Class Management Plan
Immersion Mandarin Classroom Management Plan
Jia-Fang Eubanks
Introduction
Having been a 1st grade immersion Mandarin teacher for 2 years, my philosophy for teaching hasn’t changed—high expectations. I believe all students can learn to be successful. Teachers set up high expectations to help students get engaged, motivated, achieve more and be successful in their academic and social goals. Also I make my classroom a safe and challenging environment and engaging my students through the expectations and procedures. Dr. Helena I. Curtain has influenced my philosophy on teaching foreign language in the elementary school. She said “Through foreign language study, elementary school children receive the opportunity to expand their thinking, to acquire global awareness, to extend their understanding of language as a phenomenon, and to reach an advanced proficiency level in that foreign language.” (Helena I. Curtain, 1990, p. 3). Also Janine Erickson who is the board of director of American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, her philosophy on teaching in target language has a great impact on my. They really inspire me to become an immersion elementary school teacher.
I imagine my classroom as a Chinese dragon boat rowing team. Students are the rowers and the teacher is a drummer. The drummer plays the drum to steer and guide rowers to work together towards the destination. If everyone rows, we get to our destination quickly. If few people don’t row, it will take longer. If no one rows, we don’t go forwards, and the wind might push us back to where we started. Thus, the drummer plays an important role. He needs to have a systematic and explicit plan to guide and motivate rowers to do their best in order to reach the goal.
The following is my Classroom Management Plan for a Mandarin immersion 1st grade level with 24 students. In order to have an effective classroom management plan, it is important to have a set of goals. My first goal for my classroom management is that I want my students to be respectful to each other. I feel that it is important for students know that it is okay to politely disagree. Students need to keep hands, feet, objects and unkind words to themselves. Secondly, my goal is that I want my student to be responsible. For example, to follow class rules, always try their best and follow directions. Lastly, my goal is that my students will be able to ready to learn and succeed. I want my students to become self-disciplined, self-fulfilling and responsible for the success of their learning. Also by creating a positive learning environment and developing positive teacher-student relationships will increase the success for the students.
Physical Environment
In my classroom, the whiteboard/Smartboard is in front of the classroom. I post the calendar on the right side of the whiteboard. On the left side is the bulletin board. In front of the whiteboard with an oval carpet is the area for group instruction, such as shared reading, and read aloud. The front door and back door are on the right side of the classroom. Hooks and cubbies are outside of the classroom. Students will hang their jackets and backpacks outside. Between the front door and back door are storage cabinets where I can store tools, equipment, stationary and teaching materials. I also use the cabinet wall to display students’ work.
On the left side of the classroom are windows. The teacher’s desk is at the left front corner of the classroom. This makes it easy for the teacher to access her computer with the Smartboard. Behind the teacher’s desk are a cabinet and a bookshelf to store gradebooks, and other important documents. Next to the cabinet is another shelf to store students’ work and portfolios, so they can easily reach their files. After that are the student mailboxes. The mailboxes are for students to receive or turn in their homework.
At the very back left corner is the library. This area is designed for independent reading. Students will be able to check in and out book here for their reading.
Next to the library is the computer center where students can do online learning and research. It can also be used as a reward for the discipline plan.
At the very back is the small group guided instruction area. I arrange this area at back of the classroom so students don’t get distracted from each other when the rest of the students are doing their independent work. Behind the guided instruction area is the word wall. It acts as a reference for the small group guided lessons.
