Building a Positive Classroom Climate

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August 25, 2014, this day represents the first day of school at Meridian Public Charter School. On this day, my instructional assistant and I will greet and meet the young minds we will help mold for the next ten months. We look at these children as scholars who are capable of becoming and doing the unimaginable and soaring beyond their expectations. But in order for my children to soar, I….no I’m sorry WE have to create an environment that is conducive to learning and most importantly a place where our children feel SAFE. I love the sign above that was created by a teacher and pinned on Pinterest (my favorite internet spot!!!). When children walk into your room this August/September you want them to internalize each YOU statement above and internalize.

For the first two weeks of school, I dedicate that time to get to know my students and for my students to get to know each other. The focus is not on academics but building a rapport with one another. We have plenty of time to focus on the academic side, but first we need to build the foundation.

Day one, I typically start the day off by telling the children about my background and my likes and dislikes. I have very noticeable scar on my face and children are quite curious to what happened to me and how I got my scar. Some have been curious and wanted to feel my scar or tell me I’m still “pretty with my scar (they’re so cute). I open up about my childhood accident to show them who I am and how it OK to be vulnerable and share things that may be hard or sad. I’ve notice over the years that once I open myself up, they feel more at ease to open up. One year I had a child in my class with a similar scar on his legs and his mother thanked me for opening up because all Gustavo could talk about was how “he and Ms. Lewis were alike” and he wasn’t so different. After I share all children are encouraged to share things about themselves.

Our next big challenge is coming up class rules. All children play a major role in coming up with the rules. We discuss at length different scenarios and what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. We even discuss consequences. Before the rules go up, they must be agreed upon and everyone signs off on the rules. After everyone signs the agreed upon rules, a copy is given to each to take home and another copy is posted in the classroom. Our foundation has now been laid!

For the next few we do various “getting to know you” activities. These activities include “All About Me” collages, family trees, team building projects and the “Third Day of 3^rd Grade” celebration when children are encouraged to bring in something they love to share with the class and then we celebrate! During this time the mood is relaxed and children start to build relationships, with not only the other students but with the teachers as well. And this is just the start of building a positive classroom environment…

 

 

"Instructional Objectives Determine Selection of Tools”

When creating a lesson plan, a teacher always has a goal in mind. What do I need my students to know? If they don’t know how will I teach my students? How will I know or how will they show they understood what was taught?  How will I incorporate technology in obtaining m student’s goals?

This is where leaning objectives come into play. Objectives are guides used to outline what skills need to mastered by students and these skills are measurable through assessments, exit slips, assignments and etc. The purposes of objectives are as following [1]:

1.      They provide the teacher with the goal of the teaching-learning process. In other words, you know your destination when you begin instruction. They answer the questions, “What are the students supposed to know or be able to do once the unit or lesson is completed?”

2.      They provide a clear framework for assessment. Assessments function as a measure to what extent students have reached or achieved the objectives.

3.      They provide the students direction and a goal for learning. Students have a better opportunity to stay the course when they know the goal of the learning.

When creating an objective, remember the following: S.M.A.R.T

1.      Be clear and Specific on what the desired outcome/ goal will be.

2.      Make sure your goals are Measurable, what will change and by how much.

3.      Is the goal Achievable within the time frame?

4.      Is the goal a Realistic goal?

5.      Be Time specific, for when the goal will be or hopefully be reached.

Lastly, what tool will you focus use to get your students to the finish line? A reliable source can be YouTube, which has endless videos to support learning and help children master skills/Common Core Standards which will help then in times of assessments.

Here are some good examples of S.M.A.R.T objectives some using technology and some not:

1.      Within school year Kindergarten students will be able to recognize and count numbers 1- 100 with 80% accuracy. This will be measured by the Leap Learning Math End of the year assessment.

2.    After reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, students will compare the actions of Billy’s mom versus his dad using a MindMap. Students will outline at least 5 character traits for mom and dad using examples from the text. Students will include pages numbers with their examples.

3.    Using baseline data from the previous benchmark assessment, 85% (or more) students will increase their vocabulary skills using context clues by 10% on the ANet Benchmark #2 assessment. This will be achieved through Journey’s Intervention Program and small group intervention.

[1] http://teachingforlearning.org/