Erin McDowell 1

Course Syllabus

Classroom Procedures
Beginning Class:
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Students will enter room quietly; music will be playing as selected by Mrs. McDowell
Students will gather needed materials and/or completed homework (written on the board) from
backpack
Students will place backpacks and/or other items in designated zone in the back of the classroom
Students will take their assigned seats
Students will record their nightly homework in their planners
Students will begin a 5 minute grammar warm-up
Students will work individually, unless instructed otherwise, and if done, students will read
silently at their desks
When music turns off, students will direct themselves towards the teacher, prepared to listen

Classroom Discussions:
1. Students will bring all materials prepared for the discussion
2. Students will use active listening strategies when others are speaking
3. Students will speak only after others have ended their comments
4. Students will stay on task

Ending Class:
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Students will spend 3 minutes at the conclusion of class writing down what they learned, and
why it matters in Reflection Journals
At the teachers signal, students will retrieve backpacks in the final sixty seconds of class
At the bell, students will wait to be dismissed until they hear, Thank you for your efforts and
contribution today; you are dismissed.

Transitioning between Activities:

Between group tasks to teacher instruction, individual work to group
discussion, etc.

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In most cases, students will hear a 60 second warning bell to prepare them for the transition
Students will conclude conversations or writing at the sound of the warning bell and, if needed,
return desks to original position or clean up activity

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Students will hear a double-bell ring and, at this signal, students will close their mouths, and face
the teacher, ready to listen

Student Work:
Student work will be entered into an online gradebook that both parents and students can monitor. Once
graded and recorded, student work will be placed in a classroom filing cabinet based on period. Each
drawer will be labeled with a class period, and folders inside will correspond to the assignment. No
student scores will be recorded on the front page of assignments. Students are prohibited from extracting
or examining their classmates work. I will inform students when new work is graded and that it is in the
cabinet at the end of the period. It is then the students responsibility to pick up assignments before or
after school, during passing periods, or if they complete assigned tasks early. During instruction time or
group work is NOT an appropriate time to check the filing cabinet. Certain assignments may be
distributed during class time as deemed necessary for instructional purposes.

Student Absences:
Absent students will be responsible to pick up an agenda of missed days. This agenda, along with other
handouts or materials, will be found in labeled folders in the back of the classroom. If late work needs to
be submitted, students will drop it off in a bin labeled Late Work, which I will collect at the end of the
day. For additional notes, students are encouraged to photocopy a classmates notes of the days that
he/she missed. It is the students responsibility to communicate with a classmate for notes. Students
should follow these procedures INSTEAD of asking the teacher for missed materials during class. If
additional clarification is needed, students are expected to ask 3 classmates the question BEFORE
addressing the question with the teacher.

Late Work:
Late work will be accepted at any time within the grading period or quarter for full credit, and poor
quality assignments will be re-submitted for full credit. Students are expected to achieve mastery on all
work and, if this is not met, will be required to resubmit assignments. Students with more than 3 missing
assignments (either never completed, or those needing to be re-done) will be required to attend after
school recitation until they are up to date. Parents will receive e-mails alerting them when student begins
falling behind on work, and will be encouraged to help their student complete and submit all
assignments.

Grading Policies:
All assignments or papers that require teacher evaluation will be graded on a four point scale, where a
3 is considered mastery. Significant assignments will include a rubric for student clarification and
reference. If students and/or parents wish to contest a grade, they are expected to highlight and write on
a copy of the assignment and rubric to justify the requested change.

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Parent-Teacher Communication:
Parents are highly encouraged to contact me through e-mail with any questions, comments, and/or
concerns. Responses will appear between 24 and 48 hours following the original e-mail. If the matter is
of urgent attention, the subject line should indicate this. Parents should give the full name of their child,
as many students share the same names with one another and many have last names different than their
parents.

Classroom Behavior Rules:

1. Listen and Follow Directions
2. Raise Your Hand before Speaking or Leaving Your Seat
3. Respect Your Classmates and Your Teacher
4. Keep Hands, Feet, and Objects to Yourself

Classroom Consequences:
Rewards for Positive Behavior

Rewards may include: smile, verbal praise, notes, phone calls home, student of the week certificate, high
fives, thumbs up, or special privileges. Additionally, there will be a jar for each class period where
individuals or the entire class can collectively earn marbles for good behavior. When the jar is filled, the
students will be rewarded by being permitted to make their own seating chart.
Punishments for Negative Behavior

1. First occurrence, first time- General reminder

2. Second occurrence, first time; First occurrence, repeated offense- Individual reminder
3. Third occurrence, first time; Second occurrence, repeated offense- Second individual
reminder
4. Repeated occurrences- Lunch or afterschool detention
5. Repeated occurrences- In class time out (completing paper explaining their poor choices)
6. Repeated occurrences- Parent contact and/or administration involvement
Additionally, the classroom jar can have marbles removed for poor behavior. If the class is permitted to
choose their seats, and fails to maintain the classroom rules, then students will return to a teacherdesignated seating chart.