I arrange student desks in clustered in fours format. This arrangement allows easy access from any part of the room to any other part of the room, making it easy to circulate among students. It is also excellent if I schedule frequent cooperative learning tasks. (Randy Sprick, 2009, p.72)
Establishing Expectations
The expectations for my first grade Mandarin class are “Be respectful”, “Be Responsible”, and “Be ready to learn and succeed.” The rules for each expectation are as follows:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be ready to learn and succeed
Classroom Motivation and Discipline System
I use the system Class Dojo.com to establish my expectations to my students. I find that this tool is useful for teachers to keep track of students’ behaviors and academics. Class Dojo is accessible on the computer, smartphone or iPad. Teachers can instantly award points based on student’s behavior or participation. It also gives students and parents to access their own profile page to see how the student is doing in class in real time. This tool is based on a whole host of game mechanics: level-ups, badges, achievements to unlock, in-classroom games, avatars, and leaderboards. These “game-like” notifications make students aware of their achievements, recognize the correct choices they make, and reinforce their understanding of the behaviors/skills necessary to succeed in class. (Beta Classroom, 2011 http://betaclassroom.wordpress.com/ 2011/08/21/ classroom-management-gets-its-game-face-on/)
Students will be assigned their own avatars at the beginning of the school year. Students will be given positive or negative points according to their performance. The positive points are given for being on task, participating, working hard, helping others, and creativity. The negative points are given for being off task, talking out of turn, not doing homework, being late, and being disrespect. Our class goal is to receive 20 positive points a day for each student. At the end of each day, the teacher shares the results with the students. Each day, students who receive more than 20 points will gain a golden ticket.
Motivation
To encourage students, there will be a lottery drawing each week. All of the students with golden tickets at the end of each week will write their name on their golden tickets and put them in a jar for the weekly drawing. The more golden tickets that a student gets, the more chances they will have to win “Golden Student of the Week.” There will be three winners drawn each week for the golden student award.
Consequences
1 negative point—warning
2 negative points—student/teacher talk time
3 negative points—miss 5 minutes of recess
4 negative points—email student’s Class Dojo report to parents, possible office referral. (Hayhurst, 2011, http://www.dentonisd.org/Page/31959)
Developing Effective Routines and Procedures
Morning Routine
When the bell rings at 8:00am, the teacher greets the students as they arrive at the classroom. Students hang their jackets and backpacks on the hangers outside the classroom. Students turn in their homework folder in the homework bin, put their lunch box in the basket, and put their water bottle next to the sink once they enter the classroom. After that, students immediately take their seats and get out any required materials listed on the board and begin working on the assignment (problem of day) showed via the Smartboard. Meanwhile, the teacher takes attendance. Five minutes later, the whole class reads the morning message, calendar, and weather. Ten minutes later, the class listens to the school board casting, and does morning excise. Then the class does morning work—journal writing from a prompt on the board. Students finish their journal writing by 8:30am.
While students do their problem of day and journal writing:
Conversation: Voice level 1 (Whisper, no vocal cords).
Help: Put out Help sign, students will continue working on the rest of the assignment before teacher helps them.
Activity: Students will complete as much of assignment as possible during the time given. If they are finished before time is up, they read quietly or finish prior assignments at their desk.
Movement: No getting out of their seats.
Participation: Looking at their paper or journal, writing or coloring, and talking with their tablemates while looking at their paper are behaviors that show that students are participating fully. But talking without looking at their paper, staring out window, or wandering around room are not proper participation behaviors.
Success!
Using the restroom
Students are encouraged to use restroom during recess or between transition times. There are two restroom passes (one for boys and one for girls) placed in front of the classroom. Students need to take turns going the restroom. Only one boy and one girl may go to the restroom at a time. If the teacher finds a student leaving the classroom excessively or going other places instead of restroom, the teacher will limit access unless there is a medical reason.
Conversation: Voice level 0 (no sound, no talking)
Help: Check if there is a restroom pass first. If the pass is not there, the student needs to wait until the other student returns from the restroom.
Activity: The student continues to do his work or activities while he/she waits for the restroom pass.
Movement: The student leaves and returns to the classroom quietly without disrupting other people or activities.
Participation: As soon as the student returns from the restroom, he/she returns the pass to its place and then continues the activity immediately. Talking to other students or wandering around are not proper behavior.
Success!
Getting a drink of water
Students bring their own water bottle that is filled with fresh water every day from home. Once they enter the classroom, they place their water bottles next to the sink. Students are encouraged to drink water during recess or during transition time. However, if the teacher finds that a student leaves his/her seat excessively, the teacher will limit access unless there is a medical reason.
