Lesson Author: Julie Anne McDowell

Subject: Creating Classroom Rules

Grade Level: 1st (may be adapted for other grade levels)

Overview: Teacher and students create a list of classroom rules. Students create pictures of their hopes and dreams for first grade.

Materials:

• Never Spit on Your Shoes by Denys Cazet
  
  Teacher comment: This is a funny book about a puppy named Arnie and what happens on his first day of first grade. In the story, the class is asked to help make up the rules. One student suggests, "Never spit on your shoes." I love to use this book to begin talking about classroom rules.
  
  
• two pieces of chart paper/pen
  
  
• cloud-shaped tracers and white construction paper
  
  
• scissors, markers, pens, pencils

Procedure:

It is very important that children understand why we have rules and that there is a purpose for having them in the classroom. This avoids having children think that they have to do something because "the teacher says so."

To make up our classroom rules, I have adapted an idea from The Responsive Classroom. According to Creating Rules with Children by Mary Beth Forton, et. al., there are several goals when establishing classroom rules:

• Foster a sense of group ownership.
• Establish guidelines and expectations for responsible behavior.
• Create a sense of order and safety—both physical and psychological—in the classroom.
• Teach children the purpose of rules in a democratic society.

After reading Never Spit on Your Shoes, I ask the children to help me write a list of rules we should have in our classroom. I accept every answer and record it on chart paper.

After we have a nice long list, I stop and say, "Whoa, that's a lot of rules. I don't think I can remember all of them." I tell the children that I think we should put this list away and look at it again tomorrow. If the children still want to add more rules, I ask them to wait until tomorrow.

Next, we start talking about what we think we will learn and do in first grade. We record this on chart paper also. I then ask the children what they most hope to do this year. I also ask what they dream to do in first grade.

We then go back to our seats, and draw pictures of our "hopes and dreams." I give children cloud shaped tracers and white construction paper. They trace the cloud shape and cut it out before drawing their picture. I go around the room and have each child dictate to me what he or she hopes to do this year. These are displayed on a special bulletin board titled, "Hopes and Dreams for First Grade."

Over the next few days, we spend time sharing our hopes and dreams and talking about how we could achieve them. We re-visit our list of rules and talk about why we have rules in school.

The children learn that we won't get to do any of the things we hope to do if we do not have any rules in our classroom. They also discover that we can condense our long list of rules into four or five statements that will encompass all of them.

I allow the children to come up with simple rules that will help us learn, keep us safe, and take care of our friends, our school, and our classroom. The children get to sign the rules before they are posted on our Hopes and Dreams board. This gives the students a sense of ownership. And by signing the rules, each child promises to do his or her very best to follow them so that every student and the teacher can achieve his or her dream.

At Open House, I share our rule-creating experience, including the long list of first grade rules. I discuss with parents how important it is for children to understand why we have rules and how this allows them to take ownership of what occurs in our classroom.

I give the parents a homework assignment. Each parent has to write their own hope or dream for their child this year. I display these hopes and dreams with those of the children.

Extension/Enrichment:

Rule Jar:

During the first weeks of school, students enjoy practicing basic classroom procedures and rules using the "Rule Jar." Inside the jar are slips of paper. Each slip lists a procedure or rule, such as "Show me how to sit in a chair." I also include silly ones like, "Show me how not to line up." This quick activity is a fun way to get children thinking about how we act in the classroom and it is a great filler when you need a two minute activity!

Resources Consulted:

The Responsive Classroom

Visit Julie's wonderful Web site.