The ultimate list of classroom management strategies, organized into verbal and non-verbal strategies, parent communication tips,rewards and prizes, games, brain breaks, and visual strategies.
Here’s a few classroom procedures that have worked well for me – and a couple awesome ideas I’ve run across since I’ve stepped out of the classroom...
Are you frustrated by the lack of success with your pencil procedure? Me too. No solution worked. Until I found the best pencil procedure!
Get your class back on track with this easy classroom management program. CHAMPS Classroom management posters will keep your class on task.
Classroom procedures and routines are essential in creating a safe and productive learning environment. Here are 5 suggestions to add structure.
Free checklist and tips for developing classroom procedures that build character in students
The best classroom management ideas for online learning, your daily routine, helping kids manage emotions and setting classroom expectations. Plus, fun new ideas for rewards!
When you make meaningful classroom procedures for older students, you are establishing comfort and familiarity for them.
Have you ever walked into a classroom and thought, “Wow, this classroom practically runs itself, everyone is on task!” Ever wonder how that happens? The answer is a lot simpler than you think. The secret is teaching explicit routines and procedures to students. In this post we are going to talk about why this matters […]
When it comes to having great classroom management, one of the most important aspects is CLASSROOM PROCEDURES. Classroom procedures can make your teaching so much…
Classroom Management: Using a WOW Board No comments Classroom Management, student recognition, WOW board Have you heard of the WOW board? This tool is not a brand new idea, but I only started using it last year. And, I intend to keep using it! Using a WOW board is a great (and super easy) way to recognize individual students and reward their choices, achievements, and efforts. It is also a great way to boost self-esteem too. What is it? The board is simply a table that is printed onto poster sized paper. The table is labeled with letters along the bottom, and numbers along the side, creating cells. It is laminated so it can be used again and again. I printed my board using the standard poster size setting on our poster maker. I know that some schools may not have a poster maker, but there is no rule that says your WOW board has to be poster sized! How do you use it? When you see a student making a smart choice, setting a good example, making gains, or whatever you feel should be recognized, they add their name to the board. They can choose any space they want and write their name in the selected space. Many WOW boards have 100 spaces, but I like for it to fill up quickly, so my board has only 25 spaces. Since I use other means of recognizing students, like reward tags, I didn't want a board with 100 spaces. Since the board is laminated, students can use an Expo Vis-a-Vis marker to add their name. This makes it easy to erase and start over when we're ready to do so. What do you do when the board is full? When the board is full of students' names, I choose 5 students to receive a "prize." Really, they get to choose a classroom reward coupon. Prize buckets and I don't get along (#clutter). The classroom rewards cost me nothing and the kids love them. You can find all sorts of classroom reward options on TPT. Then, I erase the board and we start filling it up again and the cycle repeats. How do you choose the winners? I usually just pick five random cells and write them on a sticky note, without looking to see whose names are in those cells. For example, I might write down A3, C4, B5, D2, E1. I call out the cell number and identify the name of the student written in that cell. They're a winner! You could write all your cells (i.e. A1, A2, A3, etc.) on color tiles, small slips of paper, or anything else you can fit into a small bucket. Then, when it is time to choose your winners, you just pull a tile, slip of paper, etc. out of the bucket and match it to the name in that space on your board. Using a Wow board is just another way to recognize your students and motivate them to do their best. If you'd like to give it a try, you can download my free template. If your school doesn't have a poster maker, don't dismiss the idea of using a WOW board. You could easily print this on regular paper and just use a smaller sized version. The kids will still love it! DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:
How to set up and implement a classroom behavior plan that really works, with advice from Smart Classroom Management's Michael Linsin.
These are the 5 Procedures Every Classroom Needs. From hall passes to supplies to absent work, find the procedures to make your classroom work.
I have to share with you something that I absolutely love: The WOW board! This beautiful piece of poster board was introduced to me by my friend and colleague. I used it throughout the year but found it especially helpful near the end of the school year.
These are the 5 Procedures Every Classroom Needs. From hall passes to supplies to absent work, find the procedures to make your classroom work.
