CLASSROOM

MANAGEMENT
Emma Clark

EMMA CLARK
EDUC 3337
March 2019
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Index
 Background and Rationale- Pages 2-5

 Organizational/Storage Tool- Page 6

 Classroom Procedures- Pages 7-11

 First Day of School Activities- Pages 12-13

 Second Day of School Activities- Pages 13-14

 Class Meeting Outline Used- Pages 15-17

 Sources- Page 18
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Background
I decided to make my classroom for a second-grade resource class of about 8 students.
The students in my class may have an LD, ED, ADHD, Autism, or a combination of diagnosis
but are still able to be in inclusion part of the time.

PART ONE: CLASSROOM SET UP

Rationale
 Wheelchair and accessibility- If a student required a wheel chair, they would sit in the
chair marked with the star. This way, they would be close to the door to make for an
easier transition into the room, close to the cabinet with student materials, and sitting on
the corner gives them easier access to the computers, library, and teacher’s desk because
of the large gap I decided to put in the middle of the room for accessibility reasons as
well as to help everyone have more open space during transitions.
 Teacher’s desk- I chose to put the teacher’s desk in the back-right corner because it
would give the ability to see the entire room including the computers and library/quiet
zone. Also, I felt that having the desk in the corner would allow for a safer spot to keep
sensitive information such as student’s ARD papers, notes on the students, etc. while also
creating a visual area that is designated as the teacher’s personal nook.
 File Cabinets (2)- I put one of the filing cabinets next to my desk in the teacher’s area
where I would keep papers and documents that are only meant for me (ex. the more
sensitive papers as, my lesson plans, etc.). I would then put another, smaller filing cabinet
near the small-group instruction area for student purposed materials like worksheets that
would be used for lessons or handouts students could use such as number charts or
grammar help.
 Bookcases- Two bookcases in the top right corner would be used to designate an area for
the library/ quiet area to help the students visualize the purpose of the area and also feel
like they’re safe or in their own space when using the area. There will also be a poster on
the back wall that has the rules and procedures for the center.
 Students Desks or Tables- I would have two desk clumps with four desks at each in the
middle-ish of the room towards the front carpet. This is so they can be close enough to
the white board to see the front white board, classroom procedures and schedule, as well
as be far enough away from the quiet area/library to not disturb students using the area.
 Table-Small Group Instruction- Based off of past experiences and what I’ve seen at
Valley View Elementary, I decided on using a C/U shaped table for small-group
instruction. I chose to put the table in front of the word wall and next to my desk in the
middle of the room. This position works well as it’s next to the filing cabinet that has
student worksheets I mentioned above, is in a separate area of the room to help students
focus and is farther away from the quiet area as to not disrupt students using that area as
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much as possible. I chose to have the table in an upside-down U shape so that the place
where the teacher sits looks out at the rest of the room to keep an eye on other students
who may be working in other parts of the classroom as well as the door.
 Dry Erase board- I positioned my dry erase board first and organized my classroom
accordingly. It’s at the left side of the classroom, with two bulletin boards on either side.
I chose to put the board there so that whether students were at their table clumps or on the
carpet, I would be able to use the white board as needed. If I was at the small-table group
with certain students, I could also have directions on the board for an assignment or what
to do after an assignment that the students who were working at their desks could see and
refer to. Hopefully, this would help limit questions or students coming up to the small-
group table and allow everyone to focus better and know what they should be doing.
 Cabinets- As mentioned above, I have two filing cabinets- one in my teacher’s area and
one by the small-group table. I would have a different cabinet (non-filing) behind my
desk and a second by the front door when students walk in where materials are kept. I
chose to put it the student-cabinet by the door and flat against the wall to allow for more
walking space in the classroom and to have it located in a non-cluttered area that was
easy to access. There are no desks or anything behind it that would make it difficult to get
supplies or require students to be in anyone else’s space.
 Computers- The three classroom computers are located along the right wall in between
the teacher’s area and quiet area/library. I did this because computers are usually a
quieter activity (they usually aren’t talking with one another when using them) where
