Tips Archive » Managing Your Classroom » Staying Ahead

• Where are My Students? (12 tips)
• Organizing Groups and Activities (11 tips)

Where are My Students?

Duplicate Passes

From Tiffany Hayes, a content mastery teacher at Leander High School in Leander, Texas:

"Students who leave my classroom to return to general education classes often dawdle in the halls or 'forget' to return to class completely. To solve this problem, I had my hall passes printed on carbonless, duplicate paper. Now, when I write a pass with the departure time on it, the student gets one copy and I save the other copy to drop in the general education teacher's box. This way, the teacher is kept informed about when that student left one classroom for another. The students are also aware that teachers are keeping track of the travel time to and from class. These passes were very unpopular with the students at first, but most have come to realize that the pass helps keep them out of trouble. Needless to say, the teachers love the new system!"

Supervisor Monitor

From Darlene Roker, a fifth grade teacher at Vermont Elementary School:

"I have permanent student monitors every three weeks but I used to have to continually remind them of their jobs. Now I have a supervisor monitor whose job is to make sure the other monitors are doing their jobs. The supervisor also checks to see if a substitute monitor is needed for an absent student. At the end of the three weeks, the supervisor gets to keep a special loving cup at his/her desk and is the line leader. The supervisor job is a once a year thing. It's both a coveted job and a good training position to foster leadership skills."

Bathroom Chips

From Shauna Hawes, a fifth grade teacher at Hidden Valley Elementary in Martinez, California:

"My students seem to need to go the bathroom all the time. I give each student a poker chip called a bathroom chip with the student's number written on it. I also make a chart of designated bathroom partners that changes weekly. Students may only use their chip once a week to go and they must take their designated partner of the opposite sex. If they don't use their chip during the week, then I give them extra tickets during our weekly reward time. If the child must go twice during the week then I keep their chip for the following week. I usually only have about five kids per week that need to leave the classroom."

Student Held Passes

From Shanta' Kemp, a teacher at Wellsville Jr/Sr High School In Wellsville, Kansas:

"I started using a hall pass to prevent my students from wasting time. They're only allowed two passes every nine weeks and if they want to leave the room; they are required to use one of these passes. This also teaches responsibility because they must have the actual pass I handed out to be excused from the room. There's no bookkeeping on my part. The students who choose to stay in class receive five extra credit points per pass not used. They must have the actual pass to get the extra credit though."

Abused Privileges

From Janet Romo, an ESL teacher at McKemy Middle School in Tempe, Arizona:

"It seems that my students constantly want passes so now each of my students may only have three passes every nine weeks. Each time they use a pass, I mark it on the list next to their name. After their third pass, they need to make up ten minutes of class during their lunch period. This way, if a student really does need to 'go' they can but if they just want to roam the halls they will think twice. I've only had one student opt for the lunchtime payback."

Hall Passes I

From Kara C. Granger, a math teacher at Buck Lodge Middle School in Adelphi, Maryland:

"In our school, our administration wants every child to have a hall pass when he or she leaves any classroom. However, I find that I could spend my entire period writing passes, so I have the kids do it themselves. Here's how: I have a clip board with a piece of paper that has columns labeled name, destination, time out and time back. When kids ask me, I give them permission at a good transition point and they fill everything out and take the pass to their destination. They're very good about completing the form because they know I check it."

Hall Passes II

From Meme Wells, a social studies teacher at Pocomoke High School in Ocean City, Maryland:

"As an Association leader, I attend a number of state meetings. I have found a use for all the name badges I have received. I re-use them in my classroom as hall passes! On the back of each pass I write the location (bathroom, office, library, locker, etc.). Students know to pick up the correct pass from the hook when they leave my room. If there are any questions in the hall or if the students leave the pass somewhere my name is printed on the other side."

Student Responsibility

From Fran Miller, a ninth through twelfth grade English teacher at Florence High School in Florence, Colorado:

"I like high school students to control when and if they may attend to business such as calling home, rest room, locker etc. It places the responsibility with them, where it belongs. However, I want some control over how often they leave, so at the beginning of the term, I give each student a set of personalized pre-printed passes. I decide how many times I think it is reasonable for them to leave, and give them that number of passes. To use a pass, students fill it out with date, destination, and time, and leave it on my desk and then leave. Meanwhile, I have not been interrupted from explaining an assignment, helping a student or whatever. The student has not wasted time waiting for my attention; I have a record of where they are, and they, not I, decide if they really need to leave. When students have used all of their passes, they may not leave. I make that clear from the beginning, and warn them to plan ahead, and consider saving at least one pass for emergencies."

Using Tent Cards on Desks

From Carol M. Dahl, a fifth grade teacher at Cedar Creek Community School in Cedar, Minnesota:

"Concern: for safety reasons, as well as instructional, it is imperative that a teacher know exactly where individual students are every minute of the school day. Problem: students leaving the classroom during the school day for various reasons (band lessons, choir, enrichment class, nurse, office, bathroom, absent, etc.) Solution: Tent cards (tag board strips folded in half), labeled with specific destinations. The student sets a tent card on his/her desk before leaving the classroom. Results: a glance at the desks can quickly let teachers, paraprofessionals, parent volunteers, or peers know the location of specific students. This is especially important during fire drills or calls from the office asking for a student."

