Welcome, Fifth

Grade!
Classroom Management Plan

EDUC 122 Curriculum & Pedagogy

Michelle Nguyen

Table of Contents
PART 1: CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION.........................................................................2
Physical Organization.............................................................................................. 2
Classroom Design................................................................................................. 2
Rationale.............................................................................................................. 2
Operational Organization........................................................................................ 3
Records that the Teacher Tracks...........................................................................3
Records that the Students Track...........................................................................4
Materials.............................................................................................................. 5
Bulletin Boards..................................................................................................... 6
New Students....................................................................................................... 7
Substitutes........................................................................................................... 8
PART II: DISCIPLINARY POLICIES & PROFESSIONAL ETHICS.........................................8
Procedures............................................................................................................... 8
Professionalism & Ethics........................................................................................ 10
PART III: CLASSROOM ROUTINES.............................................................................. 11
Class Jobs.............................................................................................................. 11
Field Trips.............................................................................................................. 12
Homework & Classwork......................................................................................... 12
Free Time?............................................................................................................. 12
Getting Up or Leaving the Classroom....................................................................13
Meeting the Needs of All Learners.........................................................................13
Parent Communication.......................................................................................... 15

PART 1: CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION

Physical Organization
Classroom Design

Rationale
A classroom, when set up properly, should lend itself to multiple styles of
learning and instruction; that is why I decided to have two desk setups. The
desks in the front are more for direct instruction - I can closely monitor
students since they are all turned facing me while the tables in the back
are mainly for group or inquiry work. Both offer enough space for everyone
to move around comfortably and can be used in a variety of ways. The desk
setup makes it easier to do tasks that require efficiency like passing out or
turning in papers, while the table setup is good for activities that need a lot
of movement.
My belief is that students do no need to be in groups all of the time some
students prefer to work alone but they still need to be in groups some of
the time. These setups appeal to those introverted and extroverted students.
Also, it gets kids up and moving throughout the day! I think it brings in the

best of both worlds. Both arrangements can work for different types of
instruction as well, except one setup may be more appealing to that type
than the other.
For everything else in my classroom, it is pretty
basic. I have most of the technology either at the
front of the classroom or on the technology cart,
including SMARTboard, ELMO, and hopefully
laptops/iPads for all students assuming that my class
is one-to-one. There are computer desks at the sides
of the room towards the front and right beside one
set of computer desks is the reading area. It is pretty
simple two bookshelves, a couch, and bean bag
chairs made to be a comfortable place for students
to lounge and read to their hearts content. Supplies
and materials are stored throughout the room with
board games and student records at the front, and
paper materials and student materials in the back.
Attention was paid to making areas easily accessible
if they are used often and other areas more out of the
way if they are not used that often.
And here are some examples of decorations I would like to have around the
room:

Operational Organization
Records that the Teacher Tracks
I plan to keep track of student progress, academic or behavioral, and have
them on file both electronically and on paper. Academic progress will be
recorded using the Whaley gradebook layout (as described in Wong & Wong).
I like that I can keep a constant running total to keep parents up-to-date on
how their student is doing in different subject areas. I plan to use this layout,

but transfer it to an electronic form while backing it up just in case anything

happens to it.
Even using electronic means of storage though, I do plan to keep paper
copies of student work (of course, how else?) and want to organize it in a
way that I saw used in one of my practicum classes. I will have a hanging
folder with each students work in it, but inside of that folder will be another
folder that will hold work that I think they worked hard on and can be showed
to the parents. I think this makes parent-teacher conferences so much easier
when the work is all done and prepared ahead of time, and it is easy to do
throughout the year.
I will also keep track of student behavior which will be explained more indepth in the next section PART II: DISCIPLINARY POLICIES & PROFESSIONAL
ETHICS. This will include behavioral tracking forms, TAB forms, referral forms,
notes sent home to the parents, etc. All of these will be explained more indepth in the later section.
Lastly, I will also keep more static records like addressed, emergency
contacts, allergies, etc. near the grading records and behavioral charts.
Along with these will be personality inventories that I will give to the
students on the first day of school something that I will also explain in
another section. Examples for some of these records are below:

Records that the Students Track

On top of my own file-keeping, I want the students to keep track of their own
academic and behavioral progress over the year. I find this a good
opportunity to practice math skills and also demonstrate the real-world
relevance of charts & graphs. We will start the year tracking progress
through simple means like placing dots on where students think they stand
on an assignment (shown in the first picture from the left). After, we can
move onto using tables and then bar graphs and ending with line graphs.
This can instigate discussions throughout the year of why we use different
graphs for different purposes, and how certain types appeal to specific types

of data. Also too, the students will keep track of their personal academic and
behavior goals in written form (not mathematical).

Materials

for who still has

The students in my class will not share many

materials. Most things will be bought to be
individually used, but there is one thing that I will
stress not losing their pens and pencils! That is
why I want to do The Great Pencil Challenge in my
class. Students will try to keep the same pencil for as
long as possible, and we will check-in every week
their pencil.

I think this is a great way to teach students to

better care of their materials. They will still buy
their own pencils though, but they get a
personally decorated pencil with an acrostic of
their name (to keep track of whose pencil
belongs to whom). Besides that, everything is
pretty typical. I will have some shared materials
like construction paper, perhaps calculators,
permanent markers, tape, etc.

take

Bulletin Boards
decorate
decorating by
Instagram
below where
below that for

There will be two large bulletin boards, one to showcase

the students work and pictures and another for me to
however I want. On the students; board, I will start the
putting up pictures of the students in the layout of
pictures. There will be a place for a picture, a caption
they put an acrostic of their name, and then a hashtag
me to fill in with something unique I notice about them.
After a couple of weeks, the students can take those with
them and the board will then be used to showcase
student work.

When displaying student work, each student will have their own clothespin
with a thumbtack glued behind it to make hanging papers easy and efficient.
They will each be in charge of hanging up work that they think they want to
showcase. There will be times that they can choose to hang up work, for
example when passing back papers or during free work time after having
finished however many task cards. I like letting students decide what to
share because giving them the control gives them more pride in their work,
motivating them to work hard on assignments and projects so they can
showcase it to the class!
Now, for the board to be used by me, this will be switched up often.
Sometimes I will choose to decorate the board to go along with the theme of
a unit we are learning about. Other times, I may pose a question to begin a
unit with. And sometimes too, I will decorate with fun things related to the
classroom! Some ideas I have for this bulletin board is:
Making it an exit slip board for students to post quick assessments
Posting memes relevant to how students/teachers feel or to explain
class rules
A formative assessment board to quickly check how students are doing
on an assignment, concept, or project
Some examples of what it would look like are below and on the next page:

New Students
When students first enter my classroom in the middle of
the year, I want them to be able to transition into the
classroom routines easily. I would give them a pack of
resources so they can quickly learn our procedures, some
of the content that we are doing, and of course feel
welcomed to be in our class. I would want the student to
not feel alone during their first few days so I would pair
that new student with a buddy to help them throughout
the school. I would make sure that emphasize the
responsibility of being a buddy students can choose
this role, but know it is up to them to welcome our new student.
That is, introduce them to the classmates, explain where important things
are, talk about the regular procedures of the classroom, and be an available
resource for help when help is needed. No one likes to feel alone when in a
new environment so the volunteer buddy should do their best to help make
the student feel welcomed.
Substitutes
There will be days where I am unable to teach, and so I will have a substitute
bin with necessary materials for whoever takes my place that day. It will
include:
A detailed schedule for the day
Lesson plans for that day
Worksheets and assignment sheets, separate by subject
An attendance chart with sticker name tags for the students to put on

An outline of classroom routines and procedures

Time-filler activities for students who finish early
A description of emergency procedures
List of IEPs and pull-out times
Directions of where to find student information (contact information,
things like that)
A While you were gone sheet to put notes down about the day

Hopefully all of these things will make the substitute teachers day a lot
easier. I would also include a note of who her student helper is and I will
make sure it is a student I can trust. This student is responsible for clarifying
any confusion that the substitute may have about homework, instruction,
procedures, etc. This will keep fifty hands and fifty different answers from
students when the substitute asks for clarification about something related
to the class. I would hope that all of these resources will make her teaching
much easier, and I will emphasize to her that she may make comments
about anything else I could have done to better help her as well.

