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Table of Contents

Classroom Layout

Physical Description of Classroom

Desk Arrangement

Technology

Bulletin Boards

Learning Centers / Small Group Work Areas

Classroom Operations

Record-Keeping Procedures

New Students

Classroom Organization

Classroom Materials

Displaying Student Work

Substitute Teachers

Establishment of Group Rules and Expectations

Consequences for Breaking Class Rules

Minor Infractions

Intermediate Infractions

Extreme Infractions

Cheating

Offending / Insulting Other Students

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Professionalism in the Workplace

Gossip

Disagreement with Colleague

Disagreement with Principal

Room Helpers / Jobs

Handing in Papers

Activities for Early Finishers

Signaling the Teacher

Passing out Papers

Dismissals from Room

Leaving the Room

Students Who Need Additional Help

Students Who Need Additional Challenges

Communication with Parents

Parent-Teacher Conferences

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Miss DeWeerdt’s Second Grade

Classroom Layout

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Description of Physical Classroom

Desk Arrangement

The desks are set-up in rows as this is a good way to help the students get to know one

another at the very beginning of the school year. It does not force the students to cooperate in

table groups at this point in time due to the fact that neither I nor the students will know exactly

who the students will cooperate best with. Therefore, the rows will exist until the personalities of

the students have been personally observed. In

this format, each student also has their own

personal desk as well as their own personal

space. Depending on the home situation of the

student, this may be one of the only areas in

their life that is truly theirs and students can

truly feel this connection due to the fact that the

desks have not yet been arranged into table

formats. Later in the year, after the students have

already claimed their desk as their own, it

becomes easier to transition into a table format of desk arrangements. It is also important to

remember that the desk arrangements will change at least once a month in order to ensure that

each student is able to learn in the best way possible for them.

The teacher desk has been placed in the corner of the room in order to be able to view the

entire room while still being able to do necessary work. The desk would actually be turned in

order to face more into the center of the room, but sadly the

technology was not available to make this necessary change.

Surrounding the teacher desk would be various storage units,

including but not limited to filing cabinets, shelving units, and a

large cabinet. By having multiple types of storage units, it is

possible to store all necessary materials, be they papers, books,

personal belongings, or binders.

Right near the teacher desk, a semi-circular table will be

placed for small group work. The placement of this table allows

me to keep an eye on what is happening in the classroom during

small group work, but it is still separated enough to keep the students doing small group work

from being distracted by the other students. Since the students at the table would need to turn

completely around in order to see the rest of the class, it is extremely obvious that they are doing

so and it makes it easier to get their attention back on the task at hand. It also provides a spot for

any paraprofessionals or other special instruction teachers to work with specific students without

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being completely separated from the rest of the class. Since it is at the front of the room as well

as next to the teacher desk, it is possible to get my attention easily should something go wrong or

to point out a student performing exceptionally well.

The students will also have a storage center, ideally consisting of double-stacked cubbies

with hooks for coats/backpacks underneath. While this particular area of the classroom is truly

dependent upon the school, district, or region’s

abilities to provide such storage, it is essential that

the students have a place, beyond their desk, that

they can call their own. The double-stacked cubbies

with the hooks underneath are ideal because they

provide the students with a place to hang any items

that need to be hanged as well as providing a, small,

area to place any objects which they wish to leave

at school but do not

want to keep in their

desk, such as a sweatshirt or books. Keeping the backpacks and

coats within the room also makes transitions to recess and leaving

for the day run more efficiently and smoothly. The students will

also have their own personal mailbox which is where they will

place all papers that they want to take home throughout the day.

The mailbox is also where any important communications from

myself or the school will be placed in order to make the

communication process as efficient as possible. At the end of each

day, the students will be dismissed to remove their papers from

their mailbox and place them within their backpack.

