Classroom RoutinesManaging a happy classroom

Over the years many methods of controlling classrooms have emerged. Currently, one the most effective is that program of classroom management proposed by Harry K. Wong, put forward in The First Days of School. The focus is on creating orderly classroom routines that help children understand what is expected each day.

Each day, the children from Room 203 line up outside the classroom and wait to be greeted by their teacher. When they enter the room, they place their homework in the basket marked "homework," hang up their coats, and empty their back packs. Soon, the class is busy recording the day's assignments in their assignment book, and when completed work on the spelling puzzle they found on their desks.

Every day, the children in room 203 follow the same routines, routines they have learned. Flexibility comes in instruction, in meeting individual needs or challenges as they arise. The beauty of routines is that they are "What we do" not "Who we are." A child can be reminded that he or she forgot to complete a routine. He or she will not be told they are bad for breaking a rule.

The investment in time, creating the routines, is well worth while, since it means that children know every day what is expected, where to find the resources they need, and the expectations for behavior in the hall and the classroom.

A second investment in time is teaching the routines: sometimes over teaching them, so they become second nature.

The beginning of the year is the best time to establish routines. The First Six Weeks of School,by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete, lays out a course of six weeks worth of activities that

teach routines and create meaningful ways for students to interact and create community in the classroom. This approach is now trademarked as The Responsive Classroom.

Creating routines

You need to carefully consider the routines you will need.

A classroom teacher needs to ask:

How will the children enter the room? Where will they place their backpacks?

Their homework? Who will take the attendance? How will the

students record their lunch choices? What does a child do when his or her work

is completed? How does a child record his or her

independent reading? How are seats chosen at lunch time?

A resource room teacher will need to ask:

How will the children get from their general ed classroom to the resource room?

How will the children know when it is time to move from their desk to the teacher's table?

What role will a classroom aide play in the structure of the classroom?

Who records homework? Work on computer drill programs?

These, and many other questions should have an answer. Children from communities without much structure will need a great deal of structure in their day. Children from more orderly communities will not necessarily need as much structure. Children from inner city communities may need routines for getting their lunch, for where they will sit, even boy, girl, boy.

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As a teacher, it is always best to have too many routines and too much structure than too little-you can more easily take away than add.

Rules:

There is still a place for rules. Keep them simple, keep them few. One of the should be "Treat yourself and others with respect." Limit your rules to 10 at the most.

If you try the meeting format of the Responsive Classroom, avoid using "rules" to describe the behavior contract you may write, say for a field trip. Think about using "procedures" instead, and be sure to decide who is responsible for which "procedures."

Classroom Routines: A Must!Supporting Behaviour With Routines

Improve classroom management with effective classroom routines. All classrooms today have students who exhibit inappropriate behavior from time to time, some more frequently than others. Have you ever wondered why some teachers seem to be able to handle behavior situations better than others? Become one of those teachers! A consistent approach with no exceptions are your key to success in classroom management. Here's your checklist. Ask yourself how you handle each of these situations and do your students know what your expectations are?

1. What method do you employ to get your student's attention? (Count to three? Raise your hand? Flick the lights or a bell?)

2. What are your students expected to do when they come in first thing in the morning? from recess? lunch?

3. What routines are in place when students finish work early?

4. How do your students ask for assistance?

5. What are the consequences for unfinished work? late work? sloppy work? the student who refuses to work?

6. What are the consequences when a student disturbs another student?

7. Where do students turn their assignments/tasks in?

8. What are your routines for sharpening pencils?

9. How does a student ask to leave the room to use the washroom? Can more than one go at a time?

10. What are your dismissal routines?11. What are your tidy up routines?12. How are your students aware of all of

your routines?To have effective classroom management, teachers have routines that are well known and that have logical consequences when they're not followed. If you and your students can answer all of the questions above, you're well on your way to creating a positive learning environment with minimal distractions.

Rules, Routines, and StandardsIn Elementary and Secondary Grades

A classroom routine is simply a well-rehearsed response to a teacher's directive. The alternative is usually noise, milling around, and time wasting on the part of students, as well as nagging on the part of the teacher.

A classroom routine is, therefore, one of a teacher's primary labor-saving devices. Yet, classroom routines are not free. They are not simply be announced. They must be taught and practiced. Let's take a look at the teaching of a routine in order to get a sense of the effort that goes into getting the class to do as you ask.

