September You Oughta Know - Clear Expectations


I'm super excited to be linking up with other bloggers again this month to share things that you oughta know!  After you read my post, make sure you hop to the other blogs to see their tips.

You Oughta Know about setting clear expectations.

Students need to learn routines and your expectations.  I've found that the best way to do this is to talk about what things look like and what it doesn't look like in the classroom.

For example - DEAR time.  Drop Everything And Read.  You might call it something else, but basically it's independent reading time.

The first time my students had to DEAR, I was frustrated with the talking, the not reading, the frequent trips to the classroom library, etc.

So I decided to do something about it.


We closed our eyes and imagined what DEAR time should look like.  Once we opened our eyes, I asked my students to share their ideas with a partner.  Then we shared as a class and I recorded their thoughts.

I started off asking them to tell me what it should look like and they started telling me things they shouldn't do.  So I left it open ended and they had to tell me which side to write it on.

I was very impressed with the things they came up with.  Especially the last one under what DEAR does not look like - having a book on your desk and not looking at it.  Genius!  Now, they can't try to get away with that.

What other routines do you need to set up clear expectations for?

Hop on over to the other blogs for more tips!


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Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 13, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    I completely agree with you about the setting up clear expectations and routines, RIGHT AWAY! It definitely makes a difference with how your year will go!
    Best wishes!
    Jen :)
    TeacherKarma.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 13, 2014 at 12:13 PM

    So, so true, this cannot be emphasized enough! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. JasmineSeptember 13, 2014 at 5:06 PM

    Setting clear expectations is something you just can't skip! I made sure to explain and model our rules and procedures at the beginning of the school year. Thanks for sharing your ideas, and thanks again for signing up.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lynda WilliamsSeptember 13, 2014 at 10:21 PM

    Such an excellent point! Teaching Science With Lynda

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownSeptember 14, 2014 at 2:05 PM

    It is so important to set expectations early on or the year ahead could be unruly. We spent the first few days of Kindergarten learning morning routines; how to quietly unpack, turn in notes, and get started on morning work. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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