Running head: KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN

Kindergarten Classroom Management Plan Amanda Rion Ball State University June 11th, 2013

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN Kindergarten Classroom Management Plan

Discipline Philosophy My discipline philosophy is positive and proactive. I believe that a teacher must discipline in a positive way, and avoid negative punishment. Punishment is negative and can cause more harm than good. This harm may not always be obvious or visible, but I believe punishment needs to be avoided. My role as the teacher is to create a safe environment that allows children to come into everyday for optimal learning. I believe the role of the teacher is not to show the students you have control or power over them the same way a dictator would, or enter power struggles with the students. I believe that creating rules with the students gives them ownership with the rules are the students are more likely to follow the rules they helped create. Discipline should come from a desire to teach the students to self assess and to self regulate their behavior. To maintain a positive discipline philosophy I will use different ideas from the Kounin Model. Kounin believes that the teacher must be in control of their surroundings and environment to maintain a smooth classroom. Kounin believes that the teacher must be organized and consistent. I believe that for a teacher to have control of their environment they must come to school everyday fully prepared for the day. Detailed lesson plans, back up plans, substitute plans, routines, and procedures are a very important part of classroom management for the teacher. To help maintain positive classroom behaviors, it is important to have a well-organized classroom. Kounin and Lee Canter both have very similar ideas about setting clear limits for the students. I believe that setting limits and expectations for the students are very

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN important. If you set the expectations high the students will rise to meet those expectations. My students will know the expectations and rules from the first day of

class. Canter believes this will help maintain a positive discipline model. I will also treat my students the same when it comes to discipline. Canter states that no student should be exempt from the rules, and rules should not be bent for any student. I agree with Canter that it is important to treat the students the same. The only time this would not apply to a student is if they had an I.E.P. with specific circumstances. I believe that students are capable of understanding choices and consequences. On the first day of school in a kindergarten class I would explain to the students that there are right choices and wrong choices, but both are their choices. Fred Jones believes in positive disciple and believes a teacher should empower students to make responsible decisions within the classroom. This is one of the biggest roles a teacher can play in the classroom. As a teacher I understand that I cannot make a student make the right choices, but I can guide them and give them the tools they need to make the right choices on their own.

Classroom Rules In my classroom the rules will be established the first moment the students walk in on the first day. Since my classroom is kindergarten the students will come in the first day and have to learn school wide rules and classroom rules. I would like to be in a school district where I can set my own rules collaboratively with my students. On the first day the students will be able to help make the rules. One student might say no hitting, and the next student might say no kicking. I would help the children combine

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN those kinds of rules and make that rule 1. Respect Others. As a group we would discuss some of the things that would be considered not respecting others (such as hitting, biting kicking, etc.). I would make sure that respect others, respect yourself, and try your personal best were included in the list of rules. I would only want to have 3 or 4

classroom rules. I would have the students model the good behavior and bad behavior so they understood. I would write the rules on the board as we established them. I would copy them to a poster board or print them up so they could be displayed on the wall or bulletin board inside the classroom. I would include a copy of the classroom rules in the newsletter to go home with the students so the parents knew the rules and understood the classroom expectations. I would talk to the students about the rules and how they were to be followed throughout the entire school. I would talk about how no running in the halls is a school wide rule and following that rule would be doing your personal best and respecting others since the principal set up the school rules and asked the students to follow them.

Procedures and Routines Kindergarten is a developmental age where the students need routines and consistency. These routines will be established the first day of school. The students will have a specific morning procedure that will remain the same throughout the school year. In the morning the students will be in the gym or the hallway by the office until the bell rings to dismiss the students to their classroom. I will be standing outside the door each morning to greet the students. I will have a password on the wall next to the door that the

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN students will have to tell me before they can enter the classroom. The password will be the sight word we are working on for the week.

