ABOUT MY CLASSROOM
My classroom is a place for students to feel safe, have fun, and fall in love with learning.
Physical Space
My classroom is divided into several spaces for student use. I spend several days at the beginning of the school year teaching the procedures and expectations associated with each of these spaces.
Reading Corner: I love reading and I want to instill a love of reading in my students. One of the ways I do that is by providing a comfortable place for students to relax and read for pleasure. The reading corner in my classroom has bean bag chairs, puppets, stuffed animals, blankets, and lots of books to read. Students know that they are welcome to take books home with them and if there’s something that they really want to read or learn about, they can usually talk me into buying a new book for the reading corner!
Supplies Zone:The supplies shelves in my classroom have markers, crayons, paper, and other art supplies for student use. Students know they can access these things when they need them.
Curriculum Supplies: Students can also access supplies for math and literacy stations on this shelving unit. The boxes on these shelves are clearly labeled so that students (and myself) know where to return items. Sometimes a student will ask to use something from these shelves when working on a math assignment. I’m not sure they would ask if they didn’t see them available.
Teacher Supplies: I like to have the supplies I need available when I need them, even if that is in the middle of a lesson for which I didn’t anticipate needing any additional supplies. At the front of my classroom I have a large bookshelf full of these sorts of materials. Everything is organized so I can find what I need or want, and the back of the bookcase serves as a wall for the reading corner.
Student Desks
Desks in my classroom provide more than a space for students to store their personal supplies.
Name Tags: Desks also hold student name tags (as is typical in most classrooms). These name tags are attached with Velcro so that students can remove them when they need to use the bathroom (this procedure is explained further in the Procedures section).
1-2 Partners: Desks also have a small number attached (also with Velcro). These numbers indicate the students’ partner when we do 1-2 partners. I wanted these numbers to be clearly visible to students so I don’t have to dictate partners every time we do partner work. I also wanted them to be easily changed so I can change seats without having to go through a lot of trouble to remove and replace partner numbers. Now when I rearrange seats one of the first things I hear from students is “Oh! Now _____ is my partner!”
Procedures
I try to have procedures in place to avoid unnecessary interruptions in lessons.
Bathroom: One of the procedures I teach on the first day of school is my classroom bathroom procedure. Because students’ name tags are removable, they can be used to indicate who is in the bathroom. When a student has to go to the bathroom he or she first checks to see if there is already someone in the bathroom (by looking for a name tag by the door). The student then removes his or her name tag, holds it in the air and waits for me to indicate that it is okay to go. This procedure teaches students responsibility (they must first check to see if the bathroom is open) and also limits unnecessary interruptions.
Sockless Sock Puppets: Another interruption I have developed a procedure to avoid is partnering when a student is absent. In the past I would spend time arranging new pairs to deal with students who were missing a partner. This took time and lead to students getting off task or forgetting what they were supposed to be discussing. I eliminated this issue with the “sockless sock puppet.” Now if a student is missing a partner, he or she knows to use a bare hand (sockless sock puppet) instead. Most of my students actually love the opportunity to use a silly voice and talk for their hand. They are engaged in the discussion and I don’t have to spend time making new partners.
Classroom Management
I believe in setting high expectations and rewarding positive behaviors.
Save Buzz: During my student teaching internship I was introduced to the CHAMPS system of classroom management. I knew I wanted to introduce it in my own classroom because I believe in the power of setting student expectations. I personalized this to my own classroom by incorporating Toy Story. At the beginning of the year I show a short clip of Woody knocking Buzz out the window of Andy’s bedroom. We spend the rest of the year trying to “Save Buzz” by earning monkeys to form a chain down to the toy. As students follow the expectations we outline before each activity, monkeys get added to the chain. When the chain reaches Buzz, a reward is earned.
Mr. Potato Head: In the past I have supplemented my whole class reward system with a small group reward system using Mr Potato Head. I put students into groups and then have them compete to earn pieces for their potatoes. Students like the tie to Toy Story that is common in my classroom, and the competition encourages all students to follow expectations.
Classroom Community
Providing students with a sense of belonging and community is very important to me.
Making Memories: One of my favorite parts of my classroom is the picture wall. This wall starts the year as a blank concrete canvas. As the year goes on I print and add pictures until the space is full of our class memories. This wall gives students a sense of belonging as they see themselves and their friends. At the end of the year I send the pictures home with students. I love seeing the pictures hanging in the hall the next year as students complete About Me posters.
Calm Down Space: As a strategy to build coping skills and lower student stress levels, I have added a calm space to my classroom this year. This is a space students can go when they feel they are having trouble focusing on lesson content. I have found students are very aware of their stress and they are understanding of other students’ stress. This space is comfortable and tucked away from other students. Students also have access to stress balls and water. One of my future goals is to become a trauma informed teacher; this space is a first step in my effort to accomplish that goal.
Learning
Most importantly, my classroom is a space for students to learn. I strive to help my students see that their learning is a process that everyone is capable of achieving.
Learning Targets: Learning targets are clearly posted and frequently updated in my classroom. These targets keep students focused on the learning they are doing. In addition, I make clear the steps necessary to reach these targets (learning progressions). Students track their progress towards these targets, and indicate their current understanding using a clip on our math bulletin board.
Growth Mindset: It is important to me that my students believe that they are capable of achieving our learning targets. I have posters displayed throughout the room that emphasize having a growth mindset. We reference these messages frequently throughout the year.
