DATA and OBSERVATION WORKSHEET

CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION and ROUTINES

By: Jaclyn Fishler
Date: 5/1/2016
SERP 475
Questions about Organization

How this looks in my classroom

1) What are the daily and weekly

schedules? Provide copies.

The schedules are listed at the bottom of

this document.

2) What happens when students dont

complete/turn in assignments and/or forget
materials? Explain and give an example.

The students always complete/turn in

assignments because the teacher and the
paraprofessionals constantly check on them
throughout each class period to make sure
that they are working. If a student isnt
able to complete an assignment in the given
class period, they will always have an
opportunity to finish it during their
independent working time. There arent
assignments required to be brought home
and all of the materials are already
provided.
When students are absent and/or missing
assignments, Mrs. Anthony might send
homework to the higher functioning kids,
but it is not required to bring work home to
students because lessons are repeated a lot.

3) What happens when students are absent

and/or missing assignments? Explain and
give an example.

4) Where are materials, equipment, and

resources located and how do students gain
access to them? Provide a floor plan of
your classroom to illustrate your answer.
Describe routines that are in place.

The seating arrangement is the traditional

classroom layout. All of the desks are lined
up to face the projector. On the left of the
desks, each student has their own
compartment, which is where they hand in
their assignments. On a table in the front of
the room, there are scissors because the
students do a lot of cutting and pasting
activities. On the left hand side behind the
students desks is the teachers desk. In the
far back end of the room are tables for the
students to eat lunch and toys for the
speech pathologist to use when working
with them. Lastly, the right back hand part
of the room is where each student has their
own cubby to put their school bag and

DATA and OBSERVATION WORKSHEET

5) How and when do students move about
the classroom and for what purposes?
Describe routines or procedures that are in
place.

6) When are students allowed to sharpen

pencils, use the restroom, get drinks of
water, get materials or equipment?
Describe routines or procedures that are in
place.

7) How are seating arrangements

determined? Who decides? Teacher or
students or teacher and students together?

8) In general, how is the classroom

organized and arranged? Is there good
flow? How would you change or modify
the arrangement, if it were your classroom?
Why would you make those changes?

jackets.
Students move about the classroom during
transitions. For example, before the
students eat lunch, they use the sink to
wash their hands. When the students do
their cut and paste activity, they move
around the classroom to get scissors, and
most of the time, one of the students passes
them out. After the students complete an
individual assignment, they get out of their
seat to put the assignment in their own
compartment. There is no set time for the
students to hand in their assignments; as
soon as they are finished, they hand it in.
However, if the class works on an
assignment together, they all are instructed
to get up at the same time to hand it in.
If a student needs to use the restroom or get
a drink, they are usually allowed to go
when they would like. However, if Mrs.
Anthony is in the middle of a very
important lesson, she tells the students to
wait a little before they can get up to use
the restroom. Students are always allowed
to sharpen pencils as long the teacher is not
talking. The same rule applies to the
students when they need to get materials or
equipment.
Initially, the teacher decides on the seating
arrangements, with assistance from the
parapros. After the students are placed in
their seats, the teacher and parapros
confirm with the students to make sure that
they are satisfied with the arrangement. If a
student is not pleased, they can speak with
the teacher or parapros after class privately
and they can negotiate.
I think that there is good flow in the
classroom. The students are aware of the
transitions and the teachers always make
sure that no one falls behind. If a student
tends to fall behind, one of the parapros
will work with them. If it were my
classroom, I would change the seating
arrangements every marking period. I
personally liked it when my teachers

DATA and OBSERVATION WORKSHEET

9) What are students expected to do as

they enter the classroom and prepare for
instruction to begin? Describe any routines
or procedures that are in place. Describe
any teacher cues used. Give an example
of each a procedure and a teacher cue.

10) What are students expected to do

before they are dismissed from the
classroom? How are students dismissed?
Describe the routines or procedures used to
dismiss students. Are they effective?
Explain your answer.

periodically rearranged our seats because it

gives us the chance to get closer to more
classmates, instead of being next to the
same person for the whole year.
As students enter the classroom, they put
their bags in their cubbies and they sit at
their tables in the back of the room to have
breakfast, as instructed by the teacher.
During breakfast, the teacher and parapros
have conversations with the students about
topics that are interesting to them. The
teacher also allows the students to have
conversations with each other. I find this to
be a very effective strategy because if the
teacher allows the students to talk and get
all of their energy out the first 10-15
minutes that they are in the class, this
usually makes it easier for them to focus on
their school work after. For students with
disabilities, it may be difficult to get them
to immediate start working in the morning,
so I believe that talking and having
breakfast first is a great idea. After they
finish eating, they move to their desks in
the front of the room and they are expected
to work on vocabulary activities. If they
have an assignment that they didnt finish
the day prior, they can work on that
assignment instead.
When students are dismissed from the
classroom, they have to make sure that all
of the desks are clear and that the iPads and
ear phones are put into the boxes. Students
have to get their bags and put their stuff in
them. They also have to remember to get
their jackets and push their chairs in.
Nobody is allowed to leave the classroom
until the mess is completely cleaned up.
Every student is responsible for cleaning
up after themselves.

Additional observations or comments:

The organization and routine of the classroom seems to be the proper fit for this kind of
class. The students range from having moderate to severe disabilities, so the students may
need extra assistance with the completion of activities and assignments.

DATA and OBSERVATION WORKSHEET

The picture on the left represents the schedule for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and
Fridays. The picture on the right represents the schedule for Wednesdays, which is
slightly different than the other days. There are no times listed on these schedules because
they dont follow the school curriculum for bell work, due to the condition of the class.
The students in this setting are labeled with moderate to severe disabilities, so the
instruction and requirements are different than the other classes at the school.