Reteaching Procedures- Semester 2

Christmas break is now over, and it is now time to welcome back our precious darlings.

When I was in my first year of teaching I was enrolled in a teaching preparation class. I remember going to class right before school was to resume and receiving this message. 

"You must reteach your procedures and expectations or you will be in a living Hades until summer break!!"

Okay, I don't think it was quite that dramatic, but the message was a clear one. After an extended break the students seemed to have forgotten even the basic come in to my room and sit in your assigned seat. It was insane. By the end of the first semester, I had 6th graders, without a sound, coming in, sitting down and getting straight to work. The students had only a small break and they had reverted back to the first day of school.

(If you are unsure about teaching procedures you should start at The Teacher Toolkit.  If you have more time you should get The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher, 4th Edition. This is a great "how to" book by Harry Wong.)

I have tried a couple different methods in my quest to reteach procedures. My first couple of years I was revved up on PowerPoint. Over the past couple of years, however, I have switched gears to Prezi. For this year, I am using the same Prezi I made for the first day of school procedures and just copied over what I needed the students to remember. This years reteaching includes:

• How to enter the classroom
• What materials are needed for class- pencil, notebook, ect.
• How we should treat each other
• The class reward system
• What is expected of them
• How to use class materials

There are many more procedures to be retaught but I always wait so not to overload them. Their brains are already full of stuff as it is. :-)

Mrs. C

New Year, New Classroom Set Up

Its a new school year!

Well, for a lot of people. Here in Hawaii we have year-round schooling which means I have been hanging out with a new crop of kiddos since August 1st. I do know, however, that some schools are just now getting back into session so I wanted to share some classroom ideas while I am still working on the Flipped Classroom Series.

This is my classroom from last school year when I taught a S.T.E.M. elective.

I am always a huge fan of ALL of my students facing the front during the firs couple weeks of school. I always do random assigned seating. Usually either matching numbers or cards. The last couple years I have gotten poor so I just placed numbers on the tables and gave the students index cards with numbers on them when they walk in. This system was much more effective when I had 6th graders. I had one 8th grade class this last year that thought they were funny and would switch cards when they walked in. It did not make for a very fun first couple of days. You live, you learn.

 I do however really love the tables I have. I ended up switching classrooms for this current year and made sure the tables came with. They are so versatile. I can have them be seating for one, two or push them together and make group tables. I am not a HUGE fan of allowing students to partner up the first couple days of school but you have to work with what you have.

 Bulletin boards... I tried doing a classroom economic system last year which quickly pattered out due to time and effort BUT it is a great idea. You give "cash" bonuses for students being extra awesome and fines for things like being tardy, rude or not doing their work. Again, it is a great idea in theory.

Mrs. C