Classroom Management Key Components

Area #1: Procedures/Structures/Routines

● Beginning Routine/Start of Class - The students will put their backpack, coats, and
boots in their locker. They will bring in their folder and water bottle. When they get
into the room, they will put their water bottle at their desk and put their folder in their
mailbox. There will be information on the board on what the morning meeting will
consist of - MUST DO: lunch choice and writing prompt, MAY DO: IXL
recommended or read a book/AR tests. My expectations are that they will make the
two must-do choices, then when they are done they choose something on the may
do, and the whole time it is quiet and they are getting focused for the day.
● Quiet/Attention Signals - The classroom doorbell, call-and-responses (class, class -
yes, yes), and pattern clapping repetition will be attention getters that I will
implement. My expectation for these attention-getters is that they stop what they are
doing, stop talking, and look at me to listen to the next directions.
● Physical Transitions (groups, pairs, labs, activities, carpet) - When transitioning from
their desk to somewhere else around the room, the students will first make sure
they have all of their materials. Then, they will quietly push in their chair and head to
the designated spot. If it is the carpet, they will wait at the carpet quietly sitting
criss-cross and hands in their lap. If they are headed to work with partners (or a
group) they will already have the directions and should get to work right away. When
in the group, they will be focused on the topic they are working on. The group will
only remain a group if they can be productive, follow the expected voice level, and
be respectful to the people working around them.
● Lining Up - The students will be called to line up by rows since that is how their
seating chart will be in the beginning of the school year. I will have the rows that
look ready (nothing on desk, sitting in chair, and not talking) line up first. I expect
that they continue the voice level in line. Once in line, the students are facing the
front, their voices are off, and their hands are at their sides. The same expectations
are held for when we are walking in the hallway.
● Dismissal - I will have jobs that the students are responsible for everyday. So, when
it is time to pack up and get ready to leave school this is when those jobs will be
completed. On the board I will have what MUST be done before they can leave
(their job needs to be completed, their mailbox needs to be emptied, nothing on
their desk/on the floor near their desk, their chair needs to be up, and their computer
needs to be put away/plugged in). To hold the students accountable for the end of
 day responsibilities, I will ask that they initial the board when they have completed
each of those tasks. I will keep a photo of their initials. This way, I can show them
that they signed off for the day, but not all of their expected tasks were completed.
● Non-Verbal Cues (visuals, hand gestures, music) - I will have two non-verbal cues in
my class. One will be a hand in the air which shows they have a question or
something to add. The second gesture will be the pointer and middle finger crossing
over each other to show they have to go to the bathroom.
● Giving Directions - When giving directions for something the students will need to
complete, I will give them all before the students can start. If the students are
working on a worksheet or assignment, I will wait to pass out the physical copy for
them until all the instructions are given and we have gone through one example
together. If I am giving instructions for something the students have to gather
materials for, I will start by saying, “When I say go, you will….”. Then, when all of the
instructions have been given, and I have checked for understanding, then I will say
“go”.
● Checking for Understanding - To check for understanding, I like to ask them to show
me 1-5 on their hands how confident they feel with the content or information. I will
make sure the students know their 1-5 only needs to be shown to me - no one else
needs to see it. I want the students to feel comfortable giving me an accurate
representation of how they feel. If I am checking for understanding on content, I will
use that to know which students to try to be more available for. If I am checking for
understanding on instructions, I will have students repeat the steps they are going to
take.
● Holding Ground/No Arguing - If a student disagrees with a consequence or direction
I have given them, there will be ZERO arguing during class time. I will explain to
them that I am not going to argue, but they can talk to me after class or when we
have free time. I will let them know that I will be willing to hear what they have to
say, as long as they can be respectful about the decisions I make.
● Raising Hands to Speak - The students will raise their hand and wait to be called
on. I will call on students who are sitting nicely at their desk and are waiting quietly.