A SAMPLE PROCEDURE

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Imagine you are a fourth grade teacher and it is the first day of school. Today, you will take the class to the library to meet the librarian. Before the class can get to the library, they must pass through the hall. Before they can do that, however, you must teach the lesson on passing through the halls quietly.

First, we set the stage by talking about how noise in the halls prevents students in other rooms from learning. You know that tune.

Next, before going out into the hall, you must develop visual cues, so you can pantomime instructions to students. A finger to the lips or mimicking zippering the mouth is standard fare. You also will need "stop" and "start" signals. One signal you cannot do without is the signal to "stop, go back, and start all over." You probably remember it: the teacher turns solemnly, holds both palms toward the students, and with a circular motion, points both index fingers back toward the classroom.

When the class is ready to follow your non-verbal cues, you head into the hall. With due seriousness, you check the lines for straightness before giving the signal to "follow me." The little band heads down the hall.

Now, let's interject a note of reality. What do you think the odds are that this collection of fourth graders will make it all the way to the library in complete silence? If your guess is "zero," you show real promise as a teacher.

Halfway down the hall, you hear a giggle from somewhere in the group. Do you care who giggled? No. Do you care how loud it was? No. Do you care whether students in nearby classrooms were actually pulled off task? No.

You turn, hold palms toward the class, make the circular motion with your hands, and point back

toward the classroom. Brace yourself for the pained looks on those little faces. Some students show disbelief for a moment before they realize you are not kidding. Keeping a straight face is the hardest part of this routine.

The class shuffles back to where they began and you repeat your non-verbal signals: "straight lines, zippered lips, follow me." Off you go again.

This time, the class makes it two-thirds of the way to the library when you hear talking at the end of the line. Do you care who talked? No. Do you care how loud it was? No.

You turn, hold palms toward the class and give your now well-known "about face" signal. This time you see real pain on the students' faces. Several students mouth the words, "I didn't do it," with pleading hands and looks of exaggerated sincerity. Keep a straight face.

Back to the beginning. "Line straight, lips zipped, follow me." Off they trundle one more time.

This time, they almost make it to the library when you hear whispering behind you. You know what to do by now, don't you? The pain registered on students' faces the third time around is almost too much to bear. Bite your lip.

Old pros know that this is the only way to play the game. Green teachers need to be reassured that they are doing the right thing.

By practicing the routine to mastery, you are signaling to students by your investment of time and energy that this piece of behavior is important. And you are teaching them a thing or two about yourself. They are learning that you are the living embodiment of two timeless characterizations of a teacher: "I say what I mean, and I mean what I say" and "We are going to keep doing this until we get it right."

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ESTABLISHING STANDARDS

And now, a note about standards: it is easier to have high standards than to have low standards.

To understand how that works, first you must realize that most of the reinforcement for deviant behavior in the classroom comes from the peer group. A student makes a silly remark and four kids giggle. The student who made the silly remark was just reinforced by four peers for playing the clown.

How can you turn that around? Nagging won't help. Rather simply practice the routine to mastery! As you practice, practice, practice, a transformation occurs within the peer group.

Let's return to our example of teaching students to walk quietly through the halls. After you stop and start over for the third time, 'the many' start losing patience with trekking up and down the hall. When they get tired of that repeated practice, they also lose patience with 'the few' who are causing them to do it. The next time they move down the hall, when one of the class clowns begins to do something silly, he or she immediately gets "dagger looks" from fellow classmates. Sensing that the behavior is now "uncool" instead of "cool," the goof-off quits the clown routine.

Finally, the class makes it to the library. In the process, students learn that "quiet" meansquiet. Only in that way, do they learn to take you and your standards seriously.

TEACHING ROUTINES VERSUS ANNOUNCING RULES

Research has repeatedly shown that highly effective teachers spend most of the first two weeks of a semester teaching classroom

routines. They know there is no free lunch. It is a case of

"Pay me now, or pay me later.Do it right now, or do it all year long."

The older the students, the less investment we make in teaching them routines. Typically, by high school, teaching routines has become rather perfunctory -- often consisting of just a few announcements on the first day of school.

When secondary teachers are asked why they don't spend more time teaching procedures, they reply, "The students should know how to behave by now. Besides, I don't have the time."

