Classroom Management Plan

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Welcome to
Kindergarten!

Classroom
Management Plan
Megan Crossett

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Table of Contents
Classroom

Physical Classroom
Organization
4-6

Operational Classroom Organization

Record
Keeping
6-7
Student
Work
7
Student
Areas
8
New
Students
.9
Substitutes.
910

Disciplinary Procedures & Professional

Ethics

Establishing Classroom
Expectations
11
Consequences for Minor Infractions &
Distractions11-12

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Consequences for Mid-Level

Infractions12-13
Consequences for Extreme
Infractions..13
Guardian
Involvement
13-14
Professional
Ethics
14-15

Routines & Procedures

The First
Day
15-16
Taking Roll & Lunch
Count
..16
Classroom
Jobs
..16
Morning
Routine
.17
Bathroom
..17
Drinking
Fountain
18
Lining Up &
Transitioning
.18

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Papers & Take-Home

Folder.
18-19
Newsletter.

..19
Free Time/Preferred Activity
Time.19
Dismissal
.19

Differentiation Policy

Supporting Struggling
Learners
..20
Gifted
Students
.20

References

Reference
List
21

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Classroom

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Physical Classroom Layout:

The design for my classroom was given focused by what I have
taken away from my practicum, professional, and personal
experiences. I have always felt more comfortable in classrooms that
are bright and thoughtfully decorated. In the classrooms that I have
been in, I have noticed that students in classrooms that are inviting
take ownership of and find pride in their rooms. As someone who
wishes to create a classroom community and an environment
conducive to learning, I made sure to use lots of vibrant colors and
leave space for many bulletin boards in my design.
When first entering my classroom, student lockers line the
entryway. I envisioned these to have cabinet space above them, that I
could use for storage and as a place to display pictures of each student
above their locker with their birthday. Underneath the cabinets would

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be a small shelf, coat hook, and bottom shelf for boots or gym shoes.
An area rug or runner is placed between sets of lockers for students to
wipe wet shoes on. To the right of the lockers is a pencil sharpener; a
recycling bin, and a trash can, as well as the entrance to the restroom.
To the left is a bulletin board for class announcements or displaying
student work (if outside wall space is unavailable).
Underneath the bulletin board is where I would have student
cubbies or mailboxes, which would be labeled with student pictures
and names, as students work at learning how to recognize their own
names in print. To the left of the student cubbies is the door to the
teacher storage closet. Within this closet I put the T.V./VCR/DVD player,
as I do not plan on utilizing those devices much in my lessons. I also
put extra laptops and iPads in this closet because I have seen surplus
technology placed haphazardly in other early elementary classrooms
and accidentally broken by students. On the wall created by the closet
is a counter top with double-basin sink and drinking fountain. I would
most likely place Kleenex and hand sanitizer there as well because
there is a trashcan placed off to the side of the counter for easy tissue
disposal. Ideally, there would be cabinets for storage and posting extra
math and literacy tidbits hung above the sink. Directly in front of the
student locker/teacher storage area, is the large group area.
This area is designated by a large area rug, teacher rocking
chair, teacher easel, two focused anchor walls; one for daily objectives
that are to be written as Questions of the Day and one with a math
focus to have weather, money, calendar, Number of the Day, Place
Value Pockets, and days of the week. In the middle of these anchor
walls is the Smart Board, which would have the alphabet and numbers
1-100 posted underneath to be at student eyelevel and perhaps very
low shelving for books and student white board supplies. To the left of
all of this is the Elmo, teacher desk with computer and phone/intercom,
another trashcan and recycling bin, and teacher shelves and filing
cabinets. Moving around further, is the small group teaching table that
seats six students. I put the small group teaching table close to the
teachers desk and large group area so that students would understand
that it is a workspace and not just a station to goof off at, as Ive seen
happen when this table is placed too near student desks or pushed in a
back corner. To the back of the small group teaching table is a focused
literacy anchor wall and a bookshelf containing individualized or
leveled texts.
The blue lines on the far walls are windows and I added many of
them because I prefer natural light to artificial light when I am in a
classroom and feel that younger students may also feel the same. The
class pet, a fish, is situated in the corner next to the windows for
students to observe as they work. Small group tables that seat two to
four students also line the far walls. Each small group table has a
bulletin board to display an anchor chart of pertinent information.

