child and their family as they walk in the classroom, getting down to the child’s level to look them in the eye. ~ Set up each desk with a colorful nameplate with the children’s name on it so they can come right and find their desk. Having the children find their desk before school starts can help students feel less anxious about starting in a new classroom. ~ Design an unique classroom door decoration that includes all the students’ name. Seeing their name on the door helps children feel like they belong, thus helping them transition into another school year. Design an Engaging Physical Environment ~ Place desks in a communal arrangement, that encourages students to meet and get to know their classmates. ~ Put up numerous vibrant posters on the wall to bring the classroom to life. These posters and bulletin boards should show parents and students what is in store for the upcoming school year. Demonstrate a Respectful Tone ~ Teach the students the importance of having only one person speaking at a time. This teaches them to be respectful of their peers and teachers in the classroom. I will ask students to raise their hand before calling out the answer. As the students go through their first few days of school, I will remind them to remember to raise their hand if they have something to say or contribute. ~ Show the students different ways to be respectful to their teacher, peers, and other people at the school. Some ways are being polite, using manners, and speaking in an appropriate tone of voice. It is important to remember that the teacher is the ultimate example for her students and that it is imperative that I show my students how to be respectful, especially on the first few days of school when they are trying to get to know me and learn the classroom atmosphere.

Model a Positive Tone for Learning ~ Encourage students to be curious and ask questions. ~ Listen to all the children’s question and concerns. Remembering it is okay to answer them at another time. ~ Be positive and encouraging in your student’s work using a kind and pleasant tone. Such a tone will help students learn that you, as the teacher, want them to succeed in everything they are doing. Establish and Teach Classroom Policies and Procedures ~ Create a poster with the different classroom rules with visuals. For instance, have a set of specific rules for the rug and desk, with specific expectations. These posters should show the students how they should be behaving at their desk on the carpet. At the rug, the children should be sitting on their bottom in their specific colored square, not distracting or touching the children around them. ~ Demonstrate how the bell works in the classroom to get their attention. They should stop what they are doing and look up quietly at the teacher. ~ Establish a morning routine with a morning meeting. This meeting is to tell the students what they will be doing that day. For many children, it is important to know the day’s routine. I will also write the daily schedule on the board with the complete date. ~ Show the students how they should walk in, line up, and leave the classroom. Depending on how the desks are arranged, I will excuse table groups or rows based on how quiet and ready they are. While they are lining up and walking out of the classroom, it is essential for them to be quiet so they can hear any further directions. Generate Student Responsibilities and Engagement ~ Establish weekly classroom jobs for each of the students. Some of these jobs include line up leader, passing out papers, messenger, librarian, and classroom calendar. I want my students to feel like they have an imperative role in their classroom and learning. ~ Encourage students to ask questions, voice concerns, and participate in classroom discussions and lessons. It is essential that children feel comfortable to speak up in class and feel competent answering questions in a whole-group atmosphere.

Prevention Plan My prevention plan includes key strategies that I am want to implement into my classroom to prevent misbehavior as much as possible. These strategies will be used throughout the school day to ensure that my students know what I expect during class time and during my lesson. Along with these classroom procedures, I have included a list of ways I can specifically praise my students for their hard work and effort, and various brain break activities to help the students relieve energy Creating a respectful and safe classroom is one of my goals as a teacher. I want to ensure that all my students feel comfortable and respect each other. To help my students remember that they all are part of a family, I will introduce the T.E.A.M slogan. I hope this slogan reminds my students that they all are on the same team and need to work together respectfully to score the goal and work to their full potential.

Class Motto: Along with the T.E.A.M. slogan, I hope the class motto of “Dare to dream it. Work to achieve it” will encourage my students to work hard in everything they do to become the best student that they can be.

Classroom Procedures: These procedures help the classroom run smoothly throughout the day. By having these procedures and practicing them throughout the first few weeks of school will help the students know what I expect of them throughout the school day inside and outside my classroom. There are three categories of classroom procedures and they are class-running, lesson-running, and interaction procedures. Integrating all three of these procedures effectively will help create a safe, caring, and respectful classroom, where every single student can learn. Class-Running Procedures Class-running procedures are those general procedures that I will use and execute from the moment the students step into my classroom until they leave at the end of the day. These procedures will help the classroom run smoothly and increase instructional time. • Taking attendance

o Students put their clothespin on the cart when they come into the classroom showing me who is here and not here

