Classroom Climate
My classroom will be…
A Safe Haven (through consistency, order, organization, and minimal chaos)
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
Intangible
A Family (a place where all belong and all are accepted, known, and valued, as each helps the other to succeed)
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
Intangible
Learning-Centered (Where the mastery of application of course content is the rigorously sought after goal for all)
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
Intangible
PURPOSEFUL and RELEVANT to Real Life
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
Intangible
Focused on Developing Student Self-regulation and Ownership
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
Intangible
A Safe Haven (through consistency, order, organization, and minimal chaos)
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
- Post the agenda and homework every day in the same place on the board, helping to create a feeling of consistency in the classroom (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Provide clear rubrics for all assignments as well as templates displaying the format that I desire my students to use to give students a sense of control and the feeling that they are able to succeed, all they need to do is take simple, attainable steps (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Use patterns that are predictable and consistent in the classroom such as routine closings, opening and greetings as a way to “induce calm” (Saphier et al, 2008, p. 21).
- Hang white Christmas lights to add a comforting feel/soft light when the lights are off (M. Hesslau, personal communication, February 25, 2014)
- Play soft classical music.
- Use plants in the classroom to connect students to nature even though they might be inside all day long.
Intangible
- If I feel myself becoming frustrated I will remove myself from the situation by explaining that it is something we will need to deal with later when we’re able to think more clearly (Charles, 2005).
- I will work to personally remain calm and not be stressed out so as to help the students to also have a sense of peace in my room.
- I will come prepared to work every day so that I am able to be calm and not stressed (Wong and Wong, 2009)
- Take time to laugh with the class at situations rather than become stressed by them. Approaching situations with laughter rather than stress will bring a sense of joy and calm to the class and model to them that mistakes happen and we can move on past them (Saphier et al, 2008). In modeling this I can free my students to push themselves beyond what they think possible without the fear of failure.
- I will model responsibility and time management by having all lessons and materials prepped and ready at least by the Friday before I teach them (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Build a caring family-like atmosphere (see “family” section) (T. Sheldon, personal communication, February 3, 2014)
A Family (a place where all belong and all are accepted, known, and valued, as each helps the other to succeed)
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
- Take a family pic at the beginning of the year and frame it/hang it in the classroom (T. Sheldon, personal communication, February 3, 2014).
- Facilitate students learning each other’s names and getting to know one another and myself at the beginning of the year (A. Anspaugh, personal communication, February 12, 2014)
- Group students intentionally to encourage group work with a variety of people. By having the teacher always choose the group, students will be challenged to get to know everyone in the class, not just those they are already comfortable with. Knowing someone is one of the best ways to learn to care about them. Also, when the teacher intentionally groups students no one will end up feeling left out.
Intangible
- Praise those who take time to encourage and reach out to others. This is in line with Marzano Research Laboratory’s findings about energizing the type of behavior that you desire to see more of (2014).
- Explain the expectation that we will value every person in our class. Students will have an opportunity to talk about what this means for them and generate their own set of norms for the type of environment they want to have in their classroom that ensures that everyone is valued (Charles, 2005).
- Use group contingencies to encourage partnership between students and teacher and between student and student (Marzano Research, 2014)
- Give students choices so as to give them a sense of ownership over their “family unit” (Charles, 2005). Call group meeting times where we must discuss something important a “family meeting.”
Learning-Centered (Where the mastery of application of course content is the rigorously sought after goal for all)
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
- Maximize learning time through careful planning. This includes planning for efficiency through teaching and enforcing the use of specific procedures for all classroom routines, immediately engaging students in learning activities on entering the room through the use of bell-ringers, practicing quick transitions, and making instruction or other learning activities last until the final bell (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Post each days objectives and agenda on the board to keep the class focused on the plan and goal for the day (Wong and Wong, 2008).
- Structure all activities so that they help students master the lesson’s objectives (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Refrain from engaging in activities that could otherwise take away from learning time such as answering classroom telephone (unless requested to differently by school administrators) and entering into disputes with students.
- Provide many opportunities for students to experience material in a variety of ways and through hands on and exploratory methods.
- Provide clear and specific rubrics and study guides to help guide student studying (Wong and Wong, 2009).
Intangible
- Set high academic and behavioral expectations for my students (Wong and Wong, 2009)
- Do not waste time (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Be constantly present and aware so as to monitor that students are on task and to answer questions (Marzano Research, 2014).
PURPOSEFUL and RELEVANT to Real Life
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
- Use technology with integrity. This means taking advantage of the resources available to me to improve all aspects of class and potentially reach some students through this differentiated mode of instruction, while at the same time not leaning on technology as a substitute for good preparation and hearty content.
