Linda Maiden Classroom Management Plan

Part 1: Getting Ready

Introduction
To establish and maintain a safe and supportive classroom that contributes
to high quality student achievement is a critical skill for all teachers. Often,
those skills must be crafted and honed on the job. Each school and each
classroom presents its own unique challenges, and because every year
brings a new group of students, teachers must become lifelong learners. As
a teacher, I believe that everything I need to ensure the success of my
students revolves around the word TEACH:
T Tailor for diversity. Make it a point to know as much as possible about
your students, including their diverse cultural, ethnic, behavioral, and
learning characteristics, along with stressors they may experience outside of
school.
E Encourage positive behavior. Aim for a 4:1 ratio of positive comments to
negative corrections for all the students.
A Arrange the environment for success. Teach your behavioral
expectations directly and immediately through collaboratively-established
classroom rules and well-designed classroom routines.
C Consult your peers. Seek collaboration with experienced teachers and
specialists before difficult problems start to become entrenched.
H Hug yourself. Prevent stress and burnout by focusing each day on what
you are accomplishing and not just on what is frustrating.

Letter of introduction to students

Dear Student,
Welcome to the (insert year here) school year at (insert school name here).
My name is Mrs. Linda Maiden, and I am so excited to have you in my
classroom this semester! I am looking forward to getting to know you and
help you develop your unique intellectual abilities as we learn and grow
together. I have composed this letter to explain my classroom rules and
consequences. The following is a list of classroom rules I use from year to
year:
Respect yourself, your peers, your teacher, and your school.
Arrive on time.
When teacher prompts students by raising his/her hand, student should
raise his/her hand before speaking; otherwise, classroom discussion is
informal.
Listen to others and participate in class discussions.
During open discussion, only one student talks at a time.
Cooperate with your group or partner during group work.
Pick up after yourself.
Do not interrupt other students' learning.
No vandalism. Don't write or carve on your desk or school property.
It is my belief that positive behavior in the classroom should not only be
expected but also rewarded. Therefore, I have created a prize box and other
ways you may improve your grades based on positive behavior. On the other
hand, I also have consequences for negative behavior that include in-school
detention and a series of one-on-one meetings to discuss poor behavior. By
implementing these procedures, I aim to solve problems in the classroom
without disrupting the learning environment. Attached to this letter is a
contract that you need to sign and return to me, Mrs. Maiden, by the end of
class today.
Sincerely,

Letter of introduction to parents

Dear Parents,
Welcome to the (insert year here) school year at (insert school name here).
My name is Mrs. Linda Maiden, and I am so excited to have your student in
my classroom this semester! I am looking forward to getting to know your
child and help him/her develop his/her unique intellectual abilities as we
learn and grow together. I am sending this letter to explain my classroom
rules and consequences, which I have already reviewed with students. The
following is a list of classroom rules I use from year to year. You child has
signed a contract with me committing to the rules listed below:
Respect yourself, your peers, your teacher, and your school.
Arrive on time.
When teacher prompts students by raising his/her hand, student should
raise his/her hand before speaking; otherwise, classroom discussion is
informal.
Listen to others and participate in class discussions.
During open discussion, only one student talks at a time.
Cooperate with your group or partner during group work.
Pick up after yourself.
Do not interrupt other students' learning.
No vandalism. Don't write or carve on your desk or school property.
It is my belief that positive behavior in the classroom should not only be
expected but also rewarded. Therefore, I have created a prize box and other
ways students may improve their grades based on positive behavior. On the
other hand, I also have consequences for negative behavior that include inschool detention and a series of one-on-one meetings to discuss poor
behavior. By implementing these procedures, with your support, I aim to
solve problems in the classroom without disrupting the learning environment.
I hope to get to know all of you this year, as I will be calling home
periodically to inform you of your students status. You can also check on
what were doing in class at our classroom webpage (insert web page link
here). If you have any questions about my discipline plan or my classroom
procedures, please feel free to call me at (insert school phone number) or
(insert email address)

