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Jennifer Owens Management Plan

Classroom Ambience
The classroom environment is one of the most important things to consider when establishing a
successful learning experience. Students in my class are granted a comfortable and safe environment in
which to learn. By establishing expectations and modeling proper classroom behavior, students are able
to learn in an environment that is accepting and supportive of varying ideas and opinions. In my
classroom, students are expected to be respectful of each other, of me, of the classroom, and of
themselves. By allowing students to have their own personal space, they have the room to feel
comfortable and secure. The physical environment is important, but the feel of a classroom ties a
community of learners together. Students will interact with each other on a daily basis. They will
participate in group, partner, and individual activities that allow them to share their thoughts, opinions,
and ideas openly. By creating a classroom community with personal and academic relationships,
students can feel safe in sharing information with each other without fear of judgment or ridicule. There
are no wrong answers or stupid questions in my classroom. My students are encouraged through inquiry
and engagement. I support their motivations and take an interest in their beliefs and preferences. Giving
students choice when it comes to assignments and projects, as well as academic material allows
students to feel in control. Students gain accountability and responsibility for their own education by
taking a stake through their actions. I want my students to feel as though what they think is important
matters. If students can provide an educated and persuasive rationale for their ideas then they are
successful. If during our unit on creative writing, for example, students can provide an argument for why
something should be included in our study, then their desires will not be ignored. Through
differentiation, a variety of learning styles will be incorporated daily. Students will be given
opportunities to grow and learn in a community setting. The physical environment works in conjunction
with this element of instruction. It is important to have a physical space that is conducive to learning
that also allows for the proper classroom ambience.
Students in an uncomfortable learning environment cannot succeed. It is important for students to learn
collaboration, and through my classroom students will learn how to be a part of a learning community.
They will learn skills and strategies to be successful in future collaborative endeavors. The safety that
they feel in my classroom will allow them to step outside of their comfort zone and explore education
through a different lens. They will learn to make real world connections because they will experience
them on a daily basis. Many students feel there is no significant relevance between them and the
materials they study. My classroom will show how diversity and culture can reshape the way they think
and interact. Entering my classroom will allow students to take that first step.

Physical Space of Classroom

The physical space of the classroom impacts every other element of instruction and therefore must be
thought of very carefully. I would prefer to have a classroom large enough to move things around. I
want my students to be able to move around, change directions and locations of student seats. Ideally
my students would have desks that can be moved easily around the room in a space large enough to still
allow movement. For certain units, my students desks will be placed in clusters of four that allow

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students to work cohesively within their groups. Other times, the classroom will be set up in a
horseshoe fashion, where the student desks face each other, while allow the front and center of the
room free for other things. Movement is significant in my classroom. Students will spend a large
percentage of their time engaging with each other and need to be able to move freely around the room.
Keeping students on focus and interactive is important in their quest for understanding. In order to build
significant connections to materials, students must be able to engage with materials in a variety of ways.
Students seated in a traditional row structure is not conducive to learning. Rather than turning in their
seats or seeing only the back of students heads is not an interactive way to have discussions. By sitting
in a horseshoe or circle, students are able to make eye contact with speakers and practice proper
listening skills. When students give presentations or speeches, the front of the room is still visible to
every student in the classroom without having to move or crane their neck.
The physical space of the classroom is a large element in the comfort of students. Once they are
physically comfortable, they are more likely to become emotionally comfortable. Student work will be
displayed around the room, as well as motivational posters, quotes, and generally uplifting images.
Students will create a variety of things, including hanging mobiles that will be used to create a space
where students have taken ownership. It will become theirs, which will make it more meaningful for
them. Students can also utilize the comforts of the reading corners, which have rugs, pillows, bean bags,
and comfortable chairs. Areas used when instructed or during free-choice reading time.
Ideally, my classroom would look something like this:

Reading
Corner

Reading
Corner

White Board/Smart Board

4 Desks
4 Desks
White Board

4 Desks

4 Desks

4 Desks

4 Desks

Door

Classroom Library/Filing Boxes

Teacher Desk

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The lighting would be a mixture of natural and standard florescent. The reading corners would also have
lamps that will allow us to have a lower-light settingenough to read to, but not as bright as standard
lighting. The reading corner will be decorated with book quotes and reading-inspired motivational
posters. The walls will be used for student work displays (collages and group posters). The physical space
of the classroom is meant to be comfortable and engaginga home away from home. The best learning
is done when students are safe and comfortable.

Managing Resources
The following systems will be in place in order to further manage classroom resources and schedules:

Paper: Within the classroom, there are a few filing systems put in place in order to manage student
papers. In the back of the room on top of the bookshelf is a row with filing boxes. Each is clearly
numbered in coordination with each class period. Within the filing boxes, each student has a section
with 3 color coded folders, each labeled with their name. Students will keep graded work in their green
folder. This will keep papers and assignments organized and in one location in order to be accessible
while completing their end of semester portfolio. Next, there will be a yellow folder. This folder is
designed for work in progress. Their journals will be stored here, which will allow students to have
access to it without the possibility of losing it or forgetting to bring their daily writing journal. This is also
where students will keep worksheets or other in-class activities that are still in progress. A red folder,
where students will turn in work for grading will also be located in their section of the filing box.
Students will turn all assignments in through their red folder. Going through this system with students
will occur in the welcome week. Accommodations will be made as necessary depending on student
needs.

Time: No time will be wasted in the classroom. Daily warm-ups will take the first five minutes of each
class period. There will be twenty minutes of free-choice reading per week. This will vary depending on
the schedule. It may be done over the course of two days, or five minutes per day. If class activities and
pick up are completed and there are a few minutes left, it will always be used for one-on-one
conferences, questions about materials, and/or free-reading time. Units are planned based on time
necessary for students to master desired objectives. Depending on my students, some classes may take
a little longer to get through a unit than others. Accommodations will be made by me based on those
needs.

Routines: There will be a daily warm-up every day in student journals. Upon entering the classroom,
students will get their journals from their folders and begin working on their entries. This will either be a
prompt for further discussion that requires individual reflection first or a prompt where students make
personal connections to the text materials. We will do weekly vocabulary and grammar quizzes. These
are less for grading purposes and more for quick assessment of student knowledge. These will become
interwoven with our classroom routine and will take very little time once students are accustomed to
the routine. Spelling-on-the-spot is a short game activity students will do randomly throughout the unit.
In their table groups, students will be given a group of letters and spend 3-5 minutes working out the
spelling of commonly misspelled words. These will be derived from student work as well as where
students struggle during in-class reading.