21 Must-Teach Expectations for Back to School
Back to school is upon us which means it’s time to think about the long list of expectations that students will need to learn and practice when they return to the classroom. Teaching expectations at the start of the school year is one of my non-negotiables as a kindergarten and first grade teacher. On the first day of school as soon as students line up outside of my classroom door I begin teaching expectations. I could probably come up with 100’s of expectations and micro-expectations that I teach, but I will keep it to a shorter list of the 21 must-teach school expectations below:
Independent Work: What will it look like when students are working independently at their desks? What is the voice-level expectation for independent work? Where will students turn in their work when they have finished? What activities will they work on if they finish work early? How will students ask for help?
Lining Up: How will students line up at the classroom door when coming from their desks? Will the routine be different if they are lining up from the carpet area? Will students line up in one line or two? Where should students be facing and what should their bodies be doing? What is the voice-level expectation when lining up?
Carpet Time: When gathered at the carpet how will students sit (criss cross, mermaid, mountain)? Where will students face? What is the voice-level expectation? How will students get the teacher’s attention or ask for help?
Read to Self & Listen to Reading: What should students be engaged in during this time? What does it look like to be a productive reader at this time? What is the voice-level expectation? How will students clean up when done with their reading activity?
Teacher Table: When students arrive to the teacher table where will they sit? Will students begin an activity as soon as they arrive to the teacher table? What kind of participation is expected at the teacher table?
Buddy Work: When working or talking with a buddy what will it look like to be engaged? Where will students sit when working with a buddy? What is the voice-level expectation?
Choice Time: How will students make a choice during choice time? What activities are allowed during choice time? What is the voice-level expectation? How many friends can play at a choice? How will students clean up when they are done with a choice?
Community Circle & Class Meeting: How will students gather for circle/meeting? How will students sit (criss cross, mermaid, mountain)? How will students show they are listening when others are sharing? Is it ok for students to comment when others are speaking? What silent signals can students show when someone else is talking (I agree, I’m thinking like you’re thinking, silent cheer, etc.)? How will students move back to their original seats after gathering in a circle/meeting?
Guest Teacher: When the teacher is gone how should students treat a guest teacher? What should students do if the guest teacher does things differently? How should the classroom look at the end of the day with a guest teacher?
Bathroom: How will students ask to use the bathroom? When is it a good time for students to ask to use the bathroom? Is there a bathroom pass that students should use? When in the bathroom how will students use it responsibly? How can students care for the space? When done using the bathroom how should students get back to class?
Cafeteria: How will students enter the cafeteria? What is the voice-level expectation in the cafeteria? Is it permitted for students to share food? What is the safe way to sit and eat in the cafeteria? When students are finished eating how should they clean up? What does it look like when it’s time to leave the cafeteria?
Hallway: What is the voice-level expectation in the hallway? Will students walk in one line or two in the hallway? What should students do with their body when walking in the hall (hands at side, hugging body, body front, marshmallow in mouth, etc.)? What should students do if they pass other classes while walking in the hallway?
Playground: How will students get from the school building to the playground safely? How is each piece of playground equipment used safely? What are the boundaries of the playground? How will students line up when done on the playground? How can students solve problems when on the playground?
Morning Tubs & Morning Work: Where are the morning tubs/morning work located? How will students know which tub they can use? How many students can use each tub? Where do students turn in their morning work when finished? What activity can students complete if they finish their morning work early? What is the voice-level expectation during morning work? How should students clean up? If you’re looking for more information about how to set up morning tubs in your classroom check out this blog post I wrote.
Drills (Fire, Earthquake, Tornado, Lockdown, etc.): What are strategies to remain calm during a drill? What are the procedures for following each drill? How can students stay safe during a drill? Why do we practice drills?
School Bus: What is the safe way to sit while on the school bus? What is the voice-level expectation on the school bus? How should students exit the bus? How will students evacuate the bus in case of an emergency?
Assemblies: How should students enter the assembly? How should students sit when in an assembly? What is the voice-level expectation? How should students respectfully cheer during an assembly?
Specials (Library, Music, Gym, Computer Lab, Art, etc.): How should students enter the specials room? How will students show responsibility during specials with different teachers? How will students line up at the end of specials?
Room Clear: What signal will students hear from the teacher if a room clear is happening? How will students stop what they are doing and safely line up at the door? Where will students walk if a room clear has been announced?
School Supplies: What does it look like to treat school supplies with care? How are the classroom supplies organized and stored? How should students return the supplies they were using? Where do students put lost supplies? How do pencils get sharpened? What should students do if they are in need of a new supply? If you’re looking for more tips on how to teach school supply expectations check out this blog post I wrote.
Flexible Seating: How can students use each type of flexible seating safely? How do students make their flexible seating choice? How will students clean up the flexible seating choices at the end of the day? If you’re looking for more ideas about how to set up and manage flexible seating check out this blog post I wrote.
Hopefully this list sparked some ideas for how you can successfully introduce expectations to your students to help get your school year off to a smooth start. Setting expectations from day one is so important for classroom management and making sure students know how to succeed in your classroom. I have created a free guide with 8 strategies for transforming your classroom management that you can grab here. You can also find numerous resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store to support you in teaching expectations to your students. One of my most extensive products for teaching expectations is my classroom management growing mega bundle filled with over 2,000 pages of content!
Classroom Management & Expectations Growing Mega Bundle
This classroom management bundle is everything you need to set up your classroom for back to school with rock solid expectations in place! You will receive 2,000+ pages and counting of posters, student pages, expectation stories, voice-level charts, and more! Find the bundle here!
-Ashley @ Little Learning Ladybugs
