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classroom community

Building a Community:

At the beginning of the school year, students participate in activities to help develop a strong community of learners. 

The "Facebook Profile" is for middle school/high school students to share their interests, hobbies and learning styles. Elementary students complete a modified interest inventory that is more geared to their level of thinking.

The Fingerprint Tree shows students that we are all important parts of the class and that each person has something unique to contribute. The students love completing this activity. After it is finished, I hang the tree on the door of our classroom so they are reminded of the importance of community each time they step through the doorway.

Routines and Procedures:

The daily schedule is a great way for students to check in and see what is coming up in our day! This supports all learners to practice successful transitions and proactive thinking! (Get the printable cards here. I just added magnets to the back so they can be easily rearranged for each new day.)

 

 

When students enter the classroom they complete their attendance on the smartboard and work on their morning work. We use "Rise and Shine" books that I compiled where students complete their Number of the Day and Daily Fix-It activities. After the timer goes off, we go over the morning work together and continue on with our day.

Class Books:

Our class books build community because they allow students to share their thoughts and ideas with their peers.

The "Student of the Week" book gets a new page added to it each week, featuring the student's likes and dislikes, birthday, and ideas and thoughts about our classroom.

The "Goals" book houses the goals that we set for ourselves in January at the beginning of the new year, to remind students of the goals they are working towards. Both books are easily accessible for students to read and enjoy during free time or breaks in the classroom. Students love taking the time to look at what their classmates have written, taking an interest in each other by asking each other about the things they have added to the books.

 

"Our Class is Awesome Because..." is a great way for the students to reflect on our classroom and share their joys and excitements with each other! This book is accessible during free time or if they are finished early and students are allowed to write something or read what others have written.

Classroom Jobs:

Our classroom jobs teach students responsibility! Each week students have a special job to perform which supports our classroom community. Every Monday morning students are excited to see what their task will be!  Jobs include: Line Leader, Caboose, Messenger, Classroom Librarian, Lunch Helper, Board Cleaner, Computer Monitor and more! These jobs help students to realize that every person in the class is valuable and gives something important to the group, regardless of what their job is. Click the PDF below to see my list of the jobs. (To get the printable cards for your own classroom, click here!)

Behavior Management:

  • Classroom Contract

    • At the beginning of the year, we build our classroom contract as a class. This contract provides rules of how we want our classroom to operate. We brainstorm ideas (and I suggest some of my own). Creating this as a group gives the students ownership over the rules which makes them more effective. When we finish our list of rules, each students signs the contract, stating that they will abide by the rules as we learn together.

 

  • Classroom Cash

    • ​Students can earn cash for completing tasks, having positive behavior, helping out a friend, etc.

    • Students' cash is kept in the Vault at the back of the classroom near my desk. This way I can keep an eye on their hard-earned money and keep it safe throughout the weeks. For the Vault I purchased mini Really Useful Boxes that work great! (See photo on the left.) I bought mine at Walmart, but you can also get them here.

    • I link the "money" they earn to curriculum by using copies of nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies, toonies and bills. When students receive or owe cash during Banking, they are required to count their cash and provide me with the correct change. I will often give them a few coins and then ask them what is still owing. It is exciting to see how much the students improve each time we have Banking.

    • Every 4-6 weeks we have a "Classroom Store", where students are able to use their cash to purchase objects or treats. This is a time of recognition and celebration for the students to put their earnings towards tangible "purchases".

 

  • Fidget Contract

    • My Grade 2/3s are very kinesthetic learners and require lots of movement and stimulation. To support this need, I allow each student to have a fidget object in their desk. At the beginning of the year we go through our fidget contract to ensure that the fidget is used appropriatelyand each student signs a copy, agreeing to the terms of the fidget contract. Click the PDF file below to see a copy of my fidget contract.

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