My Ideal Classroom Outline

a. Demographics: 3 Grade, Nunaka Valley Elementary, 20 children. This is the classroom

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that I am currently working in for this class. I’m not yet sure what my “ideal” classroom
would be age, size and location wise. But I love the third grade!

Philosophy
b. Personal Definition of Discipline: Discipline in the educational system reflects how the
students and the teacher relate to one another. As such, discipline in school should reflect
the expectation of kindness, respect, and honesty from both parties. Students should
know what is expected them, and (if they stray away from expectations) they should
have the opportunity to fully understand their infraction and how it might be done
differently in the future. Discipline should be a tool which teachers use to scaffold
children towards moral development (as Lickona suggests) and should never be done in
a spirit of anger or frustration, but should rather be framed as a learning opportunity.
Above all, teachers should treat students with the respect that they, as human beings,
deserve.
c. Community Expectations and Philosophy of Discipline: The teacher will handle
discipline in concert with the parents. There are several people in the school (Principal
and aids) who also periodically assist with discipline. The discipline at Nunaka Valley is
not in alignment with my personal philosophy. to Students are expected to respect the
teacher’s rules if they wish to participate in classroom activities.
Academic Excellence
d. Expectations for academic performance:
1. Language Arts (reading, writing, spelling) By the end of the third grade, we will have
read a variety of stories from folk lore to informational texts from diverse cultures.
Our focus will be on understanding these stories and their complexities. We will focus
our energy on learning how to use specific details from a text to: ask and answer
questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, determine the author’s purpose,
message, lesson and determine how illustrations add to the story or help create the
mood, summarize stories in correct sequence, describe characters and their
feelings/motivations, distinguish our own points of view from that of the
author/characters, determine the meaning of words (either from context or by looking
up unfamiliar words), and compare and contrast different stories/texts in order to
deepen our understanding of the texts we study and in order to deepen our ability to
discuss literature together. Students will discuss these aspects and write about these
aspects throughout the school year.

2. Math In mathematics, we will master and understanding of multiplication and

division, fractions and how a whole unit is comprised of the fractions of the whole,
and whole numbers and their functions. In geometry, we will begin to gain an
understanding of two dimensional shapes and the meaning of areas and angles.

3. Science In science, we will explore local and traditional stories to gain an

understanding of how cultures and communities are involved in an affected by
science. We will explore how technology and discoveries affect our lives. We will
 discuss the water cycle, rocks, Earth’s land features, the weather, sorting living and
nonliving things into categories based on their physical characteristics, and animal
life cycles.

4. Social Studies In social studies, we will explore maps, Native Alaskan cultures,
different kinds of government, and how history can change according to a person’s
perspective or time frame. Students will be able to explain the concepts of democracy,
how to read a map, and why history is an important thing to study.

e. Differentiation:
1. Maturational: every student will arrive in my class at a slightly different level of
emotional, intellectual, and physical development. I will identify individual student’s
levels according to Piaget’s stages of development and working to scaffold children
towards their next stage of development. Most children in the third grade will be in
the preoperational or concrete operational stage, and as such will need to have
scaffolding that provides concrete examples for concepts.
2. Cultural: just as every child will enter the classroom with a different level of
development, every child will come in from a slightly different (or hugely different)
background. In my classroom, we will strive to build our own collaborative classroom
culture which we can all take equal part in. We will learn as broadly as possible about
the diverse cultures of our community, calling upon members of different cultural
groups to come and visit our classroom when possible. We will study events in
history from as many diverse angles as possible. I will build relationships with the
students that promote trust and communication.
3. Cognitive differences: of course, each child will be cognitively distinct from his or
her peers, as well. As I assess student’s abilities, I will consistently hold all students
to a high standard, but I will be aware that different student will by nature perform
differently from one another. If possible, we will procure extra assistance for students
who need more one-on-one attention. I will also scaffold all activities to better
involve learners who need more support.

Basic Classroom Organization

f. Classroom Organization
1. Daily
8:50-9:20 Breakfast 11:20-11:50 Recess
9:20-9:40 Morning Discussion 11:50-1:30 Math
9:40-10:30 Reading 1:30-2:30 Social Studies
10:30-11:00 Interventions/Group Work 2:30-3:30 Science
11:00-11:20 Lunch
2. Weekly

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

 Classroom Classroom Matt Aissia
Discussion leader: Alex
Start The Special: Music Special: PE Special: Art PAT Time!
Borrowers
Math Project: Pies Goal: read Finish and discuss
and Fractions aloud to Aleut Project
chapter 8
Begin Aleut Hat Community Classroom
Project Presenter: Sea Discussion
Kayaking

3. Monthly

February 2019

1 Sunday 2 Monday 3 Tuesday 4 Wednesday 5 Thursday 6 Friday 7 Saturday

Easter Begin The Social Math: Pie
Sunday Borrowers Studies Project Due
Series Focus:
Who says it PAT
Math: happened that
Fractions way?

