Alise Farrell Classroom Organization Physical: Hello and welcome to my Kindergarten Classroom!

I am excited to present to you my classroom that is set up in a way I believe to be very functional and effective. I have arranged the desks; both teachers and students, in a way that will stimulate alertness for my students and promote collaborative learning. Having other students sitting close to each other and facing each other and the teacher at all times also allows for mixed ability students to interact better and can stimulate teamwork amongst all of the mixed ability students while still sitting at their desks and having their own space. As you can see the desks are lined next to each other in a U shape. The desks are arranged this way so that each student is able to see the whiteboard and the pull down screen above the whiteboard at all times and whenever it is necessary. From the ceiling there is a projector that projects onto the screen so when we watch a movie or use the overhead all the students will be able to see it. This arrangement of desks is very functional and flexible and gives the students an easy opportunity to work individually or collaboratively depending what the class is working on. Also, having the desks arranged this way guarantees that I have all the students eyes on me, and no backs facing the board. I also believe it is a good set up because then the students back are to the rest of the room and gives them less of an opportunity to let their eyes wander around the room and focus on other things rather than what is being taught. The horseshoe shaped desks would be assigned, making it easy for the teacher to glance at the students every morning to take attendance and also giving students the responsibility to keep their space clean. Along with having assigned desks students will have assigned cubbies to keep their belongings in, making this an easy way to keep the classroom and students work neat and organized. For assigning seats, each students desk will have a taped down nametag on it so that each student knows where he or she will be sitting on the first day of school. This is also a welcoming tactic I feel is nice for students so that one the first day of school they can walk into the classroom and feel at home and know right where to go to get ready for the day. Seats are not permanent and will be changed periodically based off of students behaviors and participation. In the middle of the horseshoe is a small group worktable facing the north whiteboard. This is functional because while students work quietly at their desks or in other small groups around the room I can still sit at the

worktable and lead guided reading groups or small group lessons while still being able to see everything that is going on. This worktable will and can also be used as the teachers second desk. It is convenient to model and begin lessons while having all the materials handy right on the table in front of all the students. My teachers desk is located in the northwest corner of the room, giving me the opportunity to always see every aspect of the classroom while sitting there. A teachers back should never be to the students and their desk should be somewhere where every spot in the classroom is visible to them. My desk will only be used when I am grading papers or doing necessary work for the benefit of the students. I will also only use it during prep time or when the class is working with another teacher when they come into the room. I will also only be at the desk when I am grading papers too. I will also use my prep time to write a new letter to the parents of all the students in my classroom. The newsletter will explain what is going on in our classroom as well as in the school. I will lay out the basics of the newsletter, but I will also for creative writing, have students help write the letter with me. Around the room are five centers: computer and listening, art, large group time, library and reading, and mathematics, learning games and activities. The room is set up so that the electronics are all in one corner of the room, the quiet, individual time is in the back of the room, and the loud art and large group time are on the opposite side of the room. The idea for this is to keep distractions to a minimum while students explore at all of the different centers. The classroom meeting area will be in the large group center. Found in the large group center will be an extra large classroom sized rug that will have a map of the world on it. Each student will be assigned a spot on the carpet. The students will sit in body basics in a straight line, with each line leader sitting on the equator, but on different parts of different countries. Lines are subject to change every month and if I find that some students do not work well sitting next to another student and cant pay attention, further arrangements will be made to find a spot on the carpet where that child has minimum distractions and can focus the best. When students are dismissed from the carpet they will be dismissed by the country their line is sitting on. While sitting on the carpet students face a white board where we will do our daily opener every morning. Students will assist in helping write out our schedule for the day and the date, the number of days we have been in school, and what the weather will be like that day. Also, on a table in front of the white board will be a mug with popsicles sticks on them; these will be used with a chart that will be hanging off the side of the teachers chair. The chart will have a list of all the centers students will be allowed to go to. Once the teacher draws a