students tend to be more on-task because of how fun/engaging the educational games are.
I wanted to put the quietest activity center closest to the library/cool down zone because
it would be the least distracting to students in using either center. Although the class is
somewhat small, I still wanted to try and have all of the action/noise possibly be towards
the front half of the room and keep the back-half calmer/quieter.
 Bulletin Board for student work- The bulletin board for student work is located to the
right of the white board on the wall at the front of the class. I wanted it to be at the front
so when students work at tables or are on the carpet, they can look up and easily see their
work. I also chose to have it up there since a solid amount of my teaching would be done
on the white board as well as directions or notes, so they’ll be looking in that direction
multiple times a day which will hopefully result in them looking at their work more often
than they would if the bulletin board was in a different location. I want them to see/look
at it as much as possible because it’s important to me that they can feel proud of their
work and hopefully be inspired to continue turning in the best work they can.
 Library- I decided to have the library serve two purposes but feel the purposes go
together. I plan on calling the library the “comfy corner” and have it used as both a
library and a cool down zone where students can take a break. It will have a softer,
yellow light lamp near it, bean bags, and other sensory objects or toys that students can
use that will hopefully give the entire area a sense of calmness. On my drawing, it’s
located in the top right corner of the page but with the way the classroom is set up it ends
up being in the back of the class. I felt that having it in the corner with a bookshelf also
being there to create a kind of barrier would help students visualize that that area is
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almost its own thing separate from the classroom with different rules and a specific
purpose. This will also hopefully help prevent other students working in small group or at
their tables from staring at a student who is using that area particularly in a case where
that student is using it to calm down or take a break. I put it in the corner/back half of the
room to also make it as far from the areas of the class where people will be talking or
working so that it truly feels like a separate little zone and will be quieter for the students
using it. However, it’s still visible from both the teacher’s desk as well as the teacher’s
spot at the small-group table so while other students don’t have as much visual access to
it while they’re working, I will always be able to keep an eye on things.
 Word Wall- Because I wanted the two bulletin boards at the front of the class on either
side of the white board white board to be classroom procedures + the schedule on one
side and student work on the other, I was left with using the back wall in front of the
small-group table for our word wall. I felt this worked out well, however, because when
we do small group instruction for reading/writing content, we have words that we’ve
already worked on right in front of us to look at and possibly use as examples. Plus, when
one of the students stumbles onto a new/tricky word that I think is important, we can put
it on the wall right in that moment, so the students feel it’s their wall considering we’re
filling it up together.
 Student Materials- Student materials are in the cabinet by the front door. I wanted it to be
in a more open space so if multiple students were grabbing materials at the same time it
wouldn’t be cramped and hopefully limit students getting in their peer’s personal space.
Also, if they were working at their tables and realized they needed something like math
manipulatives or even a fidget thing, they know where to go and don’t have to walk up to
the front or cause too much of a distraction.
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Organizational/Storage Tool
I saw this image and was drawn in by how it’s almost two or three organizational tools in
one and has small details that take it even one step farther. Instead of just having materials lined
up individually or simply sitting/laying on a cabinet shelf, going the extra step of separating the
materials and boxing them together will help everything stay even more organized. It’s almost
like they have created student material storage units (the crates and drawers) within a student
material storage unit (the cabinet). Even the detail of having the containers be crates instead of
just boxes allows for easier, quicker access for students because they won’t have to pick up each
box to look inside and see what’s in there. The same with the mini drawers that contain the
markers/pens/pencils having clear drawer fronts which would help them more easily find what
they’re looking for and also make it easier to put things back where they actually belong. This
would be used in the student materials cabinet that’s near the door and would have both supplies
as well as things like math manipulatives or a fidget basket.