8 9 10 11 12 13 14
The Math: Recipe
Borrowers Project Due
Afield
PAT

15 16 17 18 19 20 21
The Math: Baking SS
Borrowers Day Perspective
Afloat Project Due

PAT
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
The Parent Professional
Borrowers Conference Development
Aloft Days
(Half Days)

29 30 31
The Monthly PAT
Borrowers Time
Avenged Celebration

Monthly Reading Goal: Read Aloud – 2 fun chapter books each month, quiet reading everyday
for at least an hour total
Monthly Math Goals: Multiplication tables, fraction basics (whole and partial numbers),
division, geometry
Monthly Social Studies: the peoples of Alaska, the regions of Alaska, maps
Monthly Science: life science: the growth of plants and animals, earth science: water cycle,
volcanos, tectonic plates

4. Yearly:
August 15-20 In service, set up classroom, meetings etc.
August 23: School Starts
August – October: Practice Rules and Prodecures
August – September: ELA -Folk Tales, Math -Multiplication, Science-leaf identification, Social
Studies: Tales of Alaska
October-November: ELA – Creative Writing/Short Stories, Math – Fractions, Science – plate
tectonics, Social Studies – Maps
Nov. 23 - 25 Thanksgiving break
December: Performances/Projects
January – February: Review procedures/rules ELA: Non-fiction, Math: Geometry, Science –
ecosystems, Social Studies: Alaska History
March – April: ELA: Poetry, Math: ratios, Science: growing plants, Social Studies: Alaskan
traditions
May: Performances/Projects

g. Draw a physical plan of the classroom.

h. Student Routines and Procedures:

1. Announcements and pledge

2. Breakfast (get breakfast bag off cart and sit at desk to eat)
3. Finish with breakfast and clean up begin work in workbook
4. At music signal, quickly find a seat on the carpet.
5. Morning circle discussion.
6. As a class, solve the morning puzzle
7. Literacy stations
8. Line up to attend “interventions” in assigned classroom.
9. Lunch
10. Recess

i. Teacher Routines and Procedures:

1. Assign pages from workbook for the day (write on board)

2. Take attendance
3. Take hot/cold lunch counts
4. Circle discussion
5. Check work to see how to progress tomorrow
6. Work with small groups
7. Post afternoon schedule/pages on board
 How to stay organized:

My host teacher writes pretty much everything down. She has a pretty comprehensive list of
what the kids should be doing up on the board. She provides parents with access to Lexia and
Math Wiz so they can see their kids’ progression. She also sends home a bi-monthly
newsletter. I think for me, personally, I like to have a planner with every detail penciled in as
far in advance as possible. This allows me to see where I need to go, but I can also change
things as rearrange them as we go along. I like lists!

Behavior Management

j. Expectations for your students' behavior:

1. Students are expected to be respectful, kind, and helpful to the teacher and their fellow
students. Students are expected to follow class rules and to be on-task during work times.

2. Raising Hands: raise your hand to ask or answer questions. If you need to use the
restroom, raise your thumb, if you need to sharpen a pencil raise two fingers, if you need
to get up for another reason (water, tissue, etc.) raise three fingers. Bathroom, pencil, and
other breaks will only be allowed during times when the teacher is not directly teaching.

No running or unsafe behavior in the classroom. This includes hitting, kicking, or

pushing other students for any reason. It also includes throwing materials.

If the teacher is talking, the students’ voices are off.

Treat everyone with respect and kindness. We all deserve to feel valuable and to enjoy
school.

k. The main techniques that my host teacher uses to get and keep student attention are
general enthusiasm about the subjects she is teaching. She reads to the students every day
and is an expressive speaker and teacher. She also calls on students often to answer
questions. If students are being disruptive she generally verbally takes note of students
who are doing what they’re supposed to (i.e. “I appreciate that Johnny is in his seat
working on his project silently”) She also uses clapping signals (clap one if you can hear
me) and rhymes like “one, two, eyes on you,” to get students to refocus their attention.

l. My classroom management plan is based on building trust and mutual respect with my
students. I will treat my students with respect and will expect to be treated with respect in
return. I will trust my students and in turn, I hope that they will learn to trust me.

