Classroom Management Plan

Middle School Students Grace Manz

Philosophy: Growing up I was always involved in a sports, clubs and community activities. I was always excited to be a part of something and work with my peers. I loved the chance to try new things and to impact my community. I want to create an atmosphere that allows my students to have the opportunity to feel the same way that I did. I want students to be involved in making their classroom and their learning the best that it can be. I operate under the idea as a teaching coach. On teams the coach has a final say but the team also has leaders within their group and finds ways to work together. This is why students will be involved in the management plan from the beginning of the year. Students will be involved in discussions that lead to the rules and be held responsible for following those rules. Students will also be given jobs in the classroom similar to roles on teams where individuals do different things to all lead to the common good. I think that students should also be responsible for making sure the classroom runs smoothly similar to how players on teams are held responsible for working together and being successful. Students will be a crucial part of discussion and implementation of the plan but the discussions will be directed by the teacher. Classroom Arrangement: The attached page shows a layout of my classroom. The desks are arranged in a u-shape so that students can all see the board. This also allows students to easily collaborate because they are sitting next to their peers. There is an aisle down the middle so that I can easily walk through to monitor and assist students. The desks all face the front board so that all the students will readily be able to see content and take notes. The ELMO is in the front to project assignments or videos as necessary. My desk will be located across the door if possible so I can see anything that may be going on in the hall after school. It also provides me the opportunity to be near the students at their desk and see everything going on. I would be able to see the entire classroom and put potentially problematic students near my desk for extra monitoring (though I wont be sitting at the desk much). My storage would be right next to my desk so that it would be easily accessible. It would also be easy for me to get materials set up in the back while students were working on other aspects if this ever became necessary. The student folders are near the door so students can walk in and then grab their binders to get ready for the day. I would be willing to change desks and rearrange the room if this arrangement didnt work or if the students wanted to take initiative and try a new arrangement.

Rules: I want the students to be a part of the discussion of the rules so the rules may not be posted as they are written here depending on what each class thinks is important and how they are modified as time goes on. However, there are two rules that I will enforce. First I will follow all school rules. This means that our classroom will follow all policies on cell phones, walking in the halls, swearing and any other school wide issue. Second I believe in teamwork and working as a team which is why my first rule is Work as a Team. To get students to come to conclusions about this rule I would have students talk about teams they have been on or clubs they have been in. Then I would ask students to explain what made those teams successful and what caused those teams problems. Then I would have students share those ideas and we would talk about how we could use those same skills in the classroom. On a piece of chart paper I would write down the rule work as a team and then write down all of the ideas the students had for how to meet that rule. An example below: Work as a Team: -help each other with questions -everybody has different roles/jobs -work together with everybody -practice our skills -listen to the coach Then ask students what other rules we think are important that are not included in this rule. I would make sure that first we would go over for the school rules, then this rule. I would want students to also come to the conclusion that respect is a rule. It is covered by work as a team but I want it to be an independent rule as well. The final rule I would like to have something to do with learning being the most important thing. I would have students talk about being a team, cover the school rules, and then have conversations about what other rules make us feel safe in a classroom. Finally we would come up with those rules and post them in the room. Rules: 1. Work as a Team 2. Respect everyone the way you wish to be treated 3. Learning is our Goal

Procedures: Since a middle school period is around 45 minutes I have created the below schedule that will help my guide my procedures and class for the semester. Schedule: 45 minutes 0:00-2:00-Question of the day-homework turn-in 2:00-5:00-Talk about the question-or homework 5:00-40:00 Main Lesson-all activities that go with it. 40:00-45:00-Wrap-up, exit slip, homework for next time. Procedure 1: Every morning when students walk in their will be a question or directions written on the board. When you walk in, go to your classes cabinet and find your binder. Then bring your binder back to your table. Place your homework on the left side off the desk, out so I can see it. Write the date on the top of the page, then answer the questions or follow directions to the best of your ability. After the bell rings there would be two minutes to complete it. A timer will ring when your time is up. Procedure 2: When the timer rings, you have three minutes to talk about questions you had with homework or the question of the day and make changes as necessary. Then the timer will go off again. Procedure 3: Once the second timer goes off we will talk about the question on the board. I expect participation because you have had time to talk about it with your peers. Procedure 4: When the second timer goes off pass your papers to your left and I will collect them. Procedure 5: When there are 5 minutes left, another timer will go off. When that happens its time to clean up your activities and go back to your seats. Before you can leave the classroom I need to hear 5 things that we learned today, did today or questions for tomorrow. Once five students have shared the class can leave at the bell. If you shared one day you cannot share the next day. Procedure 6: If you have to go to the bathroom you can just go as long as it is not within the first or last five minutes or when the teacher is talking. Simply grab the bathroom pass. Then write your name on the whiteboard and leave. Erase it when you get back. Only one bathroom break per day.