popsicle stick the students name who is ever on the stick gets to choose which center they would like to go to. Only allowing students 5 seconds to decide which center they want to go to helps with time management. Centers will be done once in the morning and once in the afternoon, students will not be able to return to the center they went to in the morning, in the afternoon. I will rotate centers and the activities available to my students different each week depending on what whole unit we are studying that week. Above the whiteboard is a word wall. This has the alphabet on it and under each letter are pictures of an object that starts with the letter as well as multiple different common words the class will use through out the year and words that are appropriate grade level for kindergarteners. Along with an overhead projector in the center of the room used for lessons with a pull down screen over the north whiteboard, there are bulletin boards found through out the entire east side of the room. These are great ways to provide modeling examples for the students and also are a great way to show the students work that they have completed. The bulletin board behind the bookshelves will be developed through out the year using pictures of each student from the class while they are engaged in many different activities going on in the room. We will also have posted on this bulletin board different authors and their information and have some information hung up about some of the students favorite books. The bulletin board behind the computer area will be the seasonal bulletin board that will change through out the year with the seasons. This bulletin board will also be a place where students artwork will be displayed from previous lessons and units that weve done. The math area is where students can go to work on math worksheets and math manipulative that are in the storage area next to the math table. There are three computers in the classroom and each has reading and math games already loaded on as well as a listening to reading software. The computer will be set so that students can only access the information that is only approved by the school and only educational information can be accessed. Before students use the computers at the beginning of the year there will be a computer talk about the right and wrong procedures to use while working in the computer area. The manipulative center, which is also connected to the math center and learning center with games and activities, is where students will be able to do word work. Student will be shown at the beginning of the year how to treat these manipulative with respect so that there is no confusion

as to how to use them. The arts and crafts table will also be found near the manipulative. These will help engage the students in a craft, creating an artwork or a science project that I will assign them. At the beginning of the school year the classroom will have colorful bulletin boards, but they will be blank. Through out the first week of class we will collaboratively work as a class and do many fun and different activities to fill the spaces on the boards to make the students feel more at home, as well as help make rules and procedures so that they become comfortable with how our classroom will run and so that they can memorize them so that there is never a question about problem and behaviors in class.

Operational: My form of record keeping will involve a binder that will be divided into the sections that I will be grading all the students on. The sections will be math, science, reading, writing, and classroom behavior and attendance. Within these sections there will be a class list that has a square next to each assignment that I assign through out the year. These will be good records to keep so that I can show parents during conferences their childs growth and how they have been doing through out the year. Because this is a kindergarten class I will mostly be doing informal assessment to check off these boxes if the students just participated and gave effort in the assignments, I will also pay a lot of attention to the students behaviors. I will mark a C if the students complete the assignment in the allotted amount of time or an I if the student does not complete the assignment for incomplete. At the beginning of the year all students will need to get to know each other. To accomplish this, students will sit with different classmates every day during the first few weeks until everyone has sat next to each other, and then I will assign seats based off of who I think will get a long and be most productive together. The first few weeks we will practice classroom procedures until the entire class has them memorized and until the classroom can run smoothly. However, if we were to have a new student join our class during the year I would tell my students before they arrived so that the classroom atmosphere would be welcoming for when they actually get there! I would tell my students what I expect of them and what I expect of them to help welcome the new student. Then, once the student arrives I would introduce the student to the class and place them in a seat next to a student who I would feel is genuinely nice and easy to get

a long with, someone who I feel would be a leader and show the new student the ropes of the classroom. The way my classroom stays orderly is that I have a procedure for everything and the students spend the first few days of class learning the procedures. These procedures involve putting away and getting materials where they originally taken from, body basics, student roles within the group setting or desk setting, paper manners while sitting at desks, student roles with table groups, manners and behaviors at centers, when to line up and how to line up and how the change centers, and what we do when we first meet in the morning (daily procedures/calendar time). Students will know when they walk in the daily routine and schedule on the board and they will know that the first thing they need to do is put their backpack, coat, or anything else they have in their cubbies. They will also know that next to the door by the cubbies there is a table with handouts and bins underneath it. The bins will be for cold lunches and on top of the table there will be Popsicle sticks and students will take them out of a basket and put them into a hot cup or a cold cup, stating what they will eat for lunch. Procedures are what make my classroom run smoothly because nobody has to ask what is expected of them, they will just already know. During the first weeks of class we will also learn about respect, and caring for other students. Students will know what is expected of each other and will know how to treat each other. We will go by the saying treat others how you would want to be treated. I feel that this a good saying to go by because then the classroom will be full of respect and everyone will be able to rust each other and have a positive, collaborative learning environment! Students materials that they will need for doing classroom projects will be stored in their cubbies. Pencils, markers, erasers, and crayons will stored on the worktable where they will be accessible to all students. My classroom will have a lot of sharing for all of the students. Materials, will be bought by the students, and a permission slip will be sent out before school starts to each of the students homes asking the parents if they are comfortable having the supplies they are asked to buy to be shared with all the students in the class. I like this idea because then it does not pressure students families who may not have the money or resources to buy the necessary materials to buy them, and gives the students a chance to feel as if they belong since everyone will be sharing and not left out because they do not have the necessary supplies asked of the teacher.