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There is a station for technology, one for science with live plants, one
for writing, and one for listening. The writing and listening stations
have a word wall in front of them.
Near the small group tables are the student desks, which are
color coded via table supply caddy to facilitate station rotations,
(students would be grouped for ability level and not by color table
colors would assist students in knowing the order in which to rotate),
as well as table points, if that is part of the classroom management
plan. Across from the student desks are large bulletin boards, which
would display world, country, state, and local maps, as well as a
history-focused anchor chart. In the middle of these bulletin boards is a
large shelf that has paper turn in trays, the globe, and map mats on it
for students to use as needed. On the shelves would be extra supplies
and/or art supplies. Lastly, the reading corner has a large rug, bean
bag chairs, bulletin boards for literacy postings and featured books to
be chosen by the teacher and students, and reading buddies which
are intended to be literary character stuffed animals. The reading
corner also houses the classroom library. One large bookshelf will have
free read books and the other may have bins for each student to
keep texts chosen specifically for them.

Operational
Classroom Organization
Routine in the classroom is so important for students, especially
those experiencing school for the first time! Our classroom
management style depends heavily on daily routines, as well as
consistent expectations and consequences, for everyone teacher
included. To keep our day running smoothly and our learning as rich as
possible, outlined below is the operational organization of our Rockin
Kindergarten Classroom.

Record Keeping:
Student records are kept in both a physical record book as well
as an online record book. Both of these record books will have been
created prior to the first day of school. Within the record book will be
spaces for attendance, assessment scores, skill mastery, goals, and
notes. As a kindergarten teacher, much of my focus is not solely on
assessment, but on making sure that students are becoming
acclimated to the educational environment, the expectations for such

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environment, and reaching the appropriate milestones, cognitively,

emotionally, and physically. This is why much of my record book is
dedicated to goal setting and skill mastery versus quantitative
measures.
The purpose for having two record books is to back up my
information, but to also keep parents, colleagues, and administrators
as up to date as possible on student progress. Record books serve to
organize information for immediate retrieval (Wong, 2009, p. 138), and
as such, it only makes sense to have that information immediately
available to those parties whom are invested in students education.
The online format I plan to use will allow access to parents, coteachers, and administrators, provided they submit the appropriate log
in information. The online format will also allow for the inclusion of
progress charts, graphs, and/or other visual aids that are often helpful
to reference when discussing overall progress with parents/guardians.
My physical grade book will be updated daily, while the online grade
book will be updated weekly, unless circumstances require more
frequent interaction.

Student Work:

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Student work is a large point of pride in our classroom. It is my

goal to have students feel a sense of ownership in their learning and
pride in what they have accomplished as individuals and as a class.
Students will be able to see visual representations of their hard work
throughout our room. Each student has a binder with their name and
school picture on the cover and down the spine, in which their
completed work (or photos of their completed projects/activities) is
collected and saved to be gone over during conferences, as well as to
take home when they have become kindergarten graduates. In
addition to their binders, each student has a classroom mailbox to
keep take home papers in and a personalized magazine holder that
houses individualized book selections based on the students reading
level and extension task cards with differentiated activities to be
completed if students find they have extra time. Students will find
displays of their work in the classroom and in the hallway.
The classroom will have a large bulletin board dedicated to
student work (though this does not mean that their work will
not be seen elsewhere
throughout the room) that will be
updated each month. Content for
the board will coincide with a
specific learning goal
for example We
CanCount by 5s!
The hallway display
will also be updated
monthly, but its
content will focus on
a
unit theme.

