My Classroom
Welcome to the tour of my classroom! Throughout this page you will learn about my classroom culture and teaching practices!
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My current classroom is located at White Pine Middle School, in Saginaw, MI. I teach 8th Grade American History and a Design & Technology elective. I teach on a five person teaching team with one person being a special education teacher. Special education students are integrated into my classes. I enjoy the diverse student body at my school. White Pine has been designated as a School to Watch for 15 years now and I'm proud to be a member of this community.
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Please also check the link below to my Gallery of Student Achievement!
Engagement
A major goal of mine is student engagement. I want my students to learn my content in fun, exciting, and memorable ways. I do this by utilizing a variety of teaching strategies, from independent and group work, technology integration, to simulations. The engagement extends out of the classroom with team building activities we do throughout the year.
Collaboration
Collaboration is a core part of my classroom. This happens through daily work, student projects and simulations, but also during team building and service learning activities. Some of my favorite days are when students use the entire class period on collaboration.
Organization
I have procedures in place to help students and myself be organized, and to maximize class time. Students use the weekly agenda board to record reminders in their planner. We also regularly use "supply boxes." Students are efficient at getting supplies and returning to their desks to maximize class time.
Student Autonomy
I have several procedures in place to help students be autonomous. My absent binder contains the daily agenda which references which materials to take from the copy crate. Students also have a place to turn in assignments after they've already been collected. These procedures occur without any help from me.
Utilization of Wall Space
I use my wall space as a way to help reinforce my content. The map of the United States starts with the colonies and states and territories are added throughout the year as we progress through history. I reference the materials on my walls often.
Desk Setup
The desks in my room are always changing based on the activity of the day. I have three main setups. Groups of two is my most used setup to allow quick "turn and talks" and partner work. I prefer groups of four when doing collaborative activities, and the large "U" shape when student focus should be a the front of the room.
Student Library
The books in my classroom library are there for students to check out. These books represent a variety of genres and reading levels. Each day my teaching team dedicates 20 minutes to student selected reading.
Parent and Student Communication
Below are some of the tools I use to maintain communication with parents and students.
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