Classroom Management Plan

Hunterpaige McDaniel

November 29, 2018

Dr. Olha

Georgia College & State University

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Philosophy and Rationale

Often times, people think of a community as the town or place they grew up in, live in, or

work in. For instance, I lived in the “unincorporated community” of Normantown, Georgia while

growing up, or the community of Milledgeville, Georgia while in college. However, as I have

been going through the cohort and doing student teaching, my view of the idea of a community

has changed. I now see that a classroom also functions as a community. In order for any

community to run smoothly, just like Normantown or Milledgeville, there has to be laws,

leaders, consequences, community helpers, members, plans, and more. These characteristics

within a classroom are essential. Bundled together, they give us the idea of classroom

management.

I believe that the students, teachers, and other people within a classroom should be

considered a community. I want my classroom to function as a community that focuses on

“developing a caring and supportive classroom (Kohn).” If students feel they are in a caring and

supportive community, or classroom, they will feel safe and experience a positive learning

environment. The development of “caring and supportive leaders” will aid in the process of

behavior management. Each student will have the opportunity to be a leader through classroom

jobs, discussions, and other activities. These ideas are discussed within Alfie Kohn’s Beyond

Discipline model.

I believe in implementing the 5 criteria from the Positive Discipline behavior model into

the development of our classroom community. First, I should be a kind teacher—yet firm. There

is a fine line between being kind, and allowing people to “walk over you.” Therefore, I will have

to remind myself to be firm, as well. Second, I should work to a connection between our

community members, students and myself included, that gives one a sense of “belonging and
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significance.” I will do this through addressing unkind behavior, mixing up group members,

bringing awareness to feelings, allowing students to talk to each other to solve problems, and

creating times for sharing. Third, this should “be effective long-term”—through teaching my

students respect, concern for others, and problem solving. Fourth, through bringing awareness to

feelings, having sharing time, allowing students to solve their problems, they will develop

“social and life skills.” Lastly, this environment “invites students to discover their capability”—

they will know they are capable of doing things within the classroom and out. Ensuring that I

include this 5 criteria model will bring in the teaching of lessons mentioned in Classroom

Habitudes.

I believe that I should be a teacher that is “demanding, yet warm in interaction,

supportive, and respectful—as discussed in the Assertive Discipline model. I will be warm in

interaction by greeting my students, striving to speak without anger, and showing proper social

skills (eye contact or getting on students’ level). I will use the knowledge gained in Choice

Words to think about the words I use to say things—even things as simple as using “good job!” I

will teach my students that “can’t never could do.” I want them to know that they can do hard

things, and teach them the idea of productive struggle—developing a dynamic mindset (Opening

Minds.) I will talk with them about their dreams and admirations (academically or not), and share

my support through them all. I will be respectful as I allow students equal opportunity to be

dispersers of knowledge, share their thoughts, and never disregard their thoughts because they

are young.

I believe that my classroom community should have laws, as any smoothly ran

community does. These laws, of course, would be called rules. The Assertive Discipline Model

discusses the idea of having clearly stated classroom rules. I will focus on making these clearly
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stated rules worded in a positive tone. For example, “be respectful of others” instead of “do not

hit.” I will create an opportunity for students to help in the wording of these rules on the first day

of class. I will also send home a list of the rules for parents to sign (Assertive Discipline). As I

use these rules for behavior management, I will focus on the idea of “proximity praise.” This

form of praising was discussed in Rules in School, and the Assertive Discipline model.

Other Environmental Considerations

I want my classroom to be a safe, inviting, and calm environment. I must also consider

the characteristics of the environment of my classroom. The classroom will include the florescent

lighting built within the ceiling—and that can not be changed. However, I would like to include

string lights across the room, multiple floor lamps, and flashlights. I would like to implement an

activity called “Learning is LIT!” During the given times for this activity, students will be able to

choose the lighting they use while reading, writing, or whatever else is included. If they vote to

turn off the classroom fluorescent lighting, we will keep our classroom “lit” through the use of

the string lights, floor lamps, and individual flashlights for any student that chooses to use one.

I want to incorporate the use of music as much as possible. With today’s technology, it

will not be necessary that I have a radio or other musical source. I am able to play music from

the computer and interactive board. I will music during transitions, brain breaks, during lessons

on certain topics, and while students are working on assignments.

As I am striving to teach students a sense of self-care and care for others, I also want to

teach them to care for other living things. I will do this through a classroom pet and class plants.

I would bring in a Peace Lily to place near the calm down area/reading center. I would create a

class job where the students would water the plant when needed. I would also have a Chinchilla

as a classroom pet. I would teach the students the proper way to handle the pet, and have specific
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times for doing so—with my help and supervision. I would create pet helpers as classroom jobs.

They would feed our pet and give it “Chinchilla dust baths.”

Routines and Procedures:

I would use the first days of school to primarily focus on routines and procedures. First,

we would discuss the different routines and procedures we are expected to follow. Then, I would

model the way the steps of each procedure should be followed. Finally, students would have the

opportunity to practice the routines and procedures.