PART II: DISCIPLINARY POLICIES & PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Procedures

Rules I will have few rules to apply to various contexts in the class.
These will be ones that I come up with alone, as students are probably
already familiar with most of the rules and why they are in place for
example, turning in work on time is important and it is obvious as to
why. We can have a quick discussion about rules during the first day of
school. The list of rules will be short and simple, and will include:
o Demonstrating respectful behavior
o Using time efficiently
o Turning in work completed and one time
o Not abusing privileges granted to them
o Working and playing in a safe manner

Consequences I like the idea of a responsive discipline plan and

having clear rules and clear consequences for breaking those rules. I
would having a classroom discussion and agreement the first day of
school on what the logical consequence would be for breaking different
rules. I will take into account student suggestions but then also offer
my own and discuss why this is a logical consequence for a particular
action. I used the graphic to the left as an example of what I mean by
logical consequences although what is decided by the class may
differ. I think this method is a good way to differentiate behavioral

needs for a classroom, since every group of students is different. I also

think it creates a greater sense of community in the class we all work
together to create common goals and values. Here are more specific
descriptions of what I mean:
o Minor Infractions
These will include
breaking small rules,
like abusing privileges
such as technology,
not using free time
efficiently, tardiness,
late work, incomplete
work, etc. Students
will get a warning and
be required to fill out a
Please Stop form to
reflect on their behavior. This will serve as a
warning for the student before further action in
the case that the student disobeys the rules
again.
o Mid-Level Infractions These are mostly actions that prove to be
disrespect to myself or another student such as name-calling or
any form of bullying. I do not tolerate bullying in my classroom
and will try my best to form a community based on respect. If the
action was done out of anger or frustration, the student will fill
out a TAB sheet to reflect on their behavior and think of a
better action. This will serve as a first warning but if the behavior
continues, I will have to move onto following the discipline
protocol belonging to the school and probably notify the parents
of that student.
o Extreme Infractions These will include anything that puts
myself or the students in extreme danger, such as that we are
worried for our physical well-being. I would make sure to
evacuate my students and get them somewhere safe; then, I will
ask the student to calm down and immediately remedy the
situation. Extreme behavior calls for extreme measures, so I
would need to have a conference with the parents and the
principal to see what action needs to happen from there on.
o Cheating I may be one of few who think this, but I would be
hesitant to punish cheaters in my classroom. I worry more about
the reason why students cheat and so if I do catch cheating, I
would just make the student do the test again alone and have a
discussion about why it is important to do your own work. It is
not just about getting the right answers but also, the test
results tell me whether I need to reteach the material to
students. It matters as much to me as it should to them for the

work to be original, their own efforts, and I do not think that

students who cheat are fully aware of the implications of their
actions. This is a personal belief I am still struggling to figure out,
but I do not think punishing cheaters is necessary unless that
student is a repeat offender.
Rewards Rather than just giving food or candy to
Possible Rewards
the students, I would offer students choice in what
Note from the Teacher
Listen to Music while
they want as a reward. I will give an inventory
Working
which will be explained in a later section asking
Note for Parents
Read Aloud to the Class
what each student prefers as a reward for good
Pick Your Next Seat
behavior. Some ideas are listed in the table for
Lunch with the Teacher
Use the Teachers Chair
some options they can choose. Students are free to
Sit at the Teachers Desk
add their own ideas, but I will be clear to not accept
Open when
Notecards
reward ideas that I do not feel are good rewards.