Student Areas:
It is my desire to create a
classroom community that
students feel a part of. The
classroom is very much theirs in

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the sense of what they have access to in the room. Aside from my
desk, filing cabinets, the storage closet, and technology cart, the entire
room is considered a student area. Students are encouraged to use
the rooms resources responsibly by treating the room; its various
areas and learning tools, appropriately. Organization is key.
I will continuously model the behavior I expect out of students in
the classroom as well as explicitly remind students of these
expectations daily. Students will be expected to take initiative to keep
their classroom picked up and orderly so that they may learn in the
best environment possible. Supplies, papers, books, etc. should be
kept in the appropriate places. Stations/centers should be picked up
prior to transitioning. Desks/tables should be tidied before going home.
As a class, we will have checklists to help keep track of our small
classroom chores, in addition to classroom helpers (to be covered later
in the management plan).
Stations/centers will have laminated, sequenced, illustrated
checklists for procedures and clean up attached to a station-area
surface using Velcro. Desks /tables will have laminated, sequenced,
illustrated and captioned checklists for end of
the day clean up attached by Velcro next to
the student name badge. This checklist will
mirror a larger checklist that will have the
same illustrations with captions to be
displayed at the end of the day as a sort of
large group exit slip. The reason for attaching
checklists with Velcro is to add flexibility. It is
my belief that learning is social and to help
facilitate a social learning environment,
students will be seated in clusters of 4. Each student will have a
nameplate with reference points for the alphabet, number line, shapes,
colors, etc. and area organization checklist on their desk when they
arrive on the first day. The seating arrangement will be random at first,
and then become more purposeful as I get to know students as
individuals and as a class. One of my goals is to have students sit with
each classmate at least once during the year to help foster
camaraderie and subdue clique-y tendencies.

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New Students:
It can be
scary to be the
new student,
especially in
kindergarten. In
our classroom, we
want to make our
new friends feel
welcome
immediately. To
facilitate this, I, as
the teacher keep my current students as informed as possible. If we
are expecting a new student, they will know about it. When being
informed of an impending new student arrival, current students will be
reminded of how to behave in ways that will make our new classmate
feel welcome. One or two current students will also be asked to be the
designated buddies to help the new student get acclimated to the
classroom and school.
When the new student arrives, our class will meet in the large
group area to greet them and introduce ourselves by going around the
circle and sharing our names and a fun fact, like what we enjoy playing
the most during recess. This way the focus is not entirely on the new
student standing in front of the room with the teacher, trying to
introduce him or herself, but rather on the current students introducing
themselves to the new student. New students should never feel
pressured or embarrassed to share about themselves, but may if they
feel like doing so after the class has finished with their introduction.
After the introductions have taken place, current students should be
asked to resume what they were working on and the new student will
be asked to meet with the teacher at the small group table. During this
time, I will casually conference with the student to find out what they
like and dislike, how they are feeling, and introduce them to their
buddies for the week. The buddies will then be asked to quietly show
the new student around the room - what the various stations are,
where the mailboxes are, where the individualized work holders are,
and where student supplies are kept.

Substitutes:
In the event that I am unable to teach and a substitute is brought
in, I will have prepared both a Sub Tub and a Substitute Welcome

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Binder. The Sub Tub will contain

the Substitute Welcome Binder, sub
plans by subject for the week (each
subject has its own folder), and a
miscellaneous folder containing
extra activities and read aloud
books. The Substitute Welcome
Binder will contain the following:
Welcome This will consist of
a little note from me saying
hello and thanking the sub for
filling in. Attached to the
welcome will also be a note from me to the students to be shown
on the ELMO or overhead, asking them to follow the Sub Rules.
The Sub Rules will be written out in my notes to the students.
Daily Procedures, Routines, and Classroom Expectations This
will contain our class schedule, classroom management
procedures, and discipline policy.
Class Roster - This is to be used for attendance. Student school
pictures will be beside the corresponding name and nametags for
each student will also be included.
Seating Chart This will be up-to-date and reflect the current
layout of the room as well as which students belong to which
group for stations/centers
Students Receiving Services This section will list students who
receive special accommodations, what those accommodations
are, who extra staff people are, when to expect support staff and
how to facilitate these accommodations.
Codes and Passwords This section will provide codes,
passwords, and instructions for logging on to various
technologies.
School Map A map of the school with exit plans for fire, tornado,
and intruder.
Emergency Procedures What to do and/or who to call in case of
an emergency.
Emergency Lesson Plans To be used
as a back up if for some reason the
Sub Tub was not updated.
While You Were Out Blank forms for
the sub to fill out for me with any
notes from the day.

