Kids CRAVE routine. They need it and they want it. Don’t believe me? Give your students a free day and see how crazy it is. When kids know the classroom routines and procedures there is stability in your classroom. This means their behavior is better and thus learning is increased!
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When to Develop Your Classroom Procedures
As soon as I graduated college I was accepted into The Teacher Fellows Program at Texas State University. This program allowed me to complete my first year of teaching while earning my masters all in one year.
One class required us to develop a plan for our classroom. It was like my bible during my first year of teaching.
I still have my Classroom Management Plan binder but I glance at it less and less each year. (Which is good that I don’t need it as much, but a glance through it each year is always really refreshing!)
Within this binder, we developed all sorts of plans and goals for the upcoming year. Things like:
- our classroom layout
- plans for the first day and first week of school
- how we would communicate with parents
- the class meeting schedule we would implement in our classroom
- behavior management plans
- daily routines for our students
- and so much more I don’t remember!
One section was devoted completely to classroom routines and procedures. Things like morning and afternoon routines, pencil sharpening, bathroom expectations, etc.
Unfortunately, I don’t think many new teachers stop to think about all of those things before the school year starts.
We get so caught up in laying out and decorating our classroom that we forget to be intentional about setting routines.
A message I get often in DMs or email is “you would be so appalled at my classroom.”
I think teachers often feel ashamed of their classroom, and even more ashamed because they don’t think it can be fixed. That’s simply not true.
I never thought it about it like that before so the question took me off guard. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized that anyone can be organized.
It’s through routines like the ones I am about to share with you that help teachers get and maintain classroom organization.
Classroom Routines and Procedures to Plan for:
Classroom routines and procedures are critical because they help take away the millions of decisions we are making each and every day.
“Routines don’t just make your life easier; they also save valuable classroom time. And what’s most important, efficient routines make it easier for students to learn and achieve more.”
Scholastic- routines and Procedures
These are some routines that are VITAL for planning out before the school year starts. I’ll give you a few of my ideas, but mainly I will ask you questions to get you thinking about them!
Morning Routines:
What will the kids do when they enter your classroom each morning?
I suggest something other than “read a book.” Are there STEM activities they can do? I used these writing prompts 2-3 days a week along with centers on the other days.
Afternoon Routines:
How will the kids know it’s time to leave? When will you write notes in folders, pass out papers, give homework, etc.?
This is THE MOST stressful time of the day for me and usually the time of day where I lose my cool.
I know this from experience so I make sure to give myself ample time (10-15 minutes in 2nd grade) for kids to pack up and do their classroom job so I am not rushing.
What will you do once kids are packed up and ready to go? If there is time left over, a chapter book read aloud is always a calm way to end the day.
Daily Routines
This next section includes classroom routines and procedures the kids will do throughout the day, multiple times of the day.
There are SO many routines and procedures your kids are going to do each and every day. It’s almost impossible to list them all.
Think through every second of your day and write down the routine or procedure you or the kids do. Then, create a plan for that.
Inside The Organized Teacher Framework™, I teach my students how to create these exact routines + many many more!
How to Manage Bathroom Breaks
Will you allow kids to go to the bathroom whenever? How do they signal to you when they need to go? Will they take a pass?
I don’t let mine take the pass to the bathroom…waaaaayyyyy too gross.
I have my students put the pass on their desk so that thing doesn’t get all nasty in the bathroom.
But think through how you will manage bathroom breaks on an individual and whole class level.
Procedures for Sharpening Pencils in the Classroom
Will you let students sharpen pencils during the day? In the middle of a lesson? Is it a classroom job or can anyone do it?
The bane of every teacher…The pencil sharpener.
Some kids use it to avoid work. Some do it to help others. This list shares examples of alllll the kinds of kids who want to find an excuse to use the pencil sharpener.
I refuse to let kids sharpen pencils during the day. (For the most part.)
One of the classroom jobs for my kiddos is to sharpen them at the end of the day and we have a tray they can get sharpened pencils from.
In years past I have put mini sharpeners at each desk for them to use if absolutely necessary.
One year, pencils were such an issue that I made a pencil chart and they had to use only the pencils in their pocket….
No matter what you decide, you need to have a well thought out pencil plan because pencils are a huge distraction throughout the day. (Tanya, The Butterfly Teacher, has a free download to help you implement a plan.)
(Also, make sure to have pencils for the first day of school. I almost forgot in my first year of teaching and that would have been a catastrophe!)
How to Store Student Supplies
Which will you use- community or individual supplies? Where will you store them? How will students get the materials if they are not stored at their desk?
I prefer community supplies and house them all in the red cabinets in the back of my room.
The “Team Captain” is the one who gets the materials for the team each day and returns them when we are done with them.
There are a ton of different ways to store student materials:
- Cubbies in their desk
- Built-in cubbies
- Plastic bins for each team/table group
- Magazine/Book Holders
- Plastic drawers
Unfortunately, this is one of those classroom routines and procedures that is more trial and error.
How to Organize Student and Teacher Papers
What is your plan to manage students turning in their papers and then grading them? How will you get student work back to them to be corrected or when it is graded?
Classroom Papers is the number one question I get asked about. Here are some resources to help you manage classroom papers more effectively:
- Download the free Student Paper Workflow Guide here.
- 4 Ways to Conquer the Classroom Paper Mess
- Best Products for Classroom Paper Organization
- Enroll in the Classroom Paper Organization Course
Teaching Classroom Routines
I like what Rebecca Alber says about routines versus rules.
Rules have consequences, and routines have reminders. What worked for me was far fewer rules and many, many more routines and procedures.
Rebecca Alber- Edutopia
Once you have planned out all of your routines, you need to make a plan for implementing your classroom routines.
I am a big supporter of spending the first week of school establishing and reinforcing routines. Yes, academics should most definitely be mixed in there but it is more of a review than new content.
When teaching students the routines, you want to make sure you are rewarding frequently and to all students. This will help reinforce the positive choices they are making.
I like to reward them with a “Buchtien Buck,” essentially classroom money.
This worked well because it was part of my Behavior Management Economic System. I created this system to manage behavior and teach personal financial literacy.
They get positive reinforcement for their behavior and it also allows me to set expectations for and teach about my positive behavior plan.
In Conclusion,
When it comes to creating classroom routines and procedures for your school year, you need to take time to write out definiteive plans.
Think through every second of your day and write down the routine or procedure you or the kids do. Then, create a plan for that.
You need the following routines and procedures:
- Morning/entering the classroom procedures
- Daily classroom procedures (bathroom, pencils, paper, etc.)
- End of Day/leaving the classroom procedures
Quick Links
Here is a quick recap of all the links shared in this post.
- Organizing Your Classroom for Success– an interview with Edverything Education
- Prep for the First Day– a 3 day training to help you get prepared for the first day of school
- 10 Classroom Jobs (plus a free downloadable resource)
- Create your own paper workflow with the Student Paper Workflow Guide
- Ideas for the First Week of School
- Classroom Economy Behavior Management System
Related Posts
Until next time,
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