End of the Day Confusion

From Patty Coulter, a kindergarten teacher at Walnut Ridge School in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania:

"Since our school is a neighborhood school, children leave school in a variety of ways. Some ride busses, some walk, and some are picked up by car, while others go to a local day care. This can make dismissal time confusing. To help our dismissal time go smoothly, I ask my children to sign in each morning. This is done by placing their name under a picture of a bus, car, person walking, etc. My sign-in board is on our magnetic chalkboard and I use magnetic tape on the backs of their names. Not only does this teach name recognition, it also serves as a working graph. Done first thing in the morning, it gives me time to check for parent notes or any changes in transportation. Subs love the way primary children handle this task independently!"

Study Hall Attendance

From Julie Woletz, a business education teacher at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Wisconsin:

"Our school has an alternate-day schedule, which causes three groups of students to be in study hall:

• Every day students
• Monday, Wednesday, and alternate Fridays students
• Tuesday, Thursday, and alternate Fridays students

To assist in quick attendance, I color code students according to which day they should be in the room, and write all the names on one seating chart. Every day I overlay a blank transparency over the chart and cross students off who are in their seat when the bell rings. This allows me to catch those students who may sneak in tardy and identify who is not in the room. As student passes come in from the library or other classrooms, I can write the location on the transparency. This way, if the office is trying to locate a student who is assigned to my study hall, I know exactly where he/she is. I date the transparency, and keep it about a week, so I always have a record of who was where. I have found this to be very quick and efficient!"

When Students Move

From Anita L. Halfhill-Abbott, a Spanish teacher at Laurel Highlands Senior High School in Uniontown, Pennsylvania:

"Whenever a student moves out of the district, I provide him/her with a stamped, addressed envelope. I tell the student to wait a month to get acclimated to his/her new surroundings and then write me about how he/she is faring in the new school. Students tell me about all sorts of things. This information is valuable since subjects are taught in many different ways with different textbooks by teachers using different approaches."

Organizing Groups and Activities

Planning Activities 3 Years in Advance

From Joan Franze, a gifted education teacher at Brownstown, Leola, Middle School, Smoketown - Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster, Pennsylvania:

It's always challenging to teach our gifted kids but so rewarding too! I've been doing this for 11 years now, K to 7. I currently have four schools. Our program is set up as pull-out enrichment. I see the kids for 1 1/2 (primary) and 2 (intermediate) hours at a time. The 7th grade is middle school, and a whole different story that I won't get into.

"If you see the same students several years in a row, tere are some ideas for planning out activities:

1. Plan a Year A, Year B, and Year C rotation of units to study.
2. Keep your thematic units general. Plan activities that teach important principles and require high level thinking skills. Include activities that come from every curriculum area. Never paint yourself into a corner where you MUST do something in a certain way! To meet individual needs, you have to have flexibility!
3. Make general rubrics for projects. Share them with the kids ahead of time. After a unit, have the kids fill out the rubric for how well they think they've done. After they fill it out, you come along and fill it out. Then have a mini-conference to discuss any discrepancies and how things went. We have developed some rubrics that have been very successful.
4. Here's a skeleton of our intermediate year A, B, and C plan: YEAR A -- Roller Coaster Physics and Law (We do a mock trial of the Big Bad Wolf); YEAR B -- Ancient Egypt (We make an interactive museum and invite all 4, 5, and 6 grades) and Creative Science Challenges; YEAR C -- Bridges (Get the toothpick bridges simulation book!!!) and Flight.
5. Having just two official units gives us the leeway to include other things too!"

Grouping Chart

From Vicky Lanz-Greenberg, a sixth grade teacher in Branford, Connecticut:

"Frequently, I like students to work in partners but I found that the same students were working together all the time and some of the kids were too shy to pick a partner or never selected by others. Now I make a 'Group Chart' at the beginning of each marking period. The chart has the students' names across the top and down the side. Whenever two kids work together, they put the date in the box where their names intersect. This allows the same pairings only twice and working alone only once. Now when I tell them to pick a partner, the more aggressive and confident students reach out to those who aren't because they know they have to work with everyone in the class at some point. Even the shy ones use this as a license to approach those they normally would not."

Group Work

From Linda Liebiedz, a physical education teacher at Roosevelt School in Manville, New Jersey:

"When choosing groups, I tell my students that when they are working they will not always be working with their best friend. I remind them that an important part of class is learning how to work in a group."

Stick Grouping

From Debra Shelton, a seventh grade special education teacher at Roblyer Middle School in El Reno, Oklahoma:

"I vary my classroom groups by greeting each student at the door with a craft stick. The tips of the sticks are color coded according to the area of the room they must go to or the activity they must work on first. This allows for a differentiation in grouping. The students really like this method and it's very simple to control."