Classroom routines and Procedures Posted on the right half of the east whiteboard next to our daily calendar and routine will be our helper of the day and daily schedule. Daily schedules will be posted by the helper of the day, giving them a chance to help them practice their penmanship. Students will also take turns during large group time helping the student of the day write whats for lunch and take a lunch count, what special the class will be going to that day (P.E, art, or music), if recess will be indoors or outdoors that day due to weather, and will write any homework that is due that day for the entire class to see. Homework will be expected to be dropped off into the basket at the end of my desk on the day that it is due, right before our lunch period. This gives students who may be struggling or who are challenged extra in class time to ask questions and get extra time to work on their homework during our free period that is held every morning fifteen minutes before lunch. Next to the homework bin will be an outbox this is where students can collect their homework from the previous day. At the end of the day students will be given necessary handouts to put in their backpacks to take home. Any announcements for parents will be the students responsibility once it leaves the classroom. If guardians have questions or concerns they are encourage to e-mail me or to stop by the classroom before or after school when picking up their child. Parents will be given a short weekly newsletter stating what the class has been working on through out the week. I will also document each students work by creating a portfolio for student that will be kept in a filing cabinet behind my desk, where it is safe. The portfolios are a great way for me to prepare for conferences and to show guardians their students progress. The portfolios will also be a great way for me to reflect on where my students are at and will be help for me to document their work and grades and will be a good reference to go to if guardians or colleagues have any questions. Students are assigned a job in the classroom. They are discussed at the beginning of the school year and are changed every week. If allowing parents in the classroom as helpers is something the school slows I would be happy to welcome them as long as they let me know at least forty-eight hours in advance that they are wanting to help and I could respond promptly as when would be a good time for them to come into the classroom. Students would know that if a parent is in the classroom, specifically their parent, they are there to help all the students and not just their son or daughter so students need not get jealous of their parent

helping another student. Practicum students are also very welcomed and encouraged to come to our classroom as long as a schedule is worked out between the school and myself. Like with parents students will realize that the practicum student is there to learn from the teacher and to help all the students. If a student finished assigned work early they are welcome to explore one of the centers to the remaining time allotted while other students finish their work. Before they can go to the center they must find me, show me and turn in their completed work and put it in the homework bin located next to the door in our room. If for any reason we have free time the class will come back to the large group carpet and choose which center they will want to go to. When students are being dismissed for recess, specials, or lunch and at the end of the day they will know that all materials will need to be put away and that their space and desk will need to be cleaned up. Following that I dismiss students by who is sitting quietly to go to their cubby, pick up any papers that need to go home with them and line up quietly at the door for the end of the day. For specials and other events during the day students will be dismissed to line up by the country they sit at during large group time on the carpet. When walking to and from the various locations students know to walk on the right hand side of the hallway in a single file line while being silent. If a child has leave early during the day they will need to sign out with the front office and have it verified for me before lunch during the day. If a students needs to use the restroom or get a drink during the day they will know to get the bathroom pass and quietly walk to where the bathroom is located. Students will only be allowed to go to the restroom one and a time and will only be allowed to get a drink one at a time, causing less chance of students messing around in the hallways. If a student makes a habit of going during a certain time of the day or during a certain work period I then I would talk to them and ask what was causing this pattern. I will always try to be understanding of all of my students and try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Field trips in the classroom will be discussed prior to the trip and the procedures for the bus and while at the venue will be discussed consistently through out the week so that the field trip runs smoothly. While students are on the field trip they will be assigned groups to walk around in. Parents will be encouraged to accompany our class on field trips so that there is less pressure on the teacher to keep a close eye on every student. Students will know that they stick with their buddy and chaperone at all

