Classroom Procedures
Everyday we follow procedures; brushing our teeth, driving to work, making a phone call, etc. According to Wong, procedures allow students to function in a acceptable and organized manner (Wong & Wong 2005, p. 172). My classroom management includes teaching students procedures that they will use everyday. All of these procedures will be taught in the first few weeks of school and practiced several times.
Entering the Class in the Morning
This will be hung up so the students can see it when they first come in. When I create the poster
I will leave blank space; this allows me to put in pictures of the students following each step.
I will leave blank space; this allows me to put in pictures of the students following each step.
Lunchbox
If “cold lunch”
1. Take you lunchbox out of your backpack and put in into the lunch bin.
2. Take the magnet with your picture on it and move it under to the “cold” column.
If “hot lunch”
1. Take your magnet and move it under the “hot” lunch
* There will be a bin located underneath this board for the cold lunches.
*This chart will be what I use to take attendance each morning. During the school announcements I will quickly mark down who is still at home.
*It will be the job of the Lunch Aid to move all the names back to "At Home" at the end of each day.
adapted from (Wong & Wong, 2005)
1. Take you lunchbox out of your backpack and put in into the lunch bin.
2. Take the magnet with your picture on it and move it under to the “cold” column.
If “hot lunch”
1. Take your magnet and move it under the “hot” lunch
* There will be a bin located underneath this board for the cold lunches.
*This chart will be what I use to take attendance each morning. During the school announcements I will quickly mark down who is still at home.
*It will be the job of the Lunch Aid to move all the names back to "At Home" at the end of each day.
adapted from (Wong & Wong, 2005)
Morning Work
1. Quietly go to your desk.
2. Work on the activity at your table.
3. When school announcements start, stop all activities and listen.
4. After announcements, clean up desks, and place all materials in the middle of the table.
5. Quietly go to the carpet for the Morning Meeting.
*Depending on activity assigned, students may work as a group or independently.
*While at Morning Meeting, the teacher’s aid will collect and put away all materials.
2. Work on the activity at your table.
3. When school announcements start, stop all activities and listen.
4. After announcements, clean up desks, and place all materials in the middle of the table.
5. Quietly go to the carpet for the Morning Meeting.
*Depending on activity assigned, students may work as a group or independently.
*While at Morning Meeting, the teacher’s aid will collect and put away all materials.
Sitting on the Carpet
This poster will be hung up in the carpet area. Again, the blank space is so that I may add students' pictures showing the correct behavior. This procedure will be taught on the first day of school and we will be taking pictures on the second day.
adapted from (Wong & Wong, 2005)
adapted from (Wong & Wong, 2005)
Asking Questions
Students must raise their hand and wait to be called on if they have a question during the Morning Meeting or any whole group discussion. For asking questions during the rest of day, see Flags procedure below.
Flags
Each student will have toilet paper tube on their desk with one end painted red and the other painted green. During work time, students who need my attention can “raise a red flag” and put the red end of the toilet paper up. After receiving help, they can turn in back to green. Students will be taught to ask themselves two questions before raising their flag; can I solve this myself? and did I ask the friends at my table? The poster below will be hung in the classroom to remind students. SOMETIMES, students who are done with their own work will also be encouraged to help those with “red flags”.
*adapted from Wong & Wong, 2005
*adapted from Wong & Wong, 2005
Using the Bathroom During Class Time
Our class will take regular bathroom breaks; this is the procedure for students who have to go during class time.
During Independent Time
If a child has to go during any time that I am not giving instruction, they can get my attention by showing me "bathroom" in sign language, then they may take a bathroom pass (handsanitizer) sign their name on the bathroom sheet and go. There will only be one pass for boys and one for girls. The sign-out is so I know which student is gone and can monitor how often students are leaving. If a student is leaving too often a different procedure will be created for them.