• Entering the classroom o Turn in Folder for homework o Do now activity on their desk o Greet each student at the door as they walk in. Greet parents when they

drop of their children • Card Behavior System

o Warning and a refocus, change cards if they continue the behavior after asking them several times to stop

• Think Tank o 1. Think about what rule was broken o 2. Think about what you could have done instead o 3. Apologize o This can also be for a Refocus and use Behavior Think Sheet

• Seat Signals o Number 1: bathroom (bathroom pass for boys and girls) o Number 2: water (if they do not have a water bottle at their desk) o Number 3: Someone is bothering them and won’t stop, and needs to be

moved • Sharpening Pencils

o I will have two jars. One for sharpened pencils and one for dull pencils. Students need to trade in a pencil in order to get a new one

• Class jobs o Crates for students to put their lunches in when they come to school o Watering plants if we have any in the classroom o Line Leader and Caboose o Messenger o Passing out papers o Library monitor

Lesson Running Procedures: Lesson-running procedures are those routines that I will use while teaching my lessons. For instance, how I will put them into groups, introduce what I am doing that day, and how the students will know what they are supposed to be doing before, during, and after they are done with that day’s lesson and activities. • “Morning meeting” – read together – preview of what we as a class are

working/focusing on that day o WELCOME poem/Say motto

• “Homework” – Folders in ABC Order for homework (easy to collect and file homework/class work)

• “When done” poster in front of room or where everyone can see it • “Dividing into groups” – Colored dots on desks (when in groups): easy to put into

colored groups or mixed groups. Also, this is an easy way to give each person in the group a job

• Rug Rules (if have a rug) o Sit up, sit cris cross, hands in lap, sit quiet and face the teacher o SLANT:

! Sit up straight ! Lean forward ! Ask questions ! Nod your head ! Track the speaker

Interaction Procedures: Interactive Procedures are those procedures I will use to obtain the students’ attention before, during, and after a class lesson or activity. These procedures will help me make tighter transitions from one content area or subject to another. • Signal for getting attention

o Clasping and having them clap back the pattern o Bell and stop what you are doing putting hand on head look at teacher o If you can hear me, clap once, etc (until everyone is quiet and paying

attention) o Rain stick (when they hear the rain stick, they know that I want them

to be quiet and look up at me o Say 1,2 and they respond with 3, 4

• Noise level Thermometer poster in front of classroom or wherever everyone can see it (Noise-O-Meter)

Teacher Praise and Discourse Effective teacher praise and discourse will assist, encourage, and guide students in their learning. As the teacher, it is imperative to help students feel successful in their learning and guide their errors to reach that success, which will encourage them to grow in their learning. • One role of teaching is assisting and guiding students in their learning. It is important

to take time to ensure that the students are learning the material, not just memorizing it, so they can apply the techniques and strategies to similar problems in the future.

o Is everything okay? How may I help you? o Can you walk me through the steps of the problem?

• Encourage students to share what they are thinking with you and the whole class. o Thank you for being willing to participate! o That is a creative way to solve the problem. Can you explain your strategy

to the class/partner? • Many students want to understand a concept or lesson the first time, thus getting

frustrated when they make a mistake. It is important to show them that they can learn something valuable from their mistakes.

o It is okay to make mistakes because they show me that you are trying o Remember you can learn something new when you make mistakes.

Relieving Energy: My relieving energy activities will give the students’ brains a break from the lesson, activity, and the material we are learning. These breaks can also build classroom community and encourage students to interact with the peers they normally do not interact with. These fun activities and games will only last a few minutes before continuing on in the lesson or activity. • Brain breaks poster with dice OR ideas on popsicle sticks in mason jars • Do an example of a brain break the first few weeks of school and have the children

help you come up with some new fun ideas. If the students are a part of this process, then they will be more engaged in doing these brain breaks.

• Some Brain Stretch Ideas are: o COCONUT stretch (once the students know the stretch, I can have

different students lead it) ! Students stretch out each letter with their bodies without moving

their feet o Simon Says

! Different students will lead the class for a few minutes o Sing songs, dance, or freeze dance

! I will play a song and students can sing along and dance

! We can also play freeze dance for a few minutes at the end of a Friday afternoon

o Train Connection o Macarena for one minute

! Students come on the rug and do the Macarena dance together o Tic Tac Toe with elbow partner for one minute o Movement Games Led by the teacher

! Spin three times ! Fifteen to twenty jumping jacks

o Rainstorm ! Start by having everyone tap one finger on the desk, then two, then

three, then four, then lightly tap whole hand, a little harder, a little harder, now pound. Do it backwards too. It should sound like a rainstorm hitting a building

