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Rules, Rules, Rules: Song for Teaching about School & Classroom Rules

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Spoken: Fighting is not permitted in school - ever. No fighting in the classroom, hallway, lunchroom, or school yard. All students are required to wear sneakers in the gymnasium. Check your spelling on all written work including homework, classwork, and reports. You must always write your heading on all papers.

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If you're looking for elaborate or decorative classroom management ideas, you won't find them here.

Though prevalent, such ideas are unnecessary, even counterproductive, for classroom management.

On this site, we're focused on only two things:
1. What works best. 2. What is simplest for you.
The goal of classroom management is to eliminate distractions, disruptions, and poor behavior, so you are free to inspire your students.

The results are happy and high achieving students.

Anything that interferes with this goal, or doesn't contribute to it, should be thrown out.

Too many teachers chase the next great classroom management idea and are continually disappointed. They try one thing after the other, searching for the magic solution that will finally "get through" to their students.

In the meantime, they're stressed and tired of dealing with behavior issues. For them, teaching becomes an act of drudgery rather than what it can and should be:

An act of joy.

So instead of chasing trends, why not focus on what is proven to work? All students respond predictably to certain principles and strategies. Master them, and you will never worry about classroom management again.

True, your fellow teachers may not "ooh" and "ahh" over the cleverly contrived classroom management charts or newfangled methodologies you're using, but they will marvel at your ability to control your classroom.

And, most important, you'll be able to focus your energies on what attracted you to teaching in the first place: the chance to make a lasting impression on your students.

A couple of days ago, I spoke to a former student on the phone. I was his sixth grade teacher. He is 24-years old now and a recent college graduate. I'm thrilled with his success and couldn't be prouder of the person he has become.

But as we were talking, it saddened me to hear him say that he couldn't remember his fourth or fifth grade teachers. He couldn't even describe them to me.

Until you have a solid understanding of classroom management and how to implement the strategies that really work, your classroom will be forgettable too.

You can't be the inspiring, influential, and memorable teacher you want to be unless your students-all of them-follow your rules.

Classroom rules are a fundamental tenet of classroom management, and they form the core of your plan. They're important, to be sure, but they don't need to be complicated. In fact, the simpler, the better.

Here are four keys to creating classroom rules that work.
1. Clarity trumps all. Your students must clearly understand your rules in order to follow them. 2. Use only four or five rules. Any more than that will make your rules harder to remember and, thus, harder to follow. 3. Make sure your rules cover every eventuality. You can't enforce a behavior unless it falls under the banner of one of your rules. Doing so is confusing and unfair to students. 4. Make them specific. Everyone, especially you, needs to know when or if a rule has been broken.
Many years ago, I discovered a set of rules that fit the criteria listed above and have used them ever since. They're nothing special. In fact, they're really quite boring.

But they work.

Remember, the rules themselves don't motivate students to follow them. You do. (To learn how, see other articles, sign up for weekly updates, or read the book Dream Class.) To repeat an often-used refrain on this site, there is no magic in your rules.

But they are an important part of your classroom management plan, and creating them thoughtfully is the first step to having complete classroom control.

Drum roll, please:
1. Listen And Follow Directions 2. Raise Your Hand Before Speaking Or Leaving Your Seat 3. Respect Your Classmates And Your Teacher 4. Keep Hands, Feet, And Objects To Yourself
These four simple rules should cover every behavior that threatens to disrupt your classroom and interfere with learning. However, if you need to, you can always add one more.

Notice that these rules are related to behavior only. I know some teachers like to include learning expectations as well, like, for example, Complete Work On Time or Work Independently. But combining them with behavior rules can be confusing.

Keep your learning expectations separate from your behavior rules.

I'd love to read your comments. I know writing them can be time-consuming, but they're very much appreciated.

If you haven't done so already, please join us. It's free! Click here and begin receiving articles like this one in your email box every week.

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The Only Classroom Rules You'll Ever Need - Smart Classroom Management

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If you're looking for elaborate or decorative classroom management ideas, you won't find them here. Though prevalent, such ideas are unnecessary, even counterproductive, for classroom management. On this site, we're focused on only two things: 1. What works best. 2. What is simplest for you.

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Dollar Tree Stuff for Teachers & Classroom Ideas

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Classroom Management Strategies To Take Control Of Noisy Students

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Classroom Management Strategies to Take Control Of Noisy Students Video

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TEACHING PROCEDURES & ROUTINES {Classroom Management} by CFClassroom

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Product associated with this video: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TEACHING-PROCEDURES-ROUTINES-Blackline-Design-classroom-management-tool The most beneficial thing you can do as a teacher is to map out very clear expectations of how you want your classroom to run. Determining how each and every procedure and routine will look and then taking the time to teach the students will be worth every minute invested.

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http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/teaching-procedures

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10. Have students create a song that covers the important parts of one of your classroom procedures. Assign a procedure to small groups or pairs of students, and then have them present their song to the class.