During Instruction/Whole Group
Group instruction is very important; it is when I will teach new material and when I tell students important things about what they will be doing. For these reasons, if a student does have to use the bathroom at this time, there will be a consequence. They will have to show my the sign, sign-out and take a pass just as before, but they will also have to return a chip to me. *please refer to my behavior plan*.(First grade and fancy free, 2011)
During Independent Time
If a child has to go during any time that I am not giving instruction, they can get my attention by showing me "bathroom" in sign language, then they may take a bathroom pass (handsanitizer) sign their name on the bathroom sheet and go. There will only be one pass for boys and one for girls. The sign-out is so I know which student is gone and can monitor how often students are leaving. If a student is leaving too often a different procedure will be created for them.
During Instruction/Whole Group
Group instruction is very important; it is when I will teach new material and when I tell students important things about what they will be doing. For these reasons, if a student does have to use the bathroom at this time, there will be a consequence. They will have to show my the sign, sign-out and take a pass just as before, but they will also have to return a chip to me. *please refer to my behavior plan*.(First grade and fancy free, 2011)
Bathroom Breaks
Follow Lining Up procedure, be sure to line up with a boys line and a girls line, and proceed down the hall to the bathroom. Once we get to the bathroom, the lines will stand towards the right wall. I will allow three boys and three girls to use the bathroom and/or get a drink at a time. Students who have finished or do not need to use either facility will stand up against the left wall, quietly, and facing the direction of the room. If there is too much talking or misbehaving by the whole class I will simply say "That's one chip". If only one or two students are misbehaving I will ask them to Reset.
Lining Up
1. Line up in two signal file lines.
2. NO PUSHING, TOUCHING, or CUTTING!
3. Bubbles in your mouths and hands behind your back.
*Line leader is the Start Student, the last student is who has the Light job that day.
*How the lines are arranged will depend on how I choose to have them line up.
2. NO PUSHING, TOUCHING, or CUTTING!
3. Bubbles in your mouths and hands behind your back.
*Line leader is the Start Student, the last student is who has the Light job that day.
*How the lines are arranged will depend on how I choose to have them line up.
Walking in the Hallway
1. Keep bubbles in your mouth and hands behind your back.
2. Use walking feet. Stay together.
3. We stay in line and walk on the right side of the hallway.
(Spalding , 2010)
2. Use walking feet. Stay together.
3. We stay in line and walk on the right side of the hallway.
(Spalding , 2010)
Turning in Work
In the morning students are to turn in any homework they had from the previous night to the bin on my desk. For the rest of the day student work will be collected by the students who are our Assignment Collectors. The Assignment Collectors will place all students work into the bin on my desk.
Friday Folders
Every Friday students will take home a folder with all their completed work for the week, any notes for parents about behavior (good or bad), my weekly report, and the schools newsletter. Before being sent home I will go over the folders with each student and talk about their work, any problems, and the positive things I see them do. There is a signature sheet in the folder that is to be signed by a parent or guardian, and returned to school the following Monday. Each sheet will last 5 weeks. I also assign students a score (from 1-4) in four categories for the week: Classwork, Homework, Behavior, & Organization. When returned the folder should empty of all student work. The only thing that should be in it is notes from parents for me and the signed sheet. I will check the folders Monday before school is released to see if they have been returned and reply to any parent concerns through email, phone call, or note home.
("Management monday: Student," 2011)
("Management monday: Student," 2011)
Classroom Jobs
In the first week of school students will be able to tell me any job they DON’T want. Students will then be taken out of the rotation for that job. All students who want jobs will then be rotated through the jobs. There will be a job chart with the job and a picture of the student who holds the job for students and I to reference throughout the week. Jobs will be rotated weekly and every student will hold job every week. It is possible that some students may end up with two jobs, as long as the jobs are not done at the same time, I will allow students to take on this responsibility. The job chart will be kept between the Morning Meeting area and the door. This allows students to check their jobs every morning when they come in and for me to go over the jobs at the Morning Meeting.
Note that I did not create the chart in the picture, but it will very similar to the one I create.
Line Leader(1) - They are first in line. Also the Star Student that week. This student will be helping me in the Morning Meeting.
Door Holder (1) - They hold the door whenever needed for the lines to proceed through...they are 2nd in line.
