Morningside College
Classroom Behavior Plan Created by: Kayla Frey 10/31/2013
2013
EDUC 405 with Susie Lubbers
Hypothetical Classroom Classroom Breakdown Grade level: K-3 Level II Special Education Class size: 12 1 Kindergartener 3 first graders 4 second graders 4 third graders Gender: 7 males, 5 females Socioeconomic levels: Majority of the students are in the middle class. There are, however, a few in lower class. Ethnicity: White (5), African American (3), Hispanic (4) Educational Status: All students have an IEP and go to the special education from for math, reading and writing. Learning Disability (3) ASD (5) Down’s syndrome (2) Intellectual Disability (2) Reading levels: 6 students are still working on putting four word sentences together. 3 students are reading at a first grade level. One student is reading at a second grade level. 2 students are reading at the kindergarten level.
Hypothetical Classroom Classroom Floor Plan The teacher’s desk will be in front of the room, angled near the opposite corner of the door. There will be a semi-circle desk immediately in front of the SmartBoard. In the corner of the back of the room there will be a “horse-shoe” shaped table used for one on one instruction. There will be a trash can next to the teacher’s desk. There will also be a trash can in the back of the room near the “horse-shoe” shaped table. On the right side of the back of the room, opposite of the table, there will be a single bathroom with a sink inside. There will be two pods of four in the middle of the classroom for independent work.
Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management I believe I can have good classroom management by: Creating a good classroom environment, pre-teaching the rules, modeling the rules, enforcing the rules and praising the students who follow the rules. Having a good classroom environment is crucial to having good classroom management. In order to do this, the teacher needs to show students respect. If respect is shown it is given. I think it is also important to teach the students about respect. Respecting one another will lead to good classroom management Pre-teaching rules and expectations will give the students prior knowledge when the rules are taught and demonstrated. This will also give the teacher an opportunity to scaffold the information. When teaching the rules, it is important to be direct and concise. The students need to understand what is expected of them at all times. When teaching the rules, it is also important to give the students examples and non-examples. After teaching the rules, the students must still know the rules are being enforced. Throughout the school year, it is important to enforce the rules. This will hold student accountable. I think the goal is to have better classroom management at the end of the year, rather the beginning. The last part of my philosophy is praise. It is important to praise students who are following the rules, rather than discipline students who are not. Although it is important to praise students, it’s prudent not to over praise. When teachers over praise, the praise loses meaning. I think it is important to praise the students who truly need it more than students who do not.
Classroom Rules Respect Yourself and Others Be Ready to Learn Respect Yourself and Others In order to have a good classroom environment, the students will respect themselves and others. The students need to show respect by not hurting themselves or others physically and/or verbally. Consequences: 1st: The student will apologize to their peer(s) and have a one on one talk with the teacher on why the behavior is not tolerated. They will also move down on the behavior chart. 2nd: The student’s parent(s) or guardian will be notified about the student’s behavior, as well as, the general education teacher. 3rd: A behavior plan will be implemented with the general education teacher *** If the behavior is physically harmful for the student or others, they will be removed from the classroom. Incentives: The students will be praised for respectful behavior. The students could move up on the behavior chart. Be Ready to Learn The students need to be ready to learn to get the most out of their education. In order to be ready, the student must come to class prompt and prepared. By coming prepared, all homework needs to be completed. The students must have all materials needed for class. The student must also act appropriate during instruction time. This means not talking while the teacher or a peer is talking. Consequences: 1st: The student will retrieve all material needed and will make up material missed on their time. The student will move their pin down. 2nd: The student will have a one on one conversation with the teacher about why it is important to have materials for class present at the beginning of class. 3rd: The parent(s), guardian(s) and general educator will be notified. Incentives: The student may be able to move their pin up. The student will receive verbal praise.
Procedures to Become Routines
Clean-up: The student will clean up the area they worked in before leaving class, unless otherwise told. o Pushchair under desk. o Collect garbage on and under desk and place in the trash can. o Place work in folder or “turn in” basket. o Any other materials used should be put back in their appropriate place. Decorations: There will be two bulletins boards in the classroom. One will display holiday themed decorations with student work. The other will contain the classroom rules, consequences and incentives. The entire room will be decorated to fit holidays, as they are being celebrated. The front of the room will contain a long alphabet poster A “touch-points” poster will also be present in the room. All students are expected to respect the posters and bulletin boards. Enrichment: When finished with work students may: work on puzzles in the back of the room. o Go onto the computer and play a game on brainpop.com and Internet4classrooms.com o Pick a picture from a magazine and write about it in their journal o The students may read, a grade level appropriate book, in the “reading corner”. When needed, the teacher will be available every Tuesday-Thursday after and before school for one on one instruction or any questions.
Procedures to Become Routines Grading: Each student’s grade will directly correlate with their individual education plan (IEP). Technology: Students who require an electronic device as an accommodation are expected to bring their assistive technology to class. Students need to be ready to learn, this requires them to be on task and alert. Therefore, the students will not be allowed to carry their cell phone or iPod to class. If the teacher sees the electronic devices being used inappropriately, they will be confiscated and be returned at the end of the school day.