Seating Arrangements:

Due to the age of my students and the set up of my classroom, I would give students

assigned seats at desks or a table. They would sit at these seats during crafts or writing activities.

There would be two carpets that will be utilized during whole group instruction—the bulk of our

day (reading, math, science/social studies, and calendar lessons). One carpet is in front of the

white board/interactive board. The other carpet is in front of the calendar board. Students would

have an assigned color square to sit in on each square. As time went on and students began to

learn the procedures, I would explore the possibility of not having assigned seating on the carpet

during certain lessons. However, when referring back to the sociogram activity, I know that there

will probably be some students that are not able to sit beside each other and stay focused.

Transitioning:

In order to create smooth transitioning from groups, I would focus again on discussing

the expectations, modeling the process, and allowing students to practice. We have three group

areas that will be utilized—for 15 minutes each. One group will be placed at a kidney table with

me, one at a group of desks with the parapro, and one at a group for an independent activity

(laptop, games, etc.) The groups will rotate in a clockwise pattern. When the timer goes off, I
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will play our “clean up song” (to be decided as a class). While the song is playing, students will

clean up their supplies, push their chairs under, and form a quiet line with their group facing the

way that they will be transitioning. Each transition will be the same procedure no matter which

group they are at.

Bathroom/water/media center access:

Due to safety issues/protocols and the age range of my students, we will take bathroom

and water breaks as a class. However, if there is a time where a student cannot wait until the

next full class break, they will give me the assigned bathroom emergency signal (to be decided

as a class). Once I have acknowledged their signal and signaled back, they will go to the “who is

out of the room” chart and move their number piece to bathroom before they go. Visiting the

library is incorporated in our “specials” time. Therefore, the whole class visits once a week.

Since they are just starting to read and no Accelerated Reader tests are giving, they will only visit

and check out a book on this allotted day.

Sharpening pencils:

I will have two pails for pencils: once with a graphic displaying a “sharp” pencil, and the

other with a graphic displaying “broken” pencil. If students encounter a broken pencil, they will

be allowed to place their pencil in the broken pail, and receive a sharpened pencil. Therefore,

they will not require access to a pencil sharpener since a sharp pencil is always available to each

student. If students have a special pencil in their bag, they will raise their hand to have it

sharpened specifically for them when time permits.

Securing classroom supplies/resources:

Each table/desk group will have a plastic drawer set at their group. The top drawer will

contain students’ supplies. Each student will have a: pencil bag, pencil, space maker (popsicle
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stick), eraser, and crayons in their bag. They will place this bag and their journals in this drawer.

The second drawer will contain books to read during free time—a group mini library. The third

drawer will include any extra clothes brought in case of accidents. Although a supply list will be

sent home with each student, I know it is not realistic for every student to bring back all of the

supplies. Therefore, I will have extra supplies, through buying or donations, to provide to the

students who do not have them.

Collecting homework, written assignments, etc.:

Students will have a daily communication folder. They will send back their homework in

the “return to school” side of the folder. The parapro will retrieve every student’s homework

from their folder once it has been turned in to her basket. There will be a “mailbox” set up beside

my table where students will turn in any written assignments. There will be highlighters placed

on top of the mailbox. Students will use these highlighters to highlight their name and number on

their paper before turning it in.

Assignments missed by students who are absent/out of the room:

Communication with parents through Class DoJo and a class website will be imperative

to developing our classroom community. Each week, I will update parents on our weekly

agenda. If a student is absent, I will communicate with that parent about what they missed. I will

also create a “What did I miss?” wall in our classroom. The wall will contain folders with each

student’s number on it. Non-graded assignments will be placed in the folder if a student is absent

from school, or has been pulled from the room for something. When they return, they will check

their folder and take home any work to be completed. However, they will receive a card with any

graded assignments missed written on it. They will take their card to the parapro in order for her

to assist them with completing the missing grades.

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Other necessary routines/procedures:

When students arrive to the classroom each morning, they will get to choose the greeting

they would like to receive for me: a hug, high five, or fist bump. They would then go into the

room to unpack. They will put their communication folders in the designated basket beside the

parapro’s desk. They will place their book bag and jacket inside their designated cubby. If they

have a lunchbox, they will place it on the shelf beside the door. After unpacking their

belongings, they will go to the restroom. When they return, they will read a book or work on the

laptops until it is time for the morning meeting.

As discussed in The Morning Meeting, I would like to incorporate a daily morning

meeting procedure. During this meeting, we would have a greeting. It would be written on chart

paper for students to connect the spelling with the pronunciation. At first, the greeting would be

the same each day. This repetition would help students develop fluency in reading the greeting.

The meeting would also include time for sharing and a short group activity. I feel that this time

will be beneficial in developing a community of kind and caring learners.