Sincerely,
First day of school schedule:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Bell ringer activity

Name game
Getting acquainted activity
Review classroom rules and procedures
Students and teacher will revise classroom rules (if applicable)

Opening day bell ringer activity:

Writing prompt:
"One thing or achievement I am particularly proud of is . . ."
Opening day script:
Greet each student at the door
Hand each child a classroom rules sheet (goes in notebook)
Direct them toward their assigned seat (names are located on desks)
Tell child to read and follow the instructions written on the board
Have instructions written on the board for them to start on (bell ringer)
Finish greeting the last student to arrive in class
Welcome students to class and introduce myself
My name
Talk about family (husband, kids)
Education
Where Im from and where I live
Tell them why I wanted to teach
Getting acquainted activities
Name game activity
Introduce another activity
Arriving and leaving class
Teach procedure for arriving in class
Teach procedure for dismissal from class
Explain rules and daily procedures
Refer to the rules that are posted at front
Explain discipline plan and refer to poster
Go over procedures and refer to poster
Students and teacher will revise classroom rules (if applicable)

Getting acquainted activity

Introduce another activity:
Divide the class into pairs. Each person talks about him/herself to the other.
After five minutes, the participants introduce the other person to the rest of
the class.
Visuals for procedures
1. Classroom rules poster will be posted on wall in a location that is
visible throughout the classroom.
2. Upon entering the classroom, students will receive a classroom rules
sheet that is to remain in their notebook for the duration of the
semester.

Part 2: Classroom Management Plan

Daily schedule
**Note: This is a generic overview of daily routines. Detailed
schedules are located on daily lesson plans
1. Bell ringer activity
2. Homework collection (if applicable)
3. Introduction to daily topic and/or review of previous lesson
4. Activities
5. Collection of class work and/or exit slip.
Bell ringer assignments
Bell ringer assignments are posted on the right hand side of the board every
morning. Students should look for bell ringer activity as they enter the class
each day.
Morning/class opening procedures
1. Collect bell ringer activity
2. Collect any homework
3. Introduce topic or literature that will be covered during today's lesson
If students finish early
Students who finish classroom assignments early will be expected to
participate in a transition activity. The teacher will announce the expected

activity before classroom assignments begin. Below is a list of some of the

transition activates used within the classroom:
What I learned journal-a semester long running journal in which the
student reflects on the classroom assignment and how he/she can use
the learned skill in the real world.
Reading material-teacher will announce and posted reading material
on the board before classroom assignment begins.
Group activities-teacher will announce and post group activity steps
on the board before classroom assignment beings.
Any other activities teacher feels may enforce classroom assignment
content-teacher will announce and post activity steps on the board
before classroom assignment begins.
Transition between informal and formal activities
The classroom is an extremely diverse learning environment; therefore,
different leaning activities call for different procedures. Some activities are
quite and demand a controlled environment. On the other hand, some
activities are interactive and require open conversation and informal
interaction. To transition between informal and formal activities the teacher
will stand at the front of the classroom and raise his/her hand until teacher
has all of the students' attention.
Getting the students attention
Teacher will stand at the front of the classroom, raise arms, and clap his/her
hands one time. Students will be asked to clap in return. If all students do
not respond on the first clap, teacher will repeat this process until all of the
students respond.
Getting the teachers attention
Based on the activity, I have two procedures for getting the teacher's
attention:
1. During controlled activities, students must raise their hand and wait for
teacher to call on them or come to their desk.
2. During informal interaction, students can call for the teacher to assist
them.
Listening to/responding to questions
Based on the activity, I have two procedures for listening and responding to
questions:
1. During controlled activities, students must raise their hand to respond
to questions.