Conversation: Voice level 0 (no sound, no talking)
Help: Students do not need permission to drink water.
Activity: While the class is doing activities, the student quickly goes to the sink and gets his/her water bottle to drink.
Movement: The student leaves and returns to his/her seat quietly without disrupting other people or activities.
Participation: As soon as the student finishes the drink, he/she returns to his/her seat and then continues the activity immediately. Talking to other students or wandering around while drinking water are not proper behavior.
Success!
Independent seatwork while the teacher is with a small group
While teacher is with a small group for guided reading or doing small group activities, the other student will follow the procedures as follows:
Conversation: Students can communicate with two to four students only on the questions about work assignment. Voice level 1 (Whisper, no vocal cords)
Help: Students should try to get answers without help from the teacher. If no one at the table can help, they can come and stand next the computer quietly and wait for the teacher’s help.
Activity: Students will complete the seatwork packet. When done, they can go to the classroom library to read or to the computer center.
Movement: Students do not need permission to go to the restroom, drink, or hand in/pick materials.
Participation: Students show their participation by looking at their paper, writing, or coloring, or talking with their tablemates while looking at their paper. Talking without looking at their paper, staring out window, or wandering around the classroom are not proper behavior.
Success!
Communicating with Parents
The cooperation between teachers and parents helps students succeed in school. Cooperation is based on communication. There are a number of ways to communicate with parents and guardians over the course of the year. The following is my communication plan with parents over the school year.
Open House
Open house holds before school starts. During the open house, parents and students come to school to meet the student’s teacher and get familiar with the student’s classroom and seating. Parents sign in on the signup sheet. Parents will receive an Open House Package which includes a parent questionnaire about their child and a classroom supply list (also listed on the school web site and my classroom blog). Students will turn in their questionnaire on the first day of school.
Back to School Night
Usually back to school night is held two weeks after school has started. During the back to school night meeting, I will offer information about
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The school holds parent-teacher conferences twice a year. The goal is to communicate with parents about their child’s behavioral and academic progress.
Weekly Newsletters
The class newsletters are published weekly. Students bring home the weekly newsletter every Friday. The class newsletter will be posted on the class blog as well. The content of class newsletters includes:
Classroom Blog
The classroom blog serves as great academic support for immersion school students to review what they have learned at school. The content of the classroom blog includes:
Note/E-mail/Phone Calls
Note, e-mail, and phone calls are channels to communicate with parents about individual student concerns. I implement Class Dojo as my discipline tool which includes the email function. This will keep the parents updated about their child’s behavior progress. If there is an emergency, I will call parents instead of sending a note or e-mail message. Normally I will within twenty-four hours.
References
Curtain, Helena I. (1990) Foreign Language Learning: An Early Start. ERIC Digest (pp.3) ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC.
Sprick, Randy (2009) CHAMPS, A Proactive & Positive Approach to Classroom Management. Oregon: Pacific Northwest Publishing, Inc.
Thompson, Julia G. (2007) The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide Second Edition. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hayhurst (2011) Mrs. Hayhurst’s First Grade Classroom Rules, Consequences, and Rewards. Retrieved February 18, 2013 from http://www.dentonisd.org/Page/31959
Beta Classroom (2011) Classroom Management Gets Its Game Face On. Retrieved February 16, 2013 from http://betaclassroom.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/classroom-management-gets-its-game-face-on/
Having been a 1st grade immersion Mandarin teacher for 2 years, my philosophy for teaching hasn’t changed—high expectations. I believe all students can learn to be successful. Teachers set up high expectations to help students get engaged, motivated, achieve more and be successful in their academic and social goals. Also I make my classroom a safe and challenging environment and engaging my students through the expectations and procedures. Dr. Helena I. Curtain has influenced my philosophy on teaching foreign language in the elementary school. She said “Through foreign language study, elementary school children receive the opportunity to expand their thinking, to acquire global awareness, to extend their understanding of language as a phenomenon, and to reach an advanced proficiency level in that foreign language.” (Helena I. Curtain, 1990, p. 3). Also Janine Erickson who is the board of director of American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, her philosophy on teaching in target language has a great impact on my. They really inspire me to become an immersion elementary school teacher.
