Classroom Expectations
Classroom expectations can be used to come up with expectations as a class. This will set boundaries and expectations for the year and will be hung up in the classroom for students to refer back to.
Student Directed & Collaborative
Bucket Filling
The tool is used for students to give a compliment/uplift their classmates. The teacher could read a book that has to do with bucket filling and then students will create their bucket for classmates to fill. It is helpful for classroom environment and confidence.
Write Group Contract
Group contracts can be used as a guide to running group tasks smoothly and effectively. Because each member should participate in making group expectations, they are more likely to abide by them. this will help reduce any arising conflicts/misbehavior while students are working together.
Good News Drop Box
This tool is used to support students and their personal achievements. Students write good news, it can be anything related to school or their lives outside of school, it is their choice what to share. This tool is helpful for students to feel a state of belonging and helps foster relationships within the classroom from feeling cared about.
Team Check In
This tool allows students to check in with their assigned teams. It helps students stay on track with their work and gives students an idea of how their peers feel that day.
Soft Start Morning Choice Board
The soft start morning choice board is a google slide that is put up on the whiteboard each morning that includes the student’s jobs for the morning as well as soft start choices. Soft start is when students come in and have a slow beginning to their day where they are able to talk to the teacher, color, use play-doh, interact with their peers, and play with toys before starting the day academically. The soft-start is helpful because it starts students’ morning off on the right foot and allows the theater to have personal interactions with students that aren’t necessarily school-related to continue to build that relationship.
Timers
Timers come in many different styles and shapes, so they can be a fun and unique tool to use in the classroom. They are helpful for supporting kids in taking responsibility for their time management as they can set a timer for how much time they get before moving on.
Flexible Seating
Flexible seating is the practice of allowing and providing many seating options for students. This means having different types of seats like yoga balls, chairs, couches, stools, etc. This also means given students the freedom to choose where they sit.
Sticky Note Check-In
Students write how they are feeling that morning on the back of a sticky note (i.e. the side with the sticky on it), and stick it on the white board, so the face of the sticky note is blank and their feelings are kept anonymous on the back. This tool gives the teacher the ability to know how their students are feeling that morning and can kind of gauge how the day will go.
Quiet Coyote
Quiet coyote is used to get the classes attention when they are working on an assignment and it may be loud in the classroom. It is an easy signal to show that their eyes need to be on the teacher, their ears are open and listening, and their mouths are closed. This is used if you need to tell the class something quick and then they get back to work. This tool is not really a transition tool.
