Important News I would like to welcome all the wonderful first graders that will be in my class this year! It will be a year filled with learning and fun. I have included the information on responsive classroom as this will be the approach that we will be using this year for learning.
Responsive Classroom The Responsive Classroom approach is a way of teaching that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe community. In this approach, the social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. Process and content go hand in hand. As part of this curriculum we create our class rules together that allows students to meet their learning goals. There are many classroom practices that make up a responsive classroom. We practice social skills through Morning Meeting where we greet one another, share important news, and interact in social games. This is how we will start our day. Interactive Modeling by the teacher is part of the curriculum. Through this children get to actively observe, describe, and practice each skill. As a result they become more engaged in how they work and learn. Teachers also practice Positive Teacher Language using words and tone to promote children's active learning and self-discipline. Logical consequences are part of our discipline policy, this helps children see the connection between their behavior and the effect it has on others. There are three kinds of Logical Consequences, break it, fix it, loss of privilege, and time out (which we call rest and return). Children also complete centers through Academic Choice which is our "Daily 5" literacy choices. This helps to increase student motivation by differentiating instruction and allowing students teacher-structured choices in their work. This also allows for guided discovery which in turn encourages creativity and responsibility. Classroom organization is also very important it encourages independence, cooperation, and productivity. Collaborative Problem Solving is also encouraged through role playing, and other strategies to engage students in problem-solving. With all of these strategies and practices in place we strive to provide the children in 1H with a strong social and academic climate in which to strive at being the best that they can be!