Procedures, Procedures, Procedures!

Procedures are extremely important and can make or break your classroom! Overall though, the most important part is getting to know what works for that year’s class.

Every class is different and what worked last year may not work this year.

1. Entering the classrooma. This is something that needs to be practiced until it is right. Students

should know where you would like them to go when they enter or what they should do.

b. I believe in meeting the students at the door every morning or when they come back from special. If I don’t do this, I feel the whole day is off and I love greeting students in this way. I can also give them certain instructions at this time.

c. If students come back from taking something to the office, small groups, or taking a little break I expect them to come in without being noticed! This is something that needs to be practiced until it is correct.

2. Lining upa. I like having the leader for the day or week at the front of the line.

Then the students with special needs can be near me if need be or have a line buddy/helper. I have subbed in and taught in classrooms with line orders and I feel that they can cause more drama than good, unless they start that way from the start!

3. Leaving the rooma. I love having a bathroom signal especially when teaching. I also like to

have a hand sanitizer on the desk to signal to me that they are still in the bathroom, one for boys and one for girls. This can also be a signal for other students to see when someone else is out of the classroom or it is a good time for them to go. This is also a great time to use the hand sanitizer.

b. I also have liked to have a check in and out board. This will have every student’s number on it with magnets to show where they are. Or this could even be on the board by students’ lunch counts. Categories include:

i. Small groupsii. Office

iii. In classroomiv. Library/Computer v. Other teacher

4. Beginning the daya. I like starting the day with a little bit of morning work that students

know how to do on their own. This does take practice but I like it a lot. While student teaching we used Time for Kids sheets every morning and were working on a different non-fiction skill every week. I like having a set time each day for this activity.

b. It also needs to be made clear the list of things to do before they can start the sheet

i. Turn in notes for teacher to notes boxii. Make lunch choice

iii. Get chairiv. If they have a morning jobv. Make sure they had breakfast

vi. Put folder away in mailboxvii. Turn in homework to homework box

5. Ending the daya. The end of the day can be crazy, if it is not set up properly.b. I like to have a time at the end of the day for students to do their jobs

(paper passer, chairs, desk checkers, floor cleaner, so on). I have found it works well if there is a set time for this to start. Then students who may not have a job can listen to a story read by the teacher.

c. At the end of the day I also love to recognize the students that had a great day! I do this either with a note home or let them have some free time, but it needs to be consistent.

6. Taking out/putting away/ caring for suppliesa. I really don’t like when students have all of their supplies in their

desks, it creates such a big mess sometimes. While teacher assisting we had group caddies that had pencils (sharp cup and needs sharpening cup, crayons, markers, colored pencils). There was a caddie manager who was in charge of the materials that week, like making sure it was organized, put on desk, pencils sharpened, and if something needed to be refilled they let the teacher know.

7. Participating in group lessonsa. Having respect for other classmates is extremely important to me. To

do this I will have to teach students to raise their hand and not talk

while someone else is talking. Blurting out is not acceptable. Or making fun or calling out another student based upon their answer is not acceptable.

b. I really like using personal whiteboards, but I don’t like when students draw on them when I am talking or showing an example. This ground work needs to start with the first lesson, students need to know that this is not what we do with our whiteboards and that there is a time and place to draw on them but not right now.

c. I have used tickets like the ones below while having whole group discussions.

d.8. Obtaining help with assignments

a. I found this idea online for obtaining help. I have not used it before but I think if it is taught it could work really well! It has different ways for students to try to figure out the problem while using their resources before asking the teacher.

b. I also like to have a word wall on the board for students to refer to. Along with anchor charts around the room

c. I have used the "ask three before me" rule as well.9. Handing in finished work/homework

a. I like having baskets for handing in work. It will be in the same place every day and I will be responsible for pulling out the work.

b. I have also seen teachers use plastic drawers and each one is a different subject or period.

10. What to do with unfinished work/ absent worka. I like students to have a folder in their desk to keep unfinished work

in so that they have access to it all day. If there is anything in that folder by the end of the day it is homework.

b. For absent work I like to leave a folder on their desk during the day to collect missed work. This folder will be taken home when the student returns to school. The work will be complete either at home or during extra time during the day. All the homework will be turned back in when finished with the folder.

11. When and how to use the school restrooma. I like to have scheduled bathroom breaks or times that students can

go. One boy and One girl at a time, unless we take a whole class bathroom break.

b. We will have a signal to share with me if it is an emergency and it is not during this time. Students will also put a hand sanitizer on their desk, one for boys and one for girls, while they are gone.

