Middle School is a turbulent time for students. They are experiencing switching classes and teachers for the first time. Students are dealing with a changing classroom environment at the same time their bodies are morphing and emotions rule. For educators, the best way to tackle classroom management is to create clear rules and routines. Your students will perform better when they know what to expect when they walk in your door until the second they exit your class.
1. Establish How to Enter the Classroom
Have hallway duty? Start your routines before your students enter the school classroom. Create a place for students to line up until you give them permission to enter. Doing this ensures that students won’t get into trouble in your room while you’re in the hallway.
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2. Create Seating Charts
I allow middle school students some autonomy in seating, helping to establish ownership in the classroom. Also, they gravitate towards friends so you can often identify earlier who should not sit next to each other!
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3. Define Tardy for Your Class
The school corporation will have a general tardy policy, but I find it helpful to be transparent about your expectations. Make sure they know what you mean by being in class on time. What if they are in their seat, but are not ready to begin class time? Student behavior improves when they understand what is expected.
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4. Use an Agenda
Structure works! Creating an Agenda slide or writing one on the board lets students know what the activities in class are for the day and creates norms with students. Knowledge of what to expect keeps student stress levels down. The lower their stress, the more they can focus on academics because they are in a positive classroom environment.
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5. “Do Now” Assignments
Bell ringers and other “do now” assignments cue students that it’s time to work. More importantly, they become routine. You will have to model these class activities before they become routine, but it is worth the payoff.
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6. How to Get Attention from Students
Middle School students are social to their core. Given a moment, they will spend precious minutes of class chatting with friends. Building attention grabbers into your classroom management strategy create a quick cue that they need to focus their attention. Snap and respond, Give me Five, pick one and go!
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7. Set Noise Expectations
One bee buzzing isn’t very loud. A whole hive is another story. The same goes for chatty middle schoolers. Create an anchor chart to remind them of the activity-appropriate level. Reference it before beginning a lesson or discussion to help guide your student’s actions.
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8. Class Rules for Answering Questions
Use discussion strategies to help students participate and to keep their attention in class. You can Cold Call, where anyone can be called upon to answer. Combining Cold Calling with a random name generator counteracts any biases. Think, Pair, Share allows students to discuss before sharing. The key is to model and repeat to encourage student confidence in class discussion.
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9. Build Academic Vocabulary
Many schools require teachers to post standards and objectives as part of creating the learning environment. Often, these are written by adults for adults. Translate this for students so they understand the meaning. Eventually, you can refer to the standards and objectives without defining them because they are part of their vocabulary.
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10. Include Brain Breaks
Middle Schoolers struggle with self-regulation because developmentally they are still more emotional than cognitive. Movement, breathing, and tapping can be used to center or recenter students. Since the breaks between classes can be a time of dysregulation, building mindfulness in the class meeting promotes a better learning environment.
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11. Cell Phones Usage
Cell phones are the bane of every Middle School teacher’s existence. Having a clear usage policy for your classroom that you enforce from day one is the best way to go. Many teachers are using phone jails or phone lockers to keep phones in until class is over.
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12. Technology Rules the Day
With schools going 1-1 in terms of technology, you will want to create clear boundaries for your students, especially if your school does not automatically block sites. Like cell phones, you will want to ensure that students know exactly what they can and cannot do on their devices.
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13. Trash and Other Excuses for Wandering
Students are skilled at finding excuses to be out of their seats. Get ahead of these behaviors. Create procedures for throwing away scrap papers, sharpening pencils, and getting drinks or supplies. Having bins on tables for supplies and trash can deter these behaviors and keep students at their desks.
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14. Bathroom and Hallway Passes
Like popcorn, once the first student asks, the others keep popping up with requests. Encourage students to go to their locker before class and use the restroom then too. I use the wait-and-see method. The student asks. I tell them to wait a few minutes. Then, I wait to see if they remember!
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15. Class Jobs Are Just as Important as Classroom Rules
Often relegated to the realm of Elementary Schools, class jobs organize your classroom and build relationships with students. You help students develop a sense of ownership of their academic experience. I find assigning a job to my most challenging students often engages them and distracts them from their misbehaviors.
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16. Late Work or No Late Work
Middle Schoolers are still developing their executive functioning and time management skills are not their forte. Decide on a late policy that works for you and your students. Then, be consistent. Choose from accepting no late work to taking in any completed work up until a certain date.
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17. Exit Tickets Do More Than Assess Learning
For me, exit tickets bookend class time. Where bellringers signal the start, exit tickets cue students that the end of class is near. This can be as simple as students showing what they learned on a sticky note they post on their way out the door.
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18. Cleanup and Disinfecting as Part of Closing
In our post-COVID world, cleaning between each class is important. Plan this as part of your closing. Model expectations for students at the start of school. Soon, they will work like a well-oiled machine. I spray each desk with disinfectant and the students wipe down their areas.
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19. Exiting Classroom with Control
Stop students from stampeding out of your classroom to socialize with their friends by setting expectations early. Then, model and practice. I dismiss students by table after the bell. This way, I am able to make sure that the class is ready and control the flow out the door.
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20. Clear and Consistent Consequences
Once you have set your rules and procedures, establish your consequences. Here, follow-through is important. If you do not believe in your rules enough to enforce them, the students will follow your lead. Save severe consequences for the last chance. Start with a warning and step up with additional consequences.
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