New Year!

This is a site to keep all parents up to date as to what will be happening in the classroom. This site will be avaliable for all your questions and ideas that you would like to implement in the classroom. First off let me begin by explaining how I have our normal days set up:

Each morning upon entering the classroom, student will be expected to turn in homework, put their homework folders in their desks, put their backpacks in their assigned lockers, and sit on the rug for our class meeting. Once all students are seated on the rug with their voices off, on pockets, and hands to themselves, I will ask students to do their helper jobs (see asterisked jobs mentioned under democratic classroom). As mentioned when discussing a democratic classroom, each day to build community, ten minutes of our class meeting will be dedicated to sharing ideas about which to write for daily journal writing. These can include experiences that happened the previous day, dreams they had, or anything they feel inclined (that is appropriate) to share. Students will then be dismissed to write in their journals.
After writing for 20 minutes (time will be adjusted to match ability of students), I will have students begin writer’s workshop in which they will use charts on an easel to remember the steps of writer’s workshop and record at which stage they are. In the beginning of the year I will teach mini-units on each phase of writer’s workshops so that they will know exactly what to do for each editing phase (storyboard, rough draft, self-edit, peer-edit, teacher conference, publishing, and sharing). Sharing will be held each Friday—in place of writer’s workshop—on the rug and be called “Author’s Corner”.
Math will begin with the brain dance as explained in the prevention strategies section after which we will go to lunch. Before leaving for lunch students will line up with their voices off. If a student forgets the line leader will be looking for talkers and send them back to their desks. I will then give each student some hand sanitizer and instruct the line leader and the door holder to take their places, and will proceed to have students walk silently in a straight line, on the right side of the hall to the cafeteria. In the beginning few weeks of the school year I plan to condition student’s behavior with a one to one reward ratio. I will begin by giving them a cheerio each day before they enter the cafeteria for the first week and then giving them a high five the second. The third week (amount of time will vary depending on effectiveness) I will move to positive praise and continue that for the entire year.
When the students return from lunch we will begin rotations (or whatever system I will use at my future school to teach social studies one day, science the next, etc.) followed by which we will do specialties (either PE, music or art depending on the day). We will end the day with reading doing guided reading groups, based on assessments (like running records), to make sure that students are reading at their zone of actual development when no instruction for the text is occurring and at their level of proximal development when instruction is present. During this time students will also be presented with their word work for the week. Depending on district policy, if spelling words are required words will be extracted from the books they are reading; if spelling words are not required, students will work with word sorts all week looking at onsets, rimes, stems and other aspects of the words. When they are reading they can either read silently or with a 12 inch whisper. If students are cannot get the whisper idea down they will be asked to use a whisper phone, which is a small piece of PVC with an elbow on each end; if they talk too loud it will sound like they are yelling in their own ear.
Each day for all subjects throughout the day classical music will be playing softly in the background. This will serve for a number of purposes some of which are if the noise level makes it hard to hear the music the students will know they are too loud. Additionally it will present them with more culture, and relieve stress for them and very importantly, for myself.
When students return from other activities they will be permitted to use the drinking fountain when the drink counter gives them five seconds. After returning to the classroom students will have the option to either be in line for a drink or sitting quietly at their seats waiting for instructions. The first few weeks of the year will be dedicated to helping them learn the importance of these procedures and conditioning will be provided.
Other procedures that will be addressed in the beginning of the year include training the students that while a teacher is talking no one may sharpen pencils, use the bathroom or get a drink. The only exception to this rule will be if there is an emergency—to use the restroom—the students may run there without signing out and fill out the bathroom sheet upon returning. Under all normal circumstances, if a student needs to use the restroom, they will raise their hand creating a sign language “T” so I know it’s not a normal question. When given permission they will go to the door, sign their name and the time they left and upon returning, when they return. With this list I will be able to monitor how long they are gone and how frequently they use the restroom (so that no one abuses it). If the school requires the use of a hall pass this will be implemented as well.
If a student needs their pencil sharpened they will raise their hand with their pencil tip straight up in the air and wait for permission from the teacher. If they need a drink they will raise their hand with the sign language “W” until given permission. All other questions will be asked by raising their hands normally and positive praise will be used as reinforcement throughout the year as the expected behavior is demonstrated. As for passing out papers, the students that have that job for the week will do so.
To end the day students will fill out their homework planners with the assigned homework for that night. Normally students will just be required to do the homework, however if a student exhibits a habit of forgetting to turn in homework a parent signature will be required under each day’s assignment.