Forming Groups

From Linda DeGreen:

"At the beginning of the school year, my students write their names on index cards. I use these to draw from when forming groups. I always shuffle the cards for randomness but I let the students know that I have the final say if I feel that a group is incompatible. Sometimes I pick the first three cards, pick every other card, or pick one card and let that student choose the other members of the group."

Comic Groups

From Aimee McCracken, a third grade teacher at Perry Elementary School in Perry, Ohio:

"I cut apart comic strips and pass them out to my students. They must walk around the room to find the rest of their comic strip. When they do, they have created a new team. This is an easy way to create groups. The kids think it's fun so there's no complaints."

Wanted Work Groups

From Diana Rein, an English teacher at Easton High School in Easton, Maryland:

"I use a sociogram to create workgroups in my class. Each student is asked to put his or her own name on a quarter sheet of paper. Under this name, the student writes the names of two others in the class with whom he or she would like to work. I promise to try to arrange for everyone to be with someone on his or her list. Slips of paper in hand, I sit with blank white paper and write the first student's name and that student's first choice of a co-worker, drawing an arrow to indicate that student #1 wanted #2. Going to the next slip, the process is continued until on my paper there is a graphic organizer showing the primary social relationships of the class. Taking a different colored pen, I go through the papers a second time, drawing arrows on the existing sociogram to show secondary relationships. At this point groups can be formed in a number of ways, considering strengths, behavior, cultural balance or other important factors. The key is to make sure that in each group each person is 'wanted' by or 'wants' to be with someone else. With 'wanted' workgroups based on the sociogram, everyone enjoys the social opportunity while valuable class time can focus on academic achievement."

Take a Card...

From Laura Long, a fourth grade teacher at Danville Elementary School in Danville, Pennsylvania:

"Since I do a lot of cooperative group activities I am always looking innovative ways to put students into groups. This is one of the ways which really worked for me. You will need a deck of cards. Before you begin make as many groups or pairs as you will need for your activity. For example: if you need 5 groups of three, you would get out 5 sets of 3 cards which are alike (3-5's, 3-Aces, etc.). Then have each student pick a card and tell them they cannot let anyone see it. After all the cards are distributed, explain that they have to find their other group members by using only hand motions or body motions. They can't use words or show their cards to anyone. It's a blast to watch."

Creative Grouping

From Carolyn Behrens, a family and consumer education teacher at Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Wisconsin:

"My students participate in many small groups throughout the semester. To learn to work in groups made up of different personalities, intellects, philosophies and learning styles, I divide the groups using a variety of ways:

1. Students give birthdays. I write these on the board and then put closest birthdays together. I also do this with last four digits of phone number, house number, parents anniversary.
2. What did you eat for dinner last night or breakfast this morning? Beef people form a group, pizza people form a group, etc.
3. What color is your family car? Like colors work together.
4. What color is your bedroom, bathroom, house, coat? Like colors work together.
5. What career would you like to have? Like fields work together.
6. Write a number on a piece of paper without letting anyone else see. Close numbers work together.
7. When students enter the room, I offer a basket of different kinds of candy. Students selecting the same kind form a group.
8. Students draw from a deck of cards which I have presorted with 3 kings, 3 queens, etc. if I want groups of three, 4 if I want groups of four, etc. Like numbers work together.
9. Students wearing red work together, blues work together. One day stripes work together, plaids work together, boots work together, tennies work together.
10. Students line up and I put the shortest with the tallest, next tallest with next shortest, etc.

When asking for student responses, I write the answers on the board. Because students might give false answers so that they work with a friend, I sometimes take the top student in each column to form a group rather than having all 'pizzas' work together. Therefore they don't know how I will form the group and I usually get honest answers. We find this a fun way to form groups and it helps students get to know each other."

Join the Club

From Denise Larrabee, a fourth grade teacher at Jericho Elementary in Jericho, Vermont:

"Teaching fourth grade has its rewards and challenges. My class is very much into clubs of various kinds so we've started many new clubs that all kids can be a part of one way or another. For example, the 'Did It, Done It' club consists of members who are up to snuff on home work. The 'Missing Pieces' club is for those who have a few pieces to catch up on. The 'Book It' club consists of members who have reached their monthly reading goal. When the entire class is a member of the 'Did It, Done It' club or the 'Multiplication Facts' club, we will have a special celebration. This will definitely deserve a change of pace day which is an incentive for all. This will help our class get it together and keep it together."

Label that Table

From Jean Paschke, a second grade teacher at Cornelius Hedges School in Kalispell, Montana:

"I label each table (you could use groups of desks, too) with a day of the week, so that we have a Monday table, a Tuesday table, etc. Then on the day of their table, the students do all the 'extras' that in the past I used charts to organize. For example, they use the computers at recess or free time. They read their journal stories to the class. They use games or manipulatives that are limited in number. You can add anything that needs to be charted. I also like to add responsibilities, like helping sharpen pencils or tidying up the room. It helps demonstrate the idea that along with privilege goes responsibility."