! Over time, individual students can lead this activity and can change it up to make rain in different ways

o Shoulder to shoulder game ! Teacher will say two body parts that the partners have to touch,

like shoulder to hand, elbow to knee, etc. ! For each new pair of body parts, students find a new partner in the

class ! Encourage students to find a partner they do not sit next to

Intervention Plan

One goal for teaching is providing a safe, caring, and respectful classroom environment for every student who walks in the door. To ensure that each student feels safe and taken care of, the teacher needs to plan ahead on how to respectively and appropriately respond to various misbehaviors in the classroom. These intervention strategies are important for teachers to have at their disposal and well planned out before the behavior occurs to be effectively implemented. Having these strategies already thought through will help teachers stop the misbehavior from getting worse and continuing in the future. Acknowledging and stopping the behavior as it occurs shows the students how they are expected to behave and treat their peers in the classroom. Intervention strategies are important to maintain the positive, welcoming, and accepting classroom environment every student deserves. My general guidelines for Responding to Misbehavior: These general guidelines are general responses I will use when a student misbehaves in my classroom. These five guidelines are important to remember and consider whenever someone misbehaves in the classroom in order for it to become a positive learning experience for both the specific student and the whole class. Remembering these five general responses will help the teacher focus more on the appropriate consequence for the misbehavior rather than focusing on how he or she first responds to the misbehavior. I want to: • Stay calm

o Take a deep breathe and calm myself before responding to the misbehavior o By staying calm, I can better determine what is the best response and

consequence for that specific behavior • Assume the best in my students

o I want to believe that my students do want to work hard and meet all of my expectations

o I need to remember to make sure that my routines, procedures, and instructions are clear and concise to ensure that all of the students understand what they need to be doing so than can do they best and be successful

• Preserve student’s dignity o I want my classroom to be a place where students feel safe, comfortable, and

cared for. o To ensure that my classroom is a safe environment for everyone, I need to

make sure that students are treated in a way that is not embarrassing or decreases their self-esteem in the classroom. This means taking the time to privately correct the student’s misbehavior instead of always correcting them in front of the whole class.

• Preserve time on task o When students misbehave in the classroom it tends be a big distraction for

the teacher and for the whole class, disturbing class work.

o It is important to incorporate some types of nonverbal and one-worded cues to help students get back on task without it distracted the class for a long period of time

o Students need all the time they can to learn in the classroom environment and it is the role of the teacher to ensure that all the students get the time they need on tasks.

• Appropriately and consistently respond o There are numerous ways students misbehave, ranging from minor to more

serious behaviors and teachers respond to misbehaviors in various ways o There are many behaviors that have similar consequences and responses, but

some misbehaviors need to have a more serious response and consequence. o Teachers need to judge for themselves what type of response and

consequence from the level of seriousness the misbehavior falls under. Ways to Appropriately Respond to Minor Misbehaviors Minor misbehaviors are those small behaviors that do not occur frequently or hurt selves or others. Some minor misbehaviors include shouting out, passing notes, talking while the teacher is talking, socializing, and eating during class. These behaviors distract the student who is misbehaving but also distracting the people around him or her. It is essential for teachers to respond to these behaviors to show the students what they can and can not do in the classroom. I want to: • Stay calm • Stand near the student who is misbehaving • Use Nonverbal reminder • Narrate Positive behavior • Anonymously verbal correct Ways to Appropriately Respond to Chronic Misbehavior Chronic misbehaviors are those behaviors that students keep on doing, no matter how many times they are told to stop or how many times they are given ways to improve their behaviors. Some common chronic misbehaviors seen in the classroom are consistently not turning in homework, arriving late to school, walking around, and always walking in noisily. Teachers need to take the necessary steps to help students with these chronic behaviors, so all students in the classroom can have a successful education. I want to: • Stay calm • Re-teach and model the routine • Establish a new routine or procedure • Establish a behavior contract • Have one-on-one private conversations

