Joseph Nelson

11/2/15
Classroom Management Toolkit
Dr. Scott Hohnstein
Tool Kit
1. Introductory Script on First Day
On the first day of school, I will stand by the front door of my
class and personally greet each student as they file into class making
sure to call each one by their given name. This will involve me doing
some back ground research as to who my students are and what they
look like but by calling each student by their first name I feel that it will
show that I are and that I am willing to make an honest effort to really
know my students. Once all my students are sitting in their assigned
seats I will begin my Introductory Script as such: Hello class, my name
is Joseph Bishop Walker Nelson and I would like for you to refer to me
as Mr. Nelson. I am very interested in each and every one of you and I
need for yall to understand that I WILL give you my best this year. I
was born and raised in the southern state of North Carolina before
moving to western Montana for college. I have worked and traveled all
over the world from the Islands of Fiji to the rural villages of Guatemala
and I love sharing stories of my travels with my students and
incorporating certain aspect of myself into each lesson. We will be
exploring a different series of words each week in class that best

exemplifies what our class intent is, and for this week the word I want
you all to learn and to put into your own vocabulary arsenal is
holistically. Can everybody repeat this word back to me on 3, ready,
one,two,three holistically. The definition of holistically is focusing on
the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts. My
hope is that this year we as a class and team can work holistically
together to tackle each subject and topic of study. Do you as a class
agree to do this with me?
2. Beginning of School Year Informational Letter to Parents
Hello Parents and Guardians of Joseph Nelsons 3rd grade students,
I am very excited an interested in your child and very much look forward to
instructing and guiding them on the path of learning this year! I was born
and raised in the small southern town of Boone, North Carolina before
moving to western Montana to complete my college schooling at The
University of Montana. I am an avid outdoors man and athlete and when I am
not feverously writing interactive lesson plans and grading I can be found fly
fishing, skiing, or whitewater kayaking. I love to play sports and exercise
everyday so that I can be mentally and physically prepare to teach your
children with strong intent and focus. I have taught all over the world having
done my student teaching in India, as well as holding teaching positions in
Fiji and Guatemala. I hold no biases toward race, gender, or ability and I take
pride in being an effective and goal oriented teacher. My learning goals for
this year is to have each student constantly challenged in the areas of

reading, mathematics, writing, and social sciences with an emphasis on the

arts into most every lesson. I will strive to have every students at or above
grade level competency by the end of the year and make it so when they are
4th graders they feel confident in their abilities because of my previous
instruction. I will create a Universal Design for Learning in every lesson so
that students are always working together on the same or similar
assignments no matter what their ability levels are no student is left
unchallenged or confused. I will rely heavily on Bodily Kinesthetics to teach
material and students will often times be out of their seat and moving around
to strengthen material retainment and to keep focus. Personal activities and
field trips will be scheduled months in advanced and volunteers will be
needed for most off campus trips. I will be taking students out of the
classroom when the lesson merits it and students will be asked to always be
responsible when we are outside the classroom. Volunteer opportunities will
be numerous this year. I ask that you, as a Parent or Guardian try hard to
volunteer at least 10 hours a semester toward school sponsored activities. I
know that some parents have more time than others but it is important to
show your child that you value school, so if you can please give the school
10 hours of your time a semester. Your child will not be docked grade points
or spotlighted if you cannot make it to volunteer, but if you cannot make it
for the aforementioned 10 hours I ask that you please contact me and let me
know so I may plan for other help. My classroom will be a Teacher-Centered
classroom meaning all the material will start and end with me. I operate on a

procedure of letting students dictate certain lessons for themselves but on

the whole, I will be handling the instruction and assessing their
understanding. I have three big rules (among others) and they are: be
attentive, ask questions, and respect everyone in the class. I demand that all
students follow these rules to promote focus, higher level thinking, and order.
If a child chooses to not follow these rules they will be reprimanded privately
using, I messages and if the behavior continues you as the Parent of
Guardian may be asked to step in. I operate on a method of rewarding good
behavior over punishing bad behavior and I appreciate your support in all
behavioral management.
Below is my contact information and my times for availability:
Joseph Nelson
(406) 404-4706
Email: joeybwnelson@gmail.com
Office Hours: Monday- Friday 4pm-5pm
Availability: Monday Friday 4pm-730pm

Suggested Reading for parents to better understand classroom atmosphere

* Last Child in the Woods- by Richad Louv
*How to Win Friends and Influence People- by Dale Carnegie
*Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire- by Rafe Esquith

Below there is an informational sheet for you to fill out about you and your
child:

Student name (preferred name)

Parent or Guardians name

Parent or Guardians contact information

Parent or Guardians place of employment

Any other pertinent information about the Parent or Guardian that may
affect the child

Student Birthday

Student allergies and health issues

Where student was born

Any Learning challenges or difficulties

Any family or emotional information that may affect Students behavior

Anything else you feel is pertinent

3. Introductory Activity Icebreaker

The introductory activity I will choose to do for the first day of class is in fact
a 2 part activity with the first part being a game of, People Bingo and the
second part is a classroom Scavenger Hunt. People Bingo goes as
described: Make a 5 x 5 grid, like a bingo grid. Write "FREE" in the center

space. In all the other spaces, write things such as "Born in another state,"
"Is the youngest child in family," or "The Beatles fan." Fill in all the grids with
items of interest to the students, and run a copy for each person. The
students are to get the signature of a person who meets the criteria for each
section. I will implement a rule that a person can only sign another person's
paper in two spots. Everyone has a chance to win, by being able to fill out
the card, and there is no immediate time limit set to the activity. I will not
forget to include myself, the teacher. I will put in something that only I, as
the teacher can answer yes to like, find someone who can speak
conversational Fijian language so the students must come find me for one
of the squares.
The next activity will be the, Scavenger Hunt. It will be a simple list
of things to locate and describe in the classroom such as, what color is the
hand soap in the sink area and where exactly is the pencil sharpener
located. I will have my students work in pairs with their desk mates to help
strengthen their relationship.
References:
Steele, Kimberly. (2007). Kims Korner for Teacher Talk. Retrieved Nov.1st,
2015.
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/firstday.htm
l

4. List of First Day Activities

1. Teacher Welcome and Introductory Script---Teacher welcomes class
and lets students know a little about them with a few stories added
in: 10-15 minutes
2. Rules and ProceduresTeacher inform students of class
expectations and basic procedures such Bathroom protocol and
Turn-In Bin. Very interactive and has students act out much of the
procedures:1 hour- 1 hour & 15 minutes
3. People Bingo- As described above, it is an interactive Icebreaker
game that will help students learn more about each other: 15-20
minutes
4. Scavenger HuntAs described above, it is an interactive activity
that will help students learn about their classroom environment and
strengthen their desk mate friendship: 15-20 minutes
5. Name Tag Decoration- Although students are assigned seats they
are allowed to decorate their nametag on their desk however they
want. This gives students a sense of individuality and autonomy: 3040 minutes
6. Emergency ProceduresStudents perform walk through of fire drills,
lock down drills, and other emergency procedures: 30-45 minutes

7. Pre-test of Necessary MaterialStudents take a test to show the

Teacher what they know and what they need to focus on: 1 hour- 1
hour & 15 minutes
8. Outside Free PlayIn conjunction with other class students are
allowed to free play outside. This gives a great opportunity for the
Teacher to see how students interact with each other: 30-45
minutes
9. Writing Journal AssignmentStudents must journal about the day
using their best writing skills: 30-45 minutes
10.

Pass out and Read Parent NoteTeacher reads the parent note

out loud to the students so the students have full clarity on what the
teacher expects this school year. The teacher then emphasizes the
importance that the parents read and return the letter back to the
Teacher tomorrow: 15- 20 minutes

5. List of Rules
1. Be Attentive- Please be focused and engaged on the lesson
2. Ask Questions- Force yourself to think big and form well
articulated higher thinking questions
3. Be Respectful- Treat all classmates with courtesy and respect.
This is a Zero tolerance policy
4. Work as a Team- Help out each other and seek assistance from
other classmates before asking the Teacher

5. Do your Best- Put forth your best work at all times

6. Philosophy of Classroom Management

My philosophy of Classroom Management is taken from the idea given
to me by my grandfather interest invokes learning. I feel that if my
students are interested in me and my style of teaching then behavioral
issues will be minimal. I realize that I can not appeal to everyone at
once but through the use of multidimensionality I hope to bring a wide
variety of activities and strategies to the lesson where it is at least
engaging if not interesting. The immediacy of my class will allow for
quick turn over and if a student is acting up behaviorally then my pace
of teaching will quickly distract them and hopefully direct their focus in
a different more positive way. Keeping in mind always the publicness of
the classroom will direct my actions by forcing me never to spotlight
a student in a negative manner as that only harness resentment and
hate. I will have to go off of my own schema in many ways and hope
that history will help me in my goal to be the most functional and
instructive teacher in my field.