2. During informal interaction, students can speak freely.

Roll taking procedure
Teacher will take the roll using two methods:
1. Upon entering the classroom, teacher will greet students at the door.
2. Teacher will collect bell ringer activities (name will be on all bell ringer
activities).
Paper Headings
Paper heading should be listed on the left hand side of all written
assignments. Below is a list of the information that should be included in
paper heading:
Student Name:
Assignment Title:
Name of Class or Block Number:
Date:
Collecting papers:
Classroom desk/seating placement differs with each activity. Below is the list
of all possible classroom seating placements and how papers should be
collected based on each placement:
1. Traditional desk placement: Papers will be passed horizontally from the
left side of the room to the right side of the room. Teacher will walk
down the row on the right side of the room to collect papers.
2. Large discussion circle: Papers will be passed around the circle starting
with the student sitting directly to the left of the teacher. After papers
have made their way around the circle, the student sitting directly to
the right of the teacher will pass papers to teacher.
3. Small group circles: Within groups, papers will be staked together.
Teacher will approach each circle and collect stack of papers.
Distributing papers
Classroom desk/seating placement differs with each activity. Below is the list
of all possible classroom seating placements and how papers should be
distributed based on each placement:
1. Traditional desk placement: Teacher will walk down the row on the left
side of the room and give a stack of papers to each student in the row.
Papers will be distributed horizontally from the left side of the room to
the right side of the room.

2. Large discussion circle: Papers will be distributed around the circle

starting with the student sitting directly to the left of the teacher. After
papers have made their way around the circle, the student sitting
directly to the right of the teacher will give teacher any extra papers.
3. Small group circles: Teacher will approach each circle and give one of
the group members a stack containing the correct number of paper.
Student that is given the papers will distribute the papers within
his/her group.

Tardy procedures
Based on school policies, students will have to present the teacher will a
tardy slip upon entering classroom. If student does not possess tardy slip,
teacher will ask student to either go to the office or to previous classroom
teacher to obtain a tardy slip.
Absent student procedures
Teacher has a website that lists each day's assignments and activities.
Students are expected to check website for assignments. NOTE: If students
do not have access to a computer or the internet, students are expected to
meet with teacher to obtain missed assignments.
Homework procedures

Teacher expects all homework to be turned in on time. Teacher will

accept late work up to 3 days after the due date, but teacher will drop
the assignment 1 letter grade each day.
If students has an excused absent on homework due dates, teacher
will allow students to turn in the homework up to 3 days late without
penalty.
Students can earn passes that allow students to turn in homework 1
day late. If student elects to use earned pass, student much turn in
the pass when homework is collected.

Teacher away from the room

Depending on the activity taking place when the teacher leaves the room,
students are expected to stay in the designated work station and continue
working while teacher is out of the room.
Pencil sharpener procedures
Students can sharpen pencils at any time during the class. Students are to
quietly stand up, walk over to pencil sharpener, sharpen pencil, and return to
seat or work station.
Classroom rules
Abbreviated classroom rules are located on poster board in classroom.
Below is a detailed listed of classroom rules (if necessary, rules are subject to
change):
Respect yourself, your peers, your teacher, and your school.

 Arrive on time.
When teacher prompts students by raising his/her hand, student should
raise his/her hand before speaking; otherwise, classroom discussion is
informal.
Listen to others and participate in class discussions.
During open discussion, only one student talks at a time.
Cooperate with your group or partner during group work.
Pick up after yourself.
Do not interrupt other students' learning.
No vandalism. Don't write or carve on your desk or school property.
Classroom consequences
I have consequences for negative behavior that include:
In-school detention
A series of one-on-one meetings to discuss poor behavior
o Step 1: one-on-one meeting between student and teacher
o Step 2: one-on-one meeting between student, teacher, and
parent/caregiver
o Step 3: one-on-one meeting between student, teacher,
parent/caregiver, and supervising school authorities.
Any consequences outline in school/county rules and regulation
handbook
Classroom rewards
It is my belief that positive behavior in the classroom should not only be
expected but also rewarded. Therefore, I have created ways students may
improve their grades based on positive behavior. For every week a student
exhibits appropriate classroom behavior, the student will be rewarded 1
classroom cash buck. The students can collect these cash bucks and turn
them in for the items listed below:
Homework pass (4 bucks)-students can turn in homework pass and
receive full credit for daily homework (excludes papers and projects).
Day late homework pass (4 bucks)-students can turn in papers and
projects a day late without penalty.