Source: http://www.ourclassweb.com/sites_for_teachers_getting_organized.htm
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Part 2: Classroom Procedures

 Expectations/Rules- I would introduce the class expectations by discussing what

expectations are/what that word means, ask them what kind of expectations they may
have at home or had last year, and explain the importance of rules/expectations and why
they’re there in the first place. As I’ve mentioned before, I want to have 3 rules I create
that I introduce to our class: (1) Respect our peers, their space, and belongings, (2) Listen
when others are talking, (3) Use kind language with yourself and others. I feel those
cover the foundational rules I want to have in my classroom, and other, more specific
rules for work stations or library use can be introduced and taught separately. I would
then allow the students to brainstorm together about any other rules they may want to add
or other things they feel are important and possibly add one-two more rules depending on
what they say. The expectations will be at the front of the room near the white board on a
poster next to the schedule, so students have easy visual access to it. Each student would
also get a printed copy to keep in their folders.
 Teacher’s signal to gain student attention- I like the call and response one they use at
Valley View. It’s fun and catchy and less than 5 seconds.
- Teacher Command: “Ba-ba ba-da-dum-bum”
- Student Response: “Bum bum!”
 Student’s signal for teacher’s attention/obtaining help- Students would raise their hand to
get my attention simply because that’s a consistent procedure that they will probably
already have some practice with and will be the same in their inclusion class as it is in
mine. I will go over with them what raising your hand looks like though (ex. Quietly
raising your hand and not having it raised while also yelling our or talking anyways). If
I’m at my desk or not looking while they’re raising their hand, they can also give a
simple “Excuse me” to let me know they need something.
 When individual work has been completed- If they finish their work before their peers or
finish before I’m done with the small-group, they have different options for what they
can do which will be established in the earlier weeks of school. Their options are (1)
doing independent reading with a book from either our class library or school library, (2)
using their iPads to play math games, (3) grab one of our class games (which are all
educational in some way like rhyming dominos), (4) do one of our mini puzzles at their
desk or in the library area, (5) grab one of the class activity packets that has choices of
activities like riddles, number games, mazes, word searches, etc., or (6) free draw.
 Small Group-
- I want to have some kind of sign near the small-group table or on the white board
that’s similar to a “Yes, we’re open” and “Sorry, we’re closed” sign where one side is
green and says I’m available and the other side is red and let’s them know it’s not the
time to ask me questions or interrupt the group (unless absolutely necessary,
obviously).
- If they need something, students can raise their hand if they need help and, because of
the way the small-group table is situated, I should be able to see them. An expectation
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for individual work is to always ask a peer or two your question first before coming to
me. If multiple students don’t know or can’t answer the question, I clearly need to re-
word or explain whatever it is a bit better.
 Other students: Before working with a small group, I will always make sure that the
other students have some kind of assignment in the same content area that they can
work on individually. Because the students’ desks/tables are in front of the white
board, the instructions/directions would be written on there before I start working
with the small group as well as reminders of what they can do when they finish.
 Beginning the school day
- Greeting: I want to stand by the door or outside of the door as my students come into
my room in the morning where I can tell each of them good morning and high five
them (if they like high fives).
- When they come in the class, the routine is to go their seats and, while waiting for
everyone to come in, brainstorm their goal for the day. Once everyone is seated,
they’ll have another minute or so to make a goal before we all share.
- After sharing our goals, I will pass back their weekly warm up sheet which has a
warm up activity for each day of the week and they’ll work on the warm up listed for
that day.
- For hallway transitions as a class, the expectation is a single file line and stopping at
certain check points as they do at Valley View. Whether they’re walking by
themselves or in our line, the expectations are to keep hands to ourselves, bubble in
our mouth or zipped lips (where you tuck your lips in like they’re glued) and walking
at all times.
 Lunch Count-
- This area was probably the most difficult for me to plan and create a system or
procedure for as I have never been with students when they’re in the cafeteria or dealt
with lunch related topics, procedures, and expectations.
- I feel that maybe at the beginning of the year I could do a class meeting about why
it’s important to fuel your body with healthy choices and what those choices might
look like. Due to the fac that my students in this scenario are resource instead of Life
Skills or other areas of special education, I feel that if they have any dietary
restrictions such as dairy free or gluten free they would follow those as they
understand the consequences (usually upset stomach). I might try to figure out if there
is a way to look in the system at what a student bought for lunch once every few
weeks to check in or invite students to eat in my room once a month to see what
they’re buying and if it’s in accordance with either what they’re parents want or if it’s
what their doctors recommend. If they do have a dietary restriction they aren’t
following or aren’t known to follow, I might try to see if there’s a way to have a flag
on the students account that pops up with their restrictions in the lunch line. For
example, if they’re dairy free and trying to buy two things of milk and a grilled
cheese, it would pop up on the screen at check out. Even if the lunch workers
themselves can’t ask a student to put their food back and choose something new,
hopefully I could get some kind of report every few weeks that shows me if they’re
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buying certain foods that they are going to harm their health and discuss a further
plan of action with the student/parents/other faculty.
- As stated above, I would try to find a way to put certain pertinent information in the
system that the lunch workers use that allows them to see what kind of lunch choice
the students should have or any dietary restrictions the student may have as well as
have that system as a way to document their food choices to either keep filed or
discuss with parents if needed.
 Ending the school day- When the last class of the day finishes, I will give them about 5
minutes to put away all supplies used that day, finish their classroom jobs (board eraser
or librarian) and grab whatever they need for going home. After the timer goes off and
everyone is back in their seats, I will ask them to raise up their homework folder so I can
be sure that they all have it with them. I plan to have a homework folder for all of the
subjects so that they only need to keep track of that single folder which will hold both
work they didn’t finish in class that they need to finish at home and worksheets or
assignments that they were given that day.
 Goodbyes- I want to do a similar goodbye as I do a good morning where I stand by the