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Disciplinary Procedures
& Professional Ethics
Establishing Classroom
Expectations:
As a kindergarten classroom, we will be
spending a lot of time discussing classroom
expectations throughout the year. The
beginning of the year will be spent going over
the expectations of our classroom each day
(this daily discussion will fade as the year
progresses and students become familiar with
the classroom expectations, routines, and
procedures), which will include expectations for our various procedures
and routines, as well as the consequences if we do not meet our
expectations and the benefits of consistently meeting our
expectations. Overall, it is my goal to keep expectations positive. As
Wong, 2009 states, Teachers get what they expect. I am a firm
believer that there are no bad students, just poor choices.

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I know that my students can meet the expectations set for them
and I want them to believe that as well. Since we are a kindergarten
room, I want our expectations to be concise and memorable, in
addition to being positive. Too often, we get bogged down with
overwhelming sets of rules for every part of the school day. In keeping
our expectations short and sweet, it is my hope that students will
remember, internalize, and embody these expectations throughout the
school year. Our class expectations will go something as follows: In
this class we: Keep it Positive, Respect Ourselves, Our Class, and Our
School, Are Polite, and Are Ready to Learn

Consequences for Minor Infractions & Distractions:

Our classroom uses behavior clips to help monitor daily behavior.
Each morning, every student begins at a neutral point and either
moves their clip up or down depending upon their behavior throughout
the day. The behavior clips are a facet of
our classroom expectations, and as
such, will have been gone over several
times at the beginning of the year with
students. Students will all be aware of
what the behavior clips are and how
they work before being asked to
subscribe to its use. For minor
infractions, such as repeatedly having to
be asked to follow directions or

disrupting the class, students will be

asked to move their clip down one
color bar. Each color bar corresponds
to a consequence. Positive colors
may correlate to increased PAT
points, while negative colors may
mean losing PAT points, taking a
break, or having to complete an
alternate activity instead of a
preferred activity, doing word work
instead of being able to use the
computer, for example.
The severity of the
consequence is related to the
amount of times the clip has been
moved. I will never call out, demean,

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or intentionally embarrass students while managing behavior. I will

quietly get with them individually and on their level to let them know:
that the behavior they are engaging in is unacceptable, why the
behavior is unacceptable, how they need to modify their behavior so
that it is acceptable, and inform them that if they do not fix their
current behavior I will ask them to move their clip down and they will
have to deal with the consequences of that action. Disruptions are to
be expected in a kindergarten classroom and will most likely be the
source of much of the individual behavior clip movement. However, I
also expect there to be times when the entire class is off-task for one
reason or another. To help end distractions and get the whole class
back on track, I will use the following: In a whisper voice I will say, If
you can hear my voice clap once. Gradually, I will get a bit louder and
say, If you can hear my voice clap twice. If you can hear my voice
stomp your feet three times. If you can hear my voice, sit down in
your chair. If you can hear my voice give me a thumbs up and show
me that you are ready to listen. By the time the last direction is given,
all students should be focusing their attention on the teacher.

