Classroom Management Series #1: Eating in the Classroom

Welcome to the fifth week of the Classroom Management Series!  We have addressed many things including students using electronics in the classroom and students using profanity .  Don’t forget to check the Classroom Management tab above to see all the topics we have covered so far. 

Today we are going to talk about students eating in the classroom.  Kids are growing, and growing kids need food.  However, snacking on their chips and slurping their sodas is extremely distracting in a class.

Imagine the kids that come from a lower income family, they most likely can’t afford to run to the vending machine or soda to grab a snack.  So they are drooling over the rustling of a wrapper.  Or think of a child who struggles with an attention disorder, the wrapper or slurping is one more noise to distract them from their learning. 

Here are some suggestions for dealing with eating in the classroom. 

Prevention Solutions

• Stand at the door and make students finish/throw away their food and drink before entering the classroom
• Allow students to place unfinished food and drink on your desk during the lesson
• Allow students to finish food while doing the warm up
• Students can earn a snack day by doing what is expected of them for so many days

Responsive Solutions

• Have students put their snacks in their backpacks or on your desk if they start eating them in your class
• Have students throw them away when they start eating in class
• Have students pick up trash around the room once the lesson is done

I do want to note that you may have some students who come to school without breakfast and they are in your first few classes or even have to skip lunch for monetary reasons.  If you want to help them combat that hunger, you can have a few cheap snacks, like soda crackers or granola bars, in your desk to discreetly give them.    This can change their mood and improve their learning as well.  

Next week's question:What do you do when students call out without having permission (didn't raise their hand)? Please leave your tip in the comment section below.

Household Duties

We all have them.  We tend to hate them.  They are chores or family duties.  Chores are common conversation topic in any language.  We complain about them, we try to convince someone else to do them, or we have to stop our fun activities to do them. 

Vocabulary

• Sweep(ing)
• Mop(ping)
• Do(ing) the dishes
• Wash(ing) clothes
• Cook(ing)
• Sew(ing)
• Iron(ing) clothes
• Fold(ing) clothes
• Vacuum(ing)
• Clean(ing) the bathtub, toilet, shower, counter
• Clean(ing) my room

Grammar Structure

• I have to __________________.
• I am ______________.
• He/She is ___________________.

Warm Up

“Clean up” Song

• Procedure: teacher teaches the students the cleaning song
• “Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere
  Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share
  Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere
  Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share
  Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere
  Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share
  Barney - Clean Up Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Fly Swatter Review

• Procedure: 

1. Teacher tapes pictures of articles of clothing and parts of the house on the board.  
2. Students are divided into two teams.  
3. First representative from each team stands in front of the board with fly swatters in hand.  
4. The teacher says an article of clothing or part of the house.  
5. The two team members race to be the first one to “swat” (hit) the picture of the word.  The students only get one chance to hit the correct picture. 
6. If a student hits the correct picture that team gets a point. 
7. If neither team member hits the correct picture, neither get a point and the correct picture is identified. 
8. The next student from each team gets a chance.

Practice

Charades

• Procedure: Students can either be on two teams or work together to identify the family duty that a student is acting out without making any noise.
  
   

Pictionary

• Procedure: Students can either work two teams or together as a class to identify what family duty is being drawn. 

Production

Poster

• Procedure: Students can work in pairs or individually to create posters to hang in the room illustrates, describes, and explains why to do a specific family duty.

Story

• Procedure: Students write a short story (a paragraph or two) about doing a chore they hate. 
• Modification: Students can write a chain story about a chore they hate.  A chain story has students starting to write their story but after 1 minute the student give their story to the person on the right.  After 1 minute the students again pass the paper to the right.  Students do this a few more times until the story is written. 

Commercial

• Procedure: Students work in pairs or small groups to make a 30 second to 1 minute to sell products to make house hold duties easier (for example: swiffer wet jet for mopping) 

Classroom Management Series #1: Entering and Leaving the Classroom

Welcome to week four of the Classroom Management Series!  This week are diving into managing the chaos of entering and leaving the classroom.  This is not for when individual students leave to go to the bathroom or anything.  This is when the whole class comes into your room for the first and leaves for the last time that day. 

