Domain II: The Classroom Environment

2a:  Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport

 

 Fish Tickets

 

Creating an environment of respect and rapport is essential to a successful classroom, and a successful school.  Gibbs Elementary strives for excellence in respect and rapport with students by really pushing for three character traits: Respect, Safety, and Responsibility.  One of the systems in place at Gibbs to help with encouraging these traits is the Fish Ticket system.  The students can be rewarded these tickets by any staff member at any time, even substitutes are instructed on the policies.  The fish tickets are normally rewarded to students discreetly, but can be awarded in a more public manner if the staff member giving it wishes to point out a behavior they want to see repeated.  On the fish ticket itself, there are the words, Respect, Responsibility, and Safe.  The bestowing staff member circles the behavior trait that the receiving student is displaying, marks the student's name and writes a brief description of the specific behavior.  The student then puts the ticket, after reading it and showing it to a few friends, into a fish bowl in the classroom.  Each week or so, the teacher clips the batch of tickets together and delivers them to the office where they are put into a drawing for a special reward.  That reward could be a private lunch with the school principals, or some other personal treat.  The fish tickets are then saved and counted, and are put into a bin towards a whole school reward, such as a "Fun in the Snow" day or an extra recess.

With this process, individual behavior is rewarded, while students work together towards a common goal where they all benefit.

Artifact 1: Fish Tickets and Penguin Pride Bowl October 2013

Classroom Constitution/Mission Statement

An essential part of any classroom includes having a visible mission statement or classroom constitution.  In the early weeks of the school year, our class worked to formulate our own unique mission statement.  We discussed as a class what we were here to do, and behaviors we thought of as essential to ours and others' success.  We brainstormed our goals for the year and how we were going to go about achieving these goals.  Over the course of several days, we formulated a mission statement, or as we called it, a classroom constitution, which we tied into our Constitution Day lesson on September 17th.  Along with reciting the Class Mission each day after the Pledge of Allegiance, the students all signed the document and we hung it in the classroom to reference whenever needed.

Artifact 2: Class Constitution/Mission Statement October 2013

  

2b:  Establishing a Culture for Learning

Classroom  Favorites Book Rack

 

With reading being a constant part of every student's life, and teachers always searching for ways to encourage their students to read, I thought it would good to let students encourage each other to read.  I had a book rack available to me, but was at a loss for how to use it since our reading program required books to be sorted into color levels in bins.  I realized it might be a fun way for students to share favorite books they had read with their classmates.  At Meet the Teacher night, I displayed my own favorite books from our classroom library, and after school started instructed my students that once they read a book they particularly enjoyed, they didn't have to return it to the bin, and instead, display it on the Classroom Favorites book rack.  Each side to the rack is clearly labeled with a color level, so students looking for a book their classmate enjoyed need only to look at the color level side which they belong.

I explained that students need to have read the book all the way through and to make an opinion on it before putting it on the rack.  Students may continue to take books from the rack and put them up as they see fit.  If the rack gets too full, I will thin it down and leave room for other students to leave books.  I often see students encouraging each other to pick a book they placed on the rack, describing the story and why they liked it, further encouraging comprehension of what they read.

Artifact 3: Classroom Favorites book rack October 2013

Taking Pride in Your Work

 

With the amount of work fifth grade has to do, a lot of times, students will do the bare minimum just to get it done and move on to the next project in order to finish quickly.  I often stress with my students that they should take pride in their work, and not just scrape by.  When a student comes to hand something in, especially when it is a project that they should be working on for several days, and the student is turning it in the next day, I ask them to look through it again and ask if they are proud of the work they just did.  I request that they are truly honest with themselves, and many times they are, and will tell me no, and reluctantly go back to make corrections.  I will point out that they don't have to do their best work the first time, but should strive towards doing their best with projects.  Mistakes are okay to make in our classroom, it's how we learn, but we also must have the humility to correct them and get up and try again, as the poster below indicates.  It also is a penguin, the mascot of Gibbs school!

Artifact 4: Try Again poster September 2013

2c: Managing Classroom Procedures

Bathroom Passes

If there's one thing every class needs, it's a procedure for going to the bathroom during class.  At the start of the year, while we were discussing procedures as a class, we talked about using the bathroom passes.  I had the students share when they thought it was fair to ask to use the bathroom, and when it maybe wasn't the best time.  They were very reasonable and decided it was fair for them to be able to use the passes without asking me first during work times in class, breaks, and read aloud.  They shared that they didn't think it was fair to other students or to the teacher to use them during lessons, tests, and silent read time.  Once everyone agreed to this, we established that during work times, breaks, and read alouds, they could use the passes as needed without permission from me.  If there was an emergency during any other time, they could ask me and we would work something out.