door and either high five them or simply say good bye as they leave the room, however, I
also want to tell them one thing they did that day that made me happy. For example, if
they raised their hand super well and consistently that day, I would compliment them on
that. Or if they were kind to a classmate, I would verbalize how awesome that was and
how good of a friend they are. Giving them a compliment and a high five would only take
about 10 seconds for each student but I feel like it would make a huge difference in terms
of them feeling appreciated and valued in the classroom and by their teacher.
 Leaving the room as a group- When it’s time to transition to another class or to
lunch/specials, I would set a 3-5-minute timer for them (or do what we’ve discussed in
class where I have the students guess how long it will take them to get ready and time
them to see if they guessed correctly) to put their supplies away, gather what they need
such as lunch money or jackets. Once everyone is finished or when the timer is up, I
would have them line up by the door with our line leader first and door holder next to me.
After we leave the class, students would simply follow the hallway expectations that we
have in place such as stopping at check points, keeping lips zipped/bubbles in our
mouths, and keeping our hands to ourselves.
 Entering/returning to the room as a group- When returning to the classroom, I would
have the students follow similar procedures to the ones we have established for entering
the classroom in the morning. They would have time to put their stuff away and settle in
to their desks before I gave an introduction to what we would be doing for the next class
period. The expectations for returning to the class and completing the above would also
involve them doing so quietly, quickly, and safely like we’ve discussed in class.
 Other Transitions- For transitions like going from desks to the carpet, I would have a
procedure in place where, after giving a brief introduction to what we would be doing, I
would dismiss students in some sort of pattern such as by desk clumps or by clothing
colors (ex. “Come to the carpet if you’re wearing blue today”). Once the students from
the first group are seated quietly, I would dismiss the next set of students. Similar to our
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procedures for lining up to leave the classroom, I would ask them how long they think it
will take them and then time them. The next time we transition, I’ll remind them of their
previous time and see if they can beat it (I’m assuming it will get shorter as the year goes
on and they get more practice). However, if anyone runs, the group is too loud, people
forget to push in their chairs, or other issues, they’ll have to go back to their seats to try
again as to reinforce that, while following directions quickly is important, being safe and
mindful is equally if not more important to classroom safety and productivity.
 Walking in line- I would have students walk in line the way they do it at VVE. There are
different check points in the hallways where students stop until the teacher gives them the
go ahead. I feel that’s a good way to emphasize self-awareness for both where you are
and your behavior in that moment. For example, Mrs. Van Den Bossche won’t give the
line leader a go-ahead if students aren’t using appropriate hallway behavior such as being
quiet, staying in a line, or keeping their hands to themselves. At the beginning of the year,
I would go over the reasons why hallway behavior and walking in a line is so important
the same way I would discuss the reasons and importance of classroom rules so that the
students can better appreciate and understand why we should follow these procedures.
 Restroom- Whether using the restroom inside or outside of the classroom, I would have
students raise their hand and ask as to impose some structure and prevent students from
simply up and walking away. Considering this plan is written with a resource room in
mind, students generally wouldn’t be needing any bathroom assistance and can go to the
restroom by themselves once given the go-ahead.
 Sharpening pencils – Students can sharpen their pencil any time while they’re working.
When we’re doing a group activity, class meeting, group discussion, or I’m teaching,
they should stay at their desk and simply sharpen it when we are done. If it breaks while
they’re working, they don’t need to ask and can go sharpen it. However, if it becomes a
problem/distraction or it’s clear the student is breaking it on purpose, they’ll be warned
first and if it persists they’ll be asked to put the pencil away use one of those skinny
markers.
 Distributing materials- Certain materials such as worksheets or papers would be passed
out by my paper helper (one of our class jobs), while other materials such as supplies that
are found in the student materials cabinet would be picked up by the students table by
table or individually as I dismiss them, so we don’t have 8 students at the cabinet at once.
However, if an activity requires multiple materials, I would have the materials pre-
bagged and prepared for either each student, pairs of students, or for the table depending
on what the activity called for. If the list of materials is longer or more than one or two
items, I feel it would be easier, quicker, and overall more efficient to have them prepared
before the students arrive so we can spend more time on the actual lesson or activity and
less time rummaging through the supplies cabinet.
 Returning Student Work –This bullet point is actually somewhat tricky, but I felt that one
system which could work in terms of efficiency and confidentiality could be having a
graded work folder for each student and either on Mondays or on Fridays giving them the
folder to take home and return when I saw them next. If needed or if asked by
parents/guardians, I could put in place a procedure where, before bringing the folder
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back, they would need to have a sheet signed by their parent or guardian that says that the
student showed their parent their work to keep parents in the loop. Another system could
be that
 Students Turning in Work-
- When completed: At the front of the class under the student work bulletin board, I
want to have a little table with different colored trays that (a different color for each
subject) that correspond with the color of their folder for that subject. For example, if
their math folders were red, I would have the turn in tray be red as well. The trays
would also be labeled with the name of the subject.
- Work in Progress: if they don’t finish a worksheet for that day or it’s a packet we’re
working on little by little, they would keep it in their folder for that subject (like their
math folder or their writing folder).
 Classroom Helpers- (1) Line leader: this student would be our leader for hallway
transitions and has the responsibility of setting an example, (2) door holder: this student
holds the door for our line when we leave the class or enter another room, (3) paper
person: this student would pass out any worksheets, printed notes, or other types of
papers we would be using for any activity, (4) librarian: this student would check on the
library in the morning, before lunch, and at the end of the day to make sure the books are
put away and everything is in its place, (5) eraser buddy: after we use the white board for
something and no longer need the information or whatever is on there, I would have a
student be my eraser helper who would erase as much as they could (some stuff may be
too high which is why they’re my helper and it’s not totally their job to clean the entire
board).
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Part 3: First Day and Second Day Activities

