Sarah BramlettClassroom ManagementEDUC303
Class Rules for First Grade
The first rule of my classroom would be to Follow Directions. To Follow Directions is a
good rule to have in place because it is an observable rule. I can look around at what my students
are working on and see whether they are following the directions that were given to them. The
text says “Involvement requires teachers to demonstrate genuineness, empathy toward the
student, and acceptance and trust of the student.” (Orlich et al., 2018) By giving my students a
chance to Follow Directions I am showing them that I trust them to do the right thing.
The second rule of my classroom would be to Listen When Others are Speaking. I chose
this rule because it helps teach the students how to respect not only their teacher but also their
classmates. Section 6 of the text reads “Students need to be shown that they are valued and
respected and play important roles in the class.” (Orlich et al., 2018) This rule helps them see
that they are valuable by showing them that they are worth listening to.
The third rule of my classroom would be to Keep Hands and Feet to Ourselves. This rule
is important because it helps students to respect the boundaries of others and helps to keep
students safe. This rule will be followed with a punishment when not followed as it is a rule that
teaches respect and safety. As noted in Chapter 11, “Punishment entails consequences that reduce
the future rate of undesirable behavior.” (Orlich et al., 2018) The punishment for not following
this rule would be a deduction of points on Class Dojo.
The fourth rule of my classroom would be to Raise Your Hand. This rule is important
because it relates to Following Directions and Listen When Others speak. If you follow
directions, you will raise your hand and listen to whomever I call on as you wait your turn. “As
the students in a class observe the teacher confