My Kindergarten Classroom Management Plan

informed by SPRICK, GARRISON, HOWARD (1998), pp. 95-96

I. Level of Structure: This is a "low risk" room, but management structure may vary depending on
situation between highly structured, moderately structured, and lightly structured.

II. We all know our Guidelines for Success:

Be safe
Listen and follow directions
Always try
Respect everyone
Work together!
Be self-reliant
Enjoy learning

IV. Room 101 Expectations...

Be safe
Listen
Follow directions
Always try
Respect everyone
Work together

... and how I teach them:

Our Rules

Our Work

How We Ask

How We Talk

How We Move

III. We all know our Class Rules

Now Look How We Learn!

Poster. Explain. Use ELSIGI (Emotion, Logic, Self-Interest,

Group-Interest). Refer to it 20+ times daily at start of year.
Poster. Explain. Our work routine (Use ELSIGI). See VIII.A
Poster. Explain. (Use ELSIGI). In discussion we use "quiet
hands". In classwork, we use "?" card.
Poster. Explain. (Use ELSIGI). No talking when Teacher
must be heard, or when Students need to concentrate. All
other times, quiet talking that helps the working is good!
Poster. Explain. (Use ELSIGI). (Note safety and best use of
time.) Free movement is at home, on playground, and during
"Wiggle Time" and Activity Time. Controlled movement is
when Teacher must be heard, and when Students need to be
heard or concentrate. In these times, leave your spot only
with Teacher's okay.
Poster. Explain. (Use ELSIGI). Why our expectations help
us learn better and better. Why we feel good to be good
learners.

V. Monitoring the Class

Continual monitoring of class with "teacher eyes" and "teacher ears"

Making the monitoring perceptible to Students by using silent signals as well as specific praise &/or
comment
Ensuring no "blind spots" develop in room, where Students are undetectable
Maintaining Our Weekly Behavior sheet, with marks & notes re: Students disrespectful of room rules
Private conferencing with Students who are trending in wrong direction
Sharing of monitoring with class in generalities (overarching comments), and with individuals, and
their families, in specifics (conferences, notes in OGW (see VIII.E.)

VI. Hierarchy of Consequences: Encouragement

Class:
Perpetual positive attitude from Teacher, communicating: Room 101 is a learning place, and
everyone can learn well here.
Specific praise (with body language, as well as words)
Good Bee moves up alphabet when Teacher thinks Class is behaving well. At end of class day, all
students are recognized for how far they progressed Good Bee.
8 opportunities per day to put peanut in clear glass jar (Getting Settled, Ready for Recess, Getting
Settled, Ready for Lunch, Getting Settled, Ready for Recess, Getting Settled, Ready to Go Home). 31
peanuts before Friday recess wins 30 minutes of end of week free time. Good behavior by entire class
wins one peanut per opportunity.
Individual:
No individualized encouragement beyond points 1 and 2 above.

VII. Hierarchy of Consequences: Penalties

Class:
Disrespect for the room rules merits Teacher disapproval in word or body language
More serious disrespect for rules merits loss of position of Good Bee (see above)
Still more serious disrespect (as judged by Teacher), merits loss of peanut (see above)
Individual:
Student who damages positive learning environment (as judged by Teacher) has individual conference.
After 2 warnings within one day that Student will write a BWP (Better Way Plan) (modeled after "Action
Plan" of Wong, pp. 158-160, Cummings pp. 80-82) with Teacher, to be run with family support.
Student using non-injurious violence receives one warning.
Second incident in a day for that Student results in call to office and Administration taking charge.
Striking a teacher means immediate call home, removal from room, and being sent home.
Notes:
All individual penalties are noted on OGW (see VIII.E.)
When disrespect of rules is judged by Teacher to be trending wrongly, there is a class meeting, during
Activity Time, to discuss how to improve the learning environment.
Hierarchy of Rewards and Penalties (titled "What You Do Is What You Get") is described in simple
language and icons. It is posted by the Room Rules.