We will have a procedure for getting ready for lunchtime, as well. We will all participate

in a brain break by singing and dancing to the GoNoodle song “Lunch.” After the song, the

assigned line leader, door holder, and caboose will get their name tags and line up on the “line

spots” on the floor. Students will then be called by rows to get their name tags and line up. We

will discuss the rules for walking quietly in the hall. Before going to lunch, we will go to the

restroom. Students will go to the restroom quietly and quickly. They will line up in the same

order. We will walk quietly through the hall—facing the front and keeping hands off of the wall.

At the end of the day, we will have a routine for packing up. We will go to the bathroom

as a group. We will line up the same way we did for lunch—only this time students will take off
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their name tags. When we return from the restroom, students will sit on the front carpet. They

will be called by their class number to pack up. They will line up to tell the parapro their

behavior color for the day so that she can mark it on their folder. Once they have gotten their

folder, they will get any papers from their cubbies to take home. They will place the papers and

their folders in their book bags. They will put their book bags on the back of their chairs and

return to the carpet until time for dismissal. Before leaving for dismissal, I will go through the

line to give every student a hug.

Managing Behavior:

Classroom guidelines for behavior will be discussed during the first morning meeting on

the first day of school. I will share with my students how I want our classroom to be a

community—like a family. I will have guidelines created that I want us to follow written on

chart paper. However, I will also have a blank sheet of chart paper so that I can add their

suggestions for guidelines, as well. After they have shared suggestions, we will go through their

suggestions and mine to create one common list of guidelines for our classroom. Throughout the

year, we will have other morning meetings centered on the guidelines to discuss making any

changes. If so, we will repeat the same process of adding suggestions.

I will create a whole classroom behavior reward system. Students will be able to gain

marbles by following rules and directions, cleaning up, being kind, etc. Once the jar is full, they

will receive whatever award we are working towards (movie recess, sock day, etc.) However, I

will also be allowed to remove marbles from the jar if the class is not following directions, leaves

a mess, or demonstrates other behavior issues.

I will use Class DoJo to keep track of behavior. I feel that Class DoJo is beneficial

because it aids in developing a relationship with parents. Parents will be given a code to sign up
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for Class DoJo. I do not believe in public display of behavior management. When I was a

student, it absolutely devastated me to get in trouble—much less have the whole class see that

my “clip moved down.” Therefore, I do not want to inflict the same emotional and social

“devastation” on my students. If there is a problem with a student’s behavior, they will start off

by receiving a warning—verbal or nonverbal. If the nonverbal warning does not redirect their

behavior, I will pull them to the side to talk about the problem and promote redirection. Due to

the clearly stated classroom rules, they will be guided in explaining why they broke a rule. It will

be noted on Class DoJo that we had a “conference” about their behavior. If behavior persist, I

will pull the student aside again. Through reading Rules in Schools, I learned the importance of

providing logical consequences for students who misbehave. Logical consequences will vary

based on the behavior. For example, if they are misusing classroom materials, that material will

be taken away from them for the remainder of the day. As opposed to many teachers today and

throughout the history of teaching, I do not feel that taking away a student’s recess is a logical

consequence for most misbehaviors. Other consequences will include talking with the teacher,

calling parents, time to sit away from the rest of the class to reflect on their behavior, or

consequences with parents and/or administration.

Encouraging Self-Regulation and Scaffolding toward Independent Learning:

In order to help students become self-regulated and independent learners, I will model

expectations for procedures (transitioning, lining up, etc.) and we will practice them multiple

times during the first week of school. I want my students to eventually be able to transition

through groups without me even having to say a word to them. I want them to know the routine

and expectations. I want students to follow the directions, guidelines, and rules set for our class.

Since they will be included in creating these three things, I hope that they will develop a sense of
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ownership that pushes them towards self-regulation. I want to discuss respect during morning

meetings so that they will understand why it is important to respect others while working

individually, in small groups or large group settings, and during cooperative learning

experiences. They will be provided opportunities to work in independent small groups. They will

know the procedures, and have opportunities to practice them after I have modeled them, so they

will be expected to follow them on their own.

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References:

Anderson, M. (Ed.). (2015). The first six weeks of school (2nd ed.). Turner Falls, MA: Center for

Responsive Schools.

Assertive Discipline. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2018, from http://www.behavioradvisor.com/

assertiveDiscipline.html

Brady, K., Forton, M. B., & Porter, D. (2015). Rules in school: Teaching discipline in the

responsive classroom. Turners Falls, MA: Center for Responsive Schools.

Davis, C., & Yang, A. (2005). Parents & teachers working together. Turners Falls, MA:

Northeast Foundation for Children.

Johnston, P. H. (2004). Choice words: How our language affects children's learning. Portland,

Me.: Stenhouse Publishers.

Kriete, R., & Davis, C. (2014). The Morning Meeting Book (3rd ed.). Turner Falls, MA:

Northeast Foundation for Children.

Maiers, A. (2012). Classroom Habitudes: Teaching Habits and Attitudes for 21st Century

Learning. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

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The joyful classroom: Practical ways to engage & challenge students K-6. (2016). Turners Falls,

MA: Center for Responsive Schools.