Technology

Also available for student use will be several computers. As being able to use computers

is now a vital skill for students, in regards to typing and research in particular, it is imperative to

have computers available. However, they have been placed behind the students’ desks so that

they cannot be distracted by any other students

using the computer during classwork time,

whether it is due to an IEP or for extended

learning opportunities. Other technology to be

included in the classroom includes a TV and a

projector. The TV is not a necessity, however

there are lots of educational videos available to

be viewed on DVDs and VHSs which can help

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to enhance student learning, particularly for more visual students. The projector allows

powerpoints or other digital media to be presented to the class in a way that enables all students

to see the material. Again, the use of technology is an increasingly more important skill and

therefore the students need to have as much exposure to it as possible in order to fully understand

each aspect of technology that they may need to work with in the future.

Bulletin Boards

The bulletin boards are places that need to be utilized fully in order to promote a positive

learning environment in any classroom. Therefore, they will be friendly and welcoming as well

as attempt to make connections to the students. Some examples are included below:

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Learning Centers / Small Group Work Areas

Another important aspect of the classroom design is the round activity tables placed

throughout the area between the students’ desks and the reading nook because these tables

provide the opportunity for various differentiation options. Whenever the class needs to

differentiate amongst reading or math or another subject’s ability levels, each table can have an

activity that will help particular groups to increase their abilities. These tables can also be used as

interest centers for a particular topic. Each table

would have a different activity related to that

topic, preferably from a different subject area.

These tables can also be used as additional seating

for students who still need to be a part of the large

group instruction but are being distracted by

sitting amongst their fellow students.

The final, main, aspect of the classroom is

the reading nook. In order to foster the sense that

reading is a fun and interesting activity, the

reading nook will contain a sofa and/or

comfortable chairs in order to make the students

relax while spending time there. They will be

surrounded by bookshelves which will contain

books from all ranges of subjects, genres, and

reading levels so that each student can select

books that they enjoy reading. One entire shelving

unit will be dedicated to storing the books that the

students personally choose to read at a later time,

stored in tubs or separated by bookends (or a similar item). Each student will have a designated

spot on the shelf and they will be able to fill their tub or section of the shelf with any books that

they want from the classroom library.

Classroom Operations

Record-Keeping Procedures

One of the most important aspects of being a teacher is keeping accurate records of the

progress that students have made throughout the year. I would use both an electronic and “hard-

copy” version of a record book in order to ensure that the information ought to not ever be lost.

The electronic version would have every single grade for every single assignment within it,

which would include any test, assignment, participation, etc. scores while the “hard-copy” would

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be updated approximately once a week to show the overall points that the

student received through that week. In this way, it would be possible to both

show individual grades to parents, particularly if these can be uploaded so the

parents can view them, as well as a less-specific version that can physically be

displayed. The majority of the assignments would simply be graded based on

completion – that is to say that a student will receive a mark for having turned

in their assignment that would look like “ – “ while a perfectly completed

assignment, whether it was completed the first time the assignment was turned

in or after some retries, would be a “ + “. Any retries would show up in an

additional column of the grade book. In this way, it would be easy to see which

students had turned in their assignments as well as which students are

understanding the material. Each student would also have their own individual

page in the grade book, as opposed to a column, so that the student can be

given as detailed of grades / information as is necessary for that student’s

personal growth to be demonstrated. In this way, each and every student’s part

of the grade book would look completely different from any other student’s and it will be easier

to see which subjects and/or topics the student has been struggling to understand (Wong, Harry

K., and Rosemary T. Wong. Pages 137 – 145).

New Students

Making new students feel comfortable in a

classroom is a crucial part of being a classroom teacher.