Grading: Grading in itself is a procedure. Specifically the grading of homework is a procedure that students need to be aware of. Homework policy will be in line with the schools policy. However, if no direct policy the following policy will be used: Students homework will be graded on completion. This means five points if the homework is done on time and turned in at the beginning of the class. Students lose one point for every day that the assignment is late. Not bringing the assignment to class counts as late and one point will be deducted, even if the student brings it in after school. These procedures will be taught as they become relevant. I will have students enact a scenario out to practice. Also for the first couple of weeks I will have procedures posted as well so that if students are confused they can check the policy on it. These will not be the rules, but will be there for reference. Responses to Misbehavior: There are varying degrees to which students break or bend the rules. To make sure that students are receiving consequences for their behavior, it is important that the consequence is fair and meets the level of misbehaving that has occurred. Students need to know what the consequences are for any given action. Violent Behavior-If a student hits, kicks, bites, spits on, or verbally threatens another student that is an immediate office referral. If the student curses or screams at the teacher, that is another immediate office referral. These are behaviors that make the classroom unsafe and disrupt everyones learning and therefore the student enacting the behavior needs to leave the room immediately to prevent further distractions/harm to other students or to the teacher. Any actions that may create an unsafe experience such as mixing chemicals you are not supposed to or touching of materials that could harm you. Such as running with scissors or if we are using knives for cooking-anything unsafe results in immediate removal from participating in the activity and students may instead watch from a chair away from materials. Before any such materials would be used there would be a conversation about the use of such materials and the safety of it and that not participating in the activity is the immediate consequence for misuse of equipment. General classroom disturbances including: talking, walking around the room, being offtask, playing around, ect. will be dealt with in a three step process. First offense: Students receive a warning and behavior is redirected. Ex: Jade please stop talking to James right now everybody should be writing a story.

Second offense: Students take a break until teacher and student agree they are ready to come back to the classroom. Ex: Jade go take a break. I will come over when I have a moment. Think about what behavior you need to change so you can get your work done and follow our rules. Third offense: Student fills out a character form including what rule they were breaking, how they were breaking that rule, and what they are going to do differently next time. They may come back to class if the form is complete and if they follow the behavior they explain. This note will be sent home to be signed by their parents/guardian. If the note is not returned the student will receive detention. Managing and Facilitating Instruction: In the procedures section I listed the schedule of my day. The opening of every day will be a question or task that the students are to complete. Then students will be given time to talk to their peers about the question. This ensures that all the students not only have their opinion but their peers ideas when we talk about the idea as a class. Then we will use those conversations to Segway into the new learning for the day. The content will based upon the Iowa Common Core and any additional district or school standards. The lessons will be in line with what my colleagues are doing with a few modifications to make them my own. Many schools have team meetings and I will use the input of teachers smarter than myself to constantly improve my instruction. Grouping will change based on the task. For tasks where the students are all sharing their experiences or completing an activity together I will group students with a variety of reading levels, interests and experience so that they all can bring their own understanding to the group. If we are doing a project I will let students pick their groups once or twice a year. This will allow the students to have some fun learning the material. If we are doing a reading for class I will have a few different versions of the reading so that students at all different levels have access to the reading. When I did the groupings I would group students based on reading level and give every group different readings, so that nobody would feel out of place. Finally grouping for the morning activity of talking to their partners about how they answered the question would just be them talking to the person they sit next to. I would do seating based on personalities and who can be quiet and follow directions next to each other. The groups would constantly change to allow students to build relationships with all of their peers. Technology is a resource and students really enjoy it. This is why I will make assignments available online for students to follow. Also I will give students the option when doing projects to utilize technology as a means to make that project. I will be on the look-out for

