This page lays out my plan for classroom procedures and routines including getting students' attention, morning routine, workshop routines, managing classwork, procedures for leaving the room, and other miscellaneous procedures.
Attention Getters
There are many ways to gain the attention of students. One of my favorites is a collection of call and responses. Below are some examples and video demonstrations. I include so many because I find from experience keeping students on their toes and switching them up regularly keeps them more engaged and prevents the novelty from wearing off. This ties into my philosophy on student engagement.
Stop & Look:
Macaroni & cheese...everybody freeze!
Freeze! Everybody clap your hands...(15 claps)
Jazz hands!...(hand motions)
General Attention:
Bum budda bum bum...bum bum (to the tune of "Shave and a Haircut")
Red robin...yummmmm (to the tune of the jingle)
When I say 4th, you say grade, 4th!...Grade! (repeat as necessary)
Clap pattern...students repeat
Turn Down the Volume:
And a hush fell over the crowd...husssshhhhh
Roller coaster!....woooo (hand motions)
Waterfall...shhhhh (hand motions)
Themed:
Shark bait...ooh ha ha
To infinity...and beyond!
Hocus Pocus...everybody focus!
Scooby dooby doo...where are you? (to the tune of the theme)
Who ya gonna call?...Ghostbusters!
Teacher sings Addams Family theme, students snap
Sleigh bells ring...are you listening? (to the tune of the song)
Video demos coming soon!
Morning Routine
Having a morning routine is critical to creating a self-sufficient, smooth-running classroom. As I am greeting students, they will know exactly what to do each morning so I am not trying to split my attention. Here is an example of a second grade morning routine.
I greet every student at the door with their choice of greeting - this is important to my philosophy about students' belonging.
Students check the list on the board of things to get from their backpack, things to be turned in, and materials to pick up, then put away their backpacks. There will be clearly designated baskets for things to pick up or turn in and one dedicated to notes for the teacher, all at the "headquarters."
Students start at their home base and either complete morning work or choose a morning tub, depending on the day. Morning work might be a quick-write prompt, math warmup, or housekeeping task.
If they finish morning work early, they may read independently.
We will have a morning meeting each day on the carpet where we greet each other, center ourselves, discuss the morning work, and put up the quote of the day as a morning message. Once a week, we'll complete a ClassDojo episode and activity instead of a question of the day. This is also important to my philosophy on student well-being and belonging as well as my belief that social-emotional learning is just as important as academic content and can integrate academic skills.
After morning meeting, we will transition to flexible seating mode and our first lesson or activity of the day.
Below are some examples of morning routine materials. The morning routine will be displayed on the board or projector with checklists for the day and the morning work. Students that need a specific checklist as an accommodation can have one on their desk. Click on the images to view the source.
Workshop Routines
Because I often use the workshop/center rotation model, my students will learn routines and procedures for each type of workshop. Some days, we might also use a must do/may do structure instead of a traditional workshop model. Here are some examples of routines posted for students during workshops:
A rotation chart or to-do list like this one will be posted on the board so anyone can check what's next or what materials they need.
A light like this can serve as a signal to students not to interrupt a guided group during workshop, even though I am constantly scanning the room. Mine would say "Ask 3 before me," meaning ask 3 classmates for help before asking me.
Apple Classroom also helps keeps students accountable when integrating iPads into workshop centers.
Using Seesaw to document student work at hands-on centers can help keep them accountable without requiring them to write everything down.
Centers will be organized into bins or folders with a task card and/or picture directions. Students will also learn each center as they are introduced.
Students can check their work during independent centers through QR codes to keep them self sufficient and help them practice skills correctly.
Materials & Group Work
Students will know from the first week of school where to find center materials (e.g. writing utensils, papers, sets of task cards, folder activities, bin activities, etc.). Every activity will specify on the written instructions whether it is a group, partner, or individual activity, and I will specify when giving instructions for workshop that day what the noise level and group work should be.
Transitions to the next centers will be explicitly taught - a timer on the board will go off to start cleaning up, plus students will be able to see how much time is left. Another transition timer with two minutes will begin. This quick and quiet transition will take practice, but two minutes will be plenty of time for students to clean up their current center (gathering word sorts and manipulatives, etc.). At the beginning of the year, students will look at me when ready to transition for the code word to quietly move to the next center. Later in the year, they will be in the habit of cleaning up appropriately and will be able to do this more independently.
One strategy I will use to assess if groups are ready to transition is these lights with "We're ready" written on them. This could be used many other ways as well. Groups could use these when they're ready to share out, ready to transition, ready to have their work checked, ready to learn after a transition, or even as a way to signal they are ready to learn when behaviors are getting out of hand and the teacher needs to pull them back in for a reset (e.g. "show me you're ready") as a physical/visual representation of their "ready behavior."