Whether the student joins two weeks into the year or with

two weeks left in the year, they must feel welcomed and

included in their new classroom environment. In order to

make sure the student feels as though they have not missed

out on the topics previously discussed in class, I will make

several extra copies of each assignment completed in every

subject area and place these in separate binders. Each binder

will then have a complete record of every assignment

completed up until the day that the student arrives in the

class. After the student has been in the classroom for a week

or so, I would hand them the binder of all of the material

they missed and ask them to show it to their parents. I

would then ask the parents to send a note back with any

topic areas they have questions about and/or do not believe

their student had covered in their previous classroom. This would provide me with a place to

start instruction for the student and make sure that they are able to handle the material currently

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being worked on in class. This method would also inform me if the student is ahead of where my

class is currently. Either way, I will then be able to differentiate for this student in order to make

sure they are receiving the necessary information.

As the student will be coming in later in the year, after the desks have been arranged into

table groups, I will talk with the students at the table group about our new student prior to their

arrival. This talk will include information about where the student is from, any interesting facts

the family has given me after contacting them, etc. The other students at the group will then be

able to make the new student feel more comfortable due to their knowledge of the student as well

as understanding that that is expectation of them – they must make the new student comfortable

in their new classroom. I will also pick a particular student who I think will make the student feel

most comfortable as their “unacknowledged” buddy in the classroom. That is to say, I would

make sure that the new student and their buddy are together fairly frequently for the first couple

of weeks, through spots in line or spot on the carpet or some other not-very-obvious method,

without either student knows that this is what is happening. This will help to prevent either

student from being embarrassed about having or being a buddy.

Classroom Organization

How the classroom is organized, and how it is kept neat, ought to be of more concern

than it currently is due to the fact that classrooms are generally judged based on how it looks to

someone looking in. That means that the classroom must make sense and unnecessary materials

must be filed away in an organized manner. One thing that is important to note is that well-

intentioned organizational starts to the year do not always end up in a similar manner by the time

the first quarter, or even month, of the school year is over. Therefore, I would set aside one day

each month for a full classroom overhaul. I would make sure it was on a Friday so that the

students would be able to organize their desks at a specified time while I would begin work on

the classroom so that the students have a positive example to follow. However, at the end of the

day, I would make sure that the entire classroom had been reorganized and, if I have not yet

completed the reorganization, I would make sure to come in on Saturday to finish.

Successful organization within the classroom means having a plan in place ahead of time that

is easy to begin and easy to follow through with. It is also necessary in every aspect of the

classroom, from classroom materials to recordkeeping to books. However, it is also important to

note that while there are many good organization ideas in existence, it can be challenging to

determine exactly which ideas are feasible until they are actually tested. That being said, I have

found several organizational techniques that I believe I could use successfully in my room as

displayed and described below:

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1. Using a sweater holder to organize construction paper,

or magazines, or a similar paper-based item. This

makes it possible for the paper to lay flat, particularly

if it is placed in plastic tubs, while also lending the

possibility of placing these items nearly anywhere in

the classroom. This is due to the fact that the sweater

holder can be hung up and string can be hung from

just about anywhere in most classrooms.

2. A great use for plastic bins / tubs is for storing games

along with all of the game pieces. As

long as the bins / tubs can easily be

removed from whatever the main storage unit is, it will be easy for the

students to take out the games and play without losing all of the pieces.

A similar idea can also be used for any kinds of manipulatives, toys,

books, etc. that may benefit from this system.

3. In order to make grading papers / finding them as efficient as

possible, labeled, or

simply different,

binder clips can be

extremely helpful. The best part is that

you can always add additional colors

or labels as becomes necessary

throughout the school year. It can be

challenging to estimate exactly what

labels or how many colors will be

necessary to use, as in how many

different piles may exist, at the very

start. One thing that could be contemplated would be to create a binder clip for each

student which would make creating a portfolio of a student’s work, such as in preparation

for parent-teacher conferences, far more efficient.

4. One way that keeps students responsible for the

organization of the classroom is to post pictures of

how different areas of the classroom ought to look

while neat. This can be as small as a single tub or

could involve an entire shelving unit. The premise of

this concept is to place some responsibility on the

shoulders of the students and not allowing them to

leave until every area of the classroom looks the same

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as the pictures. This can also be turned into a game of sorts with table groups competing

to see who can organize the most sections before class ends.

