25 Questions For Planning Your Classroom Procedures

       I've always been a big believer in the power of planning and teaching classroom procedures.  I can still remember my first year when I thought that  I would just go over the rules on the first day and start teaching on the next day!  It only took me that first year to realize how much more goes into setting up your classroom in a way that works.  I spend time every single year setting up my classroom procedures.

      Usually, the first time I start to think about my classroom procedures is at the end of the year school....no, that's not a typo!  I said the end of the year.  I always start thinking about changes that I want to make for the following year in May.  The end of the year is the perfect time to begin the reflection process because that is when you know what is driving you crazy!  Some of that stuff is just the normal stuff that always drives you nuts at the end, but perhaps some of these pet peeves could be improved or fixed with different procedures.  Kids not coming to class prepared?  Maybe you need to rethink your beginning of class procedures.  Not happy with the time spent checking homework?  Perhaps revamping your homework procedures could help.  Usually in May I start a Google Doc that has a list of what needs to change for the next year.  At this point, I may not have all the solutions, but at least I know what procedures I need to think about and look for ideas over the summer.

       Once I'm ready to start planning, deciding my classroom procedures for the school year is always the first thing that I do to prepare.  Once I know the procedures I want to use, I can be more effective with things like classroom set up.  I can make sure that my classroom set up supports my procedures.  I can make sure that if I buy something, it will really be what I need for the year to come.

     When I'm planning out my procedures for the year, I always start with my list of things that I wanted to change.  Then I try to think through what a perfect class period would look like from bell to bell.  This vision is what drives my procedures.  I'm always thinking about how my classroom procedures can support my vision of what class should look like.   Personally, I like to be as specific as possible and plan as much as I can in advance.  In addition to the "regular" day (if there is such a thing in middle school!?!), I also try to plan out stuff that doesn't happen every day, but is still important.  For example, knowing how I want to handle study guides, tests and retakes is important in my planning.

Here are some of the things you will want to consider when planning for a new year:

• What materials do you want students to have for class each day?
• What are your expectations for students when the bell rings each day?
• What do you plan for students to do each day for the first few minutes of class?
• How do you plan to take attendance?
• How will you manage student absences?
• What materials are available for students to borrow?  
• What will you do about students that don't have the necessary supplies for class (books, calculators, pencils, etc...)?
• How are you going to handle student requests for drinks and bathroom breaks?
• How do you want students to handle sharpening pencils and other tasks that might require them to get out of their seats?
• How are you going to assign homework?  How will you grade it?
• What is your grading policy going to be? Will you have categories (tests, quizzes, participation, etc...)?  What percent of the total grade will go to each category?
• How will you get your student's attention when they are working?
• What do you want students to do with graded papers?
• How do you want students to organize notes and notebooks?
• Where will students turn in papers?  
• Who will return graded papers?
• Will you have any classroom jobs that students can do for you?
• Do you need to have any procedures in place for technology in your classroom?
• How will you handle the end of class?  Do students need to wait to be dismissed, or can they leave then the bell rings?
• What clean up procedures need to be in place for the end of class?
• What will your retake policy be?
• What will your late work policy be?
• What is your policy for calculator use?  Use of other technology?
• What other procedures are important in your classroom?  (Examples include effective group work, classroom discussions, how to respond to feedback, etc...)
• Will you have some structure set up for challenging students or early finishers?

       Personally for me, I organize all of this into a Google Doc.  I find it easier to group them into categories, and then each year I can update and change easily.  Then I just change the date at the top, and I've got my procedures planned out for the year!  Then I'm ready to start on the rest of the tasks that need to get done before the new year begins.