Consequences for Mid-Level Infractions:

In comparison to mild infractions such as being off task or
disrupting fellow students, mid-level infractions are expected to be
somewhat less common. Mid-level infractions would consist of defiant
behavior (ex: refusing to try to get work done) and/or being
disrespectful or offensive towards peers or the teacher. These types of
infractions could take place in class or on the playground. In these
instances, I would again meet with the student quietly, individually,
and on their level. I would ask them to immediately stop their behavior
and to take a break if they need to cool down. In the classroom, breaks
are to be taken in the reading corner where there is inviting furniture
and a space for students to feel a bit secluded while still allowing me to
observe their actions. This is not meant to be a punishment, but a
pause for students to self-soothe, recollect, and rejoin the group in a
calm state. If the infraction occurred during recess, I would ask that the
student remove themselves from the situation and find a new activity
to engage in, so that they are not losing all of their recess time. When
students return from breaks, I will tell them, I am so glad that you are
feeling better and ready to come back to class. Can you tell me a little
bit about what happened earlier? Remember, at school, we try our very
best to be kind and respectful. How was your behavior showing
respect? How do you think your behavior made our friends feel? How
would you feel if someone acted like that toward you? We need to go
apologize to our friends and let them know that we are feeling better
now, and that we are sorry for making them feel bad earlier. If mid-

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level infractions or any other troubling behavior patterns such as

inattentiveness, tardiness, cheating, or not finishing work, became
frequent or habitual, I would be sure to make daily notes in my student
record book. I would then use these notes of behavior patterns to help
broach conversation about concerning behavior with parents.

Consequences for Extreme Infractions:

Extreme infractions compromise the safety of the students and
teacher. These infractions are violent and/or destructive in nature. If an
extreme infraction were to occur, I would immediately refer the student
to the office. I would also remove either the class from the area or the
individual from the room to ensure safety of all students. I would have
another teacher or staff member designated as my back up person to
call in the event of an extreme infraction, to assist in diffusing the
situation. Parents/guardians would be contacted immediately in this
situation and a meeting with parents/guardians, the principal, and
myself would be scheduled to discuss the situation. Once the situation
had been handled, I would debrief my students on what had happened,
making sure to answer any questions they might have without
compromising student confidentiality.

Guardian Involvement:
I hope to have a very open relationship with all of my students
parents, as I believe that continuous support from home to school is
vital to student success. I intend to engage in frequent communication
with parents via a monthly classroom newsletter, notes home, e-mails,
phone calls, and speaking in person whichever mode of
communication works best for each parent. Parents should feel like
they can reach me with questions and concerns at any time. It is
important to me that parents feel involved in their childs education
and included in any notable changes in their childs progress, as well
as in any decision making process concerning their child. I want
parents to know that we are on the same team I want what is best for
their student and I want to see their student succeed, too! Parents are
also encouraged to be classroom volunteers, so that they may get a
feel for what school is like for their student and further deepen their
involvement in their childs education.
In terms of student behavior, parents would only be notified of
troubling habitual behavior or of violent and destructive behavior. In
these instances, I would expect parents to meet with me to discuss
behavior and plan of action steps. Conferences for students will be held
each semester and I plan on meeting with each students
parents/guardians during these. Ideally, the first part of the conference

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would be co-lead with the student present. The student would show the
parent around our classroom and go through their student work binder
with them. During the second part of the conference, the student
would leave the room, either with one of the parents or with a group
from the school to attend the book fair while I discuss student progress
with the parents/guardians.