First Day Activities
1. After greeting each student at the door with a “good morning” and possibly a high five
(I’ll ask if they want one as some students, specifically those with Autism, may not be a
fan of it), I would do is welcome everyone to class. If they started in their homeroom and
then came to my room, I would ask them how their first day was going so far. If they
arrive to my class first after getting to school, I would just ask them how they’re feeling.
If no one wants to talk yet, I would simply tell them how I feel about our first day as well
as all of the emotions I used to have on my first days of school as a student. I would give
them a brief background about myself, who I was, what I like to do, where I grew up, and
other things along that line so that they feel more comfortable in the next activity and get
to know their teacher better.
2. Next, I want to do an ice breaker activity
that I found online called “D-ice Breakers”.
In this activity, students would roll one of
those large, foam dice and whatever number
it lands on, they have to answer the question
that goes with that number. I’ll have which
questions go with which number written on
the board, as well as providing them with a
printout. Whenever they roll, I’ll read the
question out loud in case my students are
unable to read at grade level. Once one
student rolls, they pass the die to their
neighbor. I will go first to model what it
looks like and point out that, when I roll,
I’m not throwing it across the room or
anything crazy but simply giving it a little
shake and letting it go. The questions
include things like what fun things they may
have done this summer or what they would
buy if they had a million dollars. I feel this
game was fun because it involves physically
doing something which hopefully would
engage the students, would help break the ice, as well as letting the students get to know
each other and feel comfortable talking in front of each other.
3. I will then transition into the “Form a Circle” class meeting after the ice breaker because
a solid amount of my first week(s) instruction is be done on the carpet in a class meeting
style set-up. I will introduce what we were doing next, explain how I was going to
dismiss them, and the expectations for how we go from desks to carpet (push in chairs,
walking to their spots, being respectful of others space) and point out that the carpet has
tape separating it into 8 different sections- one square for each student. I want to do what
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we discussed in class where I ask them how long they think it will take them and time
them to see how close they get. Once the circle is formed, I would explain why we form a
circle and what kind of stuff we might do here on the carpet (activities, Read-Alouds, to
talk about important stuff aka class meetings, etc.).
4. Then, I will tell them that what we’re doing in the circle today is talking a bit about the
classroom and the expectations I have for my room. As noted in Part 2, I have a specific
plan for how to introduce class expectations, starting by discussing what expectations
are/what that word means, ask them what kind of expectations they may have at home or
had last year, and explain the importance of rules/expectations and why they’re there in
the first place. I would introduce to the students the 3 expectations I have that are very
important to me which are: (1) Respect our peers, their space, and belongings, (2) Listen
when others are talking, (3) Use kind language with yourself and others. I would then
allow the students to brainstorm together about any other rules they may want to add or
other things they feel are important and possibly add one-two more rules depending on
what they say. I will remind them that I know it’s a lot to remember but not to worry
because they expectations are posted at the front of the room and will show them where
that is and remind them that we’ll also get tons of practice to where eventually they may
not even need to look at the board anymore. I will add the ones they created (if they did
come up with any).
5. The last activity I will do is let the students tell me what they expect of me, what they
look for/like in a teacher, or what kind of things other teachers have done that were cool
or that they liked. I want the students to know we’re a community and that I’m here for
them at the end of the day and want to make sure they have the best year they can have.
Also, this will hopefully help them become more comfortable just talking with me and
give me insight on the students so that I can truly teach that particular group in a way that
might work best for them.

