Suggested / Sample Classroom Procedures

Starting class
1. Students in seat, with materials out, working based on board directions.
2. Students are using designated Voice Level to complete work.

Ending class
1. All materials collected and returned to designated locations.
2. All trash removed and desks returned to designated locations
3. Students sitting in assigned seats.
4. Teacher dismisses class, not the bell.

Collecting papers
1. Designate a basket or area for turning in papers.
2. Utilize a consistent procedure when students pass papers in as a large group.
(Such as passing papers forward, or passing papers back, or passing papers to the side.).

Restroom passes
1. As a team/class, decide on maximum number of passes allowed per grading period.
2. Utilize a silent signal for students to ask permission (i.e. raising planner or finger to request pass
from teacher).
3. Track passes on seating charts or class rolls.
4. No planner, no pass.
5. No student requested passes first and last ten minutes of class.

Tardies
1. Establish team/class procedure for addressing tardies.
(i.e. tardies 1-3 = warning/parent phone call; 4 = detention; 5 and up = referrals)
2. Establish team/class procedure for students entering classroom after class begins.
(i.e. having students use a sign-in sheet to silently record their tardy for teacher)

Make-up Work
1. It is the students responsibility to collect work and they must obtain the work on the first day they
are back in school.
2. Establish a class procedure for students to identify make-up work (i.e. keeping a master
assignment sheet; designate an area for students to collect papers and assignments).
3. Determine number of days students will have to complete and return the assignments to the
teacher (generally students are offered the same number of days to make-up the work as they were
absent + one day).

Morning and Afternoon announcements
1. Students will immediately become silent when announcements begin.
2. Students will be attentive to the speaker.
3. Students will stand and be silent during Pledge of Allegiance.

Getting Students Attention
1. Count down from five: Teach and practice this procedure in order to gain the students attention.
This allows students time to complete their conversations with the expectation that when the
teacher reaches #1, they will be silent and attentive.
2. Cue Words: Teach and practice this procedure in order to gain the students attention immediately.
Select a phrase and teach students to become silent instantly upon hearing the teacher express the
words.




5 VOICE LEVELS:
Teachers should teach and post the Five Voice Levels to create consistency throughout the school.

0= Silence; no talking.
1 = Whisper
2= Normal conversational voice
3= Raised voice; teacher instructional voice.
4= Shouting; outdoors only, or emergency


Visitors and Phone calls
Establish a procedure to teach students expected behavior when a visitor or phone call interrupts class or
instruction. (i.e. All students will continue to work on their assignment and use the designated voice level).

Computers
Establish procedures for student computer use. They may include one or more of the following:
Students may only use them with the teachers permission and they may only be used for class work.
When using the Internet, students are permitted to go to approved sites that are relevant to the unit of study.
Students may not down load programs, screen savers, back ground wallpaper, create screen savers or check
personal email accounts. Misuse of a school computer or the Internet may lead to students losing all
computer privileges.

Student materials
Establish guidelines with regards to loaning materials to students and be consistent. Teachers decisions
with regard to this subject range from not loaning materials at all to utilizing a sign-out sheet to list
materials borrowed.
An example of the latter is as follows:
Students may borrow a pencil, pen, or paper if they occasionally do not have any. To borrow these items
students will go to the student materials section and sign their first and last names and the date that they are
borrowing items. They than need to place a check in the box for the item they have borrowed. When the
student is finished using the item borrowed they should return it to the students materials area and check
that they have returned it. Students will need to return borrowed paper on the following day.


Classroom materials
Establish procedures for student usage of textbooks, dictionaries, art supplies, etc. , including distributing
and returning of all materials to their proper areas. Teachers who allow students to check out books from
their personal libraries should also include a procedure for monitoring the check-out and return these
materials.

Emergency procedures
Teachers are required to teach, model, and practice the appropriate procedures related to fire and tornado
drills, lock downs, and any other emergency that may arise. Teachers should be familiar with all evacuation
routes.

Questioning
Establish procedures for questioning strategies. The following strategy was provided by Chuck Yerger.
First: You must recognize when to use a questioning structure for volunteers (diagnosis and early learning)
and when to use a "teacher selects" structure (checking for understanding) and you must stick to it.

Second: All students must be taught how you will ask questions and why. Then they must be taught how to
answer.

