Room 215

Room 215 was an amazing learning community with 25 compassionate and inquisitive learners. As an inclusion classroom it was important that all lessons were taught in a way that allowed all learners to successfully access the materials. No matter the challenge that our students faced, it was inspiring to see them rise to the occasion and make tremendous growth all year long.

Norms & Values

Building a classroom community was essential for us. There were many routines that allowed students to share more about themselves such as morning meeting, lunch bunch (small group lunch with the teacher every Friday), and helper of the day (rotates daily). This helped build relationships between us and the students, and strengthened student relationships. It also helped students gain ownership of their classroom.

To ensure success for all students we made sure that our classroom was full of resources. Whether it be us, a peer, a poster, book, or other learning tool, students knew that they had support wherever they 

looked. All posters were written with students and referred back to throughout the year to prevent them from just becoming wallpaper.

Students knew our rules in the classroom. Our classroom rules helped guide all of our teaching and were a reference point when we got off track. Behavior was monitored through a color chart to give students ownership of their own choices, and allow them to check themselves.

Equity & Access

In our classroom each learner was valued and celebrated and all students were held to high expectations. Many of our students were on IEPs or SSPs, and most were English Language Learners, therefore it was crucial that each lesson was modified so all students could access the material. We made sure all lessons were modeled and taught in multiple ways using different strategies, so that all students had the opportunity to be successful. Jocelyn and I continuously reflected on ways that we could better teach some students, and how lessons could be modified to ensure greater success.