5. Another use of plastic bins is for

sorting out papers into different

categories. There can be as many

categories as desired, so I would use

“To Grade,” “To Copy,” “To Return,”

“To File,” “For Portfolio,” and

possibly a couple extras, depending on

what I found to be necessary. Students

would be able to place their completed

assignments into the “To Grade” tub

while the student responsible for

handing out papers would take them

out of the “To Return” tub. This is a

great way to involve the students in a

very easy organizational system while keeping my desk free of too many papers.

There are other various ways that a classroom can be organized and use organizational

techniques. As long as the organizational system remains consistent from the beginning of the

school year, it is easy to remain organized and not lose important items. However, it is also

important to note that part of being organized is acknowledging what works and what does not. I

have not personally tried any of the methods listed above, and I have several more ideas as to

decent organizational techniques not currently listed, so I cannot say for sure whether or not

these methods would work the best for me. However, I think they are certainly feasible and I

would definitely want to try and use them.

Classroom Materials

There will be various items available for classroom use, from pencils to markers to

scissors, basically any type of utensil that a student may

need throughout the school day. Keeping track of these

materials can be challenging and requires a completely

different method of organization than those mentioned

above. I will have separate jars for sharpened and

unsharpened pencils. To use these, students will drop off a

dull pencil in the “Unsharpened Pencils” jar and pick up a

fresh one from the “Sharpened Pencils” jar. This cuts down

on the noise of a pencil sharpener being used during class. I

would also assign a student to be in charge of sharpening the pencils in the “Unsharpened

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Pencils” jar at the end of each day, to ensure that there are enough sharpened pencils available at

the start of the next day. The remainder of the

materials available for student use would be in

tubs labeled with both words and pictures. For

anything involving different colors, such as

crayons or markers or highlighters, there would be

small tubs, within a larger tub, with colored

construction paper pasted on the bottom. The

students would then have to place these materials

back with the proper color. This way students will

be able to find the exact color they are looking for

as opposed to sifting through a large tub of

colored utensils all jumbled up together.

Displaying Student Work

Putting student work on display can be a touchy one due to the fact that some students

feel uncomfortable having their work out for all to see and other students feel as though they

never have the chance to display their own work. Therefore, I would only put work on display if

the entire class’s product will be displayed. I will always tell the students before they create the

product if it will be displayed or not so that they are not taken by surprise. However, I will also

give students the option to opt out of having their work displayed if it is something that truly

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makes them feel uncomfortable and would cause them mental anguish or something of a similar

nation. In regards to actually having the works on display, I would set aside a wall or a bulletin

board with the sole purpose of displaying student work. It would be clearly labeled as the place

for student work as well as have a variety of assignments posted at one time. At the start of the

year, I would have each student create an “About Me” page which would be posted from the

very beginning. All of the work of the student would then be posted underneath their “About

Me” page so they can always find it. This can also give students a sense of pride in what they

have created. There will also be one section of the wall labeled “Anonymous” where students

can display work that they want displayed but without their name attached. This way more shy

students can still have their work on display without potential embarrassment associated with

other students knowing it is their work.

Substitute Teachers

Having a substitute teacher in my classroom is one of my biggest fears due to the fact that

you cannot plan for how that teacher will deal with your students. However, there are several

ways that I think would work well for ensuring that the

students still get the most out of a substitute teacher and

that the substitute teacher will feel comfortable leading in

the room. The main thing that the substitute teacher would

need to use would be the “Substitute Binder.” Inside the

binder, broken up into different categories by tabs, would

be the lesson plans for the day, the behavior management

plan set forth for the students, the different schedules the

school follows, contact information for myself as well as

other important people within the school (such as the

principal), and so much more. There would also be a place

for the substitute to

inform me how the day

went and what material

was actually covered during the day. This way, I would know

whether or not the students deserve a reward or a consequence

based on their behavior with the sub as well as whether or not I

need to revisit the information covered by the substitute. This

binder would then be placed within a substitute tub which

would contain additional worksheets / options for the

substitute to use. If the substitute feels uncomfortable teaching

any of the lessons that are expected to be taught, they can

select a worksheet that reviews previous information instead.