I imagine my classroom as a Chinese dragon boat rowing team. Students are the rowers and the teacher is a drummer. The drummer plays the drum to steer and guide rowers to work together towards the destination. If everyone rows, we get to our destination quickly. If few people don’t row, it will take longer. If no one rows, we don’t go forwards, and the wind might push us back to where we started. Thus, the drummer plays an important role. He needs to have a systematic and explicit plan to guide and motivate rowers to do their best in order to reach the goal.
The following is my Classroom Management Plan for a Mandarin immersion 1st grade level with 24 students. In order to have an effective classroom management plan, it is important to have a set of goals. My first goal for my classroom management is that I want my students to be respectful to each other. I feel that it is important for students know that it is okay to politely disagree. Students need to keep hands, feet, objects and unkind words to themselves. Secondly, my goal is that I want my student to be responsible. For example, to follow class rules, always try their best and follow directions. Lastly, my goal is that my students will be able to ready to learn and succeed. I want my students to become self-disciplined, self-fulfilling and responsible for the success of their learning. Also by creating a positive learning environment and developing positive teacher-student relationships will increase the success for the students.
Physical Environment
In my classroom, the whiteboard/Smartboard is in front of the classroom. I post the calendar on the right side of the whiteboard. On the left side is the bulletin board. In front of the whiteboard with an oval carpet is the area for group instruction, such as shared reading, and read aloud. The front door and back door are on the right side of the classroom. Hooks and cubbies are outside of the classroom. Students will hang their jackets and backpacks outside. Between the front door and back door are storage cabinets where I can store tools, equipment, stationary and teaching materials. I also use the cabinet wall to display students’ work.
On the left side of the classroom are windows. The teacher’s desk is at the left front corner of the classroom. This makes it easy for the teacher to access her computer with the Smartboard. Behind the teacher’s desk are a cabinet and a bookshelf to store gradebooks, and other important documents. Next to the cabinet is another shelf to store students’ work and portfolios, so they can easily reach their files. After that are the student mailboxes. The mailboxes are for students to receive or turn in their homework.
At the very back left corner is the library. This area is designed for independent reading. Students will be able to check in and out book here for their reading.
Next to the library is the computer center where students can do online learning and research. It can also be used as a reward for the discipline plan.
At the very back is the small group guided instruction area. I arrange this area at back of the classroom so students don’t get distracted from each other when the rest of the students are doing their independent work. Behind the guided instruction area is the word wall. It acts as a reference for the small group guided lessons.
I arrange student desks in clustered in fours format. This arrangement allows easy access from any part of the room to any other part of the room, making it easy to circulate among students. It is also excellent if I schedule frequent cooperative learning tasks. (Randy Sprick, 2009, p.72)
Establishing Expectations
The expectations for my first grade Mandarin class are “Be respectful”, “Be Responsible”, and “Be ready to learn and succeed.” The rules for each expectation are as follows:
Be Respectful
- Keep hands, feet, objects, and unkind words to yourself
- Raise your hand before talking; listen when others are talking
- Keep proper levels of voice volume
Be Responsible
- Stay on task during all work times
- Work quietly and do not disturb others
- Treat others like you want to be treated
Be ready to learn and succeed
- Be prepared and on time
- Follow directions the first time they are given
- Participate
Classroom Motivation and Discipline System
I use the system Class Dojo.com to establish my expectations to my students. I find that this tool is useful for teachers to keep track of students’ behaviors and academics. Class Dojo is accessible on the computer, smartphone or iPad. Teachers can instantly award points based on student’s behavior or participation. It also gives students and parents to access their own profile page to see how the student is doing in class in real time. This tool is based on a whole host of game mechanics: level-ups, badges, achievements to unlock, in-classroom games, avatars, and leaderboards. These “game-like” notifications make students aware of their achievements, recognize the correct choices they make, and reinforce their understanding of the behaviors/skills necessary to succeed in class. (Beta Classroom, 2011 http://betaclassroom.wordpress.com/ 2011/08/21/ classroom-management-gets-its-game-face-on/)
Students will be assigned their own avatars at the beginning of the school year. Students will be given positive or negative points according to their performance. The positive points are given for being on task, participating, working hard, helping others, and creativity. The negative points are given for being off task, talking out of turn, not doing homework, being late, and being disrespect. Our class goal is to receive 20 positive points a day for each student. At the end of each day, the teacher shares the results with the students. Each day, students who receive more than 20 points will gain a golden ticket.