Professional Ethics:
Professionalism is important in any career, but especially in
education. As teachers, we set examples for our students all day long.
If we expect them to behave politely and work cooperatively with all of
their peers, we must do the same. The respect I have for the teaching
profession is huge. I believe that teachers are tasked with the most
difficult and important job - the job of nurturing the future. In this job,
students are the first priority. Any decision
made or action taken throughout the school
day should be done with their best interest
in mind. Teaching should not be muddled by
petty disagreements between colleagues or
lounge gossip.
I am fully aware of how partaking in
lounge gossip makes one look from an
outsiders perspective. One questions those
gossip-y teachers ethics and why they are
even teaching in the first place, in some
instances. Respect is lost and professional
reputations are damaged when such
behavior is engaged in. In my opinion,
lounge gossip should be avoided at all cost.
Sometimes, it is easiest just to remove oneself from the situation
entirely by leaving the room. Other times, when leaving the room is
impossible or inappropriate, giving neutral responses has to suffice.
Unless another teacher was horrible out of line with their conversation,
I would never ask them to end it on my behalf they are adults and
may choose to converse in that way. However, that does not mean that
I also have to partake in the conversation. I find that removing myself
from lounge gossip situations or giving neutral responses, allows me to
be the least involved in those types of conversations as possible while
maintaining a good working relationship with my co-workers.
Maintaining positive working relationships with colleagues is of
the utmost importance in the educational field because it is so
collaborative in nature. That being said, not all colleagues will see eyeto-eye all of the time. However, this does not mean that they cease
working together. If I were in a situation where I found myself not

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getting along with a colleague, I would keep any negativity to myself

and remain polite. I would listen attentively to their point of view and
filter my opinions through the view of what is best for the students.
Remaining civilized is important, as is remaining calm especially
when sharing ideas. I would keep in mind that a professional
relationship is largely an exchange of ideas and that we are both
entitled to our individual points of view, as well as individual teaching
styles. I would maintain respect for my colleague, but keep our
interactions to a minimum. I would in no way let my feelings towards
my colleague affect my work.
Disagreeing with the leadership style of my principal poses a
greater challenge. In this case, I would work to voice my concerns
privately to administration. I would want to meet with my principal to
explain my point of view and try to better understand theirs. If a
compromise could be made, I would work towards that. However, if
leadership style could or would not be changed, I would respect my
principals wishes. I would not let my own opinions and/or preferences
interfere with my professionalism or quality of work.

Routines & Procedures

The First Day

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On the first day of school, I will meet my students at the door

and greet them by name (I will continue this routine every day to let
students know that they are welcome, cared for, and important to our
class). If we are meeting outside of our classroom, above me, a banner
will read Welcome to Kindergarten! This will not have been the first
time most of us will have met. I will have been present at the schools
Meet the Teacher night and I will have also sent out an introductory
letter to all of my students and their parents. In this letter I will have
conveyed a bit about myself, my excitement for meeting the incoming
kindergarteners, my expectations for the classroom, and what I hope
for us all to accomplish during the school year. Attached will be a
calendar of important dates for parents to note as well as my contact
information.
When students enter the classroom on the first day, it will be
ready for them. They will find their names on their desks and
mailboxes, their birthdays displayed, school supplies organized, and
their activities laid out. I want my students to
feel welcomed and comfortable immediately.
After they have found their locker and
deposited their belongings, students will find
their seat. Once the entire class has arrived,
we will take a tour around the classroom,
discussing our expectations and procedures
for each area of the room.
We will conclude our tour by ending in
the large group space. Here, I will share an All
About Me bulletin board that I have made
that contains photos and memorabilia of
things that I have done or things that I enjoy
doing. I will give students a chance to ask me
questions after this and then they will proceed to working on an All
About Me activity to be shared with the class.
When sharing, students will take turns sitting in
the Sharing Chair. This is how they will know
whose turn it is to speak, as well as who to
listen to politely.

Taking Roll & Lunch Count

The first thing students will do after putting up
their belongings in the morning, will be to
check in for attendance and choose their lunch
option. This will be done simultaneously by
moving a magnetic photo of themselves under
Lunch Choice A, Lunch Choice B, or Cold Lunch

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on the white board. Student pictures that do

not move are those absent.

