Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
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Lindsay Trappen
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Table of Contents
Physical Classroom Organization.3
Student Organization.3
Basic Classroom Operations.3
Classroom Functionality.4
Classroom Operations5
Student Records...5
Student Materials....6
Student Responsibility....7
Preparation.7
First Day of School...7
New Students....9
Substitute Teachers..10
Daily Routines.10
Transitions. 10
Leaving the Classroom..11
Bathroom Breaks11
Assignments and Work Time..11
Travelers Treasures..12
Preferred Activity Time..13
Cheating.14
Extreme Infractions14
Parent Involvement..14
Back to School Night.16
Consistent Communication.16
In the Classroom.16
Tardiness...17
Resources..19
Information19
Pictures..19
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Student Organization
Basic Classroom Operations
I created my 3rd grade classroom with functionality in mind. I believe that
a functional work environment promotes a quality work and learning
environment. I wanted my 3rd grade classroom to be organized, roomy, and to
promote interaction between my students. I did this by creating distinct
sections of the room that have specific purposes. By organizing my classroom
in this way, my students will be able to organize their thoughts.
As the student enters the classroom, they will enter the coat closet and
Student Resource Center. I wanted the learning areas to be separate from the
students belongings, so that the students wont be distraction throughout the
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Classroom Functionality
I have the students desks in the center of the room. I have placed the
desks at a slant so that it is easier for everyone to see the board. This is
something I find especially important, because from personal experience, I
know how easy it is to zone out when your desk doesnt face the front. The
desks are placed in groups of four to encourage collaboration and make group
work easier. Each group of desks will be labeled as a continent- Africa, Asia,
North America, South America, Europe (my desk will be labeled Antarctica;
depending on the number of desk groups, any remaining continent may be
assigned to the community center).
I have made sure to make my reading center feels secluded from the rest
of the classroom. There will be a rug and pillows, as well as a sharing chair to
encourage a comfortable environment during read-aloud. There is a whiteboard
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Classroom Operations
Student Records
My classroom will be systematic and organized. This will be possible
because of my system of consolidating student records and procedures.
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I will have one binder appropriately labeled and sectioned for each
content area and assignment, and designated for recording test and
assignment scores. The Whaley Grade Book will be used for recording these
scores (Wong & Wong, 2009). I will record all assignment scores in this binder
with the Whaley Grade Book, as well as on the computer to have multiple
sources of documentation. In addition to this, each student will have a small 3ring binder that contains exceptional or poor work, written observations from I
or other staff members, standardized test scores, personal information, etc.
This will be important for not only my reference, but important for substitutes,
aid teachers, or parents during conferences. In addition to this, I will keep
notes of student behavior and learning. I will do this by having sheets of name
stickers. When I make a note of a student, I will easily be able to transfer the
sticker to the students folders with their other information, as well as send a
copy home with students in their planner
at the end of the day. Additionally, I will
have a class chart documenting each
students Travelers Treasure at the end of
each day. This will be used to observe
behavior patterns and concerns.
Student Materials
I have a supply center located at the
center of the room with the student desks.
This supply center will include markers,
crayons, loose leaf paper, and other school
supplies for students who have either run
out of their own supplies, or dont have
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the ability to buy their own. It will be
available to everyone so students do not feel embarrassed to use it. The supply
center will also have a straw dispenser for pencils. This will eliminate the
problem of students being picky when choosing a pencil. There will also be a
jar for pencils that need to be sharpened. Pencils will be sharpened and
restocked at the end of each day.
I have specific expectations for how my students will respectfully use the
supply center. These expectations will coincide with my expectations for all
other classroom procedures. The expectations are as follows: 1. Students must
return materials that they borrow from the supply center. 2. Students must
respect the materials that they borrow from the supply center. 3. Students
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must use the supply center at appropriate times (during transitions, after
asking permission, or when instructed to).
