Clear expectations and classroom procedures are an essential part of setting up your classroom. Class runs more smoothly and students feel safer when they know what to expect!
My classroom is really energetic and silly, but it only works because we also have, structure and routine. These procedures allow me to cut down on transition time and redirection, giving us more time for learning and fun! If I ever forget to do one of the items below, my students always remind me!
My morning routine before class begins
- Write the homework on the board
- Put directions under the doc cam. This tells students what materials they need and what work to begin. (There are usually only a few choices, so I have them pre-written on a ring that I can easily switch for different class periods.)
1. Entering the room
I greet students in Spanish at the door.
Students enter the room, take out any necessary supplies, write down the homework and work on the warm up until the timer goes off. It is usually set for 5-8 minutes.
2. Warm-ups
The classroom warm-up procedures change each quarter as the students abilities grow.
- 6th graders:
- First quarter: They take the full 5 minutes to copy down the homework and get their supplies out.
- Second quarter: Cultura Diara notes
- Third and Fourth quarters: Duolingo.
- 7th graders: Duolingo (See this post for more info!)
While students work on their warm-ups, I:
- take attendance
- reset activities from the previous class
- pass back papers
- conference with students who were absent or have missing work
- pick cards for the question master
3. Question master
We start class each day with three routine questions:
- What is the date?
- What is the weather?
- How are you?
Each day a new student is in charge of asking the daily questions to three classmates. Once someone has had a turn as question master, I mark them off on my clipboard until everyone has had a chance. I choose the three people they will call on by supplying the question master with name cards. This saves time and guarantees everyone participates.
If it’s someone’s birthday, I deliberately pull his/her name to answer the date.
Update: We have now started using Calendar Talk procedures as part of our warm-up as well.
4. Passing out and collecting materials
This classroom procedure has changed depending on the layout of my room.
Row seating procedure
Passing out: I give the correct amount of papers to the person on the end, and students take one and pass it down. We practice this the first week so students do it efficiently and don’t play “keep away.” (Oh middle schoolers!)
Collecting: Students pass everything to the end of the row and the last person turns all papers into the basket or returns supplies to their appropriate spot. (When I make my seating charts, I try to put students with movement break accommodations at the end of the row so they can get up frequently while still being helpful.)
Table seating procedure
Passing out: I put the correct amount of papers in the center of each table and students take their own. If I am passing out games or other supplies, I ask a specific person from each table (they each have a number 1-4 on their desk) to come get enough for the group
Collecting: I choose a number and that person turns in everything for the group or returns all the suplies.
5. Grading papers
As part of the warm-up routine, students take out their homework to be graded. I project the answers to homework or an activity and we go over them as a class. Students grade their own papers in a different color because I want them to see and learn from their own mistakes. They write their score at the top of the page and circle it before passing it in. This allows me to quickly go through the stack and put grades into the computer. If I have an untrustworthy student, I will glance over that paper and make sure it was graded accurately. This saves me tons of time!
I do not pass back self-graded papers! Ninety percent of students will just leave them on the floor or throw them away.
Once I record those grades, I paperclip the assignment together and place it in a bin for that class. No name papers go on top. If a student wants to dispute something in the grade book, I let them go through the stack and find their paper as proof. I recycle each bin at the end of the quarter.
These classroom procedures may not seem revolutionary, but you would be amazed by how much time they save in transitions. What are your favorite classroom management strategies and routines for running an efficient classroom? Comment below!