Professionalism & Ethics

Every time you act, you validate who you are. (Wong, pg. 53)
I do agree with Wong, that your actions are a big nod to who you are. I know
that in my day-to-day life, I will try to dress and act appropriately to
everyone that I come into contact with. That includes being cordial during
discussions and instances where conflict may arise easily. In the words of
Warren Buffet, It takes 20 years to build up a reputation and only 5 minutes
to ruin it. If we thought about things that way, we may do things differently.
Although it is stressful to realize how greatly our actions, no matter how
small, influence how we are perceived, that stress can be seen as a good
thing as it pushes us to be the best versions of ourselves to serve as role
models for others.
Things like lounge gossip and conflicting personalities/opinions can be
handled in a respectful manner. Gossip can be avoided by just not
participating in it and perpetuating the behavior. Gossip is something that is
always around, but that does not mean you must include yourself in it.
The same goes for conflict just because another person may not agree with
you and chooses to voice that in an unkind and unwelcoming manner does
not mean that you follow suit. In the words of another smart individual,
Desmond Tutu has said, Rather than raise your voice, improve your
argument. Do not focus on how you are saying it but what you are saying
and how that it being interpreted by the other person. If we take a little time
to step into each others shoes, we can learn a lot from each other and grow
that way. Professionalism starts from the inside out.

Speaking of out, I will also pay attention to my dress when teaching. I will
dress the part of a teacher to win my students; respect. I want by
appearance to reflect who I am inside during the school day, a professional
instructor who takes her job seriously. I would hope that not just my outside
appearance but also my attitude can serve as an example to my students
and my peers to be their best selves, because pride in your appearance can
positively influence other elements within you. Mind over body works the
other way as well, with our actions influencing our thinking something to
think about.

PART III: CLASSROOM ROUTINES

Class Jobs
There will be a plethora of roles for the students to take on. I wanted to give
roles that were especially useful, so that each student feels that their role is
important. The jobs would be:
Advertisement being in charge of advertising for the class, including
maintaining the online class blog and taking pictures of important
events in the class.
Librarian maintaining the class library, making sure all books are
where they are supposed to be and that they are organized.
Teachers assistant a versatile role, but in essence it is helping the
teacher throughout the day when she needs a students help. It can be
small tasks like bringing the technology cart to the front, marking off
the calendar, etc. The assistant will be called for when needed.
Supply manager in charge of making sure that supplies are stocked
and organized. This will be done at the end of the day during clean-up
time.
Office messenger in charge of taking attendance and running it to the
office. Also in charge of making copies for the teacher as well as
picking up copies to bring to the classroom.
Clean up crew (3) these students will be in charge of cleaning up the
classroom. This will be done at the end of the day, and the students
can split up different areas of the room to focus on one area at a time.
Plant & animal caretaker this person will be in charge of feeding the
class pets and watering the plants. This will be at specified times
throughout the day.
Table leaders (3) these students will be in charge of leading their
group during our work at the activity tables. They will delegate group
roles, get materials for the group, and will be responsible for listening
closely directions and be a resource for their group mates.

Substitutes (2) these students will cover any of the roles above in the
case that students are absent.

Field Trips
When taking students on field trips, I will most likely follow the protocol
instituted by the school that I teach at. Field trip forms will be sent home
about a week or two before the day of the field trip and will need to be
brought back to school. Students will know that the rules within the
classroom will still apply outside the classroom, and disobeying those rules
will result in consequences once we are back at school. Field trips are a
privilege and I expect students to not abuse that privilege. Assuming buses
will be our method of transportation, attention will be paid in class to
practicing procedures on how to enter and leave the bus and also what
behaviors to demonstrate while outside the classroom.

Homework & Classwork

Students will practice turning in homework the first
day of school. Papers should be in alphabetic order,
which is easy to do considering the desk
arrangement at the front of the class. Papers will
move from one end of the tables to the others. We
will make this a game and time the students to see
how quickly they can sort their work that they turn in.
Once all papers are in, the teachers assistant will
take the papers back to be put on my desk for later
grading.