If you are looking for back to school activities for upper elementary that keep kids engaged and go over important classroom information, then you’re going to
A better way to teach classroom procedures and expectations on the first day of school.
Effective classroom management strategies can make or break a school year. Check out these ideas for developing procedures and routines for a better year.
Classroom procedures review can be dull and boring. This post is loaded with fun and engaging games that will make students want to practice the all important classroom procedures. The more they practice them, the more smoothly your classroom will run.
Unwanted talking is near the top of the list of teacher frustrations. In this article, learn the actual strategies to finally get rid of it for good.
Use these kindergarten classroom management tips to get students in line without the chaos of arguing, pushing, and whining!
Classroom management... it is always the big elephant in the room. ? You know that if you don't have a grip on the daily runnings of your classroom, that
Real talk: classroom management has always been my biggest struggle as a teacher. I think that this is true for a lot of teachers. It’s one thing to read about classroom management strategies in a college classroom, but it’s a whole other ballgame when you’re standing in front of a roomful of middle schoolers and you are somehow expected to keep them all in line! I’ve had a few tough groups over my first few years, and I needed something to up my classroom management game. The classroom management strategy I’m going to share with you today has been a total game-changer for me, and I hope it can help you, too! This strategy is called Behavior Bingo. To implement it, you will need a 10×10 chart numbered from 1-100. I used to draw mine out on big chart paper, but I’ve since created this handy printable board so that I don’t have to draw it out each time! You will also need 100 popsicle sticks each labeled with a number from 1-100. I keep these in one of those metal pails from Target, and you will also need another pail for the sticks to go in once you have pulled them. You will need a board and set of numbers for each class you are using this with – I have used it with up to 4 classes at once! I marked each class’s set of sticks with a different color and then discarded them all into the same tub. If you don’t want to buy or have to label all the popsicle sticks, I have also seen teachers use small slips of paper numbered 1-100, or even just a random number generator online! Here are the rules that I use: The object of the game is to get 10 numbers in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) and get a bingo. At the start of each class, I write the numbers 1 2 3 on the front whiteboard. During class, I erase a number any time the students are not meeting my expectations, starting with 3, then 2, then 1. At the end of class, however many numbers are left on the board is how many popsicle sticks they get to pull that day. For example, if only the 3 was erased, then they get to pull 2 popsicle sticks. They can earn up to 3 numbers each day. The students pull out the correct number of sticks for that day. I let them take turns. I hold the jar up above their heads so they can’t peek inside. Then I color in the numbers that were pulled on the bingo board. You can certainly adjust these rules to meet your needs. For instance, you could use a smaller or bigger bingo board, depending on how quickly you want them to earn their reward. With the 10×10 board, it usually takes 1-2 months to earn the reward. You could also adjust how many numbers they can earn each day. Another thing you could do is tie the numbers to specific goals. For instance, my students know that at the beginning of class they need to be in their seats with homework out and working on their warmup. If this doesn’t happen, they know I will erase a number. As for the reward, we choose this as a class before beginning the game. I have the students brainstorm ideas (I tell them that they need to be something either relatively inexpensive or free and can only take up about 20-30 minutes of class time) and list them all on the board. Then I have the students vote for their top two choices. Some ideas we have come up with in the past include an ice cream party (I bring the ice cream, they bring the toppings), root beer float party, time outside, free time, board games, donut party, dodgeball, or popcorn and a short movie. I write their choice at the bottom of the bingo board as a reminder of what we are working toward. And that’s it! It’s very easy to keep it running, and it has been very motivating to my students, especially when they are down to only one number left for the day. You can find the printable board that I use in my Teachers Pay Teachers store if you’re interested! Do you have any awesome classroom management strategies? I would love to hear about them in the comments!
Learn about classroom management routines and procedures for middle and high school classrooms in this blog post.
9 valuable lessons I've learned about Classroom Management as a middle school teacher!
Learn how to set up collaborative classroom rules and expectations in any primary grade classroom that students will love.
Classroom procedures review can be dull and boring. This post is loaded with fun and engaging games that will make students want to practice the all important classroom procedures. The more they practice them, the more smoothly your classroom will run.