Ideally, the students will come in and IMMEDIATELY be prepared for the lesson.  However, students need to time to get their materials ready, brain started up, and bodies quieted.

Here are some tips for entering the classroom using our two types of solutions.

Preventive Solutions

• Greet students at the door or be standing when students enter the classroom
• Have students do the same routine every day 
• For example: 
• take out their notebook and pencil case
•  hang their bags on the back of their chair
• put extra assignment in specified spot
• look on the board for the warm up instructions
• Have a warm up on their desks or written on the board for them to start when they sit down
• Have assigned seats for students
• Have students practice coming in the room the way you expect them to
• Give specific instructions 
• For example: 
• sit in your chair facing the front 
• walk in to the room without talking

Responsive Solutions

• If students come running in or come in loudly ask them to re-enter the room and do it again correctly
• Have them fill out the “Behavior Notice” 

  

  Download for free HERE

Why worry about how students enter your class?

How students enter your class sets the tone for the rest of the day.  If it was chaotic with students doing what they want, then it will be harder to get the students to listen to you. 

Students are watching the clock and waiting for the opportunity to escape no matter how enticing your lesson is.  However, you still need to control how and when students exit.  This allows you to teach till the last minute (isn’t our goal to use as much time to teach?) and maintain control of the classroom.  Having a set routine for students ends the day on a positive note (no yelling or signs of frustration) that they will take home with them. 

Preventive Solutions

• Students are not dismissed until you have given them permission
• Stand at the door to tell students bye
• Ask students to complete an “Exit Ticket” to give to you at the end of the lesson/day

  

  Download for free HERE

• Do the same routine to leave 
• For example: 
• complete the exit ticket
•  put supplies back in their bag
• sit facing the front till their name is called
• Call students by name to leave
• Keep the classroom door closed until you are ready to dismiss the students

Responsive Solutions

• If students stops working and packing things away before the allotted time, go to that student and tell them to get their supplies back out to continue working
• Have student fill out the “Behavior Notice”
• Have students that pack up early be the last ones to leave and/or help clean the classroom

  Why stress the importance of exiting in an orderly manner?

Students are there to learn and teachers only have a limited time with them.  Students need to be taking advantage of all the time given to them to learn.  If there is a routine, this can be done in the last minute or two quickly and without the stressful yelling.  You want your students to exit your classroom feeling accomplished and good about themselves.  This will not happen if you are screaming at them, they are scrambling to find their supplies to leave as quickly as possible.  

Next week's question:What do you do when students eat in the classroom? Please leave your tip in the comment section below.

Classroom Management Series #1: When students use profanity

Welcome to our third week of the Classroom Management Series!  The past two weeks we have talked about students talking when not supposed to as well as students using their electronics in the classroom.  This week we are going to address profanity. 

Profanity: (noun) abusive, vulgar, or irrelevant language

   

Includes but not limited to: 

• cussing
• trash talking
• saying mean or sexual jokes (ex. Your momma is so fat…)
• any disrespectful talk that interrupts learning or makes others feel unsafe. 

Why do students use profanity?

• To get attention that they crave
• To impress their peers
• To portray an emotion (excitement, anger/hurt towards a fellow classmate, etc)

Students come from all types of backgrounds and to some of the students these words are normally used in their home.  But in the classroom there needs be different expectations to ensure a safe learning environment. 

Here are a few tips, using our two types of solutions:

Preventive Solutions

• Put in class (rules)-Be respectful, discuss what is and is not disrespectful
• Have a “Behavior Notice” handout available for students to fill out if they misbehave 

  

  Download a FREE copy here

Responsive Solutions

• Ask students to rephrase what they said
• Have students apologize for using profanity
• Talk to the offender privately about why they are saying what they are saying
• Have student complete the “Behavior Notice” to return the next day (simply place it on their desk for them to fill in)
• call parents 
• conduct a conference with student (and the other people if profanity was aimed at others)

Remember to make the solutions fit the behavior.  This is because students have a hard time connecting a consequence to an action if the consequence is delayed or unrelated to the misbehavior.  For example, if a student cusses in your class have them rephrase what was said and apologize immediately instead of having the student clean your classroom.  