After the students come in they will go straight to the graphing area. The students will have craft sticks with magnets on the back that have their name on them. There will be a picture of a lunch tray and a picture of a packed lunch. This will be on the metal part of the heating/cooling unit. The students will find their name and graph their lunch choice under the picture that applies to them. In this same area the students will have a second craft stick with their name (different size) to graph their recess milk choice. I will have an empty white milk carton and an empty chocolate milk carton that will let the students select what milk they would like for morning milk by placing their craft stick under the milk carton. Each night after the students leave I would put the sticks all back in a nice row to the side of the graphing choices. After the students graph their milk they would go to their hooks/cubbies and hang their coats and backpacks. The students would take out their folders and library books and take them to their desk. There will be two baskets on the horseshoe table next to the cubbies. One basket is for homework to be turned in and the other basket is for notes and lunch money to be turned in. After the students put their folders and library books at their desk they will go to their morning center. While the students are working in their morning centers I will quietly take attendance. I will look in the lunch graphing area to see who is absent. If their craft stick has not moved I will be able to look over to their desk and see the students chair is still up. I will scan the students center to make sure they are not here before marking that student absent. I will then mark the student absent on the schools computer program

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN (such as Information NOW or any attendance program the school system might use). If the school system does not have a computer based attendance system I will send two students down to the office with the attendance and lunch count for the day. I will pick the students by going in alphabetical order.

I will use a couple different ways to regain the students attention after an activity or free time. The main way I will use in the classroom is by dinging a bell. I will have the bell on my desk. On the first day of school I will explain the procedure to the students and practice doing this with the students. When I ding the bell the first time the students will stop what they are doing and look up at the clock. The students will not be allowed to talk at this time. Once the students are quiet I will ding the bell again and give the students directions regarding what they should do next. An example of this would be, When I ring the bell again I want everyone to quietly push in their chairs and walk to get in line for music class. I would then ring the bell and let the students follow directions. Another way I would use to get the students attention would be to give simple instructions. If the students were working in centers I might say, If you can hear my voice clap once. I would repeat this procedure with three different activities (stomp, sit down, etc.) This is a technique I could use in the classroom, throughout the school, or outside on the playground. When the students hear or see the other students clapping or following directions it is a cue for them to stop what they are doing, look at the teacher, and listen to the directions being given. In my classroom there are two bathrooms in the room. If a student needs to use the restroom they need to raise their hand and ask to go to the restroom. I will never tell a student they are not allowed to go to the restroom (especially in kindergarten), but I

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN want them to be in the habit of asking before getting up from their seat/activity so they

are familiar with this procedure when going on to the next grade. After the student raises their hand and gets permission to use the restroom they must knock quietly on the door before entering if it is closed. After using the restroom the students will come out, leave the door open, and wash their hands before returning to their work. Lining up is a procedure I will teach to the students on the first day of school. Each student will have a number that corresponds with his or her place in alphabetical order. The students will line up in order everytime they line up. This will reduce running and fighting to get into line. This will cut back on tattling that someone cut in line. This procedure will cut back on a lot of behavior issues associated with lining up. The students will know when they are told to lineup that they will be in a specific spot each time. The same procedure will apply when lining up to come inside from recess, going to lunch, dismissal, and lining up for special classes. Dismissal procedure will stay the same throughout the year. At the end of the day I will tell the students to start cleaning up their work area and floor, and once their work area is clean they may get out their library books and folders and put them on their desks. After this is done I will dismiss one group at a time to go to their cubbies/hooks to get their backpacks. After the students have their backpacks and coats on they can line up to go home. When the bell rings for dismissal we will all walk down as a class. The students who ride buses will line up by the door. The students who are car riders or walkers will go to their designated area (possibly in the gym). I will make sure all the students are out of the classroom and the classroom bathroom before we start walking down the hall.

