This page will give you an insight of our classroom including our guidelines and routines we follow, our weekly schedule, and an overview of activities.
Guidelines
Routines
CREATING ROUTINES
|
5 R’S OF ROUTINES
|
Weekly Schedule
Overview of Activities
Morning Work and Morning Meeting
Morning Work will be 15 minutes of warm-up and review to get the brain working in the mornings. Morning work will involve literacy or math, and it will be both independent and paired work. We will also have a 30 minute daily morning meeting that will consist of a greeting, a share time, an interactive message, announcements, an activity, and a poem or short read aloud. |
Class Meetings
Starting in a few weeks, we will start having weekly class meetings. These meetings will allow our class to use their voices, practice looking at issues from multiple points of view, learn that mistakes are opportunities to learn, see strengths in themselves and others, collaborate and create change, have influence in a socially useful way, and set goals. We will give compliments and appreciations, learn to solve problems, find solutions as a community. |
Workshops and Inquiry
We will have “workshops” to assist a multitude of literacy skills, writing, reading, and math. We will also have inquiry that involves research and group work for social studies and science. Workshops will consist of lessons and group/independent activities for students to practice accountability, learn from each other, and grow from this positive and responsible experience. The “Morning Workshop” will be full of literacy components for the students to explore and complete including journals, sort words, word work, and extra activities such as current events, reading, art / projects, and poetry. Workshops are designed to assist the learning progression of each student. |
Activities
We will do numerous art activities and projects in our classroom. A lot of the work done by the students will be documented on the walls. We will send work done by the children as frequently as possible. I am excited to have our students active in art and projects! The activities done in the classroom are developmentally appropriate and purposefully chosen to add elements of choice and academics. We will have time to explore STEM, fine arts, experiments, current events, and cultural appreciation. Play is also a strong component of learning--even in second grade. We will have activity time each day to explore classroom materials and learn through play. |
Health and Wellness
Healthy Eating
Our classroom will encourage healthy eating and nutrition. Families may send a snack with their child to school every day starting Monday, September 3. Snacks should be healthy food items. No cookies or desserts will be served for daily snack. If there are any allergies, please make me aware of those ASAP before sending snacks to school. Consider the following for snack choices: bananas, apples, carrots, celery, crackers, pretzels, goldfish, raisins, fruit snacks. We will eat them in the afternoon.
Brain Breaks, Team Building, + Mindfulness
Our classroom will do daily exercises that warm-up our bodies, voices, and brains. These activities may include group or individual games, songs, dances etc. Furthermore, maintaining a positive and peaceful environment is a large part of our classroom experience. Mindfulness activities will also be encouraged through yoga and meditation each day.
Social Emotional Learning
Positive Discipline
The classroom management style I use in the classroom is referred to as positive discipline. This model allows students to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful within the classroom and in their communities. It is an encouraging tool that teaches positive life and social skills. Positive Discipline includes: using respectful and encouraging language, building mutually respectful relationships, learning problem solving skills, acquiring effective and long-term results, inviting children to develop agency, and developing beneficial communication skills.
Cool-Off Space
Based on book Jared’s Cool-Out Space by Dr. Jane Nelson, our classroom will have a place known as the “cool-off” where students can go if they feel upset or frustrated during the school day. Part of problem solving and self-regulating is deciding when and if you need a break. Students will be encouraged to use this space designed by them at appropriate times throughout the day.
Peaceful + Positive Agreements
We have a “peace agreement” within our classroom that we will refer to as a reminder for classroom guidelines. This peace agreement will remind us to help each other, ourselves, and our environment. We will also have quotes to motivate and support us throughout the school day that will be hung onto the wall and decorated by the students.
Helping Hands
The students will have responsibilities in the classroom that will change weekly. Those may include librarians, lunch chart and calendar helpers, table and chair checkers, door holders, and mail carriers. There will be times throughout the daily routine for students to fulfill the tasks of these helping hands jobs.