Application Problem #2 Classroom Procedures Respond to the following. Your answer should be approximately one-to-two pages in length.
(Use Chapters 2 & 4 in your text and our class lecture as the basis for this response.) Select a grade level of your choice and state it in your answer. As a first year teacher at this grade level, consider what procedures you would choose to introduce to your students during the first three days of school. a) State (list - don't describe in detail) the procedures you would select. b) Briefly state why you believe each is important and should be introduced early in the year. (You may create a table for the three days and list the procedures you would introduce each day for a & b. See sample below.) c) Describe how you would introduce and teach these procedures. Describe the general, basic steps that apply to direct instruction, not a detailed plan for each procedure. This should be about a paragraph.
Kindergarten Day Day 1
Procedures Unpacking
Rationale Students need to know where to put their things, and what they should get out to get ready for the day. Finding your seat Students should know where to go when they enter the classroom. While you wait Students should know what to do while they wait for class to begin. Lunch Count/Attendance Students should become familiar with the process for these necessary daily administrative task. Quieting/Attention getting Quieting and attention getting procedures are necessary to ensure a productive environment and focus students attention as necessary. Going to the restroom Students will invariably need to go to the restroom and should know the correct process for doing so.
Eating Snack
Lining up
Walking in the Hall
Entering the lunch room
Buying lunch Sitting at the lunch table
Cleaning up from lunch
Returning to the classroom
Walking to Recess
Packing up
Dismissal procedures
Students should know what they need to do to prepare for, eat, and clean up their snacks. Students will likely be lining up to go to recess, lunch, and art/music/technology/physical education and knowing procedures will smooth this process. As students will be walking in the hall to the aforementioned destinations, they should know the expectations and process for doing so. When students go to lunch, they should know what they need to bring to lunch and where to go/ what to do when they enter the lunch room. Students who are buying lunch will need to know how to do so Students will need to know appropriate behavior for finding their seat and eating their lunch in the cafeteria. Students will need to learn how to clean up their spots before leaving this lunch room. Students will need to know where to go and how to behave as they re-enter the classroom after lunch/ specials/ recess. Walking to recess often involves different safety concerns than walking in the hall. Students should know where and how to walk safely to the playground. Students should know what they need to take home and how they should pack up their materials from the day to leave the classroom neat and tidy. Depending on their mode of transportation, students should know the process for safely
getting to the adults who transport them. Day 2 Getting and cleaning up supplies On the first day, I will likely distribute supplies as needed. In order to build independence, on the second day, I should teach how to get and clean up supplies. Classroom jobs build student autonomy in the classroom. I will likely start with a handful of simple jobs, and continue to phase in more as the students become more familiar with other procedures. Eventually, I would like leading calendar and weather to be a classroom job, but students need to know the process for doing calendar and weather. On the first day, I will likely have the students do mostly structured, whole group activities. On day two, I would like to introduce blocks, house-play center, puppets, and art centers so the students have a little more choice and freedom in their day. After students have at least a day to try out centers, I would consider introducing the computer center but I would need to ensure that they know how to properly treat the equipment and what they are allowed to do on the computers. After students have had a lesson in science and math, I would like to introduce the science and math centers and go over how to appropriately use materials at these centers and clean them up. I would like to introduce several more jobs now that the students are becoming more familiar with the routines, including having the
Classroom jobs: line leader, lights, door
Calendar and weather
Going to and cleaning up centers
Day 3
Using computers at the computer center
Using materials at the science and math center
Classroom jobs: napkins, hand sanitizer, bell, office messenger
students pass out napkins and hand sanitizer at snack, having a student ring the bell to signal the end of centers, and having a student take attendance to the office
DONT FORGET PART C To effectively teach a procedure, I would begin by explaining the rationale the procedure, as students are more likely to become invested in following the procedure if they recognize its purpose. I would then explain and model each procedure by breaking it down into small steps and acting it out. Afterwards I would have the students rehearse the procedure and provide feedback, reinforcing students who follow it correctly. After teaching a procedure, I would continue to cue and reinforce the procedure, and promote student accountability by having them give each other reminders and role model appropriate procedural behavior until it becomes routine.