Brett Jankouskas

Teacher Work Sample #9 The Learning Environment

April 18th, 2014

Behavioral Expectations/Classroom Rules: Students will show respect for themselves and others at all times. Students will act responsibly at all times. Students will have a clear understanding of expectations. Students will encourage one another. Students will not interfere with their peers learning.

Consequence Hierarchy: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Verbal Warning Loss of activity privilege Student/teacher Conference Call home Office referral Parent/teacher conference If a student creates an unsafe environment or jeopardizes safety of any kind then the student will be immediately removed from the class and referred to the office. A phone call home will be performed and depending on the severity a parent/teacher/principal conference will be scheduled. Reinforcements: Intrinsic: 1. 2. 3. 4. Verbal acknowledgement of student success. Verbal acknowledgement of student positive decisions (following routines/rules). Culturally diverse lessons. Grades.

Extrinsic: 1. 2. 3. 4. Positive notes sent home with student. Extra privileges or rewards (class pizza party, ice cream, etc.). Reward system where students can earn prizes. Starbucks or school token.

Non-Instructional Procedures: I will always stand at my door and welcome each student to class. After they are welcomed students will understand that get inside the classroom each morning they are to take their book bag to their desk and unpack any materials they will need for the first half of the school day. They will then return their book bags to either the boys or girls book-bag-bin. Next to the bins is the lunch count which students will place a checkmark next to their name in the column of the lunch choice they have made. 1

Brett Jankouskas

Teacher Work Sample #9

April 18th, 2014

Students will then return to their seat and begin their morning math and daily write for today. The announcements will come on at 07:50 and will last around ten minutes. At 08:00 the teacher will announce that students need to get their homework out and ready to be checked. Students will know that if they are not ready with all homework parts completed and ready to be checked, that they will not receive a Starbuck. Morning Meeting: After the homework has been checked (08:10) students will gather on the carpet for morning meeting. We will start by greeting one another (different each day). The greeting is simple, but can be very important to some children who are maybe not spoken to very much outside of school. This can mean the world to a student, just getting some human interaction in the morning. Then proceed with sharing something from the previous day, weekend, etc. The sharing portion will allow students to make connections to one another and maybe even make a new friend. This is a very important section of a morning meeting because this is where the students learn more about each other and get to know one another better. Then we will complete a group activity that gets our bodies moving and blood flowing. The major team building section of a morning meeting is the activity. This can be something as simple as trust falls between partners or small groups, but nonetheless helps create a trusting environment where the class together is a team. Finally we will go through any announcements of upcoming events (PASS testing, field trip, etc.). I think doing a morning meeting each day will create a more positive and friendly atmosphere for my classroom. This will assist in building a classroom community where students feel they can share things that are important to them, and be themselves with each other. Class Jobs: I will create a list of jobs during the first few days of school. The list will include a job for each student in the class, with one student being a classroom manager that will do the job of anyone who is absent. Other jobs include; line leader, lunch count checker, breakfast gathering, breakfast disposer, dusters, book shelve organizers, etc. Finally a specific job will be given to five students each quarter. This job will be materials manager. This means that this group of students will gather all supplies needed for their table cluster for each lesson. This is the busiest job on the list, but for many students it can help with eliminating transition distractions. I will change the jobs four times a year and will ask for volunteers before assigning students. This is another concept that I think will assist in creating a classroom community. Every student having a job that helps a classroom run will give the students a sense of purpose and influence on the classroom. This will create a more help oriented thought process among my students as well as a level of professional responsibility for the students. Miscellaneous Procedures: There are also routines that occur during the day that students will be aware of. One specific routine will be pencil sharpening. Students will know that during the beginning of the day (morning work) that they are to sharpen three pencils for the first half of the day. Then during bathroom breaks they may sharpen pencils after going to the bathroom. The main objective is that students will not sharpen pencils while anyone is talking or during independent reading time. Another random during-theday routine is bathroom breaks. Other than the bathroom break we will have after activity and after lunch students will be allowed to go during class time. Students will go to the bathroom, wash their hands, and 2

Brett Jankouskas

Teacher Work Sample #9

April 18th, 2014

then come back to class making sure not to disrupt instruction. This goes along with our classroom rules to be respectful of others learning and to be responsible. Special Procedures: During the first week we as a class will practice all routines and procedures. I will demonstrate it then the students will demonstrate it. This way the students have proven that they are capable of performing such routines. Emergency situations will be practiced during this time and during schoolwide scheduled times. For emergencies the line leader job will not be mandatory. I do not want my students worrying about who is in the front of the line or performing their classroom job during a fire drill. This suspension of classroom jobs along with an explanation and class-wide discussion will provide for a more safe and effective emergency scenario survival. Consequences for Procedure Infringement: If a student does not follow a procedure such as pencil sharpening or bathroom policies they will be warned on the spot and asked to either get a pencil from the teachers desk or redo the procedure the way we have decided and discussed in class. If a student does not follow a more serious procedure such as a fire drill then a consequence consistent with the crime will be dealt. If a student continues to violate the same procedure or seems to intentionally be violating different ones, then a phone call home or even a referral will be issued.

Consequence for all procedure violations and routine infringement will be handled consistently. Continuity is instrumental in building and keeping a classroom community afloat. Students crave structure, but not overbearing tyranny. Being consistent will be a procedure I create for myself as the instructor.