Motivation
To encourage students, there will be a lottery drawing each week. All of the students with golden tickets at the end of each week will write their name on their golden tickets and put them in a jar for the weekly drawing. The more golden tickets that a student gets, the more chances they will have to win “Golden Student of the Week.” There will be three winners drawn each week for the golden student award.
Consequences
1 negative point—warning
2 negative points—student/teacher talk time
3 negative points—miss 5 minutes of recess
4 negative points—email student’s Class Dojo report to parents, possible office referral. (Hayhurst, 2011, http://www.dentonisd.org/Page/31959)
Developing Effective Routines and Procedures
Morning Routine
When the bell rings at 8:00am, the teacher greets the students as they arrive at the classroom. Students hang their jackets and backpacks on the hangers outside the classroom. Students turn in their homework folder in the homework bin, put their lunch box in the basket, and put their water bottle next to the sink once they enter the classroom. After that, students immediately take their seats and get out any required materials listed on the board and begin working on the assignment (problem of day) showed via the Smartboard. Meanwhile, the teacher takes attendance. Five minutes later, the whole class reads the morning message, calendar, and weather. Ten minutes later, the class listens to the school board casting, and does morning excise. Then the class does morning work—journal writing from a prompt on the board. Students finish their journal writing by 8:30am.
While students do their problem of day and journal writing:
Conversation: Voice level 1 (Whisper, no vocal cords).
Help: Put out Help sign, students will continue working on the rest of the assignment before teacher helps them.
Activity: Students will complete as much of assignment as possible during the time given. If they are finished before time is up, they read quietly or finish prior assignments at their desk.
Movement: No getting out of their seats.
Participation: Looking at their paper or journal, writing or coloring, and talking with their tablemates while looking at their paper are behaviors that show that students are participating fully. But talking without looking at their paper, staring out window, or wandering around room are not proper participation behaviors.
Success!
Using the restroom
Students are encouraged to use restroom during recess or between transition times. There are two restroom passes (one for boys and one for girls) placed in front of the classroom. Students need to take turns going the restroom. Only one boy and one girl may go to the restroom at a time. If the teacher finds a student leaving the classroom excessively or going other places instead of restroom, the teacher will limit access unless there is a medical reason.
Conversation: Voice level 0 (no sound, no talking)
Help: Check if there is a restroom pass first. If the pass is not there, the student needs to wait until the other student returns from the restroom.
Activity: The student continues to do his work or activities while he/she waits for the restroom pass.
Movement: The student leaves and returns to the classroom quietly without disrupting other people or activities.
Participation: As soon as the student returns from the restroom, he/she returns the pass to its place and then continues the activity immediately. Talking to other students or wandering around are not proper behavior.
Success!
Getting a drink of water
Students bring their own water bottle that is filled with fresh water every day from home. Once they enter the classroom, they place their water bottles next to the sink. Students are encouraged to drink water during recess or during transition time. However, if the teacher finds that a student leaves his/her seat excessively, the teacher will limit access unless there is a medical reason.
Conversation: Voice level 0 (no sound, no talking)
Help: Students do not need permission to drink water.
Activity: While the class is doing activities, the student quickly goes to the sink and gets his/her water bottle to drink.
Movement: The student leaves and returns to his/her seat quietly without disrupting other people or activities.