Lights (1) - This person makes sure all lights are turned out before we leave the classroom. They are also responsible for turning out lights to get students quiet if needed. They are the last in line
Messenger (1) - This person takes messages/attendance to office in the morning and gets messages at the end of the day. Towards the end of the year when they are familiar with teachers/places, I may also use this person to run notes to others.
Paper Passers (2) - This person places all papers in the appropriate spot after directions have been given.
Mail Carrier (1)- This student sorts completed work into Student's Mailboxes. They are allowed to work on this during their free time, or I will give them permission to complete their job at an appropriate time if I see that they are not getting free time.
Assignment Collectors (5)- These students collect completed assignments from their table groups. One student at the individual desks will also have this job to collect papers from the other desks. I will always instruct these students to do their jobs at appropriate times.
Pencil Sharpener (1)- Spare pencils for student use will be located with student materials. It is this student's job is to make sure that all these pencils are sharp in the morning. They will also count the number of pencils at the end of the day to ensure that they have been returned. If there are still pencils to be returned, the student may looked for marked pencils and ask other students to return them. (see Pencil Borrowing and Sharpening Procedure)
Housekeepers(3) - (1) Makes sure all chairs are put up at the end of the day, (1) the floor is swept, and (1)tables are clean. These are individual jobs, but they will work together to complete the Housekeeping job.
Lunch Aids(2)- These two students will be in charge of counting the hot and cold lunches every morning, taking the number of hot lunches to the cafeteria staff in the morning, carrying the cold lunch bin to the lunch room at lunch time, and at the end of the day setting all the magnets on the lunchbox board back to at home.
Pet Caregiver (1)- This student will have check on the class pet to make sure it has enough food and water.
Material Collectors (5)- There will be one material collector for each table and one for the individual desks. These students are responsible for gathering materials needed for projects throughout the day. I will always give instruction for what the students need to get for their group.
("Classroom management: Classroom," 2012)
Note that I did not create the chart in the picture, but it will very similar to the one I create.
Line Leader(1) - They are first in line. Also the Star Student that week. This student will be helping me in the Morning Meeting.
Door Holder (1) - They hold the door whenever needed for the lines to proceed through...they are 2nd in line.
Lights (1) - This person makes sure all lights are turned out before we leave the classroom. They are also responsible for turning out lights to get students quiet if needed. They are the last in line
Messenger (1) - This person takes messages/attendance to office in the morning and gets messages at the end of the day. Towards the end of the year when they are familiar with teachers/places, I may also use this person to run notes to others.
Paper Passers (2) - This person places all papers in the appropriate spot after directions have been given.
Mail Carrier (1)- This student sorts completed work into Student's Mailboxes. They are allowed to work on this during their free time, or I will give them permission to complete their job at an appropriate time if I see that they are not getting free time.
Assignment Collectors (5)- These students collect completed assignments from their table groups. One student at the individual desks will also have this job to collect papers from the other desks. I will always instruct these students to do their jobs at appropriate times.
Pencil Sharpener (1)- Spare pencils for student use will be located with student materials. It is this student's job is to make sure that all these pencils are sharp in the morning. They will also count the number of pencils at the end of the day to ensure that they have been returned. If there are still pencils to be returned, the student may looked for marked pencils and ask other students to return them. (see Pencil Borrowing and Sharpening Procedure)
Housekeepers(3) - (1) Makes sure all chairs are put up at the end of the day, (1) the floor is swept, and (1)tables are clean. These are individual jobs, but they will work together to complete the Housekeeping job.
Lunch Aids(2)- These two students will be in charge of counting the hot and cold lunches every morning, taking the number of hot lunches to the cafeteria staff in the morning, carrying the cold lunch bin to the lunch room at lunch time, and at the end of the day setting all the magnets on the lunchbox board back to at home.
Pet Caregiver (1)- This student will have check on the class pet to make sure it has enough food and water.
Material Collectors (5)- There will be one material collector for each table and one for the individual desks. These students are responsible for gathering materials needed for projects throughout the day. I will always give instruction for what the students need to get for their group.