Classroom Jobs
On Mondays, after students have made
their lunch selection, they will go over and
check the classroom jobs board. Going along
with our
Rockstar theme, classroom jobs will be
designated by tour laminates. Each
students photo will be posted on the
classroom jobs board in rows. Underneath
each student photo there will be a
Command hook to hang the tour laminates.
There will be jobs for:
Line Leader Leads the front of the line
Caboose End of the line/makes sure everyone stays in line
Lights Turns the lights off as we leave the room and on as we
return to the room
Paper Passer Distributes new papers from the teacher to each
student
Paper Collector Collects papers from students to return to the
teacher
Supply Distributor Passes out student school supplies as
necessary
Librarian Makes sure the classroom library is neat, selects a
book for read aloud
Calendar Moves the calendar marker to the correct day and
shares the day of the week, month, day, and year to the class
during the morning routine
Room Manager Makes sure that
our room is picked up throughout
the day
Substitute Fills in if another
person is absent

Morning Routine

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After lunch and jobs have been sorted out, we begin our morning
routine. We transition from the aforementioned check in and breakfast
by playing a song we all enjoy (Arthurs theme song, for example). We
play this song to let us know that its time to move to the large group
space for Morning Work. During Morning Work, we go over our alphabet
and letter sounds by singing, Who let the Alphabet Out? together as
a class (It goes Who let the A out? Aaa, aaa, aaa, aa-aa Who let the B
out? Buh, buh, buh, buh-buh etc.) We review our sight words on our
word wall and add our new Word of the Day. Then we go over our
calendar.
Our calendar person uses a pointer to show us where we are on
the calendar, what day of the week it is (Today is Tomorrow is
Yesterday was), what month it is and what year it is. We also talk
about the weather. We choose what it looks like outside and we predict
the temperature to be adjusted on our color-coded thermometer. After
Calendar and Weather, we
move on to numbers. Our
Number of the Day
corresponds to the number of
days we have been in school.
Using straws we count to the
appropriate number. We
bundle by 5s and 10s when
applicable. We show the
number of the day in currency
as well. To close, we go over
our learning goals for the day
and transition into lessons.

Bathroom
As a kindergarten classroom, our bathroom is in our room. This
makes using the bathroom less of an issue. Students may use the
restroom whenever they need, provided they raise their hand and
politely let the teacher know that they need to use the restroom.
Students may quietly walk to the restroom, use the facilities, wash
their hands, and return to class.

Drinking Fountain
Similarly to the restroom, the drinking fountain is also in our
room as a part of the classroom sink. Students may use the drinking

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fountain if they are thirsty, provided they raise their hand and politely
let the teacher know that they wish to use the drinking fountain. The
teacher reserves the right to ask students to wait to use the drinking
fountain when they are doing independent work time as opposed to
during a large-group lesson. Students may also bring a water bottle to
class with their name on it. The water bottles will be kept in a shoe
rack on a wall where students can reach them. Students may not have
their water bottles during large group lessons, but may use them at
any time during independent seat- work.

Lining Up & Transitioning

In the classroom, we use songs to transition
from activities as a large group. To transition within
the classroom in our small, cooperative learning
groups, the teacher gives the verbal cue: Group A!
Clean up your area and get ready to move on to
Center 3 in one minute. Alright, Group A, rotate! To
transition to a space outside of the classroom for
recess, lunch, and specials, we will line up. To line
up, the teacher will first give a one-minute warning
for students to find a spot to pause what they are
working on, clean up, and get ready to move on to
the next activity. When it is time to line up the
teacher will say One, two, three, eyes on me. And students will
respond, One, two, eyes on you! The teacher will then say Bottoms
in our seats and bubbles in our mouths. To signal to students to be
seated, quiet, and ready to be dismissed to line up.
The teacher will then dismiss the line leader to line up at the
door. After the line leader is in line, the teacher will dismiss by table
clusters. Before leaving the room the teacher will ask to see bubbles
and thumbs meaning that students will be quiet and letting her know
that they are ready to go by giving a thumbs up. The teacher will give
positive feedback and remind students to stay quiet in the hallway and
to use walking feet in line.