The passes, of course, go along with my Star Wars theme and are shaped like the Death Star, one for boys and one for girls.  They are located just next to the door and also include a sign out clipboard for students to sign their name when they are taking the pass to put on their desk.  When this is full I collect it so I can see if anyone is abusing the privilege of the bathroom passes, and we can have a discussion at that time.  The passes are large, so I can easily see who is gone to the bathroom at any time by glancing around at their desks.

Artifact 5: Death Star Bathroom Passes September 2013

Daily Schedule and Learning Target

 

An essential part of any classroom is a posted daily schedule.  This helps teachers keep their sanity by avoiding questions such as, "what's happening next?" or "when are we having science?"  It also helps students prepare mentally and physically for what is coming next on the schedule.  I have my daily schedule posted daily on the board using a pocket chart and multicolored strips with subjects, specials, and other important school events such as assemblies, computer lab, and field trips on them.  Each color signifies a certain part of the school day.  For example, specials are yellow, while general subjects are blue.  This helps students visually see the different parts to their day.

Next to the schedule I hung the daily learning target magnet.  Next to each subject or event, I post the "I can" statement for the day.  This helps keep it neat and clear for what the student is expected to accomplish for each part of the day, but can also easily be erased for the next day's schedule.

Artifact 6: Daily Schedule and Learning Target October 2013

2d:  Managing Student Behavior

Tallies and Counting Down

Managing student behavior can be a daunting task for any teacher, and I was no different.  I wanted a system which was highly visible and easy to use.  My students responded excellently to this one.  It's also easy for substitutes to come in and use with ease.  The students are given ten numbers at the start of each day, written vertically with ten at the top.  Each time they are off task or not following procedures, the teacher erases the top number.  This can happen even if just one student is not doing what they should.  I have often told my class that we are a team and need to work together, and with behavior it's no different.  I have told them it's OK to gently remind someone who is off task what they should be working on.  I have also instructed them this can be done non-verbally, so as not to cause more noise or distractions.

The students also have the chance to earn back any numbers they lose through good behavior.  Their goal at the end of each day is to have at least five numbers left in order to earn a second break outside if the weather is nice at the end of the day.  They also earn a tally at the top of the board if they have at least five numbers left.  The tally is good towards a class-decided special treat, such as a longer break, hat day, etc.  If the students run out of numbers on any given day, the tallies will also start to be erased.

Artifact 7: Class Tallies and Counting Down October 2013

Class Dojo

 

Keeping students accountable for their individual work and behavior is pivotal in their success in school.  One way I keep my students accountable is through the App/Website, Class Dojo.  This is for students to see how they are doing and to keep in constant communication with parents as well so they can visually see how their student is doing at school.  Behaviors can be added or removed either as good behaviors or behaviors that need a little more work.  For instance, I keep track of who has not completed assignments on Class Dojo, and parents can see at home when their child has a missing assignment and can ask their student about it.  Or if a student gets an off task negative point, the parents will be able to hold their student accountable for what is happening at school.  The system gives positive points for good behaviors, but takes points away for poor behavior.

Each Friday, the system automatically emails the parents a report of how their student did that week, and the parents can look up their child's reports at any time, to see how they've been doing that week, month, or even for all time.

Artifact 8:  Class Dojo App on iPad October 2013

2e: Organizing Physical Space

Extra Work Space and Laptops 

 At Gibbs Elementary, our physical space is limited.  The desks can be very crowded at times, and it can often be difficult for some students to work in such crowded conditions.  I felt it was important fo there to be some space for students to work beyond their own desks.  I utilized a table meant for a front podium and designated it as a student area to work or read.  There are two chairs available at the table, but more can be drawn up around it.  At the table are any supplies they might need so they won't have to return to their desks, such as pencils, erasers, paper, etc.  There are also activities at the table to do in the event that a student needs to be extended beyond what we are doing in the classroom.  There are Story Cubes available for an extra writing project, paper to write on, and envelopes.  Other activities are rotated out at intervals so there is always something new to do.

Beyond that are the classroom laptops.  I thought it would be a good idea to have a place for the computers to be where the students could go to work on them, as opposed to bringing them to their desks.  This way they learn to prepare ahead of time and bring what they need.  It also saves me from having to look around for the laptops in case they are not returned, and it helps keep the laptops in better condition.

You will also see a full size standee of C-3PO and R2-D2 behind the laptops to coincide with my Star Wars theme.  They are the focal point of the theme and it helps tie the whole physical space together.  They have definitely become our classroom mascots.

Artifact 9:  Extra Workspace and Class Laptops October 2013

Locker Labels

As a way to further tie in the theme of Star Wars to my classroom I created my own labels for the lockers in my classroom.  The students were able to pick their own lockers with the characters of their own choosing, and I labeled them with their numbers, hence why the numbers are not in order.  I thought of it as a good way to bring the theme into the room and to show that school doesn't all have to be about the same old things over and over, but that we can have fun and be unique while learning.

Artifact 10:  Star Wars Locker Labels October 2013