- Provide multiple opportunities for movement and hands on experiences so as to keep students engaged (Saphier et al, 2008).
- State and display objectives and purpose for each day (Wong and Wong, 2009).
- Make explicit connections between course content and real life applications every day and encourage students to do the same.
- Use students’ names and exciting things that happened in their lives as examples in class activities/problems. (For example, “Last night when Mikayla was pitching her no hitter against Freeland High school, she threw the ball at an initial rate of 4 m/s. The ball came to a stop 5 seconds later. What was the rate of decrease of the speed of the ball Mikayla threw?)
Intangible
- Get to know students and their interests so as to be able to connect what we are learning about to their specific interests.
- Laugh and encourage students to laugh with me. Research has shown that “laughter has been shown to boost the body’s production of neurotransmitters critical for alertness and memory” (Saphier et al, 2008, p. 21). Keep students engaged and remembering what they learn by mixing it up every once and a while and adding humor.
Focused on Developing Student Self-regulation and Ownership
To make this a reality I will do the following things...
Tangible
- Through the use of consequences such as action plans I will help students to take ownership of their own choices and make plans for improvement (Love and Logic Institute, 2013).
- Allow students to develop their class norms at the beginning of the school year (Charles, 2005).
- Teach and support good organizational skills such as use of a planner, organization of binder, and note taking skills
Intangible
- As much as possible, give students the power to choose. Offer students several teacher-approved choices and allow them to make their own decisions (Love and Logic Institute, 2013)
- Use enforceable statements (Love and Logic Institute, 2013).
Setting the Tone: The first Day of School
First Day of School Script
Arrive at school at 6:45
STUDENTS ARRIVE
5-10 minutes (during passing time and as students enter the room)- Greet students at the door, making sure each one is in the right place and directing students to use the chart posted on the overhead to find their correct seat and begin working on the warm-up assignment they will find there (Wong and Wong, 2009). See attached warm-up assignment.
CLASS BEGINS
1. First 5 minutes of class- Students will come into the class and find the seat that corresponds to their seat on the seating chart.
2. 3 minutes- Go over schedule
One minute prior to beginning give student a one minute warning: “In one minute we are going to be wrapping up our warm-up, so please finish what you can before that time.”
“Alright class, if I could please have your attention at the front, we are going to get started. It is so nice to finally meet all of you. I am Miss Frederick and I will be your teacher this year. Today I am going to start out by introducing myself to you and then taking time to go over my expectations for the year teach you the procedures that we will use to make our class efficient. After that I want to start to get to know you all a little bit. That will take up just about all of our day today. The rest of the week we will be spending continuing to get to know each other, practicing procedures, deciding what kind of rules we want to have in our classroom for this year, and figuring out why math is important to you. So that’s the game plan. Are there any questions? (wait). Alright, then let’s get started:
3. 10 minutes Personal Introduction- Using PowerPoint:
Well, as you all know by now, my name is Miss Frederick. I recently graduated from Spring Arbor University, which is just about an hour away from here. When I was at Spring Arbor I ran cross country and track (I LOVE to run and play sports!) and I studied Math, Spanish, and teaching English as a second language. Before Spring Arbor, I graduated from Bullock Creek High School which is in the very middle of Michigan. But I didn’t actually live there my whole life. Growing up I went to four different schools. I was born in Oklahoma. Since then I have lived in two states and two countries. Some of the things that I LOVE to do are learn and speak different languages and distance bike-ride (this summer I rode my bike 15 miles to work every day). This is my family. I love them lots. My mom was also a math teacher funny enough. My dad is the one who got me into running and distance biking we have ridden from the top to the bottom and from side to side of Michigan together. My older brother, Josh is a doctor, and my younger brother Zach is still in college and is REALLY good at rugby! So this is a little bit about me. You also should know that I am SO EXCITED to be your teacher this year!
4. 20 minutes-Procedures
“Now we are going to transition into learning and practicing the procedures we will be using all year long to help make class run smoothly. You will see that I am passing out a packet of procedures. This is yours to keep. Hang on to it and refer to it until these procedures are second-nature for you. Feel free to take notes on it as we talk about and practice the things in it. I know it seems like a lot, but before you know it, you’ll be doing all these things with your eyes closed!”
Introduce using slideshow
Explain and practice each one as we come to it
Each student should receive a document of all procedures which they should keep in their binder
5. 10 minutes -Get to know the students and help the students get to know each other using the Chain Gang Activity (taken from A. Anspaugh)
“Whew! Now that we’ve got that done, I want to get to know you all more and give you all a chance to get to know each other better. I am passing around now strips of construction paper. Please take one set of paper- clipped construction paper strips. There should be five in each group. Read the directions that accompany your strips and begin working with your elbow partner to write down one talent you have on each slip of paper. When you have done this please connect your slips of paper to form a chain. You have about 7 minutes to work with your partner and then we will share out as a group.” After 7 minutes “ Thank you for working so diligently. What are some of the talents that we have represented in our classroom? Do I have any volunteers? Now we are going to connect all of our chains together. What might this represent? Great, I am excited to see how these talents build us into a strong team this year. Together we will be able to do so much more than any one person can do on their own.”
