Positive and Supportive Relationships
One of the main things that students remember about their time in school is the relationships they had with peers and teachers, whether they were good or bad. In our classroom, we strive to build and maintain positive and supportive relationships. I expect all of my students to treat each other with the utmost respect and I treat them with the same respect in return. Our school makes use of a program called Second Steps that consists of many videos and supplemental materials aimed at teaching children about social skills and social problem solving. Using these videos, I will work to help students create more positive relationships with their classmates.At the beginning of the school year, I will talk to students about my expectations for the classroom that include the expectation for students to always use kind words when talking to each other and keeping their hands to themselves.
Responsibility
Students will learn to take responsibility for their actions and behavior in our classroom. We make use of a color chart where students move down a color when they misbehave. However, they can move back up the chart when they are seen behaving correctly. When they misbehave, I will also talk with them about the misbehavior, why it was wrong, and what they can do to fix it next time. This helps students to learn about the consequences for their behavior, how they can fix their behavior, and to think about their behavior more.
Management
Effective learning requires effective management of time, space, transitions, movement, materials, and activities on behalf of the teacher. To help us with time management, I will have a class schedule posted on the board in front of the classroom for me and the students to see and help keep us on track. I specifically create lessons that will fit into the scheduled blocks of time that we have. When the students are in small groups or working independently, I will use a small timer to ensure that we do not loose track of time while we are engaged in a lesson or activity.
The management of space in terms of the layout of the classroom is extremely important as it sets the tone for the types of behaviors that are allowed in the classroom and dictates the flow of traffic. Student desks are placed in groups of four around the room with enough space for them to maneuver without any complications. In the front of the classroom, there is a large carpet area where we do our large group lessons and make use of our SmartBoard. There are shelves for storage placed around the room, again, with enough room for students to safely maneuver without any problems.
There are many transitions throughout the school day and they can cause some issues for teachers and students alike. To combat this, I begin by giving students a five minute warning for when we are about to transition into our next activity. This allows them to finish up whatever they are working on without feeling rushed and to mentally prepare for the next activity. When the time is up, I ring a triangle to let students know that it is officially time to transition. This gets their attention without screaming at them. Students are told what they are expected to do to prepare for the next activity and are given time to get ready.
Movement is critical for your child's development. They are simple not wired to sit in a desk for hours at a time at this age. Knowing this, I provide what we call "Brain Breaks" for students to get up and moving to get their wiggles out and help them better focus on the next task. I like to do Brain Breaks with students as often as possible in between activities or whenever I can tell that they are getting a little antsy. In addition to this, we have recess every day after lunch for 30 minutes. When there is inclement weather, we stay in the classroom and use a program called GoNoodle to get moving inside. Once a week, students go to P.E. for 45 minutes to get some exercise. Students are encouraged to participate in all of the movement activities that we do, but they are never forced.
Student's individual materials such as notebooks and folders are kept inside of their desks. On every table is an organizer that holds enough pencils, erasers, markers, etc. for the students to use. I ensure that there are more than enough for everyone to have one so that students are never fighting over materials. Materials for other activities are stored on the shelves for easy access or in the teacher's storage cabinet for me to get out.
All activities are thoroughly planned before we do them in class. I start each activity by talking to the class about what exactly we will be doing, how we will be doing it, what is expected of them, and how much time they will have to do the activity. At the beginning of the activities I set a timer and provide them with a five minute warning. While the students are doing the activity, I monitor both their progress and their behavior.
Safety
The physical and emotional safety of students is a major concern for parents and students alike. On the first day of school, we spend a lot of time going over the various safety drills with the students so that they know what to do in case of an emergency. Our school practices these drills once a month to ensure that students remember what they are to do in an emergency situation. Throughout the school year, students will be expected to act in a safe manner at all times. This means doing things like walking in the hallways and around the classroom as opposed to running, keeping their hands to themselves, and playing safely outside. In addition to their physical well-being, it is imperative that students feel emotionally safe as it is impossible for them to learn otherwise. Our classroom is a safe and welcome environment for all students. We do not tolerate any kind of bullying or harassment in our classroom. We always speak with kind words and avoid putting each other down. All students will feel comfortable enough to share their ideas while learning and growing in our classroom.
Grouping Patterns
We, as humans, are social creatures. Knowing this, it is my job to make sure that students get to work with and learn from their peers as sometimes this where the best learning takes place. We will accomplish this by using a variety of grouping patterns. For example, students will be seated randomly in groups of four at their desks. This grouping allows them to get to know their classmates, communicate more easily with them, share ideas, and help each other. Every six weeks, the table groups will rotate so that students get to sit near and work with everyone in the classroom. For our math and reading groups, students are grouped based on similar ability levels. This allows them to all go at about the same pace while working with and learning from each other. It also helps with lesson instruction because they are all working on the same material on the same level.
