Opening: The first day of school is upon us which comes with the question - should I teach rules/expectations on that first day or do something fun? I believe that you can do both.

Routines and procedures are built into everything that happens in your classroom. From how you want them to pass in their papers to how they should use supplies. So whatever you decide to do on the first few days of school, teach the routines and procedures that are required for them to be successful in that activity and for you as the teacher to be happy. 

So what routines and procedures are a must? That will vary from teacher to teacher depending on your teaching style and your preferences, but I thought it would be fun to share the ones that I think are most important and my why. These are my Varsity routines and procedures. Make sure to come next week where I share the JV routines and procedures.

Point 1: Group Work Expectations

In my classroom, it was important for my students to work in a collaborative setting. Hands-on and engaging activities were going to happen at a minimum a couple of times a week, and they can often lead to students getting off task which would make pulling small groups or rotations more challenging to manage. So right off the bat, I communicated to my students exactly what I wanted out of them working with a teammate. This included:

• How to ask their partner for help and not just copy or just let their partner copy
• How to treat the materials - task cards, technology, manipulatives
• Volume levels
• How to get help if they are both stuck
• How to get up from their seat if they need a supply

The first day of school was great for this. You teach the routine, they start their group or partner work, and then you can circulate to meet your students! 

Point 2: Cell Phone Policy

Since each school varies in their policy for phones, I would just make it clear to students that you will follow through on whatever the policy is. Personally, at all of the schools I have worked at, there was a strict No Phone policy. And in 7 years, I only had to collect a handful of phones. Why? Because you only have to do it once for students to see that “oh man, this teacher will follow through on the school policy.”

Unfortunately, I had a coworker who must have missed this memo. On a day that her students finished early, she allowed students to get out their phones. After she learned about the school policy, she spent the whole year responding to students asking, “can we get on our phones?” when they were finished with their work.

Point 3: Entry

This is important to teach because this will happen every day. Every day students will walk into class. What do you want students to do when they come into class? Where should they look to get directions? Can they chat with their friends until the bell rings? Or should they get started right away?

Point 4: Technology

If you are flipping your classroom or using Chromebooks or iPads in a daily matter, now is the time to communicate your expectations. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• How should students treat the technology? When do they need to get plugged in? Can they change the settings? What are the consequences of damage? (Most students require students to sign an Agreement so start there)
• What sites are ok? Can students listen to music?
• For my Chromebooks, I used the term “Pacman” when I wanted students to put their computers at 45 degrees, so I could have their full attention if I needed to communicate something to them. If students aren’t looking at you, they aren’t listening to you. 
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Point 5: That One Thing

If you have been in the classroom, you know that there is a sticking point or something very specific that you want to run a certain way. If this is your first year, you will know...soon! It might be pushing in your chair, or passing in papers, or what to do if you don’t have a writing utensil. 

Other pointers to teaching a routine:

• Remember, it is never too late to teach a routine or reteach a routine. You don’t have to teach them all in the first few days. You will constantly be teaching them.
• Just saying the procedure is usually not helpful enough. Model it. Perhaps, you make a poster. Then make students try it out. You can actually grab a “how to get help in math” flowchart freebie I used in my classroom as an example. Then praise students when they meet your expectation for xyz.

INTRO | Noelle

Good morning, teachers! You’re listening to episode #27.

Last week on the podcast, I shared my do’s and dont’s for classroom setup -- these tips will save you time and energy as you get your classroom ready for students.  If you missed it you can listen at maneuveringthemiddle.com/episode26.

Today, we are going to talk about routines and procedures that I would recommend you think through, teaching to your students, and then practicing over and over again! So, let’s all channel our inner Harry Wong as we dive into routines and procedures.

Let’s do it!

The first day of school is upon us which comes with the question - should I teach rules/expectations on that first day or do something fun? I believe that you can do both.

Routines and procedures are built into everything that happens in your classroom. From how you want students to pass in their papers to how they should use supplies. So whatever you decide to do on the first few days of school, teach the routines and procedures that are required for them to be successful in that activity and for you as the teacher to be happy. Remember, you are doing this now so that your classroom can run smoothly in November and March. Your future self will thank you!

So what routines and procedures are a must? Well, that is going to vary depending on your personality, your classroom, the technology you have, and school expectations.

Today, I am going to share the top five that I think will apply to most middle school teachers.

Point 1: Group Work Expectations

I love when my students work in groups! The conversation, the collaboration, and the way my classroom ran, this was a non-negotiable for me...which means I had to teach them how I wanted them to work together!  This is not something you can teach one time, it is going to be taught and retaught and reinforced over and over again until one day you look up and everyone is working on-task and conversing about the math and you will smile and know all your hard work was worth it!

Hands-on and engaging activities are super important but the challenge is that without a routine or procedure, they can often lead to students getting off task which would make pulling small groups or rotations more challenging to manage. And then you are less likely to want to work in groups, so it becomes this big challenge!