Day 2 Activities
1. The first thing I’ll do on the second day is remind them of the expectations and ask
students if they can act out what that looks like for me. This way, they are reminded of
the expectations and have an extra reinforcement of physically acting out and modeling
for both themselves and others what these expectations look like. Also, allowing the
students to get up and move at the beginning of the day may either help them wake up or
get their morning energy out before we move into the next activity.
2. After going over the expectations again, I will have the class meeting on compliments,
affirmations, and saying thank you. I’ll remind them that this is a chance to practice
forming a circle again and tell them I want to see if they can do it even better today than
they did yesterday and time them again. I’ve attached the outline for this class meeting
and how it would run below as well as the activity that we practiced in class. After the
introduction and before we start the activity, however, I will make a point to go over what
a backhanded compliment is as that may be a confusing topic for some of our students
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especially our students with Autism who struggle with social skills and understanding
social contexts, tone, and how words might make others feel.
3. For the next activity, the students will do a classroom scavenger hunt where they have a
print out that lists things around the classroom like the pencil sharpener, library,
pens/pencils, trash can, the schedule, the expectations print out, etc. The words will be
written on their page but will also have pictures next to it to accommodate students with
reading disabilities. I will explain the activity, model an example (use the teacher’s area),
and explain that they will be working in partners (which hopefully will work on their
social skills and allow them to practice being kind to each other/giving each other
supportive statements or compliments like we worked on in the class meeting). I will
walk to each student and let them pull a popsicle stick out of a can that has either a 1, 2,
3, or 4 on it. Since there are 8 students, there would be two of each number, which is how
we will know who is partners with who. Once we complete that activity and everyone has
found everything, I will have the students return to their seats and ask them why they
think we did this. I want them to feel comfortable in the room and that this is their
classroom now too and simply know where things are for a smoother year.
4. The next activity I will do was inspired by a teacher named Elizabeth Mulvahill and was
found on the website https://www.weareteachers.com/14-perfect-picture-books-for-the-
first-weeks-of-school/ . Thanks to this site, I found the idea of reading the book If You
Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t by Elise Parsley. This book is about a
girl who brings an alligator to school for show and tell to impress her classmates and is
silly and engaging but also might provide comfort in that the girl in the book was sort of
nervous for her first days of school too. After reading it, I would have the students draw a
picture of what crazy thing they would bring to school for show and tell. Because it’s the
beginning of school and some of the students may get embarrassed that they aren’t able
to read/write, I feel having them draw it is both more inclusive as well as less anxiety
provoking especially considering they may already be nervous as it’s the second day of
school.
5. The last activity that I will do on the second day is going over procedures for certain
things that I feel are the most important to learn first as they’re the most used. I’ll start it
by asking the students if they know what the word “procedure” means, then explain the
word and why it’s important to our classroom. Because we only want to work on 3-5
procedures a day and have them in chunks, I feel it’s best the first or second day to focus
on how to get my attention, restroom procedures, and how we line up and walk in the
hallway. Similar to what we did with the expectations earlier, I will ask for volunteers to
act out these procedures so that the students are involved and will hopefully remember
these better.