Yet, two of the most common complaints about student behavior from secondary teachers is "interrupting one another" and "talking while I'm talking." Both of those behaviors represent primary-grade socialization. The fact that they still occur in high school at a high rate simply demonstrates that students quickly regress when the teaching and enforcement of standards become lax.

Students, of course, know how to behave in class. The question is do they have to?Students adjust their behavior to match the standards of each teacher. The standards in any classroom, to put it bluntly, are defined by whatever any student can get away with.

The necessity of actually teaching students to behave the way you want them to behave often becomes real for secondary teachers when we consider a new piece of behavior rather than behavior that is a holdover from previous years.

Imagine, for example, teaching safety procedures in chemistry class. Accroding to the manual, the procedure for students to follow in the case of a caustic substance being splashed into the eyes is

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to "irrigate" the eyes with running water as quickly as possible.

Easy to say, but what will happen at the time of crisis? The student with acid in his or her eyes will be out of control, probably screaming and thrashing about. What physical response do you need from the other students?

If it has not been practiced, it will not happen. Chances are it will be a scene reminiscent of life-saving class at the swimming pool; Turn the person around forcefully, get your forearm across the throat, and force his or her head under the faucet face up. If students leave class today with dry collars, chances are they won't be able to help one another when the time comes.

A teacher will say, "But students are supposed to wear safety goggles at all times!" True! But then everyone should drive the speed limit too. If everybody followed the rules, we wouldn't need safety procedures. In fact, students often take off their goggles because they fog over, and then forget to put them back on.

Investing time in the teaching of classroom procedures is a classic example of proactiveversus reactive management. As always, prevention is cheaper than remediation. But prevention is not free. You must invest "up front" if you want to reap the dividends for the remainder of the semester.

Design and Establish Effective Classroom Routines for a Successful School Year

 

Introduction

Designing and establishing classroom routines was not a course that my teachers' colleges offered me.

I think that was a serious omission on their part.

We all know that if students are free to move about as they please, when they please, they will do exactly that. Limiting their choices and restricting their movements do wonders for establishing a conducive learning environment.

The first step in creating classroom routines is to establish optimal traffic flow patterns.

Traffic Flow

With the exception of computer labs and science labs, there doesn't seem to be a lot of essential variation from classroom to classroom within the same school. But, the location of the entry door is sometimes in the left corner, the right corner, or even in the middle.

How do you want your kids to enter and exit your classroom?

If you channel them all in one direction, you won't have to worry about them swarming in, knocking stuff off the teacher's desk, and otherwise acting chaotic.

In my case, my classroom door was in the left corner of the room and my desk was located directly across from it. As a result, I determined that students entering the room should immediately turn right, proceed to the back of the room, turn left, proceed to the appropriate aisle, and then move forward to their assigned seats.

When exiting the classroom, students would follow the same movement pattern in reverse.

Preparing Students for Entry

What do you want your kids to accomplish before they enter your classroom?

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I think that we would all agree that students should be prepared for learning when they enter your classroom. They should have already visited the restrooms. They should have already had a turn at the water fountain.

But most importantly, they should have made that visit to their lockers to get what they need for your class: textbook, paper, something to write with, and anything else that you require them to bring to your class.

As a language arts teacher, not only did I inform them of what I expected them to bring to my class, I also posted daily reminders on the hallway bulletin board right outside the classroom door.

If you make this clear to your kids from the very beginning, you won't find yourself in the position of having to write hall passes throughout the class period instead of facilitating learning. Unless there is a true emergency, I remind students, no one will be allowed to leave my classroom.

If that sounds a little draconian, remind students that we are in the business of success. Success requires full participation, attention, and sincere effort. The kinds of things that they are likely to learn in the hallway, will not likely contribute to their chances of being successful.

Obtaining Classroom Materials

What additional materials will students need after they have gotten to your class, and how will they obtain them?

On Mondays in my class, for example, students know that they need their reading journals for Readers Workshop. Their reading journals are actually file folders containing their written responses to writing prompts, a list of prompts

to write about, and the rubric to guide their efforts.

Without these folders, students will have nothing to do during work time. As a result, I keep these file folders in my classroom so that they will not magically disappear in lockers or end up under beds.

Organizing Classroom Materials

When they enter my classroom on that particular day and they have gotten to the rear of the room, they get their folders from a document holder that I have labeled to match their seat numbers. Document holders are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased in your local office supply store.