Next week's question:What do you do when students arrive late or leave early? Please leave your tip in the comment section below.

Sports and Leisure Activities

Being able to carry on a conversation about your favorite leisure and sports activities and asking your friend’s about theirs will allow deeper bounding when in your second language.

Today’s objective: Students will be able to talk about sports and leisure activities

Vocabulary

Soccer

Equipment

referee

team

Ball

Goal

Uniform

Cleats

Basketball

Net

Tennis shoes

basket

Football

Touchdown

Baseball

Bat

Glove

Homerun

base

Swimming

pool

Skateboarding

Skateboard

ramp

Running

Race

Course

Reading books

Watching movies, television

listening to music

talking with friends

going to concerts

playing video games 

Grammar Structure

Do you like to ______________?

I like to ____________________?

Which sport do you like?

What kind of equipment do you need?

Where is ____________ played?

Warm Up

Watch highlights of the Olympics

Procedure: 

1. Download the most current highlight broad cast of your country’s Olympics (Spanish or English).  
2. Students list any words they know about the Olympics in English.

Draw their favorite sport/leisure activity

Procedure: 

1. Students draw their favorite sport or activity on a small piece of paper

Practice

Fly swatter

Procedure: 

1. Students are divided into two teams and pictures of the vocabulary words are taped on the board.  
2. Each team has a fly swatter.  
3. The teacher says a vocabulary word and the team members with the fly swatters run to the board to hit the picture that represents the word the teacher said.  
4. They only have one chance to hit the correct picture
5. Then the fly swatter is passed to the next team member in line.

Modification: Students stay at the desks instead of lining up. 

Photo credit goes to a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer

Charades

Procedure: 

1. Types of sports/leisure activities are written on small pieces of paper. 
2. Class is divided into two teams and facing opposite ends of the room. 
3.  A team member from each team secretly reads a slip of paper and acts out the activity (without saying anything) for their team to guess.  
4. Then the next team member does the same for a different activity.

Modification: Students take turn acting out the activity for the class instead of teams competing.

Secret Word

Procedure: 

1. One person from the class stands with their back to the board.  
2. The teacher secretly writes a sport or leisure activity on the board.  
3. The student with their back to the board tries to guess the secret word 
4. The class gives hints to them without saying the secret word (ex. Baseball: students can say: bat, ball, glove, homerun, etc.)

Production

Role Play

Procedure: Students work in pairs or small groups to role play a conversation that would happen during one of the sports or leisure activities

Letter

Procedure: Students write a letter to their favorite English speaking sports figure

Commercial

Procedure: Students work in small groups or pairs to make a 30 second to 1 minute role play to convince their classmates to come to their team’s next game   

Classroom Management Series #1: Students using their electronics

Welcome back to the Classroom Management Series!  Last week we addressed the issue of students talking when they are not supposed to.  This week we are going to tackle electronics in the classroom. 

It never fails, many students have the most up to date gadget while I am still trying to figure out my basic Nokia phone.  They have smart phones, personal gaming systems, and mp3 players.  And their toys are more interesting than what is going on in school that day (believe me I know, I can use pinterest on my phone).  

Students are using electronics in the classroom when:

• They are answering and sending text messages and phone calls
• When their phones ring or beep in class
• When students are checking their messages, facebook, etc. on their phones
• Playing with their electronics (phones, iPod, personal gaming system) when instructed not to

Below are solutions divided into two groups thanks to readers and teachers at local workshops!

