Establishing the classroom rules is an important first step to appropriately managing the classroom.

The construction of this set of rules will be done democratically in order for the students to take responsibility for the rules they create. A discussion to construct rules will give students a background rationale as to why specific rules are necessary and how important they are. Following this discussion students will better understand the justification for classroom rules and will be more motivated to obey them. A classroom constructed set of rules gives the students something to hold each other accountable to as the classroom regulation. They will be more likely to follow the rules because they developed them from their own ideas. The classroom rules will cover issues such as using the bathroom, food and drink, tardiness, late work, and electronic devices. The following descriptions of the rules are what I will expect to develop with the students. The bathroom policy will be for students to sign their name and the date on a board that is directly next to the door. Students will not need to ask me, the teacher, if they can use the restroom. They will simply write their name on the board and a date so that I know who is gone. I will also make it very clear that more than one student cannot go to the bathroom at once. This is something I will have to be aware of and manage so that students are not going to the bathroom in groups. The food and drink policy will be that drinks and food are allowed as long as they do not distract from the class. I think having drinks or food can make students more comfortable so I want them to be able to have them, however, if this get distracting I will reserve the right to change this rule. The tardiness regulation will be that there are three free passes for being late for the semester and after the third tardy student must have a meeting with me. After the fifth tardy I will call home to have a conversation with the parents about the student being late to class. The late work policy will be that I accept late work until one week after the due date. Once one week has passed I will no longer accept late work unless it is a special case. I will always leave room for special cases within the classroom rules I set up because I know each child has unique circumstances. My policy on electronic devices will be that they are to be put away unless we are using them as class for a particular assignment. I will not tolerate cell phones being out on desks even if students insist they are not using them. I will also expect the students to treat each other and the class materials with respect. This is outlined in the classroom expectations. A lot of discussion will occur in my classroom so respecting others ideas will be very important. Routines within the class schedule will also assist with classroom management. I will always start the class with a bell ringer that the students will complete as a formative assessment. As students walk into the classroom they will know exactly what is expected of them as they complete the daily bell ringer. I will also have a routine place for students to turn in completed work so that they know where papers to turn in should go.

Classroom Expectations 1. Listen to others ideas

2. Talk positively about others 3. Use appropriate language 4. Stay on task 5. Put cell phones away 6. Come to class on time 7. Turn in work when it is due