VIII. Instruction:
A. The Lessons
Whole Group Lessons:
On board: This Week's Focus Points, which note our learning targets
Posted: How We Learn Together, with rules for Group, Small Group, and Solo learning
During first 2 weeks of school I teach Students "how students learn"
Length of lessons is maximum 30 minutes, but usually 20 or less
All lessons begin with a Reason to Listen
All lessons end with a review,
Between all lessons is a "Get Wiggles Out" activity
Lessons Teacher's instruction is followed by about 5 minutes of guided practice
Students' independent practice follows
Students with questions use the Question Mark card (so hands are free to keep working)
For Students working at different speeds (faster or slower) than the group I meet individually
to learn reasons and to re-structure the assignments.
Small Group Lessons:
Small group is responsible for its behavior
Group abides by the posted Rules for Small Group Learning

 Small Groups always receive Whole Group instruction before beginning Small Group work

B. The Work
Classwork:
Teacher explains the task orally, puts written description where all can see, welcomes questions about it.
Materials are then distributed*. (*For first 5 weeks of school Teacher distributes, thereafter the 3 classwork
monitors are responsible to receive materials from Teacher, and then to distribute them.)
Homework:
For first 5 weeks of Teacher distributes homework at 3:00 to each Student's desk. Thereafter this is done by
the 3 homework monitors.
For Absent Students:
All work is distributed into their desk(s).

C. Collecting the Work

Classwork:
Upon Teacher's request, all classwork will be passed to the head of the table row. There can be no delay for
"last minute additions." Any individual's delay will invalidate the entire row's work (making it "tardy"). The
agreed upon rule is: If you don't have enough time to finish the work, draw a double line at the point where
you ran out of time.
Homework:
Upon entering classroom each morning Student's first task is to place completed homework in student's
personal "Homework Tube" (near door, beneath flag). During attendance taking the Attendance Monitor
records what homework is missing on the Homework Completed record sheet, as well as which students are
missing. Teacher collects all homework during first recess.
For Absent Students:
Their missing homework is noted with an "AB" on the Homework Completed record sheet. These students
will submit homework upon return to class, or the work will be counted as late from that day forward.

D. Feedback

Immediately or nearly immediately following Student's delivery of work

Feedback need not be thorough, but it does need to be fast and to touch the main points
Feedback begins with at least one positive observation
Feedback always answerable to the question: How does this advance the Student's learning?
Note that advancing learning includes:
----- enhancing Student's self-confidence
----- nourishing Student's powers of responsibility
----- supplying information and insight that contributes to mastery

E. Records

Teacher makes daily note as per student of homework and classwork completion
Teacher makes mental (at least) note during and at end of lesson of Student's success
Teacher marks key assignments with Success Marks of 0,1,2,3 (for no comprehension, beginning
understanding, nearing mastery, mastery)
These marks are entered into computer assessment program at the end of each day
An annotated print out (Our Good Week) that includes Success Marks, lesson completion,
absenteeism, social comments, and specific praise/ specific questions, goes home with each student at
the end of each week.
Students return Our Good Week at the start of each week. Parent signature is required.
Questions/comments/requests are welcome.
To motivate timely homework completion, cut out stars are put on homework tubes (see VIII.c.) for a
week of on-time completion.

F. Late or Missing Assignments (see next page)

F. Late or Missing Assignments

All work received late is stamped with "clock" icon, followed by a number (representing the number
of days late this work is.
These "clock scores" are tabulated on the "Who Is Still Learning About Time" (WISLAT sheet.
This "WISLAT" sheet is used in parent conferences.
WISLAT is also use by Teacher for shaping the learning environment for specific students.
If necessary, a group lesson (or more) is given about timeliness.
No assignments are accepted beyond one school week plus one school day. (The day gives parents a
chance to get involved,)
Students are called on to explain to the whole class that work done late has little effect, since the
whole class is always moving forward. Students explain why keeping up is necessary.
Parents know weekly from Our Good Week (see VIII.E.) if their child has work due, late or missing.
There is no grade penalty for late work because in this class grades measure mastery.
Negative clock scores reveal personality or learning issues that are addressed by conferencing with
Student, with parents, with councilor (depending on the case). After that investigation, a
individualized punctuality learning program is initiated.