Bonus points (1 buck)-if a student does poorly on an exercise or

homework assignment, he/she can turn in bucks for bonus points (limit
5 per assignment)

Recognizing positive discipline

As teachers, I believe we should encourage positive behavior; therefore, I
aim for a 4:1 ratio of positive comments to negative corrections for all the
students.

School wide procedures

The County's rule pamphlet will be distributed on the first day of class. It is
the responsibility of the parent and student to read the pamphlet, sign the
contract located inside the pamphlet, and return the contract to the teacher.
Students and teacher are expected to uphold all school and county wide
policies and procedures inside the classroom.
Behavior interventions
Steps for behavior intervention:
1. Teacher moves next of student exhibiting undesired behavior.
2. In class correction or one-on-one correction (depending on situation).
3. Call to parent or caregiver.
4. If behavior continues, teacher will follow behavior interventions outline
in school/county handbook.
Posting homework assignments
Homework assignments are posted 2 ways:
1. On board in the classroom
2. On teacher's website
First homework assignment
Writing prompt: 1-2 page handwritten paper on what students would like to
learn from this class during the duration of the semester.

Part 3: Teacher Materials

Organizing me
Daily lesson plans and materials are located in "Daily Lessons" binder.
Binder is organized by date and is located on teacher desk.
Materials for the classroom
Classroom materials are located in "Daily Lessons" binder. All materials are
attached to daily lesson plans, which are organized by date.
Preparing for a substitute
Teacher plans lesson two to four weeks ahead of time and places them inside
the "Daily Lessons" binder. Lesson plans are updated daily. Also, each
lesson plan list the name of a substitute student helper. In addition, one

abbreviated and one detailed copy of "Classroom Management Plan" is

located at the front of the "Daily Lessons" binder. Finally, a tray labeled
"Turned in Assignments" is located on teacher desk for substitutes to place
turned in classwork and homework.

Part 4: Seating
Floor plan for my classroom
Floor plans vary per year
Beginning seating arrangement
Traditional seating arrangement- Student's desk in rows facing the board
with teacher's desk located at the front of the room. Students name will be
posted on each desk.
Additional classroom seating arrangements
Group discussion circle-All desks are arranged in one large circle. Teacher
will sit in a regular student desk in the circle.
Diagram:

Small group circles-Depending on size of groups, desks will be arranged in

small circles around the room.
Diagram:

Seating assignment method

Teacher will label seats randomly before the first day of school.
Class seating chart
Class seating chart is located on teacher desk (laminated copy) and inside
"Daily Lessons" binder.
Class contact list
There are two copies of class contact list. One hard copy is located in top left
hand draw of teacher desk. Second electronic copy is located in contact file
on teacher's computer desktop.

Part 5: Student Movement

Students entering the classroom procedure
Teacher will be at the door greeting the students. Upon entering the
classroom, student will:
1. Quietly walk to his/her desk
2. Begin bell ringer activity
Students leaving the classroom procedure
If teacher allows a student to leave the room the student must:
1. Ask teacher if he/she can be excused.
2. Take hall/bathroom pass.
3. Students must put name on bathroom pass sign out located at the
door (name and time).
4. Upon reentering the room, students must return hall/bathroom pass
and sign in.
Bathroom use procedures
Student may go to the bathroom at any time. Students must:
5. Ask teacher if he/she can be excused.
6. Take hall/bathroom pass.
7. Students must put name on bathroom pass sign out located at the
door (name and time).
8. Upon reentering the room, students must return hall/bathroom pass
and sign in.
Disaster drill procedures

See school/county handbook for detailed disaster drill procedures

Student sudden illness
All students that are suddenly ill will be sent to the school nurse (emergency
situation will be handled according to First Aid/CPR training and
school/county guidelines)