• lenny-learning-logoLenny Learning
  • Home
    Home
    • Lessons
    Lessons
  • Curriculum
    Curriculum
  • Surveys
    Surveys
  • Videos
    Videos
  • Support
    Support
  • Log In
lenny

Why Our Classroom Rocks

user image

Richard Latham

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Why Our Classroom Rocks

Students will define class disruption, analyze its impact on learning, and collaboratively identify strategies to foster a respectful and productive classroom environment.

Understanding class disruption helps students take ownership of their learning space, promoting mutual respect and better academic outcomes for everyone. It teaches essential collaboration and problem-solving skills.

Audience

8th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Discussion, Reflection, Strategy Building

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Slide Deck: Classroom Harmony, Discussion Guide: Group Groove, Worksheet: My Role, Our Rules, and Cool Down: Harmony Check

Prep

Review Materials and Set Up

10 minutes

  • Review the Why Our Classroom Rocks Lesson Plan thoroughly.
    - Prepare the whiteboard or projector for the Slide Deck: Classroom Harmony.
    - Print enough copies of the Worksheet: My Role, Our Rules for all students.
    - Review the Discussion Guide: Group Groove to facilitate effective group conversations.
    - Ensure access to the Cool Down: Harmony Check for the end of the lesson.

Step 1

Warm-Up: What's the Vibe?

5 minutes

  • Project or write the question: "Think about a time when learning in class was difficult because of something happening around you. What was it? (Don't name names!)"
    - Ask students to share their thoughts briefly with a partner.
    - Bring the class back together and ask a few students to share common themes. Emphasize that disruptions affect everyone.

Step 2

Introduction to Classroom Harmony

5 minutes

  • Present Slide 1: Why Our Classroom Rocks and introduce the lesson's goal: to understand how we can all create an awesome learning space.
    - Use Slide 2: What is Disruption? to collaboratively define 'class disruption.' Write student ideas on the board.

Step 3

Impact of Disruption: Ripple Effect

5 minutes

  • Transition to Slide 3: The Ripple Effect.
    - Facilitate a brief discussion using the Discussion Guide: Group Groove to explore how disruptions impact not just the disrupted, but everyone in the class, including the teacher.
    - Ask: "How does disruption make you feel? How does it affect your ability to learn?"

Step 4

Building Our Best Classroom

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Worksheet: My Role, Our Rules.
    - Use Slide 4: Our Classroom Superpowers to introduce the activity.
    - Guide students to work individually or in small groups to brainstorm practical strategies for preventing disruptions and promoting a positive environment.
    - Circulate and provide support, encouraging creative and actionable ideas.

Step 5

Share and Synthesize

5 minutes

  • Have groups or individual students share some of their best strategies from their Worksheet: My Role, Our Rules.
    - Facilitate a quick class discussion to synthesize these ideas, perhaps creating a brief
lenny

Slide Deck

Why Our Classroom Rocks

Creating an Awesome Learning Space Together!

Welcome students and introduce the engaging title. Ask students to think about what makes a classroom feel 'rockin' or awesome for learning.

What is Disruption?

How do we define it?

  • What actions or behaviors make it hard to learn?
  • What stops others from focusing?

Ask students: "What does 'disruption' mean in a classroom?" Write their ideas on the board. Guide them to think about actions that stop or slow down learning for others.

The Ripple Effect

How do disruptions impact everyone?

  • How does it affect your learning?
  • How does it affect your classmates?
  • How does it affect the teacher?
  • How does it affect YOU?

Discuss the effects of disruption. Ask: "Who is affected when there's a disruption? How does it feel to be disrupted? How does it affect the teacher? How does it affect the person disrupting?" Emphasize that it's rarely just one person.

Our Classroom Superpowers

You have the power to create an amazing learning space!

  • What can you do to prevent disruptions?
  • What can we do as a class to support each other?

Introduce the idea that students have the power to create a positive environment. Explain the worksheet activity where they will brainstorm solutions. Encourage them to think about individual and collective strategies.

Let's Make Our Classroom Rock!

Together, we create the best place to learn and grow.

  • Every voice matters.
  • Every action counts.

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the idea that a great classroom is a shared responsibility and that their ideas are valuable. Encourage them to practice these 'superpowers' every day.

lenny

Discussion

Discussion Guide: Group Groove

Purpose: To explore the impact of class disruptions on individuals and the collective learning environment.

Opening Question (5 minutes)

  • "Think about a time when learning in class was difficult because of something happening around you. What was it? How did it make you feel? (Remember, no names!)"
    • Allow students to share briefly with a partner before bringing the class together.

Exploring the Ripple Effect (5 minutes)

  • "We often think of a disruption affecting just one person, but how does it truly spread? Imagine throwing a pebble into a pond – what happens?"
    • Guide students to connect this to classroom disruptions.
  • "When a disruption happens, who is affected? Let's think beyond just the person causing it and the person who might be trying to learn."
    • Prompts: The teacher? Other students who are quiet? Students who are easily distracted?
  • "How does a noisy interruption impact someone who is really trying to concentrate on a difficult problem or understand a new concept?"
  • "What about the person who causes the disruption? How might it affect their learning or their reputation in the class?"

Building Empathy & Responsibility (5 minutes)

  • "Knowing how disruptions can spread, what responsibility do we all have in preventing them?"
  • "What does it look like when everyone is contributing positively to our learning environment? How does that feel?"

Teacher Notes: Encourage all students to participate, ensuring a respectful and open environment. Validate all feelings shared and gently guide the discussion towards constructive solutions, setting the stage for the 'Our Classroom Superpowers' activity.

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

My Role, Our Rules: Building a Rockin' Classroom

Name: ____________________________

Date: ____________________________

We all have a part to play in making our classroom a fantastic place to learn. Think about how you can contribute to a positive and focused environment, and what rules or expectations help us all succeed.

Part 1: My Classroom Superpowers

What are 3 specific things you can do to prevent disruptions and help create a better learning environment in our classroom? Be specific and realistic!



















Part 2: Our Collective Rules

Imagine we're creating a

lenny
lenny

Cool Down

Cool Down: Harmony Check

Name: ____________________________

Date: ____________________________

Take a moment to reflect on today's discussion about classroom disruption and creating a positive learning environment.

  1. What is one new idea or strategy you learned today that you can use to help reduce disruptions in our class?





  2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how confident are you that you can make a positive difference in our classroom's learning atmosphere? (Circle one)

    1 (Not confident)   2   3 (Somewhat confident)   4   5 (Very confident)

  3. What is one question you still have about classroom expectations or how we can all work together more effectively?





lenny
lenny