Student Responsibility
My students will be expected to be independent and responsible. I believe
that the best way to develop these skills is to give the students the opportunity
to mature and be independent. Students will be responsible for completing
beginning of the day tasks without being instructed, as well as classroom jobs
that will be rotated weekly. The classroom jobs that the students will be
responsible for are the following:
Preparation
First Day of School
In my classroom, the first day of school will be structured and organized.
There will be specific activities for the students to complete that will prepare
them for the rest of the school year. These activities will be designed to build
classroom expectations and make the students feel at home in our classroom.
I will greet my students at the door on the first day of school to directly
give them their tasks to complete as they enter the room. I will give them a
short list of tasks to complete so that they are not overwhelmed and forgetting
the expectations that were asked of them.
I will ask them to do the following:
Enter the room and find their locker and drop off their things
Search the room to find a book of choice
Find the desk with their name on it, and sit to silently read the book they
have chosen
Once all of the students have entered the classroom and made it to their
seats, I will introduce myself to the class. From there, I will explain that before
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we begin our day we will be learning how to respectfully and properly enter the
classroom every morning.
The students will be responsible for completing the following tasks each
morning:
Once I have explained the procedure and modeled it for the students, they
will be given the opportunity to practice it as a class. Students will then
simulate the beginning of the day procedures repetitively until the class as a
whole can complete it correctly.
After the completion of the beginning of the day procedures simulation,
students will be given time to place all of their belongings in their desks. I will
lay out the behavioral expectations before the students are released to do the
task. Each student will place their backpack on the back of their chair and
wait for directions. During this time, I will have each student remove one folder
from their backpack to be labeled with a sticker: Take Home Folder. I will
explain to the students that this folder is to be brought home each day with all
of the contents from the Take Home side of
their Daily Discoveries folder that they pick up
each morning. They will also have a label
labeled Discoveries in Progress for worksheets
that will be completed later in the week during
Leisure Time. After the students have labeled
the folders, they will be left alone to put away
their items. I will play music in the background
to make it fun for the students.
Next, students will get to know their teacher,
and I will get to know them. I will have a
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scrapbook labeled Miss Trappens Passport that I will show the students as a
read aloud. The passport will include pictures and explanations of my family,
pets, and favorite things. Students will also have the opportunity to ask me
questions about myself. Once the read aloud is complete, students will have
the opportunity to make passports of their own. Their passports will include
their picture, name, age, and facts about themselves. Students will share the
contents of their passports with their Continent groups. Once the passports are
complete, they will be displayed in the classroom or the hallway on a Passport
to Learning bulletin board.
Following the get-to-know-you activity, the class will comprise a list of
expectations that they would like to be implemented in the classroom. I will
refer to rules as expectations because I want the students to think of
themselves using positive behaviors. There will be 3-5 class expectations that
will be displayed in the classroom. Each student will
sign the expectations poster as a reminder
throughout the year that they have committed to
using positive behaviors.
The remainder of the day will be spent running
through the layout of the classroom, explaining
procedures, and helping students get acclimated to
the new school year. If time remains, students will
enjoy a read aloud, or participate in centers.
New Students
I want new students to feel welcome when they
enter my classroom for the first time. I will make sure
this happens by teaching my current students how to properly make someone
feel welcome. The class expectations that are established in the beginning of
the school year will create a warm and welcoming environment for all visitors
and new students. New students will immediately be incorporated into class
activities, and my students will be responsible for kindly giving the students
direction on classroom procedures and expectations throughout the day. They
will also be expected to include them in group work, conversations, and during
lunch and recess.
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New students will also be incorporated into making the classroom home.
When new students arrive, they will create a passport just as the other
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students did at the beginning of the school year. Their passport will be
displayed along with the others on the Passport to Learning bulletin board.
On their first day, new students will go home with a Guide to Miss
Trappens Classroom manual for the student and their guardian(s) to review. It
will include information about myself, the classroom, classroom expectations,
as well as the student/guardian information form for to the guardian to fill out.