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Within the tub, there will only be enough copies of each individual worksheet for the students in

the class so that the students do not have the potential of receiving the same worksheet more than

once throughout the year. The tub would also contain additional ideas for games, recess time,

and other ways to help the substitute to fill the day if need be.

Establishment of Group Rules and

Expectations

The most important thing about establishing rules and expectations is to do so early and

as thoroughly as possible. This means going over and over the various rules of the classroom

throughout the beginning of the school year. Establishment of these expectations will begin with

letters sent home before the school year even starts. These letters will be an introduction of my

classroom expectations to the parents, as a basic outline. Thus they will include such concepts as

what I will expect the students and parents to do when work is sent home, how I will deal with

disruptive students, and what my expectations for parents are (just as

examples). Some of these specific rules would be:

Students will bring home all assignments for their parents to

look over, even if they completed the homework assignment

in class

If a student is disruptive, they will receive a predetermined

number of warning (determined individually for students

based on discussion with the parents) before receiving a

consequence

Parents will work with me to establish appropriate

consequences for their student for repetitive behavior

In the letter, teachers would also be informed about the “behavioral

chart” that will be used within the classroom. When students are

acting appropriately and following directions, they can move up the

behavioral chart. However, if they are not listening or are acting in

another disruptive behavior, their clip is moved down the behavioral

chart. There will be lots of categories so that students do not feel as

though one strike moves them to an extreme consequence, but the

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categories are not so numerous as to discourage students from feeling as though they can achieve

the top category.

When the students arrive on the first day of

school, almost the entire day will be spent

going over the rules and expectations so that

they know what to expect from then on. The

subsequent days would involve going over just

a few rules each day so that the students can

really practice those rules / expectations while

still learning other important information. The

students will also create class rules on the first

day of school so that they realize that they truly

have a say in what is expected of them. These

rules will be posted in the classroom as well as

other reminders of certain expectations, such as

the morning routine. Part of introducing the expectations will be

pointing out their location in the room so that the students know

where they need to look in order to reference an expectation (Wong, Harry K., and Rosemary T.

Wong. Pages 165 – 193).

Consequences for Breaking Class Rules

Minor Infractions

Minor infractions include things like talking out of turn, not listening to instructions, or

failure to comply with other basic rules of the classroom. The most basic consequence for a

minor infraction would be for the students clip to move down on their behavioral chart.

However, some students will require other interventions in order to truly prevent minor

infractions from happening again. One way to deal with these students is to write their name on

the board with three checkmarks next to it. Each time they receive a warning, a checkmark will

be erased from next to their name. When all three checkmarks are erased, they either lose a

reward or have their clip moved down a space, depending on what works best for the individual

student. For students who make the same infraction repeatedly, despite consistent reminders,

they will attend Recess Academy in order to work on the skill that they are struggling with

(MacKenzie, Robert J., and Lisa Stanzione. Pages 230 – 244). If the behavior still continues, the

parents of the student will be contacted in order to attempt to address the behavior both in school

and at home. The parents will also have a say in what kind of consequences they believe work

best for their students.

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Intermediate Infractions

Intermediate infractions are those which go beyond simply not listening and delve into

the realm of preventing other students from being able to learn – this could include, but is not

limited to, consistent pestering of another student, running around the room during work time, or

simply leaving the room without telling anyone. The parents would be contacted in order to

determine whether or not similar behaviors are occurring at home and how the parents are

dealing with these situations. The best possible way to

deal with these infractions, if the parents have been

unresponsive or have condoned it, is to give the

students options. For example, they can stop bothering

another student and do their work quietly at an activity

table or they can lose half of their recess time in order

to complete their assignment. The options allow the

student to self-analyze how they are acting as well as

comply without feeling embarrassed or ashamed, or

feeling as though they must continue acting in the way they did originally.

