Morning Routine
- How to
politely enter and exit the classroom
- How and
when to turn in homework, homework folder, or parent notes
- Where to
put packed lunch
- Where to
put backpack, coat, etc.
- How to do
lunch count if your school does that
- How to do
attendance if they help with that (in my Fun Teaching Graphing Ideas blog post, I show how to use a daily
graphing question to help take attendance which is also math practice and a fun
way to start calendar later in the day)
- What to
do after they’ve put away their backpack, done lunch count, etc. (have a
specific task like start morning work or start morning tubs)
Supplies
- What goes
in caddies
- When they
can access backpacks/cubbies during school day (and IF they are allowed to)
- How to
sharpen pencils or get a new pencil / what to do if pencil breaks
- How to
safely handle scissors
- How to
handle glue
- Where to
put items they find in classroom (I have an awesome FREE “I’m Lost” bin label
bucket you can download on my 20 Classroom Management Strategies You Can Start Right Away post that also
explains quickly how I use it – it helps so much to keep things organized
instead of piled on your desk or in your pockets)
- How to
push down marker lids until they click
- How to
push down glue stick lid until it’s tight
- How to
get more glue out of a glue stick (show the height to stop turning it)
- How to
use liquid glue (This awesome list of Classroom Management books has a cute book that is PERFECT to read to them
about how to use glue)
- How a
table/desk should look when it is clean
- How to
get textbooks, notebooks, and other supplies when needed (Who gets them – each
person or a table leader? Where do they get them? How do they put them back
neatly?)
Behavior Management
- How your behavior
system works (I share some tips in this 20 Classroom Management Strategies post)
- How to
line up
- How to
walk in line (check out my tips for How to Have a Quiet Line)
- How to
ask to get a drink
- How to
ask to go to the bathroom
- How to
ask to go to the nurse
- What you
should ask to go to the nurse for vs. what they can handle themselves in the
classroom (in that same 20 Classroom Management strategies post above,
definitely also download the free “Ouchie Lotion” label I put on there to save
soo many trips to the nurse)
- How to
raise hand to ask a question / talk
- Rules for
tattling (I have a huge helpful blog post about How to Tackle Tattling if you’re struggling with this!)
- How to sit
(crossed legs, hands in lap, mouths closed, etc.)
- Voice
level during each activity (I am obsessed with my Voice Level Chart – I show it
and talk all about how to use it in my Chatty Class Classroom Management Strategies post – definitely check that
out as I share a ton of tips!)
- How to
sit at their desks/on the carpet/at small group table when you’re teaching
- Classroom
jobs and how they work (Here’s a giant list of Classroom Jobs with cute names to help you figure yours out)
- How to
respectfully walk from seat to carpet
- How to
respectfully walk from the carpet to their seats
- What to
do when someone (child or adult) enters the room (NOTHING. Mind your business
:))
- When a
student is allowed to approach your desk or small groups table without being
called (if they are ever allowed to)
Procedures
- How and
where to turn in work done in class
- How to check their work before they turn it in
- What to do
when they’re done with work (might be different for each time of day)
- What to
do with work they don’t finish in class
- What to
do when they finish work early (definitely check out my How to Keep Gifted Kids Engaged and Learning post
for tips on how to handle students who always finish their work early)
- How to always
put their name on their paper and any other info you have them do (first and last name,
student number, etc.)
- What to
do during a fire drill (I have a super cute No Prep Writing Craft I love to do for
this lesson in my October Writing Crafts post
called “How to do a Fire Drill” – it’s a perfect way to introduce or practice
how to writing while also going over an important classroom procedure)
- How to
clean up during transitions
- What to
do if they were absent (Blog post about this coming soon!)
- What
happens if they don’t finish their work in class
- What
happens if they don’t turn in their homework
Math
- How to
know what group they’re in
- How to do
each center
- How to
get center materials
- How to
clean up and put away math materials
- The voice
level to talk during centers (again, a perfect time to use my voice level chart - I recommend the Indoor Iguanas level for
center time)
- What to
do if their partner is absent during math centers
Reading
- How to
open textbook to page (I have an amazing trick for this!! Go to my Phonics Fluency Notebooks post and scroll
until you see the ribbon trick – it saves soo much time opening thick books to
the correct page)
- How to
always have your finger following along
- How to
sit respectfully during reading groups
Writing
- How to
ask for editing or help
- How to
edit their work on their own first
- How to
use the word wall (or personal dictionary if you use them) to correctly spell
words
- Where to
put writing that is in progress (or any work that is in progress for that
matter)
- What to
do when done with writing (I highly recommend my No Prep Writing Crafts for a fun writing activity they can do when done
with their main writing OR as their main writing. That post explains how
they’re made and used but I’ve also written posts for Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct,
Nov, and Dec that show the different fun writing crafts for the month. You can
get to them all by going to my big Miss Giraffe Blog Posts List to find each post full of pictures and ideas)
- Voice
level again (it’s important to establish the voice level you expect during each
part of the day since it changes. Writing time is typically Quiet Turtles
whereas centers would be Inside Iguanas, in-classroom breaks would be Chatty
Chickens, etc.)