Classroom procedures have become one of my biggest goals to implement at the start of
next year. I will “address procedures before disruptions occur . . . [instead of] after the
chaos has ended.” (Smith & Dearborn 104).I truly believe that every student needs
structure. I want my classroom to know these procedures inside and out. For the students
to understand why we are implementing and practicing these procedures, I will tell or show
them the overall goal of it. The procedures then need to be modeled. Since this is my first
year teaching, I will be the one to model the expectations for them. After I have modeled
step-by-step, I will then ask some students to model the procedure and to walk us through
the steps. Then, we will practice with the whole group. To do this, these procedures need
to be practiced. We will practice these procedures until every student knows what is
expected of them. I will continually praise students who are repeatedly following
expectations. Not only will this be done at the beginning of the school year, but we will
practice them throughout the school year. These expectations need to be repeated time
and time again. At the end of the year, I would love to set myself up for the next school
year. The students would have practiced all of the procedures every day of the year. So, I
would love to record them giving their best and following every expectation to a T. Then,
when the next school year comes I would show the video I took of the previous year to
have a visual on how to follow our procedures.

Area #2: Engagement & Participation

● Variety (three or more activities per hour)
● Collaboration (Students Talking/Peer Discussions) - Think, pair, share, small groups,
partners, etc.
● Movement (two or more times per hour) - Brain bursts: Would you rather, Finger
Trap, Clean up the Backyard, etc.
● Total Participation (all students think, write, share, or answer simultaneously) -
Individual whiteboards
● Rigor (higher order thinking and tasks required)
● Instruction (explain, model, guided practice, independent practice) - I do, We do,
You do
● Questioning/Probing
● Group Work (roles and productivity)

I believe that students learn the best when they are participating in hands-on learning and
the content is relevant to them. Finding ways for the students to do more than sit at their
desk and complete a worksheet. I plan to have activities that stimulate their engagement
by having them out of their desks (task cards), activities that they are interested in (sports
teams/video games), incorporating THEM into the questions (replacing a random name
with one of the students), making learning fun (games), and finding as many hands on
lessons as possible (STEM, math manipulatives, science labs, etc.). Another one of my
goals is to have very strong teacher-student relationships (which I will talk about more )
and knowing my students will make those activities engaging easier to create or adapt. I
have been taught that boredom leads to most unwanted behaviors in classrooms. So,
keeping the students engaged in their learning will be one key factor to having smooth
classroom management.
Area #3: Rapport/Connection
● Teacher Warmth/Friendliness/Approachability - I feel driven to find that fine line of
being friendly and being respected. The students should want to come to me to tell
me the joys, highlights, lows, and anything in between in their lives. However, they
should also respect me and follow my expectations when it is time to learn.
● Teacher Enthusiasm/Energy/Excitement/Joy - I am an upbeat person, I will be
excited for every student in my classroom, and I will bring the energy. However, I
know that I will have “off” days. I will do my best to work through them, but I think
what is important in those moments is how I model working through tough times and
how I handle it as an adult. The students will pick up on everything. So, showing
them how to express their feelings and thoughts and how to handle yourself in
moments of pure joy and even in those moments of frustration and sadness are
important. I have had teachers in the past who were high one day and low the next
and it was super unpredictable. As a student myself, if the teacher would have been
open that they were having a tough day and/or that it had nothing to do with us - I
think we all would have respected them a little bit more.
● Teacher Humor/Laughter - Laughter is the key to everything. It can start a
friendship, it can put a smile on anyone's face, and it can lighten situations. I plan to
bring laughter into my classroom by having a “joke of the day”. This will be done
during our morning meeting everyday. That being said, I will also have to implement
a procedure on how to handle the joke of the day. That it is okay to laugh, but it is
important to know when enough is enough and we are ready to move on.
● Teacher Knowledge of individual students’ interests - This is something I want to
dive deep into! Not only will this help me get to know my students better - therefore
creating better relationships, but it will allow me to incorporate what they are
interested in into our learning.
● Teacher Respect and Appreciation for students - I plan to be very verbal about how
proud I am of my students. I want to praise everything good!
● Teacher Encouragement of students - I also want to be my students biggest
cheerleader. Not only will I encourage them to try their best in the classroom, but I
plan to support and cheer them on outside of the classroom as well.
● Teacher sensitivity to student cultures and backgrounds - It is important to be
mindful of the different backgrounds each and everyone of my students may come
from. I must learn about their culture, customs, and beliefs so I can understand the
choices they make and who they are as a person. I would like to celebrate our
differences, instead of ignoring them. These differences can be big or small, but
they are important because they are what make us all individuals.
Creating the best student-teacher relationships is going to be one of the most important
choices I make throughout the year. The students and I will have a great year if we know
each other, if we can laugh together, if we can learn together, if we can celebrate together,
and if we can work through tough times together. By creating those relationships with
students I hope to make them feel welcome and safe in my classroom. One simple way to
start those relationships is to greet them at the door. I would love to have some unique way
of saying good morning to each student. Also, to make sure there is a goodbye of sorts.
When the bell rings to go home, I do not want my students rushing out the door. I would
like them to find me and say our goodbyes. Some ways to say goodmorning could be as
simple as a wave, as sweet as a hug, or as creative as a secret handshake. “Caring isn’t a
strategy; it’s a choice.” (Smith & Dearborn 80).