6. 2 minutes- Dismiss class
Remind the students of our dismissal procedure before the bell rings: Now, who can tell me what our dismissal procedures is?” (Call on someone who remembers, or refresh their memories if no one can) “That’s right, I will dismiss you. Pleas wait to pack up until after I have dismissed you. So, with all that said, it looks like class is over. Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!”
Arrive at school at 6:45
STUDENTS ARRIVE
5-10 minutes (during passing time and as students enter the room)- Greet students at the door, making sure each one is in the right place and directing students to use the chart posted on the overhead to find their correct seat and begin working on the warm-up assignment they will find there (Wong and Wong, 2009). See attached warm-up assignment.
CLASS BEGINS
1. First 5 minutes of class- Students will come into the class and find the seat that corresponds to their seat on the seating chart.
2. 3 minutes- Go over schedule
One minute prior to beginning give student a one minute warning: “In one minute we are going to be wrapping up our warm-up, so please finish what you can before that time.”
“Alright class, if I could please have your attention at the front, we are going to get started. It is so nice to finally meet all of you. I am Miss Frederick and I will be your teacher this year. Today I am going to start out by introducing myself to you and then taking time to go over my expectations for the year teach you the procedures that we will use to make our class efficient. After that I want to start to get to know you all a little bit. That will take up just about all of our day today. The rest of the week we will be spending continuing to get to know each other, practicing procedures, deciding what kind of rules we want to have in our classroom for this year, and figuring out why math is important to you. So that’s the game plan. Are there any questions? (wait). Alright, then let’s get started:
3. 10 minutes Personal Introduction- Using PowerPoint:
Well, as you all know by now, my name is Miss Frederick. I recently graduated from Spring Arbor University, which is just about an hour away from here. When I was at Spring Arbor I ran cross country and track (I LOVE to run and play sports!) and I studied Math, Spanish, and teaching English as a second language. Before Spring Arbor, I graduated from Bullock Creek High School which is in the very middle of Michigan. But I didn’t actually live there my whole life. Growing up I went to four different schools. I was born in Oklahoma. Since then I have lived in two states and two countries. Some of the things that I LOVE to do are learn and speak different languages and distance bike-ride (this summer I rode my bike 15 miles to work every day). This is my family. I love them lots. My mom was also a math teacher funny enough. My dad is the one who got me into running and distance biking we have ridden from the top to the bottom and from side to side of Michigan together. My older brother, Josh is a doctor, and my younger brother Zach is still in college and is REALLY good at rugby! So this is a little bit about me. You also should know that I am SO EXCITED to be your teacher this year!
4. 20 minutes-Procedures
“Now we are going to transition into learning and practicing the procedures we will be using all year long to help make class run smoothly. You will see that I am passing out a packet of procedures. This is yours to keep. Hang on to it and refer to it until these procedures are second-nature for you. Feel free to take notes on it as we talk about and practice the things in it. I know it seems like a lot, but before you know it, you’ll be doing all these things with your eyes closed!”
Introduce using slideshow
Explain and practice each one as we come to it
Each student should receive a document of all procedures which they should keep in their binder
5. 10 minutes -Get to know the students and help the students get to know each other using the Chain Gang Activity (taken from A. Anspaugh)
“Whew! Now that we’ve got that done, I want to get to know you all more and give you all a chance to get to know each other better. I am passing around now strips of construction paper. Please take one set of paper- clipped construction paper strips. There should be five in each group. Read the directions that accompany your strips and begin working with your elbow partner to write down one talent you have on each slip of paper. When you have done this please connect your slips of paper to form a chain. You have about 7 minutes to work with your partner and then we will share out as a group.” After 7 minutes “ Thank you for working so diligently. What are some of the talents that we have represented in our classroom? Do I have any volunteers? Now we are going to connect all of our chains together. What might this represent? Great, I am excited to see how these talents build us into a strong team this year. Together we will be able to do so much more than any one person can do on their own.”
6. 2 minutes- Dismiss class
Remind the students of our dismissal procedure before the bell rings: Now, who can tell me what our dismissal procedures is?” (Call on someone who remembers, or refresh their memories if no one can) “That’s right, I will dismiss you. Pleas wait to pack up until after I have dismissed you. So, with all that said, it looks like class is over. Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!”