Classroom Management Guide

First Days of School “Game Plan”

Establishing Rules

  • How will you establish rules within the classroom?
  • Students tend to take more ownership over classroom rules when they are a part of creating the rules. With this being said, it is important to have an idea of rules that you think are important and guide students towards them. It is also effective if you limit your rules to about 3-5 rules. Post the rules in an area in the classroom that they can be viewed by all students.
  • It is also important to consider rules for other areas of the classroom or school.
  • Hallway Rules
  • Cafeteria Rules
  • Rules for Independent Work, Centers, and Collaborative Learning.
  • During the first month of school it will be crucial to review rules frequently and provide positive praise to students following the rules.

Whole Class Behavior Management

  • What type of system will you use? Will this system be easy to manage and maintain throughout the school year? Is the system flexible?

Ideas for Individual Management Systems

  • It is important that you establish positive behavior systems that are whole class and individual. All students should be motivated by your behavior systems and feel that they can be successful.
  • Be sure that your system is fun, motivating, and manageable.
  • Consider how you will communicate with parents.

Who Can Support You With Classroom Management?

  • Use the resources within your school! If you are struggling to come up with a system or feel that you need to modify your system, consult with colleagues in your building.
  • teachers
  • behavior interventionist
  • school counselor
  • mentor teacher
  • administration

Classroom Routines

  • Consider all classroom routines that will need to be established during the first week of school.
  • Model for students how you would like them to perform these procedures. This will be very time consuming, but it’s ok! It is crucial that you take the time to teach these routines early in the school year.
  • Start at the beginning of the school day and list each routine that students will need to be taught from arrival to dismissal. Take some time to reflect on how you would like your students to complete each routine.
  • Arrival (eating breakfast, turning in homework and/or notes from home)
  • Morning Work
  • Transitioning throughout the classroom (walking to the whole group area)
  • Managing Materials (sharpening pencils, turning in classwork)
  • Lining Up
  • Walking in the Hallway
  • Using the Restroom
  • Preparing for Lunch
  • Transitioning from Small Group to Whole Group and Vice Versa
  • Recess Procedures and Rules
  • Transitioning During Center Time
  • Dismissal (assigning homework, classroom jobs, gathering items from locker, activities that students may do while waiting to be called for dismissal)