1. By making classroom rules and discussing consequences together, I believe I will be

able to build a classroom community in which the students feel invested. I believe
that by focusing on community and by helping the students understand that we are all
 in the classroom to help one another to the best of our ability, I can mitigate the
number of small and major infractions.

2. However, there are bound to be issues – both major and minor -- in any classroom. I
think the most effective method of discipline that I have found to deal with minor
student misbehavior is to assess what the problem is in concert with the student. We
will discuss their behavior and why they chose to behave in that way. Are they tired?
Hungry? Experiencing trouble at home or with other kids? Were their feelings hurt?
Are they bored? Are they frustrated with the work? Then, as a team, we will come up
with a solution for our problem so that the student can have the support that he or she
needs to behave in a more appropriate way.

This method takes time and major emotional investment in the students, but I think it
is very effective when you can build a relationship with the student focused around
providing them what they need to perform. I have found thus far in this program, that
often kids “misbehave” because they are confused or frustrated and don’t feel like
they can do what they’re supposed to. Other times, they don’t understand the value of
what they’re studying. If we, the teachers, can avoid piling on criticism of their
behavior and instead re-frame and focus on finding solutions to OUR problem, then I
think we can really foster a community of learners who are trusting and comfortable.

Motivation
m. Briefly explain techniques for

1. Promoting student efficacy

a. I think the single most important lesson that we as teachers can teach our
students is that they are valuable, important, and deserving of respect. I think
we do this by treating them with respect and consideration (even at times
when we feel like they aren’t “earning” it – ie when they themselves are being
rude or disrespectful, we can rise above this. In the words of my parents: Be
the Grown Up.) and by taking their ideas/concerns/suggestions/comments
seriously.
b. I think setting students up with realistic goals that are within their grasp, but
that also require effort to achieve will set them up to feel successful and
productive. I believe these goals will be different for each individual child.
Not all of these goals need to be academic, either. I think art of being a teacher
is helping kids with the social and moral aspects of life.
c. I think sincere enthusiasm for the subject and for the student’s efforts can be a
great way to show your support and help students feel that what they’re doing
has meaning (at the very least, to you!).

2. Positive group spirit

a. I think the first step in helping students be contributing member of the

learning community is to help the students feel that there is a community for
 them to be a part of. I think a classroom should feel like and be a tight knit
community in which each and every student feels like he or she belongs. I
think we can help students feel welcome by being kind and respectful, by
making rules and procedures and consequences clear, non-judgmental, and
consistent, and by enlisting the help of students in the everyday managing of
the classroom: from involvement in discussion, to helping their peers, t
performing classroom jobs.
b. I hope to help students feel safe and valued by involving them as personally as
possible in the subject matter. This means not only trying to make sure that
students are able to have their viewpoints head by me, but also that I help
teach my students how to be active listeners. It also means that I will provide
materials that are relevant to my students’ lives and that speak to their various
interests, needs, and cultures.
c. I will foster an environment of discussion and will teach my students that
disagreements are a tool for growth, not something to shy away from.
Hopefully, we will seek the truth together by listening to and discussing
different viewpoints.

Parents and Community

n. My three methods for involving parents in my classroom will be:

1) Having an "open door" policy that encourages parents to stop by the classroom.
While I recognize that this may lead to some distractions, I feel that it's important
for the parents to feel welcome in the classroom just as their children do. I think
making sure that they know that they can come and go in my class will make
them feel more of a sense of ownership/participation in the class. This is "Our
Classroom".

2) Having organized parent volunteering: having parents/family volunteers be a

regular thing in a classroom can be so great! I would ideally have one or two
parents come in everyday! Obviously, some parents are going to have more time
than others, and parents who have more free time will be able to come more often
(and parents who come more often will be better able to help out) but I would like
to try to get every parent to come in at least once or twice over the course of the
first few months.

3) Parents with special skills/experiences should be invited to come into the class
and share their experiences. I would love to have parents talk to the class about
their jobs or hobbies that relate to things we study. It might take some work to
suss-out who would be up for this, but I think it would be totally worth the extra
work and would really help parents feel a part of their child's education.