times unless they are allowed to explore ten in that case they are to stay with their buddy and be able to see their chaperone and have their chaperone see them. If a student misbehaves during a fieldtrip, their first infraction will result in them having to stay with the chaperone at all times, including times when individual exploration is available to them. The second infraction will result in me calling either their parents or another teacher or the principal of the school to come get the student and take them back to campus. Homework is expected of all students. Students will be expected to have their homework from the previous night completed when they walk into the door at school in the morning. If their homework is not completed I will fill a homework sheet that is stapled to the incomplete homework and send it home to be signed by their guardians and brought back to school the next completed. If the homework sheet is not completed or signed the student is placed on red for the day and must finish the homework during recess. For students who are in need of supplemental support I am willing to work with them and their family to meet their needs. However I am also able to differentiate the classroom by putting those students in table groups with other students of high ability who would be able to help them. I could also provide them other supports, such as visual supports to reading and writing activities providing another method of instruction. If the student has trouble understanding directions I would type the instructions for them. For students of higher ability I would provide them extra materials on assignments to further their learning and allow them to share their findings. For both types of students I would have them in mixed ability and some ability groups depending on what they activity is. For guided reading groups I would pair students who are of same abilities and ask them different comprehension questions as well as provide them different books depending on their reading and comprehension level. Table groups would be mixed so that students with multiple different abilities can collaboratively work together to help each other. Overall, I hope my classroom in the future will run smoothly and will a positive and effective environment for students to learn in. I hope that my students will look forward to coming to school and I will do my best to see each and every one of my students succeed. A few ideas I had for this management plan I indirectly took from The First Days of School by Harry Wong and Rose Mary T. Wong. I also took ideas from my practicum teachers that I have observed. I also used some of my own ideas and altered ideas from what weve learned in class and from the presentations that we have experienced in visiting other schools. My management style

may change in the future, depending on the students I have in my classroom and the type of school I am in and the location I am teaching at, but I do believe that even though there are multiple different factors consistency is always key for a well run classroom.

Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics Located on the west bulletin board in the classroom over my desk is a list of classroom policies and procedures of the classroom as well as the schools. They are listed at student eye level, which will make students more aware and better understand these. These are rules and procedures that will be heavily enforced and practiced through out the first days of class until the students have them mastered. I believe having every student on the same page will create a very effective classroom environment. The way I will handle discipline is with what I like to call the stop light process. This consists of a yardstick located at the front of the room by the whiteboard with clothespins on it with each individual students name on it. The top section is green, the middle is yellow, and the bottom is red. When a student disrupts class or one of the polices, rules, or procedures listed on the wall they will be asked to move their clothespin to a different color based on the seriousness of their actions. This will also go for positive reinforcement, if a student stays on the color green for five days in a row they will be rewarded at the end of the five days with an opportunity to choose a small toy from the classrooms treasure chest. Discipline in the classroom will vary on the seriousness of the situation as stated before. There will be four things that will not be tolerated in and out of the classroom: disrespectfulness, conflict, cheating, and lack of completing schoolwork. All of these concepts will be handled based on the situation and will, if necessary, be taken to a higher level of consequence if needed (i.e. getting principal or parents involved). School policies, even if I do not fully agree with them will be integrated into my classroom policies and procedures. I will serve as a professional at all times during the school days. Relationships with my colleagues and leadership I am under will be something I handle professionally and will be something I take very seriously. I will try my best to get along with my colleagues and will respect the decisions others choose to make, even if I disagree with them. On the first day of school students will learn procedure, as stated before. They will learn that they have an assigned seat and on the carpet during large group time. They will also learn about body basics and their