Extreme Infractions

Extreme infractions are generally those which could harm the student or others if the

behavior continues. In the instance of extreme infractions, the office will be contacted first, in

order to ensure the safety of everyone in the classroom,

and the parents would be contacted next. With extreme

infractions, parent and office involvement is key to make

sure the individual is receiving proper intervention and

consequences are doled out in a manner that most benefits

the student and the class as a whole. If a student ever did

threaten the safety of the classroom, I would have the rest

of the class line-up in the hallway outside of the

classroom and contact the next-door teacher to contact the

office. I would then make sure to keep an eye on both the

student in the room as well as the students waiting in line

outside of the classroom.

Cheating

Cheating is an issue that must be dealt with on an individual level with the students fully

understanding the consequences of their actions, but without being called out in front of the

class. Any assignment that a student cheats on will receive no credit and will not be allowed to

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be made-up, in order to demonstrate that cheating is a serious offense and not to be tolerated. If

multiple students are caught cheating, assignments or tests will then be completed during small

group work time with me so that I can keep a close eye on the students. Though I do not expect

cheating to be a large problem in my second grade classroom, I want the students to learn the

consequences early on so that they do not consider cheating as they continue through their

schooling.

Offending / Insulting another Student

Any time that one students insults or offends another

student, the issue will be dealt with as a form of bullying,

which it is. As such, the individual who was rude will be

asked to make the choice of either apologizing in front of the

class or writing a note of apology to the other student. My

expectation is that most students will select writing the note,

rather than publicly apologizing. I will look over each and

every note of apology to check for sincerity as well as

kindness in dealing with the other student.

Professionalism in the Workplace

As with any job that I undertake, I will act professional in all manners at school and

beyond. This includes professionalism in dress, communication, and interactions with other

teachers, students, and parents.

Gossip

As a woman, most likely working with lots of other

women, I know that gossip begins to seem very

commonplace. However, I will not accept this as an

excuse and I refuse to participate in gossip, whether it’s

about other colleagues, students, or parents. If I overhear

others gossiping about someone, I have no problems

asking them to stop and reminding them that everyone

deserves to be treated with love and respect at all times.

Gossip does not belong in any professional setting and

that includes a school.

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Disagreement with Colleague

If I should happen to have a disagreement with a colleague, I will not talk about said

conflict with anyone other than the other party involved. That being said, if the disagreement

becomes heated for some reason, I will make sure

to remove myself from the situation until I have had

time to cool down. I will then formally apologize to

my colleague and make sure that they understand

that I am truly sorry for the disagreement. I will

then work with my colleague until we can reach a

compromise on whatever the issue may be. If, for

some reason, the problem seems irresolvable, I

would ask that my colleague and I speak with our

principal in order to try and determine if there is a school-wide policy in place to address our

point of contention or just to receive a second opinion. However, as stated above, this session

would not be used to gossip about the colleague but simply as a way to continue civil discussion.

Disagreement with Principal

If I were to have a disagreement with the principal, I would make sure to step-back and

try to look at the situation from the principal’s

point of view. I would also ask for clarification

as to why a disagreement exists and try and

look into whether or not there is a policy in

place or being created that has caused the

disagreement. I promise to always respect my

principal, even if disagreements do exist, in

order to continue to work professionally with

them. If the issue seems irresolvable for some

reason, and as long as the principal’s view does not cause me undue harm, I will respect the

decision of the principal and continue to abide by their views, policies, and beliefs.

