Support a student-centered classroom environment in which students assume an integral role in their own learning.
In my classroom, I will...
Student-Centered Environment
 Collaborative LearningStudents work in flexible groupings in order to maximize student performance. Students here are conducting small group work to discuss independent findings. |  Collaborative LearningStudents work in flexible groupings in order to maximize student performance. Students here are conducting small group work to discuss independent findings. |
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 Collaborative LearningStudents work in flexible groupings in order to maximize student performance. Students here are conducting small group work. |  Collaborative LearningStudents work in flexible groupings in order to maximize student performance. Students here met in random groups of three by matching examples of figurative language to their terms. |
Students Collaborate to Construct Their Own Learning
In our classroom, students frequently collaborate in order to construct their own learning. Students are comfortable with many different groupings for discussion, including class-wide discussion, turn and talks, and small group work. Students construct their own meaning of different literary elements and strategies by taking what we have discussed as a class and applying it to independent or shared texts.
Students Gain Leadership Skill by Taking on the Role of "Teacher".
 Student Leaders |  Student Leaders |
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 Student Leaders | Student Leaders |
From day one, it has been stressed and reiterated that I am not the only teacher in the classroom. As much as my students can learn from me, they can also learn from each other. Additionally, I have a great deal I can learn from them.
In our classroom, students frequently take on the role of teacher. In this, students become "experts" of topics or lead class-wide discussions about authors craft or literary analysis. After a few trial runs, students have become comfortable enough to run the lesson by themselves while I am able to observe and watch the magic unfold!
 Goal SettingStudents use calendars to manage their time and plan how to best achieve their goals for their summative assessments. |  Graphic OrganizersStudents use observations made during classwork to generate their own definitions of unit vocabulary in graphic organizers. |
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 ChecklistsStudents use checklists and status-of-the-class reports to track their progress during the completion of summative assessments. | Graphic OrganizersStudents use various graphic organizers to develop their thinking. |
Student Accountability
In our classroom, students are going through a significant developmental transition. Gone are the elementary habits and routines; the students are aware of the school's expectations of them as "sophisticated seventh graders!"
In our classroom, our students are accountable for their own success. Students are taught personal responsibility through calendars for scheduling, rubrics and checklists for prioritizing, and graphic organizers for constructing meaning of the material!