My Classroom Community:
Classroom community is a necessary component of a safe, welcoming, and engaging classroom where optimal learning takes place. This community is extremely important to establish in the beginning of the year. Throughout the first days of school, I plan on doing many team-building and get-to-know-you activities. Since I will have my classroom set up in table groups, I will have a few fun and no pressure competitions for students to win some prizes, which will be shared with the whole class. Some of these activities will be just for me, as it is important for me to know my students well. Before school even starts, I will send a email, letter, or call parents and ask them to send or bring in pictures of students and their families. Having these around the room will help students feel as though they belong in the classroom and that their families are there with them. Another activity I will do is have student fill out simple student interest surveys within the first couple of days, so I can get to know their passions.
Although setting the tone in the first few days of school is important, it is equally important to keep the same classroom community throughout the year. One thing I saw in my practicum experience that I would love to implement throughout my teaching is "Star of the Week". Each week, a new student is chosen to be star of the week. That student creates a poster about themselves and shares it with the class at the end of the week. Throughout the week, every student in the class writes a letter to that student describing why they are a great classmate, complete with an illustration. I will compile the letters into a booklet and will give the star of the week the book after they present their poster. Another on-going activity will be the marble jar. I will have an empty jar, and whenever the class as a whole does really well following directions, being respectful, creating an assignment, or just being great, I will put a marble in to the jar. If the class, or many individuals, are showing continuous negative behaviors, marbles will be taken out of the jar. Once the jar gets to a certain amount of marbles, the class can have a party, extra recess, or anything else the class bargains for. This is a great way to remind students that We are a Team! It takes everyone in the class to succeed. One other activity I would like to implement throughout the year would be weekly whole-class chats. I would have students sit in a circle, and have a soft ball. The student with the ball gets to speak. They get to tell their classmates the best part of their week and the worst part of their week. Then they roll the ball to another student, and that student goes, continuing on, until all students have gotten the chance to speak. All of these activities are simple and easy strategies to keep a strong classroom community throughout the year.
When the end of the year rolls around, how do we know if we have been successful in creating a supportive classroom environment? If students were able to learn, showed improvement, and were able to work together, I would consider the classroom to be an area in which students feel safe with their peers. If students are yelling at each other constantly, not supporting each other, and bringing others down, the community would be unsuccessful. At the end of the year, I would do some more team building activities, just to remind students that we are still a team, even if it is the end of the year. I would do some activities where it was students vs the teacher to create a fun and silly atmosphere for students. One thing I hope to accomplish and be able to observe by the end of the year in regards to classroom community is students helping other students without being asked, and without expecting anything in return. I would consider that to be an example of a successful classroom community.
Although setting the tone in the first few days of school is important, it is equally important to keep the same classroom community throughout the year. One thing I saw in my practicum experience that I would love to implement throughout my teaching is "Star of the Week". Each week, a new student is chosen to be star of the week. That student creates a poster about themselves and shares it with the class at the end of the week. Throughout the week, every student in the class writes a letter to that student describing why they are a great classmate, complete with an illustration. I will compile the letters into a booklet and will give the star of the week the book after they present their poster. Another on-going activity will be the marble jar. I will have an empty jar, and whenever the class as a whole does really well following directions, being respectful, creating an assignment, or just being great, I will put a marble in to the jar. If the class, or many individuals, are showing continuous negative behaviors, marbles will be taken out of the jar. Once the jar gets to a certain amount of marbles, the class can have a party, extra recess, or anything else the class bargains for. This is a great way to remind students that We are a Team! It takes everyone in the class to succeed. One other activity I would like to implement throughout the year would be weekly whole-class chats. I would have students sit in a circle, and have a soft ball. The student with the ball gets to speak. They get to tell their classmates the best part of their week and the worst part of their week. Then they roll the ball to another student, and that student goes, continuing on, until all students have gotten the chance to speak. All of these activities are simple and easy strategies to keep a strong classroom community throughout the year.
When the end of the year rolls around, how do we know if we have been successful in creating a supportive classroom environment? If students were able to learn, showed improvement, and were able to work together, I would consider the classroom to be an area in which students feel safe with their peers. If students are yelling at each other constantly, not supporting each other, and bringing others down, the community would be unsuccessful. At the end of the year, I would do some more team building activities, just to remind students that we are still a team, even if it is the end of the year. I would do some activities where it was students vs the teacher to create a fun and silly atmosphere for students. One thing I hope to accomplish and be able to observe by the end of the year in regards to classroom community is students helping other students without being asked, and without expecting anything in return. I would consider that to be an example of a successful classroom community.