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As the instructor, I will have to judge the severity of the behavioral misconduct. If a student poses a
threat to themselves or others well-being, than the early reminders may not be an appropriate response
to the poor behavior. Using discretion, I will follow this order of escalation as it is necessary and fitting.
Technology Policy:

Technology is a useful tool in aiding student learning. However, non-constructive technology, such as
texting and social media, will not be permitted during class. Students cell phones should be silenced and
in their backpack, NOT in their pocket. School provided technology should be treated with respect and
should ONLY be used appropriately, on the assigned task by the teacher.
Restroom Policy:

Students will only be permitted to use the restroom one at a time during class. Students will raise their
hand and show me an R in sign language to ask for permission. If speaking to the class, I will respond
with a Y for yes, or an N for no. Otherwise, I will respond verbally to the student. If requests to the
bathroom exceed 2 times per week, as recorded on the sign-out sheet, students will lose their privilege of
using the bathroom, unless a doctors and parents note is provided. Students must carry the designated
bathroom pass.
Leaving the Classroom:

A hall pass will be required at all times. Students should request passes during appropriate times, and
NOT during teacher instructional periods, unless an emergency. Students will also be required to sign
out.
School and District Policies

All school and district policies concerning dress code, behavior, and all other rules will be observed and
upheld in this classroom. The comprehensive student and family guidebook below details these
expectations.
http://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib2/AZ01001083/Centricity/Domain/305/FamHdbkWEB-2013-14.pdf

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Classroom Arrangement

This diagram was created using an online template from the website www.classroom.4teachers.org.
Although many elements are labeled, I would like to clarify several aspects. I have arranged the desks to
all face the center of the room to facilitate classroom conversations. Students will also be grouped into
threes and designated desks will indicate the group members. As mentioned in my classroom
procedures, occupying the sofa will be a reward for positive behavior and I have placed it in a way that
still allows for learning. Surrounding the room are colorful boxes that I will now identify:
Red: This will be my absent station. Here students will both find and drop off work that was missed
during their time away from class.
Pink: My literature library will be stored on a bookshelf in this space, which students will have the
opportunity to borrow.
Yellow: Successful student work, including artistic projects, will be on display in this area of the
classroom.
Green: Posters of both classroom rules and classroom consequences (positive and negative) will be
posted in this area.
Blue: This board will have both the daily and weekly calendar that demonstrates our overall activities,
objectives, and needed materials.
Orange: At this cabinet, students will collect graded work either before or after class. I have placed it
close to the door so it can serve this purpose effectively.
Purple 1 & 2: These are each my front white boards which I will use during instructional segments.

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References and Explanations

Kyrene school district family handbook 2013-2014. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib2/AZ01001083/Centricity/Domain/305/FamHdbkWEB-201314.pdf
The District handbook posted here is an extremely comprehensive look at the policies that are
upheld in the Kyrene Elementary School District. All policies concerning food in the classroom,
tardiness, dress code and other matters will be upheld.
Linsin, M. (2009, August 17). The only classroom rules you'll ever need. Retrieved from
http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2009/08/17/the-only-classroom-rules-youll-everneed/
The above website was a valuable resource in establishing the rules that I want to be upheld in
my future classroom. Based on the experience of the teacher who created the post and the
positive comments stemming from its use, I think that the four rules I have created will be
effective in addressing all student behaviors.
Newcomer, L. (2007, June). Classroom positive behavior support. Retrieved from
http://www.pbis.org/common/pbisresources/presentations/B8_Newcomer.pdf
From this site I was able to create my escalation scale for both positive and negative
consequences. Further, the information presented here helped me to create other positive
classroom management procedures, such as classroom transitions, and beginning and ending the
period.
Reeves, Douglas B. (2004) The case against the zero. Phi Delta Kappan 86.4: pgs. 324-25.
From Reeves work and research, I have based my grading policies. I do not think that the
traditional grading scale services students appropriately because failure is overly weighted. A
four point scale is better suited to the needs of students because it is clearer than a 100 point
scale and does not use grades as a form of punishment.
Wormeli, Rick. (2006) Accountability: Teaching through assessment and feedback, not grading.
American Secondary Education 34.3: pgs. 14-27.
This source was my basis for many of my policies on late work, bathroom passes, and any other
behaviorally based policy. Essentially, Wormeli discusses how students should be assessed based
solely on their mastery of content, not on any other factors. For this reason, students are not
penalized for late work because I want them to achieve mastery in the time frame that is possible
for them. Also, extra credit is not awarded for positive behaviors because behaviors do not
equate to content mastery.