Classroom Routines,

Policies, Procedures

Classroom
Rules

Classroom Rules
Respect

all around (yourself, your

classmates, your teacher)

Be

brave when sharing

Mistakes
Come

are cool

prepared (mind and materials)

Classroom Rules- explanation

These rules are designed so that students can feel safe in my

classroom. Young adolescence is a time when students can be very selfconscious of what their peers think. In order to create a collaborative
work environment, students need to feel comfortable sharing their
opinions or explanations and asking questions. These rules are set in
place so that each student can feel that way.

With that, students will help me to create these rules. I will know that
these are the underlying rules that I would like them to arrive at, but I
will allow them to come up with a set that they feel are appropriate and
fair. (Doubet & Hockett, 2015)

Policies and
Procedure

Notebook
For

this class, you will need a 1-inch three ring binder

specifically for math. All papers given in class will be hole
punched and expected to be in your notebook.
For

each unit, we will have a table of contents which you will be

responsible for filling out daily. This should be kept in your
interactive notebook.

You

will be told about notebook checks in advance and all notes

will be expected to be done. It is important that you keep your
notebook up to date. This will count towards your work ethic
grade.

In Class

Beginning of Class

When coming into class you may talk with your friends and
gather your materials, however, once the bell rings it is
expected that you are at your desk working on your bell
ringer.

End of Class

You are expected to stay in your seats and working until I

instruct you to pack up or the bell rings. I will never keep you
after the bell UNLESS you start packing up before instructed
to.

Bathroom
You

may raise your hand and ask to go to the

bathroom. Use your judgment about when
would be a good time to leave the classroom.
You will not want to miss instructions or the
start of group or individual work. Use your
time wisely.

Asking Questions

You all are always ENCOURAGED to ask questions!!!

When working collaboratively, you may ask a peer to
clarify a concept for you. However, if we are working
as a whole class, raise your hand to ask your question
because most likely other students are wondering the
same thing!!

Absences
You

are responsible for making up work when you are absent!!

Follow these steps when you come back to school:
In

the back of the classroom there is an Absent Work file bin. Look for
whatever day you were absent in the month and the work you missed will
be in there. For example: if Sally was absent October 14th, she would look
in the file 14 for what she missed.

Ask

classmates or me if there was anything else you missed.

Finish

the work you missed, along with an Assignment Excuse form.

Staple

assignment excuse to your finished work and hand it in to the late

work bin.

Policies and Procedures- explanation

The routines around the classroom, like the rules, are in place to make sure that the
classroom environment is safe and conducive to learning. Middle school students can be
extremely unorganized, which is why notebook checks will be a part of their work ethic
grade. It is also why beginning of class and end of class routines are set in place. This will
help classes run more smoothly and will benefit the students.

The absences policy is in place so that students become accountable for their missing work
(Self, n.d.). Students are required to fill out an assignment excuse form whether they were
absent, or just didnt complete an assignment on time. Students will be aware of this
process and will recognize that the assignment is meaningful and needs to be completed.

Students with special needs: Routines will be adjusted based on whether or not this is a
class that is co-taught with a special education teacher. They will also be adjusted on a caseby-case basis. For example, if a student needs more time to settle into class, we can work
out a plan for them to begin class in the zen zone or take a 1 minute break before
beginning.

Administrative Routines- explanation

These will all be done without student involvement. Taking attendance

and recording tardiness will be my responsibility at the beginning of
class. Handing out school notices will most likely be done in homeroom
and I will take care of that as well.

Routines for Student Movementexplanation

Expectations for students entering and leaving the room for class and
leaving for the bathroom are outlined specifically on the Class Policies
sheet. These are to ensure that we do not miss any time for learning.
Going to the nurse will be decided on a case-by-case basis. I will keep
band-aids in my room to limit the number of students needing to go to
the nurse for that. Students will never be permitted to go to the library
during this class. We will follow the school guidelines for fire drills,
which we will go over in the beginning of the year. Students may
sharpen their pencils whenever necessary. Students will be instructed
of when they should be using computers or other equipment or getting
materials.

Use and Distribution of Materialsexplanation

When student desks are in group work setting, there will always be a
team captain. It is the responsibility of the captain to gather all the
materials necessary for the lesson. Usually, materials will be listed on
the board with a prompt for the captain to gather them during the bell
ringer. When in individual or partner setting, students will be instructed
when they will need materials and where to get them.

Submission of Assignmentsexplanation

This will vary depending on assignment. Each class will have a tray
where they will turn in their assignments. Students will know when they
finish classwork to put the assignment in this tray. When homework is
being collected, the board when they come into class will prompt them
to place it in the tray. When homework is being checked for completion,
I will walk around checking them while students work on their bell
ringer.