Because I have five classes, each numbered slot contains as many as five folders. To prevent them from standing there sorting through folders to find theirs, I color code the folders.

Everyone in my first period class has blue folders. The only blue folder in slot number eight belongs to my first period student, Andrew Garcia. As a result, Andrew is able to select his folder quickly and then proceed to his seat. Time for horseplay is radically minimized.

Boxes of color file folders are slightly more expensive than manila folders, but they are well worth it. Other than blue, I normally use green, red, yellow, and purple. The color doesn't matter so much as long as each member of the class has the same color.

Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if students had to sort through a big stack of manila file folders to locate their own?

On Tuesdays in my class, students know that they will need their writing journals. Their

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journals are actually standard composition books that their parents buy for them before the beginning of school. I store these journals in a bookcase at the back of the classroom that is labeled "Writing Journal Library."

Once again, I use color coding. Most composition books have black spines, but there are a few odd variations. I tape large stick-it notes near the bottom of each spine and direct students to write their assigned seat numbers on the notes so that they are visible when approaching the Writing Journal Library. The composition books rest on the shelves like regular books--spines placed vertically in a row, organized by color.

All of my first period students now have a blue file folder and a blue composition book, and they are able to locate them quickly and easily.

Managing the Pencil Sharpener

As I'm sure you will agree, the pencil sharpener can be the bane of our existence as teachers. If you allow it, the pencil sharpener becomes the social gathering point within the classroom. It can also be a primary location for conflicts. So, it is imperative to include sharpener management as part of your classroom routines.

Unless you are a math teacher, consider requiring students to use ink only. However, ink pens can be a tool for classroom disruption--they get "leaky" or busy fingers somehow find ways to break them open, depositing ink all over fingers, clothing, desks, and the floor.

Now they have an emergency. They have to go to the restroom to clean up. Now you have to summon the custodian.

If you choose to use a pencil sharpener, please consider buying a professional grade sharpener. Not one of those small electriconic things that

they issue at the beginning of the school year that never seem to make it through the first grading period.

Professional grade sharpeners are pricey--around $150 or so. But they are well worth it. They are much quieter, much faster, and much more resilient. The one I purchased about five years ago was still going strong when I retired. Plus, I ended up selling it to another teacher for $25.

I require my students as they enter the classroom to use the sharpener once before the beginning of class. The sharpener is located near the Writing Journal Library, so crossing to the other side of the classroom is not necessary. Once they have sharpened their pencils for the first time, they're done--any future sharpening must be accomplished with handheld sharpeners at their desks.

Movement during Class

Students have arrived prepared for your class. They have obtained the necessary materials as you have prescribed, and they have sharp pencils. Because they have found their seats and begun the warm-up activity, class begins right at the tardy bell.

There is no need for further movement during class, unless an activity requires it. No one gets up to throw away trash--trash is kept at each desk for deposit in the trash can at the end of class. No one balls up paper in preparation for a visit to the trash can. If they "mess up their paper," they put aside the whole sheet for disposal at the end of class.

Please consider structuring classroom routines for specific activities during the instructional day by using the CHAMPs Management System.

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Dismissing the Class

Establishing effective classroom routines for the dismissal of students is crucial. The last thing you probably want is for everyone to jump up at the bell and run out of the classroom.

About three minutes before the final class bell, I call section by section for students to return their materials to their proper locations, deposit trash, and come back to their seats. When the bell does ring, everyone is prepared to go.

Students exit in the reverse order that they entered. Everyone has cleared the room, and I am ready to greet the next group of students.

Implementing Classroom Routines

I begin implementing classroom routines on the second day of school. Normally on the first day of school, it is impossible to accomplish much more than to introduce the first warm-up activity, assign seats, check the roll, and explain the first assignment. Please see the First Day of School page for more details.

But, I reserve the entire second day of school to explain my classroom routines. I demonstrate each routine for them. I step out into the hallway, re-enter the room, and go through it step-by-step. At the end of my demonstration, I quiz them about what they have just observed.

I present this quiz in the form of a simple PowerPoint presentation which I display on the classroom television. There are fifteen multiple-choice questions and five true or false statements. I include a bonus question at the end. I explain that if they get the bonus question correct, it will add 10 points to their scores. If they get it wrong, no points are deducted from their scores.

It's a win, win situation. After all, I explain, we are in the business of success.