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN Discipline Procedures I will handle disciple as a situation arises. I will only send a student to the principals office in extreme circumstances. All other matters I will deal with immediately after they happen. On the first day of class the students will help make the classroom rules. I will have these rules posted on a bulletin board in the classroom the entire year. I will also send a copy of the rules home in the newsletter the first day of school so parents understand the rules and expectations in my classroom. If a student were yelling out I would start by using Kounins Ripple Effect. I would compliment the student sitting next to the student who is shouting out on how I liked the way they raised their hand quietly. I would thank that student and then call on them. If this did not work for the student that was shouting out, I would walk over and speak with this student privately. I would explain to the student that I will only call on a student who is not yelling out. For minor misbehaviors such as talking I would start by just going and standing near the student/students who were talking. This might stop the behavior with minimal

interaction and disruption of teaching. If the students did not stop talking I would simply give them a quiet gesture by putting my finger to my lips when the students made eye contact with me. This would let the students know that I know they are talking and it needs to stop. If those did not work I would walk over to the students and privately ask them to save their conversations for recess time. In kindergarten tattling will be a major issue in the classroom. If a student comes to tattle on another student I will ask them if the student is hurting themselves or others. If the student says no I will remind them that tattling is something we do not do in

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN kindergarten. If the student continues to tattle I will ask the student to sit down and continue working. If students are fighting and physically hurting each other (kicking, punching, biting, etc.) they will automatically be sent to the principals office. This is a behavior

that most schools have a strict policy on. I would let the students know that this behavior is never acceptable and there are better ways to deal with confrontation. I would let the principal talk with the students about fighting. If the students are just arguing or pushing and shoving a little bit, I will deal with this problem in the classroom. I would pull the students out in the hall and privately talk with them. I would ask the students what happened to lead up to the fighting. I would also have the students think of better ways to deal with the problems. I would have them tell the other student how they felt about the situation. I would also explain to the students that pushing and hitting is never a good option to solve conflict. I would have the students think of other ways they could express their anger.

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN Classroom Map

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2D View

3D View

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This is a layout of my kindergarten classroom that has 20 students. Everything in the classroom is visible to the teacher. The classroom is at the end of the hallway so the windows are on the side. There are two large windows to allow maximum amounts of natural light. There are no walls or dividers. The storage areas are against the wall so the view is not obstructed. There are two restrooms in the classroom. The restrooms will be unisex restrooms. If I come into my classroom and there are labels on the door for boys and girls I will make signs to hang over them. This will allow students to use whatever restroom is available. Even though it is only a kindergarten classroom, unisex bathrooms will allow any student who might be struggling with gender identification to feel comfortable. Next to the bathroom is the sink and water fountain. Students will get in the habit of going straight from the restroom to the sink from the first day. To the right of the restrooms I would have a reading area. I would love to have a large carpet on the ground for the students to sit/lay on when reading. I also have a couple beanbag and soft chairs for the students to sit in. There are three small bookshelves that will be filled with books from different reading levels. I would also include magazine such as Highlights and Ranger Rick. This is an area students can go to if they finish their work early, or as part of a center. This area will mostly be used for independent reading. To the right of the reading area is the common area. This will have a large rug that all the students can sit on. This rug will be in front of the chalkboard, whiteboard, or Smartboard. This is where the students will spend most of their time. If I am teaching a math lesson the student will be on the carpet with clipboards and their math papers. This

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will allow me to keep the group together on the lesson and monitor the entire class as we move through the lesson. This will help keep students on task during whole group instruction. This area will also be where the children sit when I read to them after recesses/lunch. Right next to the carpet is a portable storage cart and a trash can. This cart will store tissues, hand sanitizer, clipboards, extra pencils, crayons, and glue sticks. Having these materials handy and close will cut down on any classroom distractions or delays because a student needs a specific material. To the right of the carpet is the teacher desk. The teacher desk is in the corner of the room at an angle. If there is an ELMO in the classroom it will be on the teacher desk. All the wiring from the Smartboard and student computers will be behind the teacher's desk. Having the desk at an angel will let the students know that this area behind it is off limits. The only time I would be at my desk is after school when I am working on preparing for the next day. To the right of the teacher desk are the student computers. The computers would be side by side so the students could come and work on Waterford Learning or any other computer program the school uses. All the wires from the computers will be behind them and behind the teacher desk. The back of the monitors will be facing the windows so there is no glare on the computers. Each computer will have headphones with a microphone. This can be used during center time, when a student finishes work early, or allowing students to rotate through Waterford Early Learning. In between the windows is the heating/cooling unit for the classroom. This has a metal panel on the wall. This area will have a portable storage cart with sharpened pencils, tissues, hand sanitizer, crayons glue, and extra scissors. On the wall area the

