Overhaul Your Morning and Dismissal Routines
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Have any of you experienced the all-too-familiar mayhem of beginning and ending the school day? Is it a battle to get your students in their seats and ready to start their day? Is your dismissal like herding cats (LOUD ones)? Well, let me just say, you’re not alone.
Both of those moments in the classroom present challenges because they are big transitions. There’s a lot going on and it can feel like complete madness. But have no fear! I am here to help you overhaul your morning and dismissal routines so you can trade the bedlam for bliss.
Ultimately, in order to reduce the chaos, you need to create clear expectations and train your students so they know what is expected of them during those first and last 5-10 minutes of the school day. Once they are trained in what to do and how to do it, they will be able to do it consistently every day with minimal guidance and reminders from you.
Sound absolutely amazing? Here are 6 simple steps to get you started.
Brainstorm what action items need to happen each morning and each afternoon. Create two lists.
Narrow your lists down to the specific things your students need to accomplish. Try to keep it manageable enough for your students to complete in 3-5 minutes.
Some examples could be: sharpen pencils, do lunch count, put their homework folder where it belongs, hang up their backpacks/ stow their materials in cubbies, and get started on their morning work.
Pick a spot in your classroom to display these procedures so they are visible every day to all students and they can refer to them if needed.
Create an anchor chart for each set of procedures (one for opening and one for closing). It’s important to write them in clear and concise phrases. That will make it easier for your students to check what they need to do at a quick glance.
For example: Instead of “Turn in your homework,” just write “Homework” and explain what that should cue them to do. You can do this on chart paper, a bulletin board, or a poster. Display them in your classroom in your chosen spot. If you’re looking for the exact same posters I use every year, pop on over to my TpT Store to snag them for yourself!
Next, pick a SONG (I usually like ones without words to eliminate distractions). Pick a unique one for opening procedures and closing procedures. You want each song to be about 4-5 minutes long.
Now train your students to complete all the procedures on their morning and closing list within the time span of each of those songs. You will want to model this for them first. Then run through the procedures a couple times in a row.
The first week of school is a great time to get extra time practicing these. In the middle of the day, do a practice round of closing procedures. Then facilitate a quick class reflection on how it went. Then immediately following, do a practice run of opening procedures. Depending how well your class does, you may want to do 2 extra practices each day until they get really good at it.
An important note as you begin to train your students in these procedures is that they should complete them QUIETLY. If you allow talking during these procedures, students will not finish in time, because they will be distracted by their classmates and it will slow everyone down. It also contributes to more chaos, which is what you are trying to avoid. Give lots of praise and reinforcement when your whole class is carrying out these procedures correctly.
Once you have these routines in place, you will never want to go back! Trust me. It is worth the time and training it takes on the front end to get your students completely self-sufficient and prepared.
BONUS: These will also be a huge help when you have subs because your students will know exactly what to do. Just make sure you make your songs easily accessible for your sub to start your opening and closing procedures.
What are some things you would include on your morning and closing procedures?
Can you see yourself implementing this in your class?