Area #4: Behavior Intervention/Consequences

● Regular use of gentle redirects (proximity, warnings, the look) - I like to start small
with my redirections. Whether it be walking close to the student to cause them to be
mindful about their actions, to tap their desk, to make eye contact with them, or to
catch their attention by asking them a question.
● Consequences are reasonable and equitable - The students will know my
expectations for them and they will know that my expectations are high. Along with
the expectations, I also want them to know the consequences of their actions. One
choice I want to be mindful of is that the consequence meets the unwanted
behavior. For example, if a student misuses their computer - the computer gets
taken away.
● Consequences are given as choices (you have a choice right now...) - The student
will always have the option to make a choice. I will let them know that the choice
that they are making right now is not a good one and will lead to a consequence, but
they still have the opportunity to make a different (or better choice).
● Teacher use soft eyes, soft voice during conflicts - It is not my intention at all for
students to think that I am angry at them. If I were to raise my voice and be visually
angry, the student will not think that I care about them - just that I am angry. I will
lower my voice, use a soft tone, square up to them, and calmly talk to them in a way
that shows I care about them. I care what choice they are making - not because I
am angry, but because I know they can do better and I want to hold them to their
highest expectations.
● Teacher is firm, but also calm and compassionate (doesn’t yell or intimidate) - I will
stick to what consequences or expectations I said, but I will do so in a respectable
way.
 ● Consistent follow through with consequences once they are earned (doesn’t make
the same request over and over)
● Arguments/debates are delayed, done in private - It would be disrespectful to the
student to have a conversation about something we disagree on in front of the
class. We will end our conversation and I will let the student know they can find me
at a different time to continue our conversation in private.
● Progression up hierarchy is swift but fair - The student will get warnings, but they
will not take advantage of me. I must be solid in what I think should happen and
they should fit the poor choice that was made.

I created a “Hierarchy of Consequences” chart. This was good because I got to choose
what would happen at each level of behavior before the behaviors occurred. I created my
consequences when I had a clear head. I know that every situation will be different. I know
I can adapt the consequences as needed, but at least I have a rough idea of how to follow
through. Implementing consequences is something I am continually working on. It is hard
for me because I do not want to be known as the “mean” teacher, but I know if I implement
a consequence in a respectful manner, the student should know that I am not doing it to be
mean, but to help them become a better person. “Being nice means doing things to get the
kids to like us, and being kind means doing things that are truly in the students’ best
interest.” (Smith * Dearborn 80).

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Smith, R., & Dearborn, G. (2016). Conscious Classroom Management: Unlocking

the Secrets of Great Teaching. Fairfax, California: Conscious Teaching.