Classroom Procedures

[sml522]

I'm so thankful for all of your experience. This site has already been a great help. Thank you!

You've all brought up some things I had not considered.

The nose blowing issue just makes me laugh. I can remember being in junior high and feeling the same way.

I really like the index card idea for questions. I may have to borrow that.

[JMB115]

You've got a great list going--I'd add "What to do if you're going to be sick." If it's an emergency--RUN to the restroom so you don't throw up in my classroom! I have never had anyone take advantage of this and have never had anyone throw up in my room....a few kids have ran out, though!

[JetShack]

Kids love a routine. They might say they don't, but they do. Establishing that routine will work wonders.

I run my class with only one hard and fast rule. Stay in your seats.

I have a set of clickers that I use for attendance every day. The second the bell rings I start a 5 question quiz / bellwork. The questions advance automatically every minute. Once the quiz is finished 5 minutes of class is over. This provides a couple of things. If a student answered all five questions they weren't tardy. If a student answered less than five but more than 0 they were tardy. If a student doesn't answer any questions they were absent. (Our school policy if a student isn't in class within 5 minutes they're absent.) It also gives me a daily grade.

The next 6-8 minutes is a physics video covering recently covered material.

The next 5-10 minutes is devoted to questions relating to homework / previously covered material / in general.

The next 5 minutes is for assignment grading (if applicable) and assignment turn in. I have my kids grade their own papers when possible.

The next 10-12 minutes has been when I've introduced new material. However I'm planning on flipping my classroom next year. I'm not sure how this time will be used yet, which excites me as it gives me an extra hour every week to instructional time.

The next 5 minutes is optional depending on time constraints of the given day. If it's available I'll show a 5 minute video over material covered that day or we'll run through an online lab.

The last 5 minutes of the day are devoted to making sure everything is how they found it. This is the point when they are allowed to get out of their seats.

I know this schedule is going to change for me next year after the class has been flipped and I'm struggling to figure out how it's going to work, but the idea of having an extra hour of instructional time is just to tempting to not give it a go.

Anyway, this is how my class runs 2 or 3 days a week. I generally devote 2 days a week to lab activities. Those days there's a different routine but there's still a routine. Test days have a routine all their own.

I'm lucky enough not to have too many classroom management issues. Probably because I have a fairly intimidating presence (big, bald, and ugly). When I do I've got an awesome administration to take care of them (they know if I send a kid down there it's for due cause).

I'd recommend determining a routine before determining procedures. Routines solve so many problems.

[ciounoi]

Having a procedure for what to do when you are done with work is SO important! You'll want to have something for that.

I would poke around on the web for procedure checklists, too. I have some but not sure how to upload the links to a post.

[myangel52]

- entering the room (read the board, get out required materials for the class period)
- turning in work (goes in a specific place)
- where materials are
- passes for bathroom visits
- to be dismissed at the end of class, all students must be in their seats and quiet so I may give last minute reminders.

[Linguist92021]

Jetshack, I love the routine you have set up!!

[HWilson]

Originally Posted by chemteach55

Next year, I am going to haves a sign out book so that I can catch the frequent leavers to go to the bathroom or whatever.

I print a table/ excel sheet every Monday. This is where I keep attendance, restroom uses, and homework grades for the week. Basically each student is listed then by their name is 3 small boxes ( 3 restroom passes a nine weeks) when they go to the restroom I "x" a box. Then following that is a larger box to mark attendance for Monday and a smaller box to put their grade for homework. Then the bigger, smaller boxes repeat for each day of the week. This way on Friday I go to the grade book and run down the list and put in all the homework grades for the week quickly ( because its already alphabetized) and then I mark the "x"s in their boxes in the file i print each Monday so I don't have to hand do it each week. I keep these page until the end of the year.

I may made it sound complicated but it isn't. There are now several teachers in my building that use it too. I emailed them the format and they just filled it in with their students names. If you would like to see just inbox me. I can't send it right now bc my power supply to my laptop is down and I can't get on it but as soon as I run and get a new one I can email you the format as an attachment.