Participation: As soon as the student finishes the drink, he/she returns to his/her seat and then continues the activity immediately. Talking to other students or wandering around while drinking water are not proper behavior.
Success!
Independent seatwork while the teacher is with a small group
While teacher is with a small group for guided reading or doing small group activities, the other student will follow the procedures as follows:
Conversation: Students can communicate with two to four students only on the questions about work assignment. Voice level 1 (Whisper, no vocal cords)
Help: Students should try to get answers without help from the teacher. If no one at the table can help, they can come and stand next the computer quietly and wait for the teacher’s help.
Activity: Students will complete the seatwork packet. When done, they can go to the classroom library to read or to the computer center.
Movement: Students do not need permission to go to the restroom, drink, or hand in/pick materials.
Participation: Students show their participation by looking at their paper, writing, or coloring, or talking with their tablemates while looking at their paper. Talking without looking at their paper, staring out window, or wandering around the classroom are not proper behavior.
Success!
Communicating with Parents
The cooperation between teachers and parents helps students succeed in school. Cooperation is based on communication. There are a number of ways to communicate with parents and guardians over the course of the year. The following is my communication plan with parents over the school year.
Open House
Open house holds before school starts. During the open house, parents and students come to school to meet the student’s teacher and get familiar with the student’s classroom and seating. Parents sign in on the signup sheet. Parents will receive an Open House Package which includes a parent questionnaire about their child and a classroom supply list (also listed on the school web site and my classroom blog). Students will turn in their questionnaire on the first day of school.
Back to School Night
Usually back to school night is held two weeks after school has started. During the back to school night meeting, I will offer information about
- The general topics and a quick overview of the class subjects that will be covered in class before the end of the term.
- The class rules, polices, and procedures.
- Major projects, events, and schedules for the class.
- My contact info including the school phone number and e-mail. (Julia G. Thompson, 2007, p. 70)
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The school holds parent-teacher conferences twice a year. The goal is to communicate with parents about their child’s behavioral and academic progress.
- Show parents their child’s portfolio as evidence of his/her progress.
- Hand parents their child’s Report Card of the semester.
- Discuss specific example of student’s behavior problem, or let the parents know of any improvement.
- Determine what I will do to follow up on the conference and to keep in contact with the parents. (Julia G. Thompson, 2007, p. 70)
Weekly Newsletters
The class newsletters are published weekly. Students bring home the weekly newsletter every Friday. The class newsletter will be posted on the class blog as well. The content of class newsletters includes:
- The teacher’s message
- A list of topics currently being studied
- Student work samples
- Upcoming events such as conferences or field trips (Julia G. Thompson, 2007, p. 76)
Classroom Blog
The classroom blog serves as great academic support for immersion school students to review what they have learned at school. The content of the classroom blog includes:
- Reading material—include movie clips and audio sound tracks
- Vocabulary review—Quizlet.com
- Online math practice
- Homework assignments
- Message from the teacher
Note/E-mail/Phone Calls
Note, e-mail, and phone calls are channels to communicate with parents about individual student concerns. I implement Class Dojo as my discipline tool which includes the email function. This will keep the parents updated about their child’s behavior progress. If there is an emergency, I will call parents instead of sending a note or e-mail message. Normally I will within twenty-four hours.
References
Curtain, Helena I. (1990) Foreign Language Learning: An Early Start. ERIC Digest (pp.3) ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC.
Sprick, Randy (2009) CHAMPS, A Proactive & Positive Approach to Classroom Management. Oregon: Pacific Northwest Publishing, Inc.
Thompson, Julia G. (2007) The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide Second Edition. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hayhurst (2011) Mrs. Hayhurst’s First Grade Classroom Rules, Consequences, and Rewards. Retrieved February 18, 2013 from http://www.dentonisd.org/Page/31959
Beta Classroom (2011) Classroom Management Gets Its Game Face On. Retrieved February 16, 2013 from http://betaclassroom.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/classroom-management-gets-its-game-face-on/