("Classroom management: Classroom," 2012)
Star Student
Every week our class will have a Star Student. This student will be highlighted during the week and have special privileges. I will be decorating the outside of our classroom door with the student’s picture, things that interest them, interesting facts about the student, work that the student is proud of, etc. This student will also be able to bring in Show and Tell one time during the week. They will also be our line leader all week. Two Fridays before it is a student’s turn to be the Star, I will be sending a note home to parents in their Friday Folder. I have included an example of this note.
adapted from (Newingham, 2013)
adapted from (Newingham, 2013)
Getting Students' Attention
During Morning Meeting I will say “5-4-3-2-1 your FabFive should be done”
At recess, I will blow a whistle so every student can hear me.
1 blow- Freeze. Look at me
2 blows- Stop Playing. Line up
During desk work I will call out half of a phrase that needs to be finished by the students. This may be from a popular song, movie, commercial rhyme, etc. Some examples are:
Baby Baby Baby…….OOOOO
Chicka Chick….. BOOM BOOm
Shark bate…..O ah ah!
Mary had a….little lamb
These can be repeated until every student is paying attention.
If class gets really out of hand and it not responding to my calls, I will turn have the lights helper turn them off. This will signal the whole class to reset. See reset procedure and behavior plan.
At recess, I will blow a whistle so every student can hear me.
1 blow- Freeze. Look at me
2 blows- Stop Playing. Line up
During desk work I will call out half of a phrase that needs to be finished by the students. This may be from a popular song, movie, commercial rhyme, etc. Some examples are:
Baby Baby Baby…….OOOOO
Chicka Chick….. BOOM BOOm
Shark bate…..O ah ah!
Mary had a….little lamb
These can be repeated until every student is paying attention.
If class gets really out of hand and it not responding to my calls, I will turn have the lights helper turn them off. This will signal the whole class to reset. See reset procedure and behavior plan.
Busy Bags
Busy Bags are a sponge activity, but there is a procedure students must follow because the materials in the bags are important. A student must be done with their work in order to get out a Busy Bag. Students are allowed to choose whichever bag they like, as there are different topics. Before getting everything out of the bag, the student must sign the card in the bag so I know who has used it. When it is time to move on to the next activity, the student must return all items to the bag and go through the checklist to make sure everything is in the bag and return the bag to the shelves.
1. Must be done with ALL your work.
2. Sign bag out.
3. Treat all materials with respect.
4. When it is time, pack bag up, go through checklist.
5. Return bag to the shelves.
adapted from ("Sponge and transition,"2011 )
There will be three pieces of management material in each bag; the sign-out card, materials checklist, and explanation of materials. Most of the materials in the bags are self explanatory, however, if there is something in the bag that I want students to specifically do, it will be explained. Below is an example of what these look like for a Transportation Themed Bag. I have included two examples of the explanation of materials; this is because the language used will depend on the grade level.
1. Must be done with ALL your work.
2. Sign bag out.
3. Treat all materials with respect.
4. When it is time, pack bag up, go through checklist.
5. Return bag to the shelves.
adapted from ("Sponge and transition,"2011 )
There will be three pieces of management material in each bag; the sign-out card, materials checklist, and explanation of materials. Most of the materials in the bags are self explanatory, however, if there is something in the bag that I want students to specifically do, it will be explained. Below is an example of what these look like for a Transportation Themed Bag. I have included two examples of the explanation of materials; this is because the language used will depend on the grade level.