apps or other fun games that may help students learn the content in a more enticing manner. I would also adhere to whatever the school policy is on technology use for the classroom. Motivating Students to Learn: A lot of motivation for students is developing positive relationships with students. If students know that you truly care about their needs and their education they are more likely to be motivated to learn and do their work. Part of the way I will do this is have fun questions as warm-ups occasionally so that I can learn about students and so they can relate to their peers on a non-academic level. Another part of motivation is using student interest. This is why I would give multiple options for assignments such as giving a speech or writing a paper. Or making a poster or a PowerPoint so that students have the options to show what they know in ways that interest them so they are engaged in the task. If motivation were to become a larger problem within my class I would come up with a reward system. For example if everybody is on task 5/5 days one week then as a class they get ten minutes in the computer lab. This is more extrinsic motivation, but it can be necessary to get students to value work and after they value work more and more I can extend the amount of time in the reward or remove it altogether. One of the best things that I have found motivating is making sure that my lessons are dynamic and changing. By keeping my routine and procedures the same but changing the way I present information the students are more likely to be engaged. For example I can have students take notes for part of the day, look at pictures for others and play music that may be relevant to their learning or that may be just a fun way to relax and enjoy the content. I will constantly have to monitor my students to see if they understand the material. If students dont understand content they are likely to become unmotivated. By catching struggles early I can reteach content to make sure that it is accessible to all of my students. I will use a variety of active learning methods and check for understanding frequently to help make sure my students are motivated. Creating a Respectful, Supportive Learning Environment &Promoting Safety & Wellness: The first part of safety and wellness is making sure that the students know the emergency procedures such as fire, lock-down and tornado and why those drills are so important. Violent behavior will not be tolerated and will be an immediate referral to the office. This is a rule, and procedure that will be enforced.

I want to have a class that is a community where the students have an opinion on content and policy and are able to change the class to make it the most effective for them. I want the students to see each other for the bright and talented resources that they are. I want a community where I am not the first person the student asks for help. They will learn a lot more from each other than just from me and I want them to know it and to build skills from that. Community will be a key to my class. I want to make sure that the students feel like they are a part of their learning. This is why I would have town meetings aka class meetings where the students could share problems they are having in school or with procedures. Then as a class we could come up with solutions for how to solve those problems. Then based on the results of the class discussion we could implement new plans. This helps build community and motivation because the students are involved in the decisions. I will also have students engage in a lot of think-pair-share, talking with their partner, doing group projects, working together on classwork and community building activities. Working with a peer will be something my students do every day. I will talk to them about the ways that they can effectively work together. Some days our morning directions might be to practice a new social skill such as how to accept a compliment. These social skills will help my class run as a team and become a close group of students. Interacting with Parents, Colleagues and others: Interacting with others is an essential part of ensuring that students have a positive school experience. To make sure this would be effective I would first establish positive relationships with parents. The second day of school after the class has helped develop rules and we have discussed my policies on homework and other expectations I will send a letter out to the parents. The following will be the general outline of the form: Greeting, -Introduction of myself -What topics the students will be learning about this year in my class -What rules we came up with and how we came up with them -What the consequences are for breaking those rules -A way to contact the parent-their preferred number Throughout that week as I receive contact information I will call parents to lay the groundwork for the year. I will talk to them about any questions they may have regarding the policies, rules, homework or consequences and also about any content concerns. Then I would talk to them about their goals for their students and any volunteer opportunities if

they were interested. That way from the beginning parents would know that I want them involved in my class and that I value their opinion. I would also call parents if their student unfortunately ended up getting a third check or if I noticed any chronic problems such as not turning in their homework, or always being tardy. Finally I would call their parents if their students did something positive such as showed leadership or worked well with their peers. I would pick five or so students a week to just call their parents with something positive they did that week. With so many middle school students the parents wouldnt get so many calls that it would be irritating but they would still have an idea how their child was doing and what was going on at school.