One of the main things that students remember about their time in school is the relationships they had with peers and teachers, whether they were good or bad. In our classroom, we strive to build and maintain positive and supportive relationships. I expect all of my students to treat each other with the utmost respect and I treat them with the same respect in return. Our school makes use of a program called Second Steps that consists of many videos and supplemental materials aimed at teaching children about social skills and social problem solving. Using these videos, I will work to help students create more positive relationships with their classmates.At the beginning of the school year, I will talk to students about my expectations for the classroom that include the expectation for students to always use kind words when talking to each other and keeping their hands to themselves.
Responsibility
Students will learn to take responsibility for their actions and behavior in our classroom. We make use of a color chart where students move down a color when they misbehave. However, they can move back up the chart when they are seen behaving correctly. When they misbehave, I will also talk with them about the misbehavior, why it was wrong, and what they can do to fix it next time. This helps students to learn about the consequences for their behavior, how they can fix their behavior, and to think about their behavior more.
Management
Effective learning requires effective management of time, space, transitions, movement, materials, and activities on behalf of the teacher. To help us with time management, I will have a class schedule posted on the board in front of the classroom for me and the students to see and help keep us on track. I specifically create lessons that will fit into the scheduled blocks of time that we have. When the students are in small groups or working independently, I will use a small timer to ensure that we do not loose track of time while we are engaged in a lesson or activity.
The management of space in terms of the layout of the classroom is extremely important as it sets the tone for the types of behaviors that are allowed in the classroom and dictates the flow of traffic. Student desks are placed in groups of four around the room with enough space for them to maneuver without any complications. In the front of the classroom, there is a large carpet area where we do our large group lessons and make use of our SmartBoard. There are shelves for storage placed around the room, again, with enough room for students to safely maneuver without any problems.
There are many transitions throughout the school day and they can cause some issues for teachers and students alike. To combat this, I begin by giving students a five minute warning for when we are about to transition into our next activity. This allows them to finish up whatever they are working on without feeling rushed and to mentally prepare for the next activity. When the time is up, I ring a triangle to let students know that it is officially time to transition. This gets their attention without screaming at them. Students are told what they are expected to do to prepare for the next activity and are given time to get ready.
Movement is critical for your child's development. They are simple not wired to sit in a desk for hours at a time at this age. Knowing this, I provide what we call "Brain Breaks" for students to get up and moving to get their wiggles out and help them better focus on the next task. I like to do Brain Breaks with students as often as possible in between activities or whenever I can tell that they are getting a little antsy. In addition to this, we have recess every day after lunch for 30 minutes. When there is inclement weather, we stay in the classroom and use a program called GoNoodle to get moving inside. Once a week, students go to P.E. for 45 minutes to get some exercise. Students are encouraged to participate in all of the movement activities that we do, but they are never forced.
Student's individual materials such as notebooks and folders are kept inside of their desks. On every table is an organizer that holds enough pencils, erasers, markers, etc. for the students to use. I ensure that there are more than enough for everyone to have one so that students are never fighting over materials. Materials for other activities are stored on the shelves for easy access or in the teacher's storage cabinet for me to get out.
All activities are thoroughly planned before we do them in class. I start each activity by talking to the class about what exactly we will be doing, how we will be doing it, what is expected of them, and how much time they will have to do the activity. At the beginning of the activities I set a timer and provide them with a five minute warning. While the students are doing the activity, I monitor both their progress and their behavior.
Safety
The physical and emotional safety of students is a major concern for parents and students alike. On the first day of school, we spend a lot of time going over the various safety drills with the students so that they know what to do in case of an emergency. Our school practices these drills once a month to ensure that students remember what they are to do in an emergency situation. Throughout the school year, students will be expected to act in a safe manner at all times. This means doing things like walking in the hallways and around the classroom as opposed to running, keeping their hands to themselves, and playing safely outside. In addition to their physical well-being, it is imperative that students feel emotionally safe as it is impossible for them to learn otherwise. Our classroom is a safe and welcome environment for all students. We do not tolerate any kind of bullying or harassment in our classroom. We always speak with kind words and avoid putting each other down. All students will feel comfortable enough to share their ideas while learning and growing in our classroom.
Grouping Patterns
We, as humans, are social creatures. Knowing this, it is my job to make sure that students get to work with and learn from their peers as sometimes this where the best learning takes place. We will accomplish this by using a variety of grouping patterns. For example, students will be seated randomly in groups of four at their desks. This grouping allows them to get to know their classmates, communicate more easily with them, share ideas, and help each other. Every six weeks, the table groups will rotate so that students get to sit near and work with everyone in the classroom. For our math and reading groups, students are grouped based on similar ability levels. This allows them to all go at about the same pace while working with and learning from each other. It also helps with lesson instruction because they are all working on the same material on the same level.