A.

Zangrilli, 2007-2008
“Beginning the Year Right”

Thinking Through the First Day of School

Classroom Organization:

 Can all students see the board?

 Do you separate active areas from quiet areas?
 Does your room have clear and safe paths?
 Do you have an area devoted to enrichment? (i.e. centers)
 Have you considered where you will put your desk?
 Have you arranged the class for quick and easy monitoring?
 Are the pencil sharpener and trash can accessible, but not in locations that would encourage
misbehavior (i.e. students should not have to pass in front of the room, or by many other
students).
 Are student materials accessible and stored visibly?
 Have you determined a seating chart?
 How will students find their seats on the first day of school?
 Do you have stimulating enrichment displays?
 Do you have a display area for student work?
 Are multi-cultural aspects of your student community acknowledged?
 Do you have groups? Are the groups named?
 Have you maximized culture by naming seats (famous authors/mathmatitions/scientists) and
other areas of the classroom?

Thinking Through Procedures:

Attendance:

 What if students come in late?

 What if students are absent?
 What if students come late during a test?
 What if students are absent on a test day?
 How will I take attendance daily?
 How will I maintain my own attendance records?
 How will I send attendance down to the main office?

Bathroom and Water Fountain:

 When are students allowed to go in your class period? How many students per period? How
often are students allowed to go?
 How should students get my attention for this?
 Where will I keep the bathroom pass?

Books and Supplies:

 Which books will be kept in class and which will go home with students?
 A. Zangrilli, 2007-2008
 Where will in class supplies be kept?
 How will I keep track of in class supplies?
 What if students loose or damage supplies/books?
 What if students forget to bring necessary materials to class?
 What supplies will be needed?
 What if students do not bring supplies by the deadline I set?

Coats:

 Will I have assigned hooks?

 Are students allowed to go to the closet? When?

Homework:

 How is homework to be handed in?

 Under what circumstances will students be allowed to make up work?
 Will students be penalized for late homework?
 When will I correct homework and return it to students? How?
 How do students copy homework?

Line Up:

 Will I have a line monitor/leader?

 Will I wait for students to be silent before they can enter the classroom?
 Will there be consequences for poor line behavior?

Movement in the Classroom:

 Can students get up out of their chairs to use the sharpener or to throw away trash without
asking?
 Should I have student monitors for tasks like these?
 Where should I keep the pencil sharpener and trash cans?

Behavior During Interruptions:

 How are students to behave during intercom announcements?

 Should students greet visitors? If so, how?

Dismissal:

 How will students gather their belongings at the end of class?

 What will be the cur for ending class?
 Who will be responsible for putting materials away?
 How will I organize materials for the next class?
 Do students need to put their chairs up at the end of the day?
 Will I allow them to leave the classroom all at once or group by group?
 A. Zangrilli, 2007-2008

Distributing Materials:

 Who will distribute handouts and papers? How?

 Will each student have individual supplies?

Finishing Work Early:

 What will students do when they finish work early?

Getting the Teacher’s Attention:

 Are students allowed to approach me?

 Are students allowed to call out my name to get my attention?

Getting the Class’ Attention:

 What signal or cue will I use to get the whole class’ attention?

Movement in the hallways and on the stairs?

 Will students need to move silently? What happens when they are disruptive?

Proper Paper Heading:

 What will be the proper heading for my class and how will I teach it?

Speaking in Class:

 Do students always have to raise their hands?

 How will they know when they can talk to each other and the appropriate volume level?
 When are students not allowed to talk at all?
 When are students allowed to ask questions?

Writing Instrument:

 Which writing instruments can students use? Which can they not use?
 What do I do when students do not have a writing instrument?
 What do I do when a student consistently does not have a writing instrument?

Hallway Pass:

 Where will my pass be located?