Teacher Toolkit
Organizational and Instructional Strategies
Organization is vital in my classroom. I want my students to be able to focus on learning, relationships, community, and growth. If I give them an organized, consistent, and dependable atmosphere, they will have confidence in my ability to teach them.
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I will use a personal planner and promote students to use their planner. The following is a cross-platform planner that I plan on using in my classroom.
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Every student will have their own Google folder to place assignments.
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Assignments will always be posted in the same spot. Depending on what forum the school uses, Blackboard, Google Classroom, etc., will determine where it will be posted. Posting in the same spot will help the students stay organized.
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I will have a weekly syllabus.
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I will have a notebook make observations with tabbed sections for each student.
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Our class will meet at the same time for synchronous learning every day. This will depend on the school's designated schedule. Ex: Monday-Friday 8:30 am-11 am Synchronous Learning
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Asynchronous videos will be posted in the same spot and at the same time daily. Depending on what forum the school uses, Blackboard or Google Classroom will determine where it will be posted.
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I will have consistent assignment due dates and times. Ex: Mondays, I will post the assignments at 8 am. Fridays, all assignments will be due at 3 pm.
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My classes will be structured in a similar order to create a routine.
Ex:
-Morning greeting.
-Circle time with critical thinking questions or daily pondering.
-Learning (lecture, videos, virtual tours)
-Group work.
-Assignment discussion and open for questions.
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We will have consistent expectations in our classroom that we will collaboratively created with my students and I. Creating the expectations together will give a sense of responsibility and allow for accountability for actions.
Need to KNOW. (n.d.). Retrieved August 08, 2020, from https://3239cdl.weebly.com/need-to-know.html
Social-Emotional Strategies
In my classroom, everyone has a voice! I want my students to be able to speak and be heard, listen, and give input. I want to create a place where my students feel safe, a place where they can let go of the stresses of the outside world and be together in a like-minded community. We will work together in growing our minds, bodies, and spirits through knowledge.
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I will recognize every student by name in my welcomes. On the first day, I will screenshot everyone in our virtual classroom session. This will help me put a face to a name. I will work on this daily until it is learned.
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I will learn their interests and build my content on things that they can relate to in their everyday lives. I will use surveys to get the students' input and interests and build my curriculum from there.
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I will implement breathing and relaxation strategies in high-pressure moments. I previously taught yoga and meditation. I will use those techniques before tests and when I sense tension is high in my classroom.
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I will use strategies like “think, pair, and share” to support group work and community, as well as listening and being heard.
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I will always use my camera during remote learning.
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I will use Remind (or a similar app) to include parent participation in student learning, pending administration approval.
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We will work collaboratively to teach empathy, promote community, and build relationships.
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I will send periodic emails to parents to keep them up to date and promote a community between home and school.
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I will participate in school events and activities outside my classroom to show my students I do care about their interests. The forum for my planner has a calendar included.
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I will have circle time at the beginning of each class.
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I will use Ross W. Greene’s ALSUP and Plan B when a student seems to be having a difficult time.
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1. I will use an observation spreadsheet to document challenging behavior.
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2. I will use ALSUP to determine lagging behavior. I will use Plan B to collaborate with the student on how to determine the unsolved problem and what the options are to help alleviate the problem.
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I will encourage my students to “Dream BIG!”
Need to KNOW. (n.d.). Retrieved August 08, 2020, from https://3239cdl.weebly.com/need-to-know.html