The activities in the bag are to be completed on a scrape piece of paper. Students can turn these into the bin on my desk. Once a student has turned in proof that they have done three activities, they will earn a star.
adapted from ("Sponge and transition,"2011)
adapted from ("Sponge and transition,"2011)
Student Suggestion Box
On the low shelves by the door, there will be a Suggestion Box and Suggestion Cards for students to communicate to me the things they would like to see change in the classroom. They will be encouraged to write suggestions for book or Busy Bags topics. Students will also be able to tell me things that they do not want to say in person or in front of the class. For example, if a student is struggling with bullying on the playground or they would like to move out of their table group for a reason they may feel more comfortable writing in on Suggestion Card. Writing a suggestion does not insure that there will be a change, but I will take all student comments into consideration. No students will ever be allowed to look into the suggestion box.
adapted from (Erwin, 2004)
adapted from (Erwin, 2004)
Student Mailboxes
Students will have their own mailboxes; this is how I will return their papers to them. It will be the job of the Mail Carriers to put the mail in each mailbox every day. I will set the papers that need to be returned to students in a bin on top of the boxes and the Mail Carriers will have to look at each paper to see who the paper belongs to, and then put the paper in the correct box. There will be a second bin on top the boxes for papers that have no name; Mail Carriers will put any paper with no name in this bin. Mail Carriers can do this throughout the day when they have free time, or I will instruct them to complete their job before the end of the day. As students are packing up to leave, each must take their mail out of their box and take it home. For work with no name on it, I will try to guess which student it belongs to and ask them if it is theirs. However, students will be responsible for looking through the No Name bin for their work.
adapted from (Gable, 2011)
adapted from (Gable, 2011)
Turn to Face Me
The way I have arranged student tables and desks in my classroom is best for student interaction and collaboration, however, it does hinder instruction when I am at the front of the class. When I am standing in the front of the room for instruction, students facing away from me will turn their chairs around. These students can use clipboards or another hard surface to take notes if necessary. Clipboards will be located on the shelves for student materials.
Name Bucket
Every student’s name will be written on a card and placed in a small bucket. I will use these cards to arrange seating at the Morning Meeting, call on students, and on occasion to choose random groupings. The bucket allows me to keep all the names together and be able to carry the cards wherever we go.
adapted from (Gannon, 2009)
adapted from (Gannon, 2009)
Pencil Borrowing and Sharpening
I find sharpening pencils during instruction to be a distraction for myself and students. For this reason, students will not be allowed to sharpen their pencil while I am giving instruction. However, I will allow students to checkout pre-sharpened pencils that will be kept on the shelves with the student materials. To checkout a pencil, they must sign their name, promising to return the pencil. This procedure will also be for students who have forgotten or lost their own pencil.
My pencils will be marked with a red ban around the eraser end. This will help remind students to return pencils and help me know who to ask to return pencils at that end of the day. I will only keep a set number of pencils for student use. At the end of the day all of the pencils should be returned.
The student with the pencil sharpening job will help this procedure run smoothly by sharpening the pencils every morning and helping gather the borrowed pencils from students at the end of the day.
adapted from (Dee , 2001)
My pencils will be marked with a red ban around the eraser end. This will help remind students to return pencils and help me know who to ask to return pencils at that end of the day. I will only keep a set number of pencils for student use. At the end of the day all of the pencils should be returned.
The student with the pencil sharpening job will help this procedure run smoothly by sharpening the pencils every morning and helping gather the borrowed pencils from students at the end of the day.
adapted from (Dee , 2001)
Centers
A pocket chart will be created for center time. This chart will list the group of students (3 students peer group) that will work together and under their names will be the order of the centers they will be following that day. Every day I will have 8-10 centers, but students will only visit four per day for fifteen minutes each. This allows me to keep the centers the same all week, but give students variety in their center activities; rotation of students and centers will occur daily.
If a procedure isn't followed....
If the whole class is struggling with a procedure I will reteach it or modify it; if there isn't a visual for it, I will create one, change the steps, or take more time to practice it. I believe that if the whole class is struggling with learning something, it is not their inability that is questioned, rather my procedures and teaching of them; I need to change something.
My Behavior Plan involves praising students who behave well and follow procedures. My hope is that praising students who are listening, will encourage other students to do the same. However, if there are students who struggle, I will ask them to reset (see Behavior Plan).
My Behavior Plan involves praising students who behave well and follow procedures. My hope is that praising students who are listening, will encourage other students to do the same. However, if there are students who struggle, I will ask them to reset (see Behavior Plan).