So right off the bat, we need to communicate to our students exactly what we want to see happening while working in groups.  As a note...remember you don’t want to try and teach all of this at one time. You are going to teach the procedure as you get to it for the first month of school.  Here are some ideas to consider:

• How to ask their partner for help and not just copy or just let their partner copy
• How to treat the materials - task cards, technology, manipulatives
• How to use your voice appropriately during group work
• How to get help if they are both stuck
• How to get up from their seat if they need a supply

The first day of school was great for this. You teach the routine, they start their group or partner work, and then you can circulate to meet your students! 

Point 2: Cell Phone Policy

Okay...this one is tricky! Cell phones! Especially in middle school.

I firmly believe there should be a school policy that everyone follows. I think that helps with consistency and really cuts down on the “can I get my cell phone out question?”

So my first suggestion is to get clarification and rely on that first and foremost.

My second suggestion is to be consistent. Are students going to use their cell phones in class today as a part of the lesson? Add it to your agenda slide. 

If you set the expectation that you will be learning math for the entirety of the class period and teach students that our brains are not actually capable of doing two things at once, then you can continue to refer back to this as the year goes on.

There are a lot of other ideas, like a charging station in your class for students. Now, I am going to share this with caution and a big caveat to use discretion because I do foresee a cell phone walking away and then that being a big issue. A charging station incentivizes students to plug their phone in and leave it there, so it is no longer a distraction in class. 

And if you don’t think this is going to be a challenge, let me tell you a tale of a coworker.  On a day that her students finished early, she allowed students to get out their phones. After she learned about the school policy, she spent the whole year responding to students asking, “can we get on our phones?” when they were finished with their work. 

Whatever you decide, be consistent and try to handle any issues without a big fuss! 

Point 3: Entering the classroom

Routine number 3, entering the classroom...which also brings up exiting the classroom...but let's stick to entering for today! This is important to teach because this will happen every day. Every day students will walk into class. What do you want students to do when they come into class? Where should they look to get directions? Can they chat with their friends until the bell rings? Or should they get started right away?

I personally loved to set up my classroom where students entered and were immediately able to grab any materials they needed for the day. And then this was reinforced by my Welcome Slide which had both the agenda, the materials needed, and a warm-up to get them started.

When I taught at a PBIS school, I would immediately walk around the class when the bell rang handing out the tickets to those who were following the expectation and praising them aloud. This really helped to set the tone for the classroom and communicated that expectation that every minute of the class was important!

Point 4: Technology

We already discussed cell phones, but let's chat about classroom technology! After last year, it is much more likely that your students will have a device of some sort. Here are a few questions to ask yourself and plan to teach your students:

• How should students treat technology? 
• When do the devices need to be charged?
• Can they change the settings? 
• What are the consequences of damage? (Most students require students to sign an Agreement so start there)
• What websites are ok for early finishers?
• Can students listen to music? 
• What happens if their Chromebook isn’t working?
• How do they get help logging in?
• How will you know that they are listening to you while their devices are out? I liked to show a Pacman and ask students to fold their screen to 45 degrees, like Pacman, when I was giving instruction or needing their attention.

Lastly, the first day that you are getting them all setup, that is your objective! Plan to have something paper-based for them to work on while you help students navigate the various technology challenges.

I would teach students how to make a bookmark to your LMS or class website so that they always have a central location to go to. That will save you so much time and will make it easy for you to update.

If you are flipping your classroom, then you may have some additional routines and procedures about the technology at home and what it looks like in the classroom. So keep that in mind!

Point 5: That One Thing

If you have been in the classroom, you know that there is a sticking point or something very specific that you want to run a certain way. If this is your first year, you will know...soon! It might be pushing in your chair, or passing in papers, or what to do if you don’t have a writing utensil. 

Keep that in mind and when you discover what it is, teach a routine right away!

Remember, it is never too late to teach a routine or reteach a routine. You don’t have to teach them all in the first few days. You will constantly be teaching them.

RECAP | Noelle

So as a quick recap... here are five must-teach routines and procedures for middle school

1. Group work expectations
2. Cell phone policy
3. Entering (and exiting) the classroom
4. Using Technology 
5. That one thing that might make you crazy!

OUTRO | Noelle

Happy August! I know some of you are well into summer break and some of you started back this week. Please, know that I am so happy to join you along the journey and will continue to provide ideas that can maximize your results and minimize your efforts in the classroom! I am cheering you on!

You can tag us @ maneuveringthemiddle on both FB and Insta.  If you have been loving the podcast, then we would love a five star review! It helps us to get found by other teachers!  For more all of the links, resources, and freebies mentioned today in one easy place, so check out maneuveringthemiddle.com/episode25. 

I’m Noelle Pickering… and you’ve been listening to the Good Morning Teacher podcast… Until next time, friends, make it a great week!