Preventive Solutions*

• Put all cell phones in a cell jail as they walk into class 
  
• Have students put phones on teacher’s desk as they walk into class
• Students put phones in a shoe organizer that hangs in the front of the room 

  

  The Meta Picture

• Absolutely forbid phones on tests days-they go on the teacher’s desk
• Remind students daily of policy
• Make it a game:
• phones are turned off/silent and put on the corner of the desk
• first student who touches their phone during class has to leave the class last, clean the room, deducted participation points, etc.
• Give participation points that include not using their phones
• Put into place a “can’t see, can’t hear it” policy
• students can have their phone on silent and in their backpack/pocket
• Model the behavior-don’t use your phone in class

Responsive Solutions*

• Ask students to give you their phone and you put it on your desk till end of class
• Ask students to put it in their pocket or backpack

*Some students may need to have their phones on in class for emergency reasons (someone is ill in their family, they have a life threatening disease/illness, etc.).  Ask them to share this with you and allow them to keep their phone on silent or vibrate while in class.

Electronics are extremely distracting.  I know this from experience.  It took me two hours to “check” my email, facebook, and pinterest so I could “focus” on writing this post.  BUT electronics can be beneficial to learning if used properly! 

Methods for implementing electronics into your lesson plan:

• Using the internet on the phones/mp3 players to look up definitions (and show you the result)
• When students have a question, have them look it up on their phones (and show you’re the result)
• Recording videos for presentations
• Write responses to questions for quick assessment
• Take pictures of notes on the board or picture
• Calculate a math problem 

Remember you will probably have to try multiple solutions for each student until you find one that works for you and your class.  Remember to try to find the reason, explain your expectations, and be consistent!  

Next week's question:What do you do when students use profanity?   Please leave your tip in the comment section below.  

Occupations

Helping language learners identify occupations broadens their ability to relate to people they are speaking to AND expands their vocabulary.  Being able to ask about someone’s profession can open up a basic conversation for second language learners. 

Vocabulary

Doctor

Police officer

Cashier

Hair stylist

Nurse

Dentist

Stay at home mom/stay at home dad

Teacher

Truck driver

Fire fighter

Writer

Reporter

Actor/actress

Athlete

Farmer 

Grammar Structure

What do you do?

What is your job?

I am a/an _____________________.

Warm Up

Video/Song

Procedure: listen to the song about jobs and sing along if you want

Video, Song, and Lyrics

Song Lyrics and Example Video

Word Search

Procedure: using a worksheet to introduce the new vocabulary (students do not have to know the meaning just look for the words)

Word Searches

Practice

Concentration

Procedure:

1.  Make cards by drawing an occupation on one card and writing the name of that occupation on another card
2. Have at least 10 sets of cards
3. Mix up all cards and turn face down
4. Students take turns turning over 2 cards at a time
5. If the 2 cards turned over are a match (picture matches the word) then the student keeps them pair and turns over 2 more
6. If the 2 cards turned over are not a match, the cards are turned face down again and the next player goes
7. The game is over when all pictures are correctly matched with an occupation  

Guess who:

Procedure:

1. Students play in pairs and are given copies of the same pictures of occupations 
2. Students secretly select an occupation and turn it face down 
3. All other pictures are face up
4. Students take turns asking  YES or NO questions WITHOUT saying the occupation (ex. Do you work with people?  Do you work with animals?) to figure out the other person's secret occupation
5. If the other person says no to their question, the student turns all occupations face down that answer no to the question (Do you work with people? No.  turn Doctors, teachers, dentists, etc. face down) 
6. The person who can correctly guess the other's secret occupation wins 

Who Am I?

Procedure:

1. Different occupations are taped to the back or on the forehead of students 
2. Students ask YES or NO questions to other students to try to guess their own occupation (ex. Do I use tools?  Do I work with animals?) 

Production

Runway Show with Oral Presentation 

Procedure: 

1. Students choose an occupation to dress up as
2. Students must include: uniform, job description, and any other important facts in presentation

Commercial

Procedure: Students can work in pairs or small groups to make a skit about specific occupations giving job description, income, etc. 

Modification: Students can work on their commercials outside of class and videotape them to share with the rest of the class