Room Helpers / Jobs

There will be multiple jobs for students to complete throughout their year in my

classroom and each student will complete each job at least once, if not more than that. Each job

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will be assigned for a full week and students will

not be allowed to change their jobs. In order to

ensure equality, the job selection will occur in a

rotational manner, as opposed to being randomly

assigned. In this way, each student is guaranteed

to experience every job and they will also know

which jobs they have coming up. There will be a

few less jobs than students in the class so that if a

student who has a job is absent, another students

can fill in for the day. Each student will be given

the option of wearing a “nametag” with the name of their job listed on it so that they cannot

claim to forget what their job is. However, as some students may not feel comfortable doing so,

this will not be a required aspect of having a job. All of the jobs will have the approximately

same level of “difficulty” and there will be a few duplicates of jobs in order to ensure that this

equality occurs. Some examples of different jobs that would exist are “Teacher Helper,” “Paper

Passer,” “Paper Collector,” “Messenger,” “Trash Expert,” and “Recycling Expert” (Wolfe,

Shoshana).

Handing In Papers

When group work papers are handed in, the students will pass them forward and to the

left until they are all on the front-left student’s desk. The “Paper Collector” will then grab the

papers, alphabetize them (organize them by numbers assigned to each student which will be in

alphabetical order), and place them in the “To Grade” tub. When students are turning in

individually completed work, they will walk over to the teacher desk and put their paper in the

“To Grade” tub. This is also how students will turn in any homework, as soon as they enter the

room they will put their homework in the “To Grade” tub.

Activities for Early

Finishers

Students never finish activities at exactly the same time

and therefore there are various ways to inform the students about

what they can do after they have completed their initial work. The

first part will be written on the board: there will be a list of the

assignments they are expected to complete in the given time and

then the list of assignments that will be homework. They can

complete these homework assignments once they have finished

all of their classwork. If they have completed both their classwork

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and homework, they will then be able to draw a stick out of the

“Done” jar and they can work on whatever that stick says. Things

that would be written on the sticks would be things along the lines

of educational computer games, reading a book, or free-writing.

Students will be allowed to return their stick and make one other

selection but they must do one of the two activity options that they

drew out of the jar. If a student feels as though they are somehow

managing to draw the same free activities constantly, they may

discuss with the teacher an alternative form of action.

Signaling the

Teacher

Getting a teacher’s attention generally seems to be a task that is

distracting to other students and I want to avoid this as much as possible. If

I am working with individual students at the large group table, students will

be able to take a clothespin with a number written on it and return to their

seats. They will then need to sit at their desks until I call their number.

When I call their number, they will

then be able to come to the table and

receive their individual attention. For

the rest of the time, the students will

have three cups which they keep in their desk, a red, a

yellow, and a green. During large group and smaller group

time, each student must have the green cup up on their

desk if they understand the material and are working on

the assignment. They can use the yellow cup if they are

unsure if they are completing the assignment properly or

if they do not feel as though other members of their group

are helping to contribute to the conversation. They use the

red cup if they are completely lost and have no clue what

is going on. I would visit the students with red cups first,

and then help out those students with yellow cups.

Passing out Papers

One of the jobs will be “Paper Passer” and their job will be to pass out all papers,

whether they are go-home papers or in-class papers. For in-class papers, the student will come up

and take the stack from me. They will then count out how many are in each row and give that

23

many papers to the students on the far-left side of the row. For go-home papers, they will collect

the stack from me and place one paper in the mailbox of each student, whether every student is

present that day or not.

Dismissals from Room

In order to leave the room, whether it is for recess, specials, or final dismissal, the

procedure will be the same. Approximately two minutes before we are supposed to leave, I will

ring a bell to get the students’ attention. They will know that this means to clean-up whatever

they are working on because we will be leaving soon. Approximately 1 minute prior to when we

are supposed to leave the room, I will flicker the lights on and off three times. This means that it

is time to put everything away because we are lining up. The students will then line up in

alphabetical order (based on their number system) except for the “Line Leader” for the week.