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN students will graph in the morning. Each student will have a popsicle stick with their

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name on it and a magnet on the back of it. Every morning the students will graph if they are eating a school tray or packed their lunch. The students will also graph if they want white or chocolate milk as well. The students can graph and grab a pencil, as needed each morning. Underneath the other set of windows will be an area that stores all the manipulative and inside recess toys and games. Everything will be stored in clear plastic bins so they can be quickly located. There will also be open floor space or a carpet for the students to spread out and play during inside recess or group/center work. I would like to have a play carpet in this area (roads for cars, trains, sea life, etc.). In the corner there will be two art easels that are made for 4 students to work on at a time. There will be a throw rug underneath for easy clean up. All the supplies the students need, are stored on the shelves below the easel. There will be markers, pencils, crayons, paints, paintbrushes, paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, Clorox wipes, and other items in this area. There will also be a drying area the students can hang their wet papers to dry. It will either be a drying rack or a clothesline to hang the pictures. Between the painting area and the door will be the teacher storage cabinets. These will be off limits to the students. This is where I will store extra supplies such as Kleenex boxes or Clorox wipe containers. I will store paper and construction paper in these cabinets as well. I will not store student files in this area unless the cabinets lock. If the cabinets lock I may store student files in there. If the cabinets do not lock I will store the files in my desk in a locked drawer to make sure all FERPA guidelines are being followed.

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN Coming into the room to the left of the door will be the cubbies or hooks. Each

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cubby/hook will be numbered so the students will always know which one is theirs. If I have hooks only the students will hang their backpacks and coats on the hooks and place lunchboxes on the floor below their hanging stuff. If the student only had a hook I would try to get some small milk crater type containers to put on the floor below the hooks for lunchboxes or boots during the winter. If the students have cubbies they will place all their stuff inside. In the bottom left corner of the room I have another portable storage station. This station will contain and all materials I will need for guided reading that day. There will also be the horseshoe shaped table in the corner of the room. The teachers back will be faced to the wall to easily see the rest of the classroom. This area will have 5 chairs for small group work or guided reading. This area is close to the areas that the students will be in during the day when they are not in whole group instruction. Next to this area are writers workshop stations and a puppet theater in between the stations. This area has two stations that can have two children working on each station at a time. It has a little built in desk and chair area that has shelves and storage spaces built in. This is where the students will do writers workshop independently and in small groups. There is a puppet theater that will be stocked with as many diverse puppets and props as I can find. This will allow students to be creative and create stories and skits when they are looking for ideas to write about. This area will also be available during inside recess. The last area is the student table/desk area. I would like to have a classroom where each student has his or her own desk. This would allow their art boxes and folders

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN to be inside their desks. This also gives the students their own personal space. If there were desks I would put the desks in small groups to encourage team building and collaboration. I would mix and match the high and low ability students. Each group

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would be a designated color or number for easy dismissal to line up or reward systems. If there were tables I would put no more than four students at each table. The students at each table would also become a team or group. Each student would have their own chair with a chair pocket on the back to store their art boxes and folders. I would like the students to have small therapy balls instead of chairs. This would accommodate a variety of special needs and keep the children out of the uncomfortable hard chairs. The only time students would be working at their desks would be if they were doing individual work or tests.

Closing I believe that a teacher is one of the most influential people a child will have in their lives. It is important that I am prepared for my students before they ever enter the classroom. I will be organized and consistent to help reduce classroom problems. I will set my expectations high for students to rise to them. I believe that students will rise to your standards. I think that effective classroom management is very important and will make the difference between a well run classroom and a chaotic classroom. I also know that as a teacher I will continue learning and improving upon my methods and strategies I use in the classroom.