Beginning of School Parent Letter Dear Parent/Guardian,
A Little Bit About Me: My name is Kayla Frey and I am a special education teacher at Spalding school. I will be working with your child in the areas specified in his/her IEP or 504. I will also be present in your child’s general education room to co-teach. It is my goal to give your child the resources and strategies he/she needs to succeed in the classroom. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me. I have included my classroom rules, contact information, schedule Classroom Rules: Respect Yourself and Others Be Ready to Learn
Contact Information: School phone number: (712) 276-8777 Room number: 201 Phone number: (712) 389-5238 E-mail: knf001@morningside.edu
Homework Policy: Your child will be given a homework folder from me. In it, could be activities to complete, in math, reading or writing, or books to read. All is encouraged to be completed with a parent or guardian. [Insert current classroom schedule]
If the completed activities are completed and turned it the following school day, your child will receive a sticker. A total of five stickers will permit your son/daughter to receive a prize from the classroom toy box.
Beginning of School Parent Letter Below are the rules, consequences and incentives for this upcoming year. Please read through, sign at the bottom, and send with your child on the first day of school. If you have any questions, comments or concerns my contact information is previously listed. Respect Yourself and Others In order to have a good classroom environment, the students will respect themselves and others. The students need to show respect by not hurting themselves or others physically and/or verbally. Consequences: 1st: The student will apologize to their peer(s) and have a one on one talk with the teacher on why the behavior is not tolerated. They will also move down on the behavior chart. 2nd: The student’s parent(s) or guardian will be notified about the student’s behavior, as well as, the general education teacher. 3rd: A behavior plan will be implemented with the general education teacher ** If the behavior is physically harmful for the student or others, they will be removed from the classroom. Incentives: The students will be praised for respectful behavior. The students could move up on the behavior chart. Be Ready to Learn The students need to be ready to learn to get the most out of their education. In order to be ready, the student must come to class prompt and prepared. By coming prepared, all homework needs to be completed. The students must have all materials needed for class. The student must also act appropriate during instruction time. Consequences: 1st: The student will retrieve all material needed and will make up material missed on their time. The student will move their pin down. 2nd: The student will have a one on one conversation with the teacher about why it is important to have materials for class present at the beginning of class. 3rd: The parent(s), guardian(s) and general educator will be notified. Incentives: The student may be able to move their pin up. The student will receive verbal praise.
Parent/Guardian Signature:_________________________________
Parent Conference Journal Template Student name:
Date: Time:
Conference goal(s):
Student strengths:
Areas to improve:
Possible parent tips:
Teacher’s plan to help areas of improvement:
Student’s typical attitude in the classroom
Student’s attitude towards content:
Questions/Concerns on student:
Summary:
Parent signature and date:
_________________________________________________
______________________
Teacher signature and date: _________________________________________________
______________________
Character Counts Every week on Friday, a student will be picked to receive gratitude notes from their peers. Each student will write a short note expressing to the designated peer why they are thankful to have met them. Once the students have completed their letters, they will hand them into the teacher. The teacher will scan the note to make sure it is appropriate and then encase all of the notes in an envelope for the student to take home over the weekend. Once each student has had the opportunity to receive a package, the students will start receiving their second gratitude package in the same order. Hopefully, this exercise will encourage students to recognize the goodness in one another. In return, one student a week will be able to read all of the nice things his/her peers have to say about them.
Accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL) Rich text environment: I will strive to have a rich text environment in my classroom. I will have a word wall with sight words in the back of my room for students to refer to when they are working. I will also have a content word wall. This particular word wall will display new vocabulary and definitions. It will be referred to frequently during instruction. Frequent Read-Alouds will take place in the classroom using a big book. This will give students a proper sized text to “read” along with me. My classroom will have labels. I will try and label everything in my classroom with the name. This way, students will be exposed to the word while using/looking at the object. I would also like to implement student dictionaries. Each student will have his/her own “dictionary”. If they do not know how to spell a word, they can reference their dictionary. If the word is not in the dictionary, the student can ask the teacher to write to word in the dictionary. I believe ELL students can greatly benefit from a rich text environment. Academic Accommodations: I will accommodate my vocabulary while in the classroom. It is important to speak in the student’s zone of proximal development. I will need to change the way I speak to my student and slightly slow my rate of speech. I think it is also important to alter assigned readings. It will be important to only have the student read what he/she NEEDS to know. Instead of have the student read a chapter from his/her social studies book, only assigned few important pages. This will lessen the chances of students becoming frustrated. The use of graphic organizers can also be helpful. This will automatically organize important information for the student, while giving a visual. Visuals: Using visuals in the classroom is prudent when there are ELL students. I will put visuals with all of the words on each word wall (if applicable). I will also show short video clips to bring the information being taught “to life”. Relating things to prior knowledge, scaffolding, is important