Free Time?
If there is free time for students if they finish work early, they are still
expected to do activities relevant to the subject of that hour. There will be
task cards for the students that finish early can do until it is time to transition
to the next subject. The task cards will be differentiated for different groups
for different subject areas, and can be a mix of independent and group work.
The point is that students should use their time effectively and task cards
give them a way to effectively use their time!

Getting Up or Leaving the

Classroom
I

will have students

use hand signals
when they need to
go to the bathroom,
get a drink of
water, or sharpen a
pencil. The signals
are shown in the
picture on the left
of how students will
ask to leave the
room or get up
from their room. I will
give a simple nod or shake for the student to
leave or not to leave. Students will also need
to log out if they are going for a drink or to the
bathroom. This places accountability on
students who choose to use the bathroom or
opportunities to get a drink as a way to escape
class. It is also something I can show to
parents if I am concerned about the amount of time a student chooses to
spend outside of class.

Meeting the Needs of All Learners

I do think that the importance of differentiation cannot be emphasized
enough! I would be sure that in my classroom, I will differentiate my
classroom through ability, learning styles, and
interests. I want similarly abled students to work
together as well as mixed ability groups, because
those different group dynamics can help support
students learning as they share their thinking and
understanding of the material. It is important to get
students all working together and working on
material appropriate for them whether ability-wise,
interest-wise, or learning
style-wise. I will have
students fill out a learning
styles inventory the first
day of school to get to
know how they prefer to
learn. From then, I will
give formative assessments throughout the year
to help differentiate groups and seating
arrangements. Everyone will get a chance to work
with everyone else, but also can work alone at
times too. I do not feel the need to do constant
group work because I know introverted students
prefer working alone, and so I will try to have a
balance of group and individual work.
Throughout the year, I will consistently check
students understanding of the material through quick
formative assessments I call check-ins. These will
vary but in essence, they are just quick whole class
questions that I will use to see where the students
stand in their learning.
Sometimes I will only ask the students for a nod or a
shake to see where they are in the current lesson I am
teaching. Other times, and most times as well, I will
ask for a traffic signal do
the students get it, are
somewhat unsure, or are they completely lost? They
will use their thumb to shown red, green, or yellow
and this is good to quickly group up students who
are on the same levels of understanding.

And lastly, I want students to rate themselves from 1-4

on their understanding of a concept. This is more to be
used towards the end of a unit and takes a bit more time
to self-evaluate, but it lets me know if I need to go over
a concept again with the whole
class or a small group of
students.
But along with those formative
assessments, I would of course also
written formative assessments to
to really test their knowledge of the content. I will just include
as a way to get a quick judgment and move away from the
written or performance assessments.

give
students
check-ins
routine of

Parent Communication

Before the first day & on the first day I want to communicate
with the parents effectively, starting before the first day of school. I will
either mail home or personally give parents an inventory to get to
know their child their interests, concerns, and of course any
questions they have for me.
Also, having heard this in my ESL courses, I
would try to have home visits with most of my
students to start a friendly rapport with the
parents and open those lines of
communication. I know this is especially
important for my ESL students families so
they can understand my role in relation to
their child, and that I am only here to help
them. Letters are one method of
communication but face-to-face interaction is
much more contextual and intimate and so I
prefer communicating that way, especially when
starting communication with students families.

Constant &
Consistent
Communication I
would try to have
consistent
communication with the
parents, communicating
equally about good and
bad news about the
student. Preferring
technology and web for quick and anonymous communication, I will
use remind.com as a tool to communicate with students and their
families about assignments, grades, and general news about the class
or their student.

Parent/Teacher Conferences A reminder will be sent early about

parent-teacher conferences. I will give each parent a report to take
with them about their child, and also
referring back to PART I: CLASSROOM
ORGANIZATION, I will also show them the
students work from their file folder.
Conferences will be a time where I and the
parent(s) can communicate effectively about
any concerns about the student or give
suggestions about how to help those
concerns.

References
- Pictures:
o www.pinterest.com
o www.teacherspayteachers.com
- Teacher Records, First Day Procedures, Professionalism & Ethics
o Wong & Wong, First Days of School.