The “Line Leader,” as the name implies, will lead our line to wherever we are going.

Leaving the Room

Students who wish to leave the room, whether it

is to use the bathroom, get a drink, or something else,

must first inform me of where they are going. If I say

that they are excused, they will then move a magnet with

either their name or their number on it to the location

where they are going. When they return, they move their

magnet back to the category of “in.” This method makes

it easy to tell at a glance how many students are in the

classroom and what the locations of the other students

are as well. It also provides a visual so that it is easier for

me to tell if a student has been out of the room for too

long. Some of the categories that would be included on

this magnetic board would be “In,” “Absent,”

“Restroom,” “Drinking Fountain,” and “Library.”

There are so many ways to differentiate students and it is definitely something that needs

to be done. Differentiation allows for both lower ability and higher ability students to receive

unique assistance that allows them to achieve at their highest potential. The main strategies for

grouping in mixed-ability classrooms is as follows:

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Compacting

Independent projects

Interest centers or interest groups

Tiered assignments

Flexible grouping

Learning centers

Varying questions

Mentorships / apprenticeships

Contracts

While all of these options are viable and encouraged to be used, there are certain strategies that

will work better with students of lower ability and certain strategies that will work better with

students of higher ability (Tomlinson, Carol A. Pages 98 – 106).

Students Who Need Additional Help

For those students who need additional help, flexible grouping is key. Since it is possible

for a student to be terrible at math but stellar at reading, it is not fair to keep students who need

extra help in only one subject with a group that needs extra help in all subjects. Therefore,

flexible grouping makes sure that students are able to work with the students that they are most

on the same ability with no matter the subject. Another option for students who need additional

help is interest centers or interest groups. By having students select their own groups based on

common interests, the lower ability students are able to receive a different perspectives from

those of a higher ability as well as receive additional support. The best part is that both students

now realize that they have a common interest. It is also imperative that I work one-on-one with

these students in order to make sure they are grasping the topics.

Students Who Need Additional

Challenges

Students of higher ability, or those who need an additional challenge, have a few more

options in regards to how they can be grouped. I will only talk about a couple here. Using

independent projects is a great way to differentiate for students of a higher ability because they

are able to study what they want to about a subject that they are already well-versed in. The

students generally complete a research project which allows them to delve deeper into the subject

being discussed than the rest of the class will receive. Another good grouping strategy is that of

tiered assignments. This is particularly helpful for those students who are not entirely sure which

group, higher or lower ability, they would be placed in. The students receive various levels of

questioning to answer and they answer in the one that they best fit into. If the student does not

25

know what ability level they are operating at, they can also start with the “easiest” questions and

move up until the question is too hard to answer any more.

Communication with Parents

One of the most important things a teacher needs to do is be in constant communication

with all parents, not just the parents of the students who get in trouble the most. In order to

ensure that I stay in constant communication, I will send home a monthly newsletter detailing

what topics were covered in the past month as well what topics will be covered in the upcoming

month. For those parents who want more consistent updates about how their child is doing, I will

attempt to email them bi-monthly so that they can be updated in between parent-teacher

conference times. I will also keep a running list of which students need to have their families

contacted more frequently in order to update the family on the student’s progress.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher conferences can be a scary time for

both parents and teachers because parents are worried that

they will hear negative things about their child and teachers

are worried that they will need to deliver negative news.

Due to the fact that I will be constantly updating the parents,

I do not think parent-teacher conferences will be nearly as

concerning or overwhelming. I will also have the students

help me prepare for the conferences by creating a portfolio

of the work that they want to make sure their parents see. I

will also use a checklist / worksheet (example displayed) to

make sure that I am able to hit all of the points necessary for

each parent-teacher conference. Another way that I would

try and improve the parent-teacher conferences and

relationships would be to make sure to follow-up with each

parent after the conference to make sure they do not have

any additional questions as well as to update them on any

progress that their student might have made since the

conference.

26

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