Teaching Lesson Plans for Back to School

Teach Classroom Management the First Two Weeks of School

Aug 12, 2009

The first days of school set the tone for the rest of the year. Classroom management strategies and effective classroom procedures will allow good teaching to take place.

Classroom routines and effective procedures management need to be taught during the first week of school. There are plenty of first week of school activities that emphasize fun and games, and getting to know each other. However, the teacher in the classroom needs to balance the fun activities with learning the management strategies that will allow the classroom to run smoothly for the rest of the year.

Before Students Come Back to School

Before the students enter the room on the first day of school, the teacher should have a well-planned, well-organized classroom management strategy in place. This includes procedures for how to do everything in the school day. Procedures need to be made for:

These policies and procedures should be short and clear. Ron Clark’s Essential 55 were short, one sentence rules that were simple to remember. He spent time teaching and reinforcing the rules every day, part of what made them so effective.

First Day of School Routine

Students come back to school nervous about their teachers’ expectations and requirements. When a teacher provides clear guidelines and instructions to the class, it lessens their fears. Having procedures in writing helps to make them clear and helps everyone to remember them.

Some of the planning for the first few days of school should be modeling procedures and practicing them. The teacher can model how to hand in papers, then let the class try it. Once they know the procedure, they can be challenged to do it faster by using a timer.

Some of the icebreaker activities can be used as practice for moving around the classroom and responding to quiet signs. Teambuilding icebreakers can be used to practice group work expectations.

Over Plan the First Days of School

Some classes complete activities faster than others. That makes it important to plan for more activities than what is likely to be completed. If things go faster than expected, the teacher will have more activities to do.

Effective teachers greet their students at the door or at the line. This helps them get to know students. When the students are ready and attentive, the teacher walks them into the room.

Many experienced teachers begin their classes with bellwork and morning procedures to get the students working immediately. On the first day of school, have a simple assignment on the board when the students walk into the room.

After the morning procedures, some time should be spent explaining, modeling, and practicing the classroom policies. Then an icebreaker activity can be done that will practice one of the procedures in an enjoyable way.

Continuing to do this for the first day will ingrain the classroom management strategies into the students’ habits. Introduce a procedure, model and practice it, then do an activity that will reinforce it.

The second through tenth days of school should be devoted to introducing academics, while continuing to incorporate activities that practice and reinforce the classroom procedures management. Once they have been practiced for two weeks, the classroom should be ready and able to runs smoothly for maximum learning. The teacher should continue to reinforce the procedures all year long to maintain control of the classroom.

Good planning for the first days of school are key to how much teaching and learning will take place the rest of the year. Teachers who start out the year in a businesslike and professional manner will see the best achievement in their students and make a difference in their lives.

The copyright of the article Teaching Lesson Plans for Back to School in Lesson Plan Help is owned by Suzanne Pitner. Permission to republish Teaching Lesson Plans for Back to School in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.