Classroom Management Plan

Julie Patterson

Table of Contents:

Sample Letter to Parents....3

Developing Classroom Rules..5
Organizing Paperwork...7
Emotional Feeling...9
Student Diversity....10
Sense of Community..11
Work Spaces...13
Dcor...15
Family Involvement.......17

Miss Julie Patterson

T.C. Miller Elementary
600 Mansfield Ave, Lynchburg VA 24502
E-mail: patterson_j1@students.lynchburg.edu
Phone: 434-544-6437

Hello and welcome to second grade!

My name is Miss Patterson and this is my first year of teaching at T.C.
Miller Elementary School for Innovation. I studied at Central Virginia Community
College where I earned my Associates in Education, then transferred to Lynchburg
College where I earned my Bachelors in Elementary Education. I strongly believe
that every student can learn and I will do my best every single day to ensure that
each student is learning in the way that fits their needs and preferences best. I will
also provide students with any academic help they may need and if I am not able to
help them myself, I will find someone who can.
We will be doing several different fun activities in our classroom this year
that I will be inviting parents to come join our class with. These activities include
field trips, a nature walk in the fall, several different parties before we go on our
seasonal holiday breaks, reading days where I invite parents into the classroom to
read to the students, as well as several different other fun opportunities. I am a firm
believer in making learning fun by mixing up how I teach on a daily basis so that
my students dont get bored by doing the same things all the time.
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If you are able to, I would like it if parents would take the time to answer the
following questions to help me get to know your child better and figure out what I
can do to help my lessons better fit their learning styles.

What are some of your childs greatest strengths/skills?

What are your fears or concerns for your child this year in second grade?
How and when would you like for me to contact you this year?
What are some of your childs interests?

I am so excited for all of the experiences we will have this year in our second
grade classroom! We will work hard, gain responsibilities, make new friends, but
most of all, have fun learning new things together!
Sincerely,
Miss Patterson
Please sign and return this portion with the answers to the questions listed above
on a separate sheet of paper.

Classroom Rules
Developing classroom rules is vital in order to run a smooth, wellfunctioning classroom. If students do not know what is expected of them, then they
have no guidelines as to what behavior is appropriate or inappropriate in the
classroom. Rules are necessary because learning cannot occur without them. If the
classroom is chaotic and non-disciplined, students will not be able to stay on task
and focus on learning.
The rules in my classroom are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Raise your hand to speak or ask a question during class.

Listen and pay attention to what your teacher is saying
Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
Follow directions as soon as they are given.
Have fun learning!

In my classroom, I will have a discipline system in which students each have a

small jar on their desk. At the beginning of each day, the student starts off with 5
marbles in their jar. I will have a specific focus for each week, such as students
remembering to raise their hands when they have something to share with the class
or if they have a question. For each time the student remembers to raise their hand,
they earn two marbles in their jar. For each time the student does not remember to
raise their hand, I will take two marbles from their jar. If a student has filled their

jar with marbles by the end of the week, they will earn a treat. The treat could be
anything from candy to five minutes of extra recess.
If a student constantly misbehaves, the consequences will be as follows:
warning, note home, phone call home, meeting with parents, and then a meeting
with the parents and the principal to try to resolve the behavior. In the event of
severe misbehavior, students will be sent to the principal and the students parents
will be called immediately. Depending on the severity of the behavior, the student
may be suspended from school.

Organizing Paperwork
In my classroom, I will have a system for organizing, turning in, grading,
and returning graded papers to students. I will use Monday folders in my
classroom in which I will put all of the students graded work from the previous
week and have a sheet inside of it that parents have to sign to verify that the
student showed the folder to them. I will have different bins labeled for each
subject that I teach (Math, English, Reading, Social Studies) in which students will
turn in any work that I ask them to turn in for certain subjects. By organizing the
assignments by subject, I can place my focus on one subject at a time when I am
grading instead of having to sort through a pile of papers from every subject.
At the end of each day or every other day, I will go through all of the papers
and grade them. By grading assignments quickly and not procrastinating to grade
them, the students will get feedback quickly so that they can see what mistakes
they may have made and take note of them before we get further ahead in the
lesson. Grading assignments quickly also helps me to see what students may be
struggling with so that I can reteach or expand on to help students understand the
material before we get too far ahead in our lesson. Finally, grading assignments
promptly keeps me from getting overwhelmed and having to spend a big chunk of
time on grading. It is much easier to just do a little bit at a time.

I will have a gradebook in which I have each students name and a list of the
assignments that I am grading. After I grade all of the papers for one subject, I will
record those grades into the gradebook, and continue this process for each subject.
After grading, I will put the graded assignments to go home in the students
Monday folders. I will hold the Monday folders in a bin behind my desk until I
have all of the assignments from the week inside of it and the folders are ready to
be sent home.

Emotional Feeling
The emotional feeling I hope to create in my classroom is one that makes
students feel comfortable, relaxed, safe, excited, and intelligent. My classroom will
be one that welcomes any and all types of students. In my classroom, we will be
like a family that supports and wants the best for one another. We are all there for
the same reason, to learn. We will all have good days and bad days, but we will get
through them together as a team.
I want my students to feel like they can come to me with anything. Whether
it is a question about something we are learning in class or something going on
outside of the classroom with their family or friends. If students are scared or
intimidated by their teacher, they will most likely not ask the teacher questions if
they are struggling with something. If students are afraid to ask questions, they
may never fully understand the concept they are struggling with.
I will make certain my students understand that I genuinely care about them,
as well as their success in school. I can promise every single one of my future
students that I will never give up on them. I will go to whatever means necessary to
make sure they are successful and receive the outstanding education they deserve.