• Narrate positive behavior Ways to Appropriately Respond to More Serious Misbehaviors More serious misbehaviors need to have a fast response time from teachers. These behaviors tend to cause harm to the student who is misbehaving or other students. For many of these types of behaviors, teachers need to have already planned for these behaviors and have a set of responses and consequences already at his or her disposal. Some more serious misbehaviors include hitting, fighting, using profanity, using inappropriate comments, cheating, stealing, arguing, and calling others name. Teachers need to stop this behavior right as it is happening to ensure that everyone is safe, show the students that these behaviors are not acceptable in your classroom, and to make sure the classroom environment continues to be safe, caring, and positive. I want to: • Stay calm • Use Fast public correction right after behavior • Have private one-on-one conversations/consequence/corrections • Plan consequences for specific serious misbehaviors (like hitting,

fighting, and vandalism) prior to those behaviors • Give appropriate consequences My General Consequences of Misbehavior General consequences are those consequences I will use on a daily level to help my students focus on their material, treat others respectfully, and fulfill my expectations for them. These are some of the consequences I will introduce, explain, and implement into my classroom. I want all my students to succeed in my classroom, but in order to do so, they need to learn my expectations and put in their own work and effort to achieve their goal. In general, I will: • Give a verbal warning • Change seats • Move students’ cards • Have an one-on-one private conversation with the student • Ask students to stay in for a few minutes at recess, lunch, or

after school

My Behavioral Contract: I would use this behavior think sheet when the behavior is affecting the student’s schoolwork and other students in the classroom. During the first days of the school year, I will introduce the Behavior Think Sheet and have a discussion with the class on how they are supposed to fill out the behavior contract. If the behavior continues to occur, I will have a one-on-one private conversation with the student to discuss ways for the student to correct his or her behavior in the future. If the behavior continues to be an issue in the classroom, I will contact the parent and request a meeting, where I will show them the think sheet, along with the continuous misbehavior.

Family- School Connections Parents are their child’s first teacher and should continue to be their most consistent teacher in their life. As the student’s second teacher, I want to establish a respectful relationship and partnership with the students’ parents that will continue to flourish throughout the school year. Teachers and parents are the ultimate support systems a student can have in their corner as they embark on a new journey and school year. From the beginning of the school year, I will strive to build this collaborative partnership between the school and a child’s home, where we can have an open communication policy to help their students become successful academically and continue to build a solid educational foundation for their future. One way I will create this partnership in the beginning of the year is through a “Welcome to Third Grade” letter I will give to each of the parents and guardians. This letter will give the parents an introduction to their student’s teacher and the classroom their child will be a part of this school year. I hope this letter will show the parents and guardians that their child is welcomed into a safe, respectful, and caring classroom, where they will be taught and taken care of. (See attached for the Parent and Guardian Letter) To communicate with parents and guardians, I will encourage them to: • Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns about your child, the

homework, etc. E-mail is the best mode of communication and I check my e-mail regularly throughout the school day.

• Set up a time to meet with me before or after school, or at lunch. I would love to sit down and discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

• Call and leave me a message on the classroom phone. Please keep in mind I will only be able to check my messages before or after school and please refrain from calling during classroom time.

• Send me a note through your child or write me a note on your child’s homework if they do not understand or are confused on something.

• Please read our classroom newsletters for updates and events to look forward to. I have numerous things planned for this school year and would love for all you parents and guardians to be involved in some way.

Dear Parents and Guardians, Welcome to Third Grade! My name is Jenice Rollins and I will be your child’s third grade teacher this year. I am truly excited for your children to embark on this new journey in third grade with me. I am honored that you have entrusted me with your child’s educational achievement this year. Together, we will learn and grow while never forgetting to have fun along the way. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area and recently graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Ca with a bachelor’s degree in education and a Teaching Credential. I love to play soccer, read, spend time with my family, and photography. Working with young children has always been something I loved doing in various capacities. Growing up, I have worked with a variety of youth in different settings and community organizations. Throughout my time at Westmont College, I have volunteered and tutored at three local elementary schools. There is nothing more amazing than seeing a child light up when they learn something new or recognize that they are loved. When I think about how I want my classroom to be this year, I envision a place where all students feel safe, respected, and cared for by their peers and their teacher. I truly believe that students learn more when they feel comfortable and have someone on their side. I will strive to create a positive classroom environment, building us into our own family who cares about and respects each other. Please know that I am on your child’s side and want him or her to feel welcomed as he or she walks through my classroom doors! As your child’s parent or guardian, you have a huge role in your child’s education. You are their first teacher and will continue to be there consistently throughout their education. Providing quiet time and place for your child to read independently and with you, as well as encouraging them to read to you at home will allow your child to continue to grow as a reader. I encourage you to become a part of our classroom, by volunteering and asking your child what they have been learning in class. I am looking forward to meeting and working with you as partners in your child’s education this year. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have throughout this school year. I am excited to meet both you and your child, so that we can begin the great adventure that is third grade! Sincerely, Jenice Rollins “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go” –Dr. Seuss