Leaving the Classroom
Any time students need to leave the room, the teacher should know where they are in case of emergencies. I will have a magnet system so I know which students are with other teachers, in the bathroom, etc. In addition, students will have laminated pass on a lanyard so staff know where they should be. In terms of bathroom procedures, students and I will discuss appropriate times to go to the restroom at the beginning of the year. After that, I may have a restroom signal such as the letter 'R' in sign language, so students do not need to interrupt the lesson to ask; if I feel the students can handle it, I may not require them to ask at all as long as they move their magnet and take a bathroom pass. This would depend heavily on age and maturity levels. For classes learning about appropriate times to leave, I could also have a light like the one below next to the passes, but mine would say "Is it an emergency?" (meaning when the light is on, please do not leave unless it cannot wait).
Managing Classwork
Because I believe in discovery-based, center-based learning, I will have minimal paper products from classwork. Most classwork will take place in hands-on activities, documented on a digital platform like Seesaw, Schoology, or Google Classroom, or in the students' interactive binders. I can easily create digital portfolio files for each student using these digital activities or use their notebooks as a form of assessment. For paper classwork assignments, students will turn them in to the proper turn-in bins. I'll have folders or binder clips for each assignment that needs to be graded and returned. If I'm using it for an official grade or evidence of mastery, I'll put it in the student's assessment file (explained in the section below). If not, I'll send it home for parents to see what we've been working on.
Other Incidental Procedures
Pencil Sharpening - Students will have a communal caddy of supplies including plenty of pencils, so during work they can get another one from the bucket. I might ask students to help me sharpen pencils during the morning or afternoon routine, or I might simply sharpen them myself as a brain break when I'm doing prep work in the room.
Trash - The procedure for throwing trash away is simple: keep our classroom clean. We will practice waiting until they are done cutting to go to the trash can, and other such minutiae, but because the classroom is flexible in other procedures, students will generally have the freedom to throw trash away as needed. The biggest part of procedures for trash will be learning about what goes in the recycling bin to keep our Earth as clean as our classroom.
Entering & Exiting the Room - Any time we go somewhere as a class, we will line up together. When we come back, we'll stop outside the door to get directions or make sure we are ready to learn once we go inside. There won't be assigned spots in line unless the need arises, but there will be multiple discussions on how to pick a spot in line wisely and responsibly, similar to the discussions on how to pick a flexible seating spot that works for them. I firmly believe in giving students this choice not only because it helps fulfill their needs of power and choice, but because it's a great opportunity for SEL, specifically teaching self regulation and self-reflection. With younger children (K-1st), we will do a hallway chant. With older children (2nd-5th) I will remind them of appropriate hallway choices. Here is the hallway chant, borrowed from a kindergarten field experience I had:
My hands are hanging at my side I'm standing straight and tall My eyes are facing forward Now I'm ready for the hall
Turning In & Passing Back Work - There will be a turn-in bin or folder for each subject (pictured earlier on this page). Students will be able to turn in any paper assignments (homework, classwork, etc.) to the proper labeled bin. Each student will have a designated folder for passing back graded work and rubrics that will be sent home. Assignments that are going into the gradebook or being collected for permanent product assessment/portfolio assessments go into student files and the rest can go home permanently. Work that was documented on Seesaw or Schoology and feedback on those platforms can be put in a folder and kept digitally filed for assessment.
Passing Out Materials - Daily materials (e.g. handouts, packets, worksheets, etc.) will be in folders in one of the drawers at each home base (explained in classroom design) at the beginning of each day. Materials can also be added when students are at specials or recess. This minimizes the things the teacher needs to hand out to individual students, especially when students are scattered around the room in flexible seating. It also helps keep me as the teacher organized to pass things out ahead of time, especially since I do not have a traditional teacher desk setup.
Noise Management - One noise management strategy is to explicitly tell students what voice levels they should be using at any given time. An easy way to do that is to have signs with clips or lights on the board with volumes specified. At the beginning of the year, the class would demonstrate and practice each volume so they know what it should sound and feel like. Below are some examples of noise management strategies. Click on the images to view the source.
Classroom Library Procedures
I will have a "Ms. Lockley's Personal Library" stamp inside each book cover (or my name written in Sharpie). To check a book out, students will use a classroom iPad to scan a QR code in the library area. This will take them to a Google Form where they put their name, book title and author, and the date they are checking it out. These responses will go to a spreadsheet so I can keep track of who checked out what and when. They will be due in two weeks to be consistent with a typical library loan, but students may renew their book. "Class librarians" can check upcoming due dates and deliver reminder notes. To return it, students will bring it to me so I can mark it returned, then shelve it back where it belongs (in the proper basket or shelf, according to the color/letter sticker on the spine). Click here for the library loan form.