The three ways I plan to communicate with parents are:

 1) regular and impromptu phone calls and in person meetings. I would like to
check in with parents at a minimum every month and talk either in person or over
the phone about their child's progress, behavior, challenges, and strengths. I think
that if I can call one parent every day I can make this happen without making it a
huge ordeal for myself. I think we owe it to parents to include them in the inner
workings of our classrooms.

2) I love the idea of a classroom website. I'd like to make it something that we do
as a class -- the students will help me make each week's blog or update, including
taking photos and uploading them, writing stories about our activities, etc. I think
it could be a great way to facilitate the students communicating with their parents
about school. I also think it would work nicely into the curriculum and be a
valuable/meaningful activity.

3) I would like to have a monthly or bi-monthly hard copy and email newsletter
that I send out to parents. It would include things like our classroom schedule and
events (there would be overlap from our website, but it would be geared more
toward something you might put on your fridge for the month to keep track of
what's up).

o. How would you describe your grading system to parents and students?
All grades are based on rubrics - the student and the parent will have access to
every rubric as the assignments are assigned. There is a four-step system (Not
there yet, Getting there, There, and To infinity and beyond!), and every
assignment that the students have will be graded with this system. All projects or
assignments will be able to be revised and resubmitted for higher grades.

p. I think there are a lot of great ways for teachers to interact with the community.
Being an active community member is one way to not only form connections
between the school and teachers and the community, but it is also a great way to
model civic responsibility. I think another great way to get involved with the
community is to pick a community project to work on as a class. At Nunaka
Valley, the second graders have this awesome park reclamation project. They're
working on building a "learning center" in Russian Jack Park -- it's a very cool
idea. They have this little center set up in the woods and they're working on
installing informational posts though out the park. The kids bring these little slats
that slide into the posts they have set up, so they can sit and have make-shift desks
in the park, too! I feel like this kind of project helps not only to build connections
between the school and the community, but it also helps the kids build a sense of
community pride and responsibility.

I think we teachers can also help to connect our classrooms with the greater
community by finding local people to come in and have as guest speakers. When
we discuss the political system in class, why not invite a local politician to come
in and tell us about it? When we're discussing the water cycle, why not find
 someone from Fish and Game who can come in and help explain how it the water
cycle affects our area? We should use the people in our community as the
resource they are.

I also think field trips are a great way to get the kids out to see what's available to
them in town!

Professionalism
q. Summarize your paper with a short recap of how your discipline and management plans
support your philosophy of education.
My philosophy of teaching is based on three tenets: building mutual respect, engaging with
authentic materials, and effectively managing time. Children should be safe, happy, and
engaged in the classroom. In order to achieve these goals, the teacher must be prepared to
practice effective classroom management. Effective classroom management motivates
students with positive outcomes and feedback, limits disruptions with limit-setting and
consistency, and creates a collaborative classroom environment by encouraging students to
work together and help on another.

r. Complete your project by reflecting on any areas of classroom discipline and management
that you feel are problematic for you, and how you will continue to work on them during
future practicum and student teaching.
I am naturally a permissive person. I am inclined to bargain and give second chances. As I
move forward with my teaching practice, I can see that this is not an effective method of
discipline. If I want to minimize strife and disruptions in my classroom, I need to get better at
setting limits and sticking to them. I will work on setting limits and being consistent, in a
calm, respectful manner. We can set our rules and follow them without judgement or anger. I
will learn to solve more issues on-the-fly as I gain experience as a teacher. Moving forward
into student teaching, I will set up my own set of rules in the future for when I am teaching.
One of the areas that I have neglected to focus on in the past has been setting up expectations
and rules for when I am teaching in someone else’s class: now, when I teach a lesson, I will
begin with my rues and consequences, and expectations for the students’ behavior.

s. Bibliography

Charles, C. M. (2011) Building classroom discipline (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Fields, M. V., Merrit, P. A., & Fields, D. M. (2018). Constructive guidance and

discipline, birth to age eight. (7th ed.). New York City, NY: Pearson.
Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lickona, T. (1994). Raising good children, New York City, NY: Bantom.

MacKenzie, R. J. & Stanzione, M. A. (2010). Setting limits in the classroom (3rd ed.). New York

City, NY: Three Rivers Press.

Taylor, C. & Nolan, S. B. (2008). Classroom assessment: supporting teaching and learning in

real classrooms (2nd ed.). New York City, NY: Pearson.

Tomlinson, C. (2014). The differentiated classroom: responding to the needs of all learners (2nd

ed.). Alexandra, VA: ASCD.