11. Use Blabberize to have students create talking pictures that explain one of your classroom procedures. This is a fun, free way to integrate technology into your classroom as early as the first week of school.

12. Have students complete a "Find the Fib" activity. They write two true statements and one fib about a classroom procedure, and see if a partner can find the fib. Read more about "Find the Fib" and get a free printable here!

13. Have students create a comic strip that goes over the important parts of one of your classroom procedures. Students can share their comic strips with the class.
14. Have students write their first "How To" paper that explains how to do one of your classroom routines properly.
15. Have students write down everything they can think of related to a procedure in one minute. See who can come up with the most details related to a procedure in the given time limit.

16. Have students compare and contrast 2 of your classroom procedures. Use a Venn Diagram a T Chart to do this - and incorporate higher level thinking the first week of school!

17. Have students teach classroom procedures to new students that enter your classroom throughout the school year. This is a great way to review classroom routines and procedures while introducing new students to your classroom.

As the school year progresses, it is important to continue to review classroom procedures. Most of the ideas listed above will help you integrate reading or writing while at the same time reviewing procedures!

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17 Different Ways to Review Classroom Procedures - Teaching Made Practical

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10. Have students create a song that covers the important parts of one of your classroom procedures. Assign a procedure to small groups or pairs of students, and then have them present their song to the class. 11. Use Blabberize to have students create talking pictures that explain one of your classroom procedures.

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Design classroom procedures [P-6] | Teaching As Leadership

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When planning your procedures, keep the end goal in mind: minimizing wasted time in the classroom in order to create more instructional time. If you design a procedure that appears to be overly-complex and involves many steps - chances are this procedure won't help you meet your end goal.

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Good Example of a video you can make for your students on the 1st day

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Good Example of a video you can make for your students on the 1st day

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Ten procedures for the beginning of the year.

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List of different procedures and ways to handle them 

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List of different procedures and ways to handle them 

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http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management-procedures

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How often do you revisit classroom rules? Most teachers establish rules at the beginning of the year, and many devote time to modeling and practicing rules with students in the first weeks of school. After that, however, the amount of time spent thinking about what rules mean and how to live by them often drops off dramatically.

Students cannot possibly learn all they need to know about how to live and behave as a community during the first weeks of school. As the year goes on, the time students spend together deepens their understanding of how to truly care for each other and the classroom. That's why it's important to keep discussing and practicing the rules all year long. Useful times to review the rules include:

A couple months into the school year (after routines are well established and students are coming together as a community)

When a new student joins the class

After a long holiday break

Whenever students are struggling to meet behavior expectations

Be on the lookout for new and different ways to revisit the rules. One simple yet powerful activity is to have students write or make drawings about people following classroom rules. This assignment prompts reflective thinking and helps both younger and older students develop positive, concrete images of what it looks and sounds like to be part of a community and follow that community's rules. The video below shows first grade teacher Courtney Fox getting her students started on this activity. She gathers the class as a group and asks them to think about ways they might follow each of their classroom rules. After a brief discussion and sharing some examples, the students follow up by drawing themselves doing what they imagined.

You could also create a "looks like/sounds like/feels like" chart (also called a Y-chart) with students. This activity helps students envision the positive benefits of changing their behavior, and it heightens their understanding by allowing them to reflect on concrete ways to live out their classroom rules. Once created, the chart serves as a visual reminder and can be referred to in future conversations. The video below shows teacher Suzy Ghosh having such a conversation with her third graders. She uses a Y-chart to help her class explore how it will look, sound, and feel to follow their classroom rules in the lunchroom. By the end of the conversation, the students have a strong, positive vision of lunchroom behavior and expectations.

January is a great time to give these strategies a try because they refocus students' attention on a positive classroom community after the holiday break and help them (and you) get off to a positive start in the new year. Keeping the rules ever-present in students' minds gives you the ability to ask "What do our rules say about..." when challenging situations arise. Students will be able to see what they're doing well, what they can improve on, and what changes might help them better succeed.
Learn more about these and other strategies for teaching positive behavior:
Responsive Classroom for Music, Art, PE, and Other Special Areas

Tags: Classroom Rules, Revisiting Rules

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Revisiting Classroom Rules | Responsive Classroom

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How often do you revisit classroom rules? Most teachers establish rules at the beginning of the year, and many devote time to modeling and practicing rules with students in the first weeks of school. After that, however, the amount of time spent thinking about what rules mean and how to live by them often drops off dramatically.

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Helpful rules that you could add to your future classroom 

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Helpful rules that you could add to your future classroom 

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http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/classroom-management/our-class-rules

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Classroom Management Strategies To Take Control Of Noisy Students

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This video is giving a detailed list of the classroom rules and procedures.-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ . Make your own animated videos and animated presentations for free.

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Article on Rules and procedures that can be used in the classroom! 

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Article on Rules and procedures that can be used in the classroom! 

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https://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/melisas-website/classroom-rules-and-procedures