Before I advance to the slide that contains the bonus question, I explain that this will require a short answer. Please use three to five complete sentences to express your response.

Bonus Question: Why do you think having classroom routines is important?

After a few minutes of thinking and responding time, I direct students to exchange papers for grading. Then, I display the answers to the quiz. In this way, students have immediate feedback about how well they did. I conclude by explaining what an acceptable answer would be for the bonus question.

Invariably, I get lots of questions from kids about whether the answer that they are looking at on someone else's paper is acceptable. And, almost always, it is.

They get it! They understand the classroom routines, and they know why they are important. They have bought into it.

My classroom routines are in place.

Signs for Everything

I put signs on almost everything in my classroom.

This is just simply because it makes it easier for kids to find things. There are signs for the Writing Journal Library, the Reading Journals, and even a large sign pointing to where the pencil sharpener is located. There are several more signs throughout the room, but I'll save that for my page on Classroom Design.

I even have directional signs located at strategic points. There is a right-turn indicator that greets

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students when they first enter the classroom. There is a left-turn sign in the first corner of the room that they encounter, indicating the path of movement.

Several of my colleagues actually tape large arrows on the floor of the classroom to remind students of the path that they are to take.

Everything has been thought out, everything is labeled, and there is no room for confusion.

Conclusion

Establishing effective classroom routines requires a considerable amount of thought and effort.

Kids truly respond positively in a structured environment. If you can guide them into the discovery of the importance of classroom routines, and if you can get them to buy into them, you will have greatly enhanced your chances for having a successful school year.

But, if you have never used classroom routines before, please consider doing so. It will be the best time that you ever spent, and it will repay itself over and over again.

Kids truly respond positively in a structured environment. If you can guide them into the discovery of the importance of classroom routines, and if you can get them to buy into them, you will have greatly enhanced your chances for having a successful school year.

Teaching Classroom Routines and Procedures

It would be easy if all we had to do was tell our students what all of ourclassroom procedures are on the first day of school. In a perfect world, they would remember the procedures and follow them without fail until the

very last day of school. Dream on! They are kids. They will forget.Make learning the procedures a concrete, hands-on activity throughout the first weeks of school. Begin with the most important procedures: entering the classroom, opening the class, transitions, and dismissal. Then you may add other procedures later, such as putting the heading on papers, turning in homework, sharpening pencils, etc.In his book, The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher, Dr. Harry K. Wong suggests a three-step process for teaching classroom procedures to students:

Explain classroom procedures clearly.

Rehearse classroom procedures until they become routines.

Reinforce a correct procedure and reteach an incorrect one.The bottom line is: Plan on spending a lot of time teaching your classroom procedures, practicing them with your students, and reinforcing them during the first few weeks of school. And if you teach middle school students, remember that your students have several other teachers whose procedures may be different from yours. You may want to get together with some of the other teachers before the start of the school year to agree upon a set of uniform procedures for those not already regulated by your school district.In addition, post your procedures in a prominent place. This is a good way to remind students of how things are done in your classroom. For example:When the tardy bell rings . . .

1. Be in your seat ready to work quietly.

2. Place your homework assignment on your desk so it is ready to be collected.

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3. Begin the opening activity (directions are on the board/overhead projector each day).

4. Wait quietly for the teacher's instruction.When the dismissal bell rings . . .

1. At the sound of the bell, close your book and stop working.

2. Stay in your seat until you hear the teacher dismiss you.

3. Leave quietly and in an orderly manner.

Head Off Behavior Problems With Classroom ProceduresThe secret to warding off at least some behavior problems is establishing positive classroom procedures for daily tasks and activities. The secret to warding off at least some behavior problems is establishing positive classroom procedures for daily tasks and activities. Your students will appreciate your consistency, and once they have internalized classroom procedures, the day will run that much more smoothly.Of course, choosing the right rules and procedures for your classroom is an individual decision. But be sure to define what you expect of students from the very beginning. Remember to take time toteach procedures during the first days and weeks of school.Here is a list of general procedures to teach. You can adapt them to your grade level and school setting.

1. Entering the room — Enter quietly and politely; remove your hat if you're wearing one; don't interrupt other students; follow the appropriate procedures for each time of day (e.g., morning, after lunch, after a special class). 

2. Lining up — Stand up quietly; push in your chair; take all necessary items; line up without touching others or talking; face the front of the

line; watch where you are going. 