Student Diversity
When dealing with student diversity in my classroom, I will make sure that
every student feels welcome and we see each other as equal. We all have
differences, but those differences are what make us unique. The unique traits of all
of the different diversities are what add to our classroom.
I think making students aware of the different diversities in our classroom,
school, and community is very important. I will share different cultural aspects
with my students so that they can see the different interesting traditions that come
from other cultures. I will invite the students in my class to share different
traditions their family or culture may practice.
I also would like to share different holidays that different religions or
cultures celebrate with my students, instead of focusing on certain popular holidays
in the United States. For example, instead of just Halloween, talk about Dia de los
Muertos. Also, talk about Hannukah instead of just focusing on Christmas when
winter break rolls around. I think bringing in artifacts unique to a variety of
cultures and diversities would be a good idea as well.

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Sense of Community
Developing a sense of community in the classroom is extremely important in
order to make every student feel like they are unique and to appreciate the unique
characteristics of the other students in the classroom. It is important that students
see these differences but also see that despite their differences, they can all work
together as a team. In order to help students feel like they fit in, it is important to
not create too much of a challenge for students in the first couple weeks of the
school year. If students start off the school year feeling like they cannot do the
work in class, then that will affect how they feel about the rest of the school year.
Students may not try as hard if they feel discouraged and feel like they cannot do
the work.
In my classroom, I will have a reading center where students can relax in
beanbag chairs and share a book with a friend or play with toys together. Helping
to create experiences in which friendships can blossom is very important. If
students feel like they do not have any friends and are on their own in the
classroom, they will not be comfortable and this could cause them to not do as well
academically as a student who does feel comfortable in the classroom.
Having a set routine in the classroom is important so that students know
what to expect and are prepared for transition times. Giving students certain
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classroom responsibilities is helpful as well because it makes them feel like they
are special and play a big role in the classroom. Family involvement also helps
with building a sense of community because students love for their parents to come
help out in the classroom by volunteering to read a book to the students or helping
with classroom parties.

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Work Spaces
My classroom will have several different types of work spaces. After
walking through the entrance to the classroom, there will be a square carpet in the
floor on the right hand side of the room. At the right edge of the carpet, I will have
a chair, an easel, and a bookshelf. The students will sit on the carpet while we read
books together. While reading, I will use the easel to write down different ideas
dealing with whatever we are focusing on that day.
To the right of the carpet, there will be a circular table with chairs around it
where students can do group work, reading, or homework if they finish their
assignments early. This will also be a space where I can work with students before
or after school on different assignments that they may need extra help on as well.
Past the table, in the back right corner of the classroom, will be the reading center.
There will be a small circular carpet with beanbag chairs and a couch where
students can relax and read books. To the left of this area will be the computer
station. Students will be allowed to get on the computer and play on educational
websites after they finish their work.
In the left front area of the room will be the Smart Board and the students
desks. Students will have desks with space inside to store their pencils and books.
The desks will be in groups of four so that students can help each other and work
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together on certain assignments. In the back left corner of the room will be my
desk. My desk will have shelves on one side of it, as well as behind it, for me to
store different papers including lesson plans and worksheets.

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Dcor
My classroom will be decorated with a Dr. Seuss theme. The color scheme
will use very bright and welcoming colors. I will have some of my favorite
inspirational Dr. Seuss quotes displayed around my classroom. I will have a
bulletin board with a calendar, days of the week, weather, and seasons displayed on
it. Near the bulletin board, I will have a poster with cut out cupcakes with each
students name and birthday on the cupcake.
On each students desk, I will have a name tag with a picture of them and a
small jar. The jar will be part of my discipline system. Students start out the day
with five marbles and earn or lose marbles for every time they do or do not follow
the rules. On my desk, I will have different organizers to organize paperclips,
rubber bands, pencils, pens, staples, etc.
I will make a wooden plaque that says No Names with clothes pins
attached to it to hang up work that has been turned in with no name on it so that
students can look at them and claim them. For my reading center, I will take plastic
rain gutters and hang them on the wall to create a reading corner to display books
on. To help learn our routine, as well as how to tell time, I will use construction
paper to cut out clocks and then situate the hands on the clocks to represent when

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we do certain activities such as snack, recess, lunch and dismissal under the clock
in our classroom.
On the door to our classroom, I will decorate it using the Thing 1 and Thing
2 characters from Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat. Each students name will be
written on the characters bodies. I will also have the quote, You have brains in
your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you
choose, (Dr. Seuss, Oh The Places Youll Go) displayed along the top of the door.

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Family Involvement
Family involvement is crucial for student success in school. In order to make
sure family is being involved in the childs learning process, I will have certain
assignments that require students to go home and do an activity with their parents
or siblings. In addition to this, I will have parents sign students Monday folders
that contain a weeks worth of the students school work.
I will let parents know from the very beginning of the school year that I
would like to remain in contact with them about their childs progress. I want
parents to feel comfortable coming to me with any questions they may have about
what or how their child is doing in class or to ask for suggestions on what they can
do if their child is struggling with something in particular. Parents play a huge part
in their childs education because even though the students are at school all day
and learning there, the parents are the ones that are with them at home when they
are doing their homework and helping them with it.
I will ask parents to volunteer in my classroom when they are available. I
think it is a very good experience for parents to see what goes on in their childs
classroom and help out. I would also love to have parents volunteer to come in and
read books with small groups of students.

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