This will be the same form that my other students had their guardians fill out
at the beginning of the school year (see Parent Involvement for details).
Substitute Teachers
In order to make the transition into my classroom easier, I will provide a
Sub Tub for my substitute teachers. The Sub
Tub will include class lists, seating charts,
behavioral expectations and management,
daily procedures and schedules, a where to
find section, emergency contacts and
procedures, and the lessons for the day. The
Sub Tub will also include a list of students
that the substitute can feel comfortable asking
questions to if needed. The students will be
aware of behavioral expectations and
procedures for when there is a substitute
teacher.
Daily Routines
Transitions
On the first day of school, I will demonstrate and explain the various
transition procedures to my students. My transitions are designed to prevent
talking and distraction during what would normally be a time for students to
become off task.
During rotational group work, transitions from one group to the next will
be announced by a wind chime. At this time, students will quietly move from
their station to the next. When it is time to transition from content area to
content area, students will be alerted of the transition by the lights turning off.
When the lights turn off, the students will know to return to their seats (if they
are out of them) and clear their desk of materials. I will promote having clear
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Bathroom Breaks
I will have scheduled bathroom breaks throughout the day to minimize
students leaving the room during instruction. These bathroom breaks will be
scheduled around specials, lunch, and recess.
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Travelers Treasures
Travelers Treasures will be my version of a three-strike system. Each
student will begin each day with three items that are essential to every
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confident that this award system will encourage my students to stay on track,
be cooperative, and respectful.
Preferred Activity Time will be essential to creating attentive learners. For
students who struggle with lack of motivation and attention, PAT will act as an
incentive to complete assignments and stay attentive in class. For students
that do not respond well to PAT, I will search for other options to help keep
them motivated. I will also, however, continuing to include them in PAT to keep
them accountable. If lack of motivation continues to be an issue with the
student, their guardian(s) will be notified.
Cheating
I will have no tolerance for cheating in my classroom. Any student that is
caught cheating will be given one warning. If the cheating continues, the
assessment will be taken from the student, and the student will have to
complete a different assessment during recess to prove that they know the
material. The student and I will have a discussion about how it is important to
measure our own knowledge during assessments, and how it is not fair to
ourselves or those around us to steal others ideas. Guardians will be notified
of the students infraction.
Extreme Infractions
In cases of extreme disobedience or violence, the student will be removed
from the classroom and sent to the principal. If there is an instance where my
class needs to be removed from the classroom to prevent them from getting
hurt or disoriented for the rest of the day, I will use the code words take a
vacation, that will signal the class to leave the classroom in an orderly fashion
and walk to the library or neighboring classroom. My coworkers will be aware
of this procedure. While the remainder of the class is out of the room, the
disobedient student will be calmed down by behavioral experts or myself and
removed from the room. There will be principal involvement when an extreme
infraction occurs. Parents will be immediate notified of the issue.
Parent Involvement
More than anything, I want the parent/guardian(s) of my students to be
aware of their successes and struggles in the classroom. As a teacher, I will be
present for a critical time period of growth and educational milestones for my
students- I want their guardians to feel like they have been a part of it. There
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are several ways that I will ensure that the guardians of my students are
involved.
Guardian name(s)
Phone number(s)
Email(s)
Preferred method of
communication
Do you have internet and
a computer at home?
Does the student have
siblings in the school?
How does the student get
home?
Student name
Birthday
Allergies
Medications (or
disabilities)
Special interests or
involvement outside of
school
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Continuous Communication
Like I stated earlier, I want my students guardians to be aware of their
childrens progress in the classroom. At the end of each week, students will go
home with a personal note from me written in their weekly planners. This note
could include topics like reminders, updates on behaviors, improvements in
specific content areas, or things to consider practicing at home. It will be the
responsibility of the guardians to keep up to date with their students planner.