Color Teams in the Music Room. Organized Chaos. The benefits of having small groups assigned by colors for behavior management, classroom management, improving procedures and transitions, incorporating student jobs, fostering positive classroom climate and character, and more.
What is more important than having a solid morning routine in kindergarten? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Without it your day can spiral out of control in no time. I have lived to tell the tale and let me tell you, it isn't pretty! I have had a lot of questions lately about classroom management and how to get into a good routine so today I will give you a few ideas (and remind myself) of some fool proof morning routines to start from day one. #1 Morning Work As soon as my students walk in the door I greet them with a handshake and a smile (essential!) and they go straight to their seats for their morning work. Everything they need is already at their tables so there is no need for any dilly dallying! We learn this routine very quickly and our morning work is super consistent so I don't have to give directions every day. It has handwriting practice, letter naming and sight word practice, grammar skills, and sentence writing that builds with them throughout the year. It is a really important part of our day that I want them to really do a good job on. #2 Hands On Stations It would be great if everyone worked at the same speed every single day and there was never any waiting, wouldn't it? Actually that may get a little boring but the point is you need to have something for students to do when they finish. Bonus? If it's super hands on and really engaging they will WANT TO do it so they will work really hard on their morning work! I have 12 Hands On Stations (fine motor work) and they have an assigned partner they work with every day. I blogged about that HERE when I started these last year. A simple rotation chart tells them which station they go to each day. #3 Class Meeting Start your day with a solid meeting time. If you want to read a great book about Morning Meeting I blogged all about the Responsive Classroom approach HERE. Having a morning meeting planned out (and they know it's coming) calms our morning down. They all know there will be a sharing time soon so students aren't following me around while I am taking attendance to tell me that their puppy peed on the floor this morning. (I wish I was making that last part up...but...true story). They save it for our morning meeting. #4 Ease into your day Our morning meeting transitions into our calendar time. Early in the year this is when we talk about our letter of the day (along with basic calendar components.) Keeping anchor charts of our learning up gives us an "anchor" and creates a smooth routine. My students love it when we add words to our letter posters and they are READY first thing to share a new word with me. I love it when I can tell they were thinking about it all night and they are trying to stump me by giving me something difficult to draw. We rely on these routines, they do too! #5 Be Consistent with Centers Once we finish our morning routines we are all set to get started with our day and start our center rotations. I try to keep my center routines really consistent too so I don't have to stop and give a million directions daily. After calendar time they don't have a whole lot of stamina left for more listening. We keep consistent cut & glue centers, spinners or daubers, stamping, and write the room available daily. The words and skills switch out, the procedures stay the same. We start with only 2 options and work our way up to multiple choices daily. How long does it take to have a super smooth morning? I'd love to say a day or two but in reality it takes weeks to build these routines. The key is to start from the very beginning. The more consistent you can be the better. Here are a few tips about the first week of school. Want to save this post for later? Pin it here!
Spring is here and we all have spring fever! Energy levels are higher. Students seem restless. Behaviors that have never been seen before appear. And your once quiet class becomes chatty. Every year I remind myself that this is normal. And to be expected… But that doesn’t mean we can’t remedy the situation. In this ... Read More about 10 Effective Strategies for a Chatty Class
Every teacher needs a few fun, fast, easy, tricks up his/her sleeve. Here are a few easy classroom management tricks I've picked up over the years. Need a Second to Get Ready for the Next
Teaching classroom routines is critical to starting your school year off right. Here is an list of 26 classroom routines to explicitly teach.
I am always looking for new ways to tackle classroom management. What better way to get your students to buy into positive behavior than with some games?
Set your Spanish students up for success with these routines and procedures. Read how this teacher starts class and runs her classroom.
Stop taking away recess and using other punishments to control your students. Find success with 10 powerful classroom management strategies!
Woot woot! This post was featured on the TpT blog! You can see it here. Never underestimate the importance of teaching routines. In every classroom and every grade level... but ESPECIALLY in Kindergaten. And in Kindergarten,