Papers & Take-Home Folder

In kindergarten, homework is a non-issue. However, students will
have a take home folder for important papers for parents to see,
parent/teacher correspondence, and completed work. These papers
will make it into student mailboxes and take home folders with help
from the Paper Passer. The Paper Passer will be concerned with the
papers that get sent home with all students. The teacher will place

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student-specific and/or confidential papers in student folders only. The

Paper Passer will make sure that all of the papers are in student folders
before the end of the day. Any returning papers will be collected at the
start of the day by the Paper Collector and given to the teacher.

Newsletter
Each month, I will prepare a newsletter to be sent home to
families. In the newsletter will be upcoming class events, current class
accomplishments, photos of class activities, and any pertinent schoolwide news. This newsletter will be prepared online and uploaded to a
private class blog. The blog log in information will have been sent
home to each family along with log in access to the student record
book before the start of the year in my introductory letter.

Free Time/Preferred Activity Time

In our class, staying on task/engaging in positive
behavior is recognized with Preferred Activity Time or
PAT. Each day, the class starts out with 2 minutes of PAT
to be used after lunch and at the end of the day. It is up
to the class to maintain that time or earn more by
staying on task (i.e. not wasting time) and keeping their
behavior clips in the neutral color or above. If two or
more clips go below the neutral color and stay there by
the time students are dismissed for lunch and again for specials, the
class loses 30 seconds of PAT. A running total of PAT time is kept next
to the class behavior clip chart so that students are aware of where
they stand. When the class cashes out PAT, they get to engage in
activities that are educational, but different from what they typically do
in class. PAT rewards rotate each week from brain breaks to iPads, to
yoga, to learning games.

Dismissal
Before going home each day, the class runs through a checklist.
At 5 minutes until the final bell, students will need to stop what they
are working on and:
1. Clean Up Your Area
2. Stack Your Chair
3. Check Your Mailbox
4. Collect Your Take-Home Folder

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5. Get Backpacks and Coats

6. Line Up to Go Home
The Room Manager will do one final check of the room before the class
dismisses. If the room needs extra attention, the Room Manager may
call upon other students to help.

Differentiation Policy

Supporting Struggling Learners

I understand that some of my students will need extra help, extra
time, extra accommodations, or modified activities to support their
learning I will gladly provide all of those things. Our classroom has
been set up to be very differentiation-friendly from cooperative
learning groups to individualized work boxes. As I get to know my
students strengths and weaknesses, I will be better able to provide
appropriate supports to them.
My main concern is the success of my students. I am very
flexible and more than willing to work with students who need extra
support. My struggling learners will be given condensed versions of
activities and allowed more time with me in small group settings. The

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extra small group time will help me better pinpoint areas of weakness
to work on building up with students. I will also be better able to
discuss with parents what we can do to best support these students
and make better-informed recommendations about resources we can
access at school and within the community to best fit our students
needs.

Gifted Students
I encourage my gifted students to pursue their talents and
interests. As with all of my students, I challenge them to continue to
grow as intellectuals. I foster this growth by providing my gifted
students opportunities to engage in activities and with materials that
are appropriate for their performance level, either in my classroom or
in clustered, pull out, or cross grade group setting. I will work to best
support my gifted students by recognizing their giftedness and
involving their family and other faculty so that we may come up with a
plan of action that gets our gifted students either tested into or placed
in the environment that best fits their needs.

References
1. Mackenzie, R. J. & Stanzione, L. (2010). Setting limits in the
classroom: A complete guide to effective classroom
management with a school-wide discipline plan. New York: Three
Rivers Press
2. Rogers, K. B. (2006). A menu of options for grouping gifted
students. Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press, Inc.
3. Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixedability classrooms. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD
4. Wong, H. K. & Wong, R. T. (2009). The first days of school: How to
be an effective teacher. Mountain View, California: Harry K. Wong
Publications, Inc.
5. Images sourced from searches using www.google.com
6. Images sourced from searches using www.pinterest.com
7. http://rainbowswithinreach.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/185-ideasfor-classroom-organization.html
8. http://www.commoncoregaloreandmore.com/new-teacher-tipspart-ii/
9. https://www.pinterest.com/megancrossett/future-classroom/

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