So it's the start of the year and you're wondering: what on earth am I going to do with all these kids?! I've got your answer: routines, routines, and yup, you guessed it, more routines. Setting up for a successful year takes a lot of work and most of that success is in setting routines and practices that will help the classroom to run smoothly. I spend the first 3 weeks of the year setting up my classroom routines - that's how important they are!
There are so many routines you could teach to your kids at the beginning of the year, but here are my absolute must-haves:
1. Beginning of the Day
Entering the Classroom
If you want your entire day to be calm and focused, then your day needs to start calm and focused. I have students enter the room quietly, put their bags away, pop their water bottles in the designated spot and begin independent reading time. I don't allow students to wander and chat during this time period - that is what recess is for!
Late Arrivals
Anyone who has been teaching for 5 minutes knows the disruptions throughout the day are REAL. minimize the number of disruptions to your morning block by setting up expectations for late arrivals. This will usually be outlined by school policy but once students arrive to class they need to enter quietly and look around to see what everyone else is doing, and hop to it!
Independent Reading
Students need to be taught how to read independently, and how to pick a just right book. They sound pretty simple things to do to us grown-ups but there is actually a lot that goes into this! I teach the expectation of actually reading, not just flicking through your book looking at the pictures, this is where the picking a just right book comes in. Students should check the first sentence of the book they have chosen and if they had trouble reading it, put it back and choose another. This alone removes a lot of the behavior issues and lessens behaviors such as wandering and talking.
2. During the Day Routines
Lining Up
Students need to know what your expectations are for lining up. Do they have consistent partners? What happens when they don't have a partner? Are you going to choose line leaders? Do they line up in single file or with a partner? Are they to be silent or can they chat quietly? Do they walk or run? Should they be facing the front? Where should their hands be? Who would have thought so much could go into the simple act of lining up?!
Using the Bathroom
Setting the tone for bathroom use is so important. It can be a highly controversial topic among teachers but I personally allow students to use the bathroom whenever needed. Of course there needs to be conversations about how frequently (within reason) students will be allowed, how to move to the bathroom, which partner they take, how long they should take, etc. You may like to have a sign in/out sheet and will need to teach students how to use this.
Call to Attention
All teachers need a fun way to call their students' attention! My personal favorites are:
- a simple clapping pattern which they clap back (it saves your voice!)
- Teacher: 1-2-3, eyes on me; Students: 1-2, eyes on you!
- Teacher (while gesturing): stop, look, listen, think; Students (while gesturing): stop, look, listen, think
- Teacher: hands up top; Students: everybody stop
- Teacher: zip it, lock it; Students (motion zipping their mouths and putting the key in their pocket): put it in your pocket!
There are sooo many to choose from and you can choose one that suits your classroom theme! Here are some I've heard other teachers use:
- Teacher: hocus pocus!; Students: everybody focus!
- Teacher: macaroni and cheese; Students: everybody freeze
- Teacher: all set?; Students: you bet
- Teacher: ready to rock?; Students: ready to roll
Be sure to set the expectations around what their hands and eyes are doing while they are listening, as some students will learn to say the call and response but carry on their activity!
3. End of Day Routines
Packing Bags
You would not believe how many students even in 1st and 2nd Grade still need to be taught how to pack a bag! I always teach my students that the biggest items always go in first (ie., lunch box, iPad, book folders). Explicitly model this process and make sure you include a think aloud about how you choose which item to go in next so they can understand the decision making process. There are other things to teach in this routine too, including where their packed bag goes, what they do after, and the timeliness of the process.
Cleaning Up
My classroom can certainly look like a bit of a tornado has gone through it by the end of the day... lucky I have 20 little helpers to make it look spiffy again! I like to set the expectation that once bags are packed, students set straight to their clean up duties at the end of the day. You can set your own classroom jobs for end of day cleaning and allow students to 'apply' to their preferred position. I find this creates a sense of ownership and motivation for the jobs. Some jobs I like to include are: floor cleaners, chair checkers, library monitors, locker area checkers, table cleaners.
Closing Meeting
How will you run the end of your day? I like to do GEM chats (gratitude, empathy, mindfulness) chats at the end of my day and list some things that went well for us that day. I find engaging in these discussions right at the end of the day gives students something positive to share with their grownup upon pickup. I also like to read a novel, give out art works, celebrate birthdays and make time for special show and tells.
4. Academic Routines
Turn and Talk
Engaging your students through talk is so important! It allows everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts and to feel heard. Talk aloud also helps students to consolidate learning and engage in metacognitive thinking! During turn and talk, I have some basic procedures students must follow: sit knee-to-knee with their partner, use a 'partner' voice (only their partner should be able to hear them), talk to the topic, and everyone gets a turn.
Partner Reading
For fluency practice, my students engage in partner reading for 10 minutes everyday. This routine includes logging on to their decodable reading app, playing rock-paper-scissors to see who is reading first, looking to the board to see which book they need to read today. Even deeper into the partner reading rabbithole, students need to be explicitly taught how to perform the reader role, and the helper role. Readers need to use a clear voice and sound out words they are unsure of. Helpers need to be pointing to the words read, eyes on the book, and helping sound out.
Whiteboards
I use whiteboards all the time in my classroom as I feel it takes students from passively listening to actively engaged with material being taught. I'm proud to say I am famous in my school for having an incredibly efficient whiteboard collection routine! I have my whiteboards, erasers, and pens in three separate tubs along the wall of the room. Students stand up from the floor and move single file from the first to last row of the seating pattern to collect their materials. This prevents bottle neck getting materials and moving back to their seating! You also need to teach 'listening boards' so that students are not tempted to draw on their whiteboard while you are teaching.
Phew! Even just this short list seems like a lot of routines to teach but trust me, with perseverance and care you will be setting yourself up for an entire year of success and learning!
Let me know in the comments below if any of these routines have helped you!
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