As you prepare for a new school year, or even for your very first class, you will probably find lots of advice telling you how important routines are. Add this post to the list! In my opinion, class routines are THE most important part of teaching because they help your class run smoothly. And if your class doesn’t run smoothly, it doesn’t matter how much time you’ve spent planning lessons or how cute your bulletin boards are.
You must teach routines explicitly, and to do that you must know how you want things to run.
Students, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), are not mind readers, so it is important that you teach students the routines explicitly. Before you teach the routines to students, it is important that you have put thought into how you want things to run. You can get tons of ideas online and from fellow teachers, but ultimately when the bell rings, you are in charge of your class, and you will want things to run yourway. Be sure to spend time thinking through the routines and determining how you want each to go.
What routines and policies do I teach?
(...)
Here are the ones that are important to me:
- Raising hands
- Turning in papers
- Sharpening pencils
- Bathroom procedures
- Snacks
- Lining up
- Fire drill
- Working in groups
- Going to the nurse
- If you have to answer the phone
- Entering the classroom
- Getting water
- Packing up
- Writing down homework
- Turning in homework
- Turning in papers
- Passing out papers
- Returning forms
- Classroom library
- Getting a tissue
- Taking attendance
- Throwing away trash
- Answering the door to visitors
- Attendance
- Working in groups
- Working independently
- Absent students
- Walking in the hallway
- Using classroom supplies
- Getting “sick”
- Lunch count
- Transportation
- Dismissal
- Late work
- Test behavior
- Storing backpacks
- Organizing school supplies
- Organizing desks
- Toys in class
- Candy or gum
Here’s a free printable list if you want something to check and cross out!
Feel free to share with your teacher friends and new teachers!
http://www.morethanaworksheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Classroom-Procedures-List.pdf
Some tips:
Don’t teach them all at once!
While it is important to teach routines and procedures the first day or school, it is not a good idea to sit students down and go over this list one by one. Pick out the most important ones like bathroom and hand-raising policy to teach first. Many of them, you can teach as they are needed. For instance, 30 minutes before lunch, you may go over lunch procedures and then practice lining up.
It’s ok to make changes!
As your year goes along, if you realize a certain routine isn’t working, it’s ok to tweak things. Be honest with your students, tell them it isn’t working, and then introduce and practice the new way. Don’t feel like you have to be stuck with one way of doing things just because that’s what you taught them on the first day of school.
See more at:
http://www.morethanaworksheet.com/2015/08/05/class-routines-a-list-of-40-things-to-consider/