3. Leaving the room — Tell me where you are going; take the correct hall pass; do not run or play in the hallways or restrooms. 

4. Beginning the day — Enter the room politely; put away your backpack, lunch, and coat; turn in your homework; sit at your desk and read alone or do before-school work silently. 

5. Ending the day — Clean off your desk; leave out your work notebook; pick up any trash within three feet of your desk; stack your chair; collect your mail; wait quietly to be dismissed. 

6. Taking out/putting away/caring for supplies — Share group supplies; recap markers and glue; check the number written on the supplies to make sure they belong in your group basket; if something belongs to another group, return it to them quietly. 

7. Participating in group lessons — Do not bring anything with you unless I ask you to; politely find a place to sit where you can do your best learning; sit flat, not on your knees; listen carefully for new information; raise your hand to speak; do not speak when someone else is speaking. 

8. Obtaining help with assignments — Quietly ask the students at your table for help with directions if you need it; if you are working alone, raise your hand to get help from me; if you are working with a group, ask them for help in understanding how you do the assignment. 

9. Handing in finished work/homework — Make sure your name is on your paper; place your paper upside down in the "finished work" or "homework" basket. 

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10. What to do with unfinished work — If I ask for work to be turned in, let me know if it isn't finished; if I ask you to keep an unfinished project, put it in your class work notebook. 

11. When and how to use the school restroom — If I am not teaching the whole group, stand by the classroom door with your hand raised; if I say "no," wait for a better class time to go; if I nod, leave the room quietly; do not play in the restroom; return to class before two minutes have passed (promptly). 

12. When and how to use the drinking fountain or sink — When I am not teaching the whole group, you may get a drink; take only a three-second drink; you may bring a water bottle to keep on your desk; if you need to wash your hands, use only a little soap; wipe up any water you spill. 

13. When and how to use the pencil sharpener — At the beginning of each assignment, the person I've chosen to be the "Pencil Sharpener" will invite you to have him or her sharpen your pencil; if your pencil breaks during an assignment, use a community pencil; only the "Pencil Sharpener" can run the sharpener and empty it. 

14. Being a classroom helper; learning a classroom job — If you get a job on Monday, see the person who did the job last week during silent reading time, ask him or her for the job description card, and have him or her help you on the first day. For the rest of the week, it is your responsibility to remember to do your job. 

15. Getting into work groups — Take all the materials you will need; greet each other; complete the task doing your personal best; make sure each person signs the project; thank

the others in your group. 

16. Using the classroom library — When I am not teaching the whole group, you may check out a book. To do so, select a book (you only have three minutes at the class library) and sign out the book on the sign-out sheet. Take good care of the book; when you are finished, return the book to the basket and check it off the list. 

17. Handling seatwork pages — As soon as you get a paper, print your first name and last initial at the top on the right-hand side and today's date at the top on the left-hand side. 

18. Preparing for lunch  — Wait quietly at your desk; when your lunch number is called, get your lunch or lunch money and line up in order; take everything with you, as you will not be allowed to come back to the classroom after we leave for lunch; while you're waiting in line, think about the way you need to behave in the lunchroom and on the playground; while you're at lunch and at recess, find one person who is behaving responsibly and be prepared to tell the class what you noticed. 

19. Getting a tissue — You may get a tissue from the closest of the four tissue boxes whenever you need one; you don't even have to ask; throw the used tissue away immediately; make sure it lands in the trash can; get right back to work. 

20. Lunch count/attendance — "Hot lunch" means you are having school lunch; "cold lunch" means you brought a lunch from home; move your attendance tag/magnet/clothespin to the "hot lunch" or "cold lunch" sign/spot; wait patiently for your turn. 

21. Throwing away trash — You may throw away trash whenever you need to if I am not teaching the whole group; do not play basketball with

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your trash; make sure all trash lands in the can; pick up trash even if it isn't yours. 

22. Turning in lost items — Ask the people around you if they lost the item you found; if not, write your name and the date on a slip of paper and tape the item to it; if it is money or something valuable, put the item and slip on my desk for safekeeping; if not, put it in the Lost and Found box; give yourself a "pat on the back" for being honest. 

23. Locating lost items — Ask the people around you if they found the item you lost; if not, check the Lost and Found box; if it is not there, ask me at a time when I'm not teaching the class; if you find it, thank the person who turned it in; next time, try to take care of your things. Consider going through the Lost and Found box at the end of each month with the whole class. If an item remains unclaimed, give it to the person who turned it in. 