Then: You must practice
1 . Name last
2. Wait time
3. Sampling
4. Signaling
5. Sampling and signaling
6. Sampling and follow-up
7. Quick check doing

Consider the Structure of Your Questions


Who knows?
Who can tell me?
How many of you?
What is the?
Which of these?
What answer did you?
So the answer is what?
So we can clearly see
what?
Therefore we use this
formulawhy?
Why is this a
problem?
Why is this a
problem ?
Because
1. Be conscious of the way you structure questions.
2. Where appropriate, teach the students how you will ask questions, and why.


Group Work
Establish procedures for group work the following was designed by David W. Johnson and Roger T.
Johnson.


Positive Interdependence
Students perceive that they need each other in order to complete the group's task ("sink or swim together").
Teachers may structure positive interdependence by establishing mutual goals (learn and make sure all
other group members learn), joint rewards (if all group members achieve above the criteria, each will
receive bonus points), shared resources (one paper for each group or each member receives part of the
required information), and assigned roles (summarizer, encourager of participation, elaborator).


Face-to-Face Promotive Interaction
Students promote each other's learning by helping, sharing, and encouraging efforts to learn. Students
explain, discuss, and teach what they know to classmates. Teachers structure the groups so that students sit
knee-to-knee and talk through each aspect of the assignment.

Individual Accountability
Each student's performance is frequently assessed and the results are given to the group and the individual.
Teachers may structure individual accountability by giving an individual test to each student or randomly
selecting one group member to give the answer.

Interpersonal And Small Group Skills
Groups cannot function effectively if students do not have and use the needed social skills. Teachers teach
these skills as purposefully and precisely as academic skills. Collaborative skills include leadership,
decision-making, trust-building, communication, and conflict- management skills.

Group Processing
Groups need specific time to discuss how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining effective
working relationships among members. Teachers structure group processing by assigning such tasks as (a)
list at least three member actions that helped the group be successful and (b) list one action that could be
added to make the group even more successful tomorrow. Teachers also monitor the groups and give
feedback on how well the groups are working together to the groups and the class as a whole.

Discussion
Establish procedures for conducting classroom discussion. First: You must recognize when to ask for
volunteers (diagnosis and early learning) and when to use a "teacher selects" structure (checking for
understanding) and you must stick to it. Students must be taught to respect the speaker and not to interrupt.
Students must be taught not to yell out their thoughts. Students must be taught that it is okay to disagree
with ideas but not to attack the person sharing those ideas.

Taking attendance
Establish procedures for taking attendance. This procedure may be as simple as a short starter, warm-up or
journal activity that is used to begin each class period. The activity should be designed that the students are
required to stay seated for an adequate time for you to take attendance. The activity should be one of value
that will be used as meaningful part of class or the grade. If the students view the activity as busy work it
will become much more difficult to occupy their time and attention.

Transitions in a lesson:
Recognizing that many classroom problems occur during transition periods, teachers should practice using
the rule of 3 when transitioning from one activity to the next
(i.e. from class discussion to practice to quiz, etc.). Issuing three simple, yet specific directions to end one
activity, three more to prepare for the change, and then three to begin the next activity. An example of this
could be: Class, please stop writing, put down your pencils, and pass your papers to the front. Now, take
out your textbooks, open to page 100, and begin reading the next chapter. Read the first five pages, solve
problems 1-5, and place your papers in the basket.

Oral presentations:
Reading and speaking in front of ones peers is both necessary and frightening. As students receive
assignments that involve oral presentations to the class, teachers should implement several procedures to
minimize the fear and maximize the learning. While teachers may have requirements of the speaker, the
main focus should be on the audience. Teachers should prepare the class by discussing positive listening
skills, such as looking at the speaker, not laughing unless appropriate, and always applauding for each
speaker at the end of the presentations.

Taking a quiz or a test:
Procedures should be established at the beginning of the school year to reflect a teachers expectations
during tests and quizzes. These procedures may include acceptable behaviors and noise levels, how and
where to turn in the test or quiz, and most importantly, what to do when finished early. This is an excellent
time to implement independent reading time for students, using classroom libraries or students own
materials.

Moving a class through hallway during class time:
There are many occasions when it is necessary to move a class from place to place in the school building
during class time. Whether going to lunch, computer labs, or the Media Center, teachers should establish,
model, and teach several procedures to minimize the disruption of others. Walking in a line on the right
side of the hallways, using a Voice Level 0, and not touching walls or doors are all procedures to consider.