Routines for Interacting with Peersexplanation

In my classroom I will have a scale that represents where students

noise levels should be (Weinstein, 2015). This scale will be from 1-5 and
will represent complete silence to complete chaos. There will be an
arrow pointing to which noise level they should be at at any point in a
lesson. I will explicitly teach students how this noise-o-meter works in
the beginning of the year. When I introduce an activity I will tell them
what level they should be on and what that means. For example, You
will be working with your table group and collaborating for this activity.
Everyone should be giving their input. You should be at about a 3 or 4
for noise. This way students always understand when it is OK to be
collaborating with classmates and when they should be silently working
alone.

Getting Assistance from the Teacherexplanation

Students will know that they can always ask me for assistance by
raising their hands. I will help them as soon as I possibly can.

Grading and
Homework
Policies

Grading

Your quarter grades will be made up of the following:

Tests/ Projects: 35%

End of unit exams, long-term projects, performance tasks

Quizzes: 25%

Classwork: 20%

Individual work, Group work/partner participation, activity sheets, etc.

Work Ethic: 20%

Homework, Participation, Interactive Notebook checks

In Class
Must

always bring:

Interactive
Pencil/

notebook

something to write with

Planner
An

open mind

Any

other materials necessary will be told to you in advance (i.e.

headphones, colored pencils, etc.

If

you consistently forget to bring your materials, we will

work out some strategies to help you to remember!!

Late Work

You are expected to hand work in on time! However, I

understand that things happen. Late work will always
be accepted (within the quarter) but penalties will
apply to your work ethic grade on a case-by-case
basis.

Hand in late work attached to an assignment excuse form

into the late work bin. Work will not be accepted without
assignment excuse form!!

Homework

When I give homework, it means it is something IMPORTANT. I will

never give you homework if it isnt and I will TRY not to give homework
over the weekends.

Ways I check homework (will always be written on the board when you
come in):

For completion: Sometimes I will come around to check homework while you
are working on your bell ringer. When this is the case, usually we will go over
some questions as a class, or I will display a key for you to check on your
own.

For feedback: Sometimes I will collect homework so I can give you feedback.
When this is the case, you will place it in the bin for your class.

Extra Credit
Extra

credit will be discussed on a case-bycase basis. Mainly, extra credit will involve redoing an assignment you received a low
grade on and handing it back in for a regrade.

Grading Policy

The grading policy is based off of the idea of separating academic and
nonacademic grades (Winger, 2005). Nonacademic factors weigh less
than academic grades (Tomlinson, 2001).

If a student hands an assignment in late, points will be taken from their

work ethic grade, not the grade on the actual assignment.

Homework is always included in the work ethic grade and never graded
for accuracy (Mangione, 2008). Sometimes students will hand their
homework in for feedback, but the grade will always be for completion.

Deductions will also be taken from work ethic grade for students who
continuously come unprepared or do not follow classroom routines.

Discipline Policy- explanation

Hopefully, will rules and guidelines and positive behavior support, disciplining students will be
rare. However, misbehavior will inevitably occur so a set discipline plan is necessary to follow.
The discipline plan I created is something that I do not wish to share with the students. I will
tell them that if they wish to see it, they may ask me privately. It is based on guidelines of
behavior management by Weinstein and Novodvorsky (2015). They do not promote public
shaming, which I think is extremely important to avoid. Most students are in stage 3 of
Kohlbergs Moral Development, Interpersonal Harmony. At this stage, students will look for the
approval of their peers, meaning we should avoid publicly shaming them (Eggen & Kauchak,
2007). This step by step system will hopefully help me to manage misbehavior. The plan was
designed to incorporate logical consequences but with the understanding that sometimes
more serious consequences are necessary. (Weinstein & Novodvorsky, 2015)

Students with special needs: Before taking disciplinary action with these students I will decide
whether or not their misbehavior is a result of their disability. Making this distinction is
imperative to know if I can teach them ways to behave differently.

References

Doubet, K. J. & Hockett, J. A. (2015) Differentiation in middle & high school: Strategies to
engage all learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Eggen, P.D. & Kauchak, D. P. (2007). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms.

Prentice Hall.

Mangione, L. (2008). Is homework working? Phi Delta Kappan, 614-615.

Self, N. S. (n.d.). Designing effective homework. ASCD Express. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/426-self.aspx.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). Grading for success. Educational Leadership, 58(6), 12-25.

Weinstein, C. S. & Novodvorsky, I. (2015) Middle and secondary classroom management:

Lessons from research and practice (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Winger, T. (2005) Grading to communicate. Educational Leadership, 63(3), 61-65.