24. Pledge — When you hear/see the signal, stop what you're doing immediately and stand up; place your right hand over your heart; say the Pledge of Allegiance respectfully; during the 30 seconds of silence, quietly think about the things you want to learn today and how you will act in class and on the playground. 

25. Visitors in the classroom — When visitors enter the room, let the designated classroom "host" or "hostess" greet them; when the host or hostess rings the chimes, get ready to listen to and look at the visitor — a smile is great!; when the host or hostess introduces the visitor, say, "Welcome to our class, __________"; remember, most visitors are here to watch you learn, so be ready to explain what you are working on; treat visitors respectfully. 

26. Fire drill — Stop everything; stand up and head for the door quickly, but without running or pushing; do not cover your ears; do not make any side trips; the classroom "fire chief" takes the fire drill packet and leads the line outside; the second person in line holds the classroom door for the rest of the class; the third person in line holds the outside door only for our class, then becomes the last person in line; wait patiently, calmly, and quietly in line outside until we are allowed to go back to what we were doing. 

27. Signals for attention — When I need your attention, I will ring the chimes (or sound the rain stick, open the music box, etc.); as soon as you hear the signal, stop what you are doing, look at me, and listen for directions. 

28. Helping other students — In a cooperative classroom, it is good to help one another; if someone needs help with directions or reading an assignment, help him or her if you are able; if someone needs help with understanding the problem, tell him or her to ask me for help; never put down another student who asks for help. 

29. Organizing desk — Remove all loose papers; decide if they should go home or stay at school; put papers that should stay at school in the front pocket of your work notebook; put pencil or art supplies in your school box; put your folders and work notebook on the left side of your desk tray; everything else goes on the right side; pick up your trash. 

30. What to do during free time — If you finish an assignment, first work on any unfinished assignments that are in the front pocket of your work notebook; when you finish those, you may choose to do your classroom job, read a book, write a story, illustrate a book, make up math problems, work on a research project, peer-tutor

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someone who needs your help, or create a song about what the class is studying.

Rules and routines keep your class running smoothly so that you have more time for teaching academics. Here are some ideas for establishing, using, and reinforcing rules and routines.

Rules

Rules are just like other instructional activities. They have to be taught, reviewed, and reinforced if they are to be remembered. As we start the year, the teaching of rules and routines is the first activity we should accomplish. Once this has been done, we can begin to teach and will teach more by the end of the year than if we had simply handed out books and started instruction.

Introduce each rule and discuss the variety of behaviors that the rule might include. Reinforce students who are following the rules. Thank them for their consideration. At the elementary level, reinforcement can be done aloud. Upper grade, middle, and high school students can be thanked quietly and privately.

Rules should be both written and taught to students at the beginning of the year. Guidelines for establishing rules are:

o Involve the class in making the rules.

o Keep the rules short and easy to understand.

o Phrase the rules in a positive way.

o Remind the class of the rules at times other than when someone has misbehaved.

o Make different rules for different kinds of activities.

o Key children in to when different rules apply.

o Post the rules and review them periodically.

o If a rule isn't working, change it.

SAMPLE RULESElementary School

o Be polite.

o Let others work.

o Work quietly.

Middle School

o Enter class quietly.

o Raise hands to talk.

o Respect the rights of others.

High School

o Enter class quietly.

o Raise hands to talk.

o Respect others' rights to speak.

Routines

Routines refer to specific behaviors and activities that are taught in order to provide smooth, uninterrupted class operation.

Routines, carefully taught, can save large amounts of time during the year. When students know exactly what is expected of them in a variety of situations, the time saved can be spent teaching rather than organizing or disciplining.

Develop, teach, and enforce a specific routine for these basic situations:

o Passing papers

o Leaving to go to the restroom

o Sharpening pencils

o Heading of papers

o Getting supplies and books

o Working in small groups

o Dismissing the class

o When assignments are complete

o Putting away materials

o Safety routines

o Taking attendance

Administrative Procedures

What are students to do while roll, lunch count, and administrivia are completed?

What are the procedures for students who are tardy, have excuses, or leave early?

What are the routines for hall and playground behaviors, e.g., lining up, walking in the halls, passing time, lockers, lunchroom, restrooms?

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What are the school or district procedures that must be followed?

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