List of Books I can Read

 If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t by Elise Parsley
 The Day the Crayons Went Quit by Drew Daywalt
 David Goes to School by David Shannon
 Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Dr. Seuss
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 The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Class Meeting

 Description: This particular building block is in place to help student’s give and receive
compliments. For some students, they may not have much experience with either and
may especially not have experience with it in the classroom setting. The purpose is to
make all of the students feel like they belong in the classroom and are appreciated by
those around them.
 Welcome to the meeting: “To start this meeting, I want everyone to think of something
nice someone said to you that made you feel good about yourself. I’m going to set the
timer for one minute to let you guys think, then when the timer goes off we’re going to
go around the circle and share”. I would start the line to break the ice, then have the
students go one by one down the row.
 Step One (after the welcoming activity) will be used to connect the welcoming with our
topic for the day. Ex. “Thinking back to our compliments, does anyone in here feel a little
shy or silly when they voice a compliment? What about when you receive one?
Sometimes it can feel weird or awkward to give and receive compliments if you’re not
used to it and that’s okay. But just like everything else in life, it gets easier the more you
practice! How many of you felt awkward the first few times you rode a bike? I definitely
did. But you didn’t stop, right? You kept practicing? And now I’m sure you’re pros.
That’s the same as compliments! Just like on your bike, you will feel much less awkward
the more you practice.”
 Step Two: To somewhat clarify between an actual compliment and a backhanded
compliment, I would ask the students to listen to my next sentence and tell me if it’s a
compliment. An example would be “You did great in the basketball game earlier which
surprised me because you’re usually not good”. If they say it is not a compliment, I will
ask them to tell me why not. If they say it is (which might happen) I would walk them
through the thought process of why maybe it isn’t (ex. “See, that last part would make me
feel bad which you shouldn’t feel after a compliment. Do you guys think it sounds kind
of mean?”).
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 Step 3: This step focuses on receiving compliments. I will talk to the students about how
when you do get a compliment, you should look at the person and say, “thank you”. I
would explain that this is the way you let them know that you heard the nice thing they
said to you and that you appreciate, or are thankful for, them saying that. To double
check they were listening and have them actually say it themselves, I would probably say
something along the lines of “I think, because this part is so important, I want you guys to
say it out loud. So, if someone gives you a compliment, you would say….” And have
them fill in that blank.
 Step 4: I will have the students think about something nice or kind that they’ve done that
they want a compliment for and let them know I will set the timer for a minute to let them
think. I would ask them to raise their hands when they’ve got one. If anyone doesn’t have
their hand raised at the end of the minute, I would give another 30 seconds on the clock
for everyone to finish. If a hand is still not raised, I would ask the other students if
they’ve seen anything they want to compliment the student for like helping a friend,
cleaning up his space nicely, doing well on his work, etc.
 Step 5: Once everyone thinks of something they want to be complimented for, we will
start the core of the activity. A talking stick, which I would be holding, would be passed
around the circle. Whoever has the talking stick compliments the person to their left on
whatever they wanted to be complimented on. After the student on the left says thank
you, the student with the talking stick would state what they want to be complimented on
before passing it to their right. For example, if I said I wanted to be complimented on
being a good listener, the person I pass the stick to would say “I would like to
compliment Ms. Clark for being a good listener”. Once I said thank you, the same student
might say “I would like to be complimented on getting an A on my last test” and pass the
stick. It goes in a circle to where each student gets to say a compliment and receive a
compliment while also practicing saying thank you.
 Step 6: This last step ties up any loose ends from the activity and circles it back around to
the main point. I would take this time to explain to students that, similar to riding a bike,
if you practice the skill it will become less awkward over time. Plus, after you get
comfortable with these skills, they will start to flow naturally and won’t seem so
structured.
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 Closure: I would close out this quote by Scott Adams to emphasize the importance of
kindness and kind words; “Remember there is no such thing as a small act of kindness.
Every act creates a ripple with no end”.
 Clark 17

Sources Used
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/10-fun-back-school-activities-and-
icebreakers/
http://www.ourclassweb.com/sites_for_teachers_getting_organized.htm
My class meeting assignment