- How to
respectfully listen to someone else share their writing
Classroom Library
- How to
put books back & where they go
- How to
select a book
- When they
are allowed to get a book & if they have to keep the book they select or if
they are allowed to switch it out (and, if so, how many times)
- How many
people are allowed in the library at a time
- How to
treat books
- How to
walk with a book (ex: hug it until you get to seat)
- How many
books they are allowed to have at their seat at a time
Outside of Classroom
- How to
behave in the lunch room
- How to
behave in specials
- Hallway
behavior (no running, talking, peeking in other classrooms, touching bulletin
boards, etc.)
- Bathroom
etiquette (what to do/not to do in bathroom, count to 30 (or whatever) while
washing hands)
- Recess rules
- How to line up quietly while they wait for you to pick them up from recess or specials
Computer/Technology
- How to
log in to computer and/or devices
- How to handle
devices (how to walk with them, get them, put them away, how to use them)
- How to
get to websites, apps, etc. you want them to use & how to log in if needed
- When they
are allowed to access technology
Other
- How to
read daily schedule (this is a great one to teach so they don’t ask you every
day when lunch is & also helps them practice Telling Time)
End of the School Day
- How to
pack up to go home
- How to
line up to go home
- How to
exit the classroom and walk out of the school respectfully
- Where to
go after school (bus riders, parent pick up, etc.)
If you need some fun materials or want visuals to teach some of these routines, I created these really fun behavior pocket chart centers with 126 different classroom and school rules/routines/situations for kids to sort as a Responsible Choice or NOT Responsible!
Each card has a school situation or classroom behavior that kids sort as either being a Responsible Choice or NOT Responsible - these fit perfectly in a pocket chart!
They can also be used whole group to show kids on the carpet the cards of what to do and what not to do so kids have visuals when you discuss all the routines and procedures with your new students! They are also a lot of fun to act out together on the carpet (either do it yourself to model or choose a student volunteer for each). The "NOT Responsible" ones are super fun to act out :) They make great discussion starters for talking about rules on the carpet at the beginning of the year or any time they need a reminder.
There are SO many cards including how to behave in the classroom, how to behave at recess, how to behave in the lunch room, how to behave during centers and in reading groups, how to behave in the hallway, how to line up, how to be kind to others, etc. so you can pick out the cards that apply to those specific categories to organize into small lessons for each time of day so you can make a lot of different behavior lessons out of these cards.
I plan on using them that way to make a lot of anchor charts out of these at the beginning of the school year for different lessons like Morning Routine Expectations, How to Behave at Recess, How to Behave in the Cafeteria, etc. so I will try to remember to add those to this post as I make them so you can see examples! :)
Here are some more pictures of them so you can see some more examples!
You could also pull them out in small groups to teach little behavior lessons at your table! Have kids sort them in front of you, talk about each one, etc.
I hope you enjoy these!!
If you use them in a different way, I'd love to hear about it!
If you want these, you can get them here:
Also, if you are New to First Grade (or new to Kindergarten or 2nd), definitely check out this post I just published last weekend:
You can also check out all my favorite blog posts organized by topic here:
Go to the Classroom Management section for more fun ideas like these!
TeachersPayTeachers (so you can see when I post new resources!)
Thanks so much for reading!!
Here's a pin you can use to save this post to read later if you want! :)
I absolutely love this post! I always worry about being able to cover my classroom procedures. This is going to be so helpful to the start of my school year. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Danika! I am so happy it's helpful for you!! I so appreciate you taking the time to leave me a kind comment! :)
DeleteAs a teacher in training, this is a massive help. Thank you Ms. Giraffe.
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave a sweet comment :)
DeleteLove these tips!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope they can be helpful for you for the new school year. I appreciate your comment! :)
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