12. When and how to use the drinking fountain or sinka. Drinking fountain will be used when going to the bathroom.b. Water bottles will not be allowed on desks but on the floor only. Only

water is allowed in the bottles. 13. When and how to use the pencil sharpener

a. Students whose job it is to sharpen their groups pencils is the only one allowed to use them. These students will have certain times to do so:

i. First thing in the morningii. During job time at the end of the day

14. Being a classroom helper/classroom jobsa. I love giving students jobs so that they feel as though they are the

leader for that part of the classroom. I will try to have most of the class or all of the class to have a job.

b. I like having a leader for the class either for the day or the week. The leader will have jobs like

i. Line leaderii. Time to share

iii. Good things leaderiv. Can sit in a special chair all day

15. Getting into work groups

a. A teacher at GVSU taught me about clock partners. It was set the first day of class and it was used all semester long. When using clock partners, the teacher states the directions of the activity and then says get with your something o’clock partner. Students look at their clocks and match up with the person who is at that number.

b. Can also use a deck of cards, set partners, puzzle pieces, team shake app, iPartners (picture below), compass partners (picture below), math problem match up using flash cards, picture match up, magnets.

c. If students are in set groups it is important to change them up based upon needs. I also like to have them have set places to meet.

d. It will be expected that once students get into their groups they get to work. I like to use the too noisy app or noise on the board like below.

e. As a reminder while students work I like this to show students what their voice levels should be at.

f. While working in groups every student has a job that is given to them. I like students to either wear a sticker to show what they are or a necklace like the one below.

g.

16. Using the classroom librarya. I like to assign everyone to either a basket or area for them to check

and maintain. All books will be labeled where to go so students can see if they are in the right spot or not.

b. Every student will have a day during the week to book shop for books. They will keep their books in a bag at their desks and those will be the books for them for the week.

c. Check out sheets for students to fill out when they check out books.

17. Handling seatwork pagesa. These will be turned into the basket when they are done, or kept in

folder to finish later in the dayb. It will be made clear before the students start what the voice level

should be at. c. Directions will be written on the board as well as verbally explained

while being shown. 18. Preparing for lunch

a. Cold lunches will be put into a basket that can be taken down to the lunchroom, or students can pick up their lunch on their way.

b. Lunch choices will be made first thing in the morning. 19. Getting a tissue

a. This is something that can be shown and acted out every easily. Show students that it does not need to be a big deal or anything that will distract from the whole class.

b. Hand sanitizer must be used after. 20. Lunch count/ attendance

a. This will be done first thing in the morning using magnets. The magnets will be placed under their lunch choice for the day. The magnets that did not get moved are students that are absent.

b. This can be a student’s job in the morning. They need to make sure that everyone made a choice, and collect how many for each choice along with who is absent.

21. Throwing away trasha. This goes along with getting a tissue. This is something that can be

shown and acted out every easily. Show students that it does not need to be a big deal or anything that will distract from the whole class.

22. Turning in lost itemsa. Box in the room that will be labeled and kept behind teacher’s desk.

23. Locating lost itemsa. Box in the room that will be labeled and kept behind teacher’s desk

24. Pledgea. This is when you really need to know your students. For some it is

against their religion and as their teacher I need to respect that. For everyone else they need to show respect for their country by standing still and saying the pledge in a respectful manor. These expectations can be shown very easily.

25. Fire Drills/Tornado/ Lockdowna. All of these drills will be practiced before the first whole school drills

occur. Before it takes place, expectations are made and shown. We will do it until we do it correctly. I will have the routes and plans on a clip board by the door ready to go with a class list and expectations.

26. Signals for attentiona. I like using wind chimes or music to signal attention. But if that is not

accessible I count down from five with my hand in the air for students to follow suit. If it doesn’t happen the first time we can try again until we get it right.

27. Helping other studentsa. I love the idea of students helping each other and teaming up. They

have their clock partners to go to. Or they may also have subject partners.

b. I also like have something like a math expert for students to go to while working independently.

28. Organizing Desksa. I will have a desk checker that will go around at the end of the day to

see how everyone’s desks look. I will have a clipboard for this student with a picture of how the desks should look like. If it does not look like this students’ can chose to fix it now or during recess the next day.

There will be a ticket that will be placed on the students’ desks where they circle the choice and turn it into me. I will do the final check and sign the slip when it is all cleaned up.

29. What to do during free timeI have subbed in classrooms that have “what do I do now” boards in their rooms for students to choose something. This changes to what they are learning and the time of year as well. Below are some pictures of different ones that I have seen.

a.