Beginning the day/ Unpacking: Enter the room with walking feet and smiling faces. Students should first move his or her magnet on the monitoring board to the “in class” section. Then students should unpack all of their materials and place backpacks and lunch boxes in his or her cubby. Any notes for the teacher should be placed in the mailbox at the front of the classroom and place any homework in the homework cubby in the tray with the corresponding student number. When students are finished unpacking they should begin their bell ringer assignment sheet that will be waiting on their desks.
Cooperative group activities Group activities will take place multiple times each day. The students will actually be arranged in groups at all times. For normal group activities or discussions, each group member will have a job to ensure the activity goes smoothly. The jobs include: 1) Captain, 2) Time Keeper, 3) Material Manager, 4) Recorder, and 5) Time Keeper. Each member will have an important job that will ensure that the activity can be completed appropriately and smoothly. When implementing a group activity, I will begin by giving directions and the time frame. When there is 2 minutes remaining, I will display a timer on the white board. Then the students will wrap up their activity and return all items before the timer runs out. For other group activities such as guiding reading and math centers, students will be put into new groups at the beginning of each week. There will be a small groups bulletin board in the classroom, on the board there will be clothes pins with student names on them. The clothes pins will be arranged around the center or group that the student will be in that day/week. When the students arrive each day, they will look at the board and see where they will be going for centers. They will also be able to see what group number they are in for math, and guided reading. When it is time for students to break into groups, they will clear their desks and stand up behind their chairs. I will have a door bell chime that I will play when it is time for the students to move to their new center. I will also have a timer displayed on the board. At the 1 minute mark, students will clean up their area and get ready to change centers. When they hear the chime, they will then walk to their new area.
Signal for attention: When I need the students’ attention, the doorbell chime will play. When students hear this chime, they should stop what they are doing, look at the teacher, and listen for directions.
Lining up: When it is time to line up students will stand up quietly behind his or her desk. They will have all necessary items in their hands and they will wait for the teacher to call the students to line up by group name. One group will line up at a time and students will line up without touching others or talking.
Entering the room: Enter the room quietly and politely. Students should walk to their desks and sit and wait for instructions. If the student is coming back from an independent trip, he or she should move his or her magnet back to the classroom location on the class monitor board beside the door.
Entire Class Leaving the Room: When it is time for the students to leave the room, I will play the doorbell chime. This sound is to notify students to put up their materials and stand behind their chair. Once all students have cleaned their area and stood up, students will be dismissed to line up by group names. Once all students are lined up quietly and facing forward, the line leader will open the door and lead the class to their new destination. The caboose is in charge of shutting the door before leaving. The students will remain in a line and quiet throughout the halls so that the other classes do not get distracted.
Bathroom break: Students will be able to take bathroom breaks as a class three times a day. During bathroom breaks, students are allowed to be in the bathroom, five people at the time. The bathroom monitor should monitor how many classmates are in the bathroom. After using the restroom, students should line up against the wall and wait for the remainder of the class before going back to the classroom If a student needs to go before the bathroom break is taken, he or she should raise his or her hand and wait for the teacher’s permission. When you go the restroom, do not play in the bathroom. Students should return from the bathroom before two minutes have passed.
Distributing and Collecting Materials: For Distributing materials, all needed materials for each lesson or activity will be placed in each group mailbox before beginning the lesson. Once the students need additional materials or supplies, the project manager will go get the group basket and bring it back to the group. Once the students are finished with the materials, the students will place everything back in the basket and the project manager will return the basket to the appropriate place. For collecting materials, each group will have a captain and each group will have a “finished work” tray. The captain is in charge of collecting the work from each group member and turning it in to the groups’ “finished work” tray in the back of the classroom.
Clean Up/ Dismissal: When it is time to clean up for the day the teacher will play the doorbell chime, Students will then begin cleaning up his or her desk and the area around them. Once everyone has finished cleaning, students will return to their desk and sit down. The “classroom inspectors” will then walk around the classroom to ensure that everyone’s space is clean and ready for the next day. Once the inspectors have given the all clear, students will then wait until the designated bell depending on their dismissal plan.
Fire drill: When it is time for a fire drill or a real fire is in place, students should stop what they are doing immediately, stand up and walk to the door quickly without making any other stops in the classroom. The classroom “Fire Chief” will take the drill packet and lead the class outside to our designated area. The students will then number off while exiting the classroom. The second person in line will hold the outside door for his or her class only, then he or she will become the last person in line. Once the students are outside and lined up in the designated area they will begin counting off again. Once students have counted off, they will wait quietly for further instruction.