Mrs. Johnson’s Classroom Routines and Procedures

Entering the Classroom, Book Bags, and Getting to Work

 – Students should enter the classroom quietly and should be in their seats when the bell rings.  If a student is late, he/she should have a pass.

- After entering the classroom quietly, each student should get the required materials from his/her backpack and then place the backpack in an area designated by the teacher.  Each student must get all the needed materials from his/her backpack prior to class beginning. 

- Students should come to class prepared and should be ready to work. The bell work will be timed so it is imperative that students get to work upon entering the classroom.  Each student should look on the board for the objective, daily assignments, and the bell-work. All bell-work should be dated and numbered.  Students must come to class prepared every day; no one will be allowed to return to his/her locker for materials. Any missed assignment will have to be made up on the student’s own time.

Late and Make-Up Work—The make-up policy in the student handbook will be followed; late work will be accepted only in the case of excused absences: No exceptions and no extensions.

Supplies and Pencil Sharpening—Students are responsible for having paper and pen(cil)s. There may be extra supplies in the classroom on loan for those who forget, but this should not be excessive. All supplies borrowed from the teacher must be returned. Students may sharpen pencils and gather supplies during the bell-work. Do not get up for supplies or to sharpen pencils during whole class discussions or while the teacher is addressing the entire class. Polite and respectful behavior is expected.

Class Discussions, Answering Questions, Getting the Teacher’s Attention—A student must raise his/her hand and wait for permission to speak, ask a question, or get help from the teacher. This is so that everyone can be heard and that there is little disruption.

Quiet Signal – The quiet signal for our class: the teacher will raise one hand in the air; as the students notice, they will put their hands in the air, look at the teacher, and get quiet. When everyone is quiet – instructions will be given.  There may be penalties for classes who cannot control their own noise levels.

Grouping—Students are expected to participate in group activities. Students should remain seated until the teacher gives group assignments, roles, and meeting locations. During most group-work, students will turn their desks toward one another and begin work. Soft talking will be allowed in group work, but no talking to outside groups.

Participation—Being unprepared for class will result in a lower participation grade for that day. Not being prepared includes sleeping in class, failure to bring books/notebooks, pens/pencils, any other required materials, and being inactive in class, or excessive off-task behavior. Students should make an honest attempt to be active participants in class daily.

Dress Code—Predator teachers will check for dress code violations morninsg at the beginning of advisory.  If a student is not dressed appropriately he/she will be sent to the office to call parents/guardians for appropriate clothing.

Visitors/Intercom—All students should remain (or get) quiet when a visitor comes to the classroom or someone calls on the intercom; only the teacher should address intercom calls. Polite and respectful behavior is expected at all times.

Notebooks— Students will keep a three-ring binder with tabs separating each section. The sections are: (1) Vocabulary, (2) DOL’s (3) SAT/ARMT prep, (4) Poem Response, (5) Grammar/Conventions, (6) Writing. The notebooks occasionally will be checked for a grade.

Assignment Notebooks – Students are expected to write all homework and major assignments in their planners. The planner will be checked to ensure that assignments have been written down. This cuts down on forgotten assignments.

TIGER PAWS (pause)/Reading Workshop— Students should always come to class with reading material. Time will be set aside for reading and writing responses. Accepted reading materials are any books checked out from the library and novels. Catalogs cannot be used for grades or responses. Daily reading counts as part of the participation grade, and there will be a grade for this requirement. If students finish assignments early, they should read.

Assignments—Work turned into the teacher should have the student’s first and last name on it and must be put in the place designated for un-graded assignments. Papers with no names that have not been claimed immediately will receive a zero. An assignment consisting of more than one page should be stapled.

Media Center – Students have the privilege of visiting the media center on a needed basis during reading workshop. All students should obtain a media center pass from the teacher and sign out. Students are expected to remain quiet, polite, and respectful during these times. Time should also be used wisely, and library trips are to remain short. Failure to follow these rules will result in this privilege being revoked.

Leaving the Classroom—If a student needs to leave the room for any reason, he/she must obtain permission, use his/her Predator Pass, and sign out.  There may be a limit for Predator Passes.  There are separate procedures when leaving the room for drills, office visits, labs, or the media center.

Predator Passes—Each student will be given a certain number of Predator Passes each nine weeks.  These may be used to leave the classroom for personal use – locker, water, bathroom.  Once they are all used, the student will not be allowed to leave the classroom unless there is a medical reason and documentation from home.  Any Predator Passes left at the end of the nine weeks may be exchanged for extra points or extra credit at the end of the quarter from any Predator teacher.

Halls/Drills—Many times the class will leave the classroom (library, lunch, etc.) Students are to quietly walk in a line and remain with and within eyesight of the teacher/classmates during these times.  When changing buildings, classes should stop at each door and wait for the teacher before entering or leaving the building. 

For drills, students should also remain quiet and alert for additional directions, if needed; the class will report to the designated area and line up single-file and wait for roll call; this is not a time to socialize with friends.

Classroom Dismissal—When it is time to for class change all students should leave the classroom calmly and quietly when the teacher dismisses them. Students will be allowed to retrieve backpacks and be dismissed when the classroom is neat, items are in their appropriate places, and the noise level is low.