When behavioral issues arise, guardians will be contacted immediately or
by the end of the day. Behavioral issues are defined as: losing all three of their
Travelers Treasures that day, had a major issue at specials/lunch/recess, or
needed to be removed from the classroom to have a private conversation.
Guardians will be notified of the situation that happened and the plan that was
established to prevent the behavior in the future.
I will send out a monthly newsletter titled
Miss Trappens Travel Journal. This that will be
sent home electronically for those that would
prefer to receive it over email and in Take Home
folders for those that would prefer a paper copy. It
will include pictures and highlights of the month,
volunteer opportunities, as well as and things to
look forward to in the month ahead.
It is very important to me that the
guardians of my students trust my ability to
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In the Classroom
I will have scheduled opportunities for guardians to visit and volunteer in
my classroom. Volunteer opportunities will be listed in Miss Trappens Travel
Journal each month. Guardians may be asked to come in to help with major
art or science projects, holiday parties, field trips, or culture days, in which we
learn about the different cultures of our classmates.
Volunteer opportunities will be very structured in my classroom.
Guardians will be given specific tasks and direction, so I can make sure that
order and obedience is maintained in the classroom. This being said, I will
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Tardiness
It is at the responsibility of the guardian that their student arrives to
school on time. If excessive tardiness becomes an issue with a student, home
will be contacted. If the problem continues, the office will be contacted to
resolve the issue.
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Conferences
I will make it my responsibility to ensure that there are no surprises at
conferences. I will do this by keeping consistent communication with my
students guardians regarding their progress and behavior.
Each student will have a small 3-ring binder that will hold examples of
exceptional and poor work to be displayed at conferences. This binder will also
include standardized test scores, documentation of the students behavior,
observations from staff members and myself, as
well as goals and plans for improvement.
Prior to conferences, students will fill out a
self-evaluation. Additionally, they will have a oneon-one meeting with me to discuss how they are
performing both academically and behaviorally in
my classroom. I will assess the students
performance to compare to their self-evaluation.
If given the option, I will include my
students in my conferences. Everything that
would be discussed with the students would be
discussed with the student before-hand. Not only
do I think its important for the students to be
active in creating goals and the plans to achieve
them, I think that young students are incredible honest with their strengths
and weaknesses. Having guardians see that their students and I are on the
same page concerning the areas that need improvement and that both the
student and I have an active plan, guardians will be less likely to blame their
students performance on the teacher. This being said, for more concerning
topics that need to be discussed further, I would have the student exit the
conference and speak one on one with the guardian(s).
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Resources
Information
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The First Days of School: How to Be an
Effective Teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Mackenzie, R., & Stanzione, L. (2010). PAT: A Motivational Gift that Keeps on
Giving. In Setting limits in the classroom: A complete guide to effective
classroom management with a school-wide discipline plan (3rd ed., pp.
64-83). New York: Three Rivers Press.
Pictures
Title Page:
World Map: http://becuo.com/world-outline-simple
In-Text:
1. http://thepaperbagteachers.blogspot.com/search/label/Classroom
2. https://www.etsy.com/listing/154252862/the-world-awaits-travelthemenursery?ref=sr_gallery_30&ga_search_query=travel+theme+party&ga_sea
rch_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery
3. https://www.etsy.com/listing/94380891/old-straw-dispenser-turnedinto-a-pencil
4. http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/2014/04/world-traveler-classroomtheme/
5. http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/2012/09/schoolgirl-style-challengefinalist-1/
6. http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2012/04/cultivating-strategicreaders.html
7. http://www.coolhunting.com/design/bellerby-desk-globes.php
8. http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/blackboard,school/Recent
9. http://craftyteacher-devyn.blogspot.com/2013/10/novembernewsletter-for-preschool-pre-k.html?m=1
10.
http://freebie-licious.blogspot.com/2014/10/parent-teacher
conference-forms.html