personal bubble, which is their own space around their body. Students will be told what I expect from them, listening while myself, another teacher or adult or student is talking. Keeping bottoms in their seats on the group and while in their desks and where they are supposed to go to start the day. We will review these procedures until it is second nature to all of the students when they come into the classroom. We will also learn about the jobs of the classroom that I will assign to a lot of the students. The jobs will allow help for the teacher through out the year. Jobs will include a line leader, pencil sharpener, phone answerer, etc. We will know which student is what job every week because they will be posted on the bulletin board above the computers with each of the students names rotating through the different jobs. As said earlier I will be following the stoplight system. Hanging in my classroom I will have a large magnetic or handmade stoplight with magnets of clothes pins with each students name on it. Every student will start the day on green, but as their behavior changes and as the day goes on depending on how they act their magnet or pin will move. If student has negative behavior their pin will move down towards red. Students will get one warning and then will be asked to move their pin. If a student is on green and gets a warning and then gets in trouble once again they will be asked to move their pin to yellow. If a students pin is on yellow and has a warning and then gets in to trouble after they will be asked to move their pin to red. I will not make a big deal about their moving the pins, but if they do not listen after a few minutes and quietly leave their seat or whatever they are working on to move their pin they will have their recess taken away for the day. Students who do end up on red during the day will get five minutes of recess taken away. If going to red is a constant pattern for a child they will get a letter sent home with their parents after the third time being put on red so that their parents know their behavior is not the best at school. If a student is tardy for the beginning of the day at school I will assume something at home prevented them from not being on time for the morning but if they are tardy coming back from specials, recess, or lunch more than once in the day their magnet will be moved down a color. There is no reason for them to be tardy coming back from a school event, but coming tardy from home is understandable because things happen and I will have to take that into consideration. I will however, have a talk with parents and the student if they are consistently late coming from home every morning. I will worry and care about each student as if they were my own children. I will be willing to talk with each student and their parents and will try my best to know what is going on at home and know their

situation, so that I can take their home situation into consideration when grading each student. Cheating in my classroom will not be tolerated. If a child cheats, which hopefully they will not be since this is a Kindergarten class it will be an automatic referral to the office. I will not refer students to the office unless it is something terribly serious like cheating. There will be a few opportunity for formative assessment during the school year, so while these are going on students will be spread out to prevent cheating, but it is hard to monitor every childs every move at all times. When it comes to a discipline system I prefer to keep it in class because I know my students personally and I would not want them to get in trouble at home if getting in trouble at school effected their home life. I believe that the principals office like a said earlier should only be used when I feel as though I am no longer able to teach the rest of my students because of one students behavior and their attitude. I am an academic professional and therefore I will always do my best to act, dress, and hold myself like it. While in school I will only wear professional attire that allows me to get on my students level without reveling myself and will always have clothes on that are washable. I will not talk down to my students and will talk to them as week as other professionals respectfully, because I want to be a model for my students and maybe even their family and siblings. I will not talk down about my students and will not talk down about their families or backgrounds. I will also not talk down my students with my colleagues. I want to be a model for my students so by having a positive attitude at all times is something I want to consistently have so that I can provide the best learning environment for my students as possible! I will not use any kind of profane language or have personal conversations on the phone while at school, because you never know who may hear your conversations. When it comes to lounge gossip the best way I feel to handle it would be just walk away from the situations, or if that is not an option I would just sit quietly and not talk while listening to the other teachers talk. Comparing students relationships with each other and how not all students may get along with each other can be the same with the teachers and the colleagues I may be working with. The best thing I think to do and the best way to react to unprofessionalism is to kill people with respect and kindness. We all will have to work with people we do not like, but in the case of teachers it is vital that we do not let our differences and our different views get in the way of our job and our professionalism. I feel that

it is best to show respect to principals, and super intendants and higher people above me in the system so that we can maintain a positive learning environment for students and their families. I also think though, that it is extremely important to state your opinion on matter you feel strongly about and I also feel that since I will hopefully be going into the profession at such a young age, it is okay to be different and maybe teach others your ways even if they view them as wrong or weird in the beginning. I feel that standing up in your beliefs for what you think is best for students are what every teachers goal should be. While this is important it is also key to know that administration can be a great key to success and classroom management plans. Finding a teacher that works well with me and pushed me is someone I hope to work with one day so that not only can my students be learning and growing at all times, but me as well. Also, collaborating with other teachers and learning from their ideas and beliefs is something that effective teachers do. I think that learning and listening to our other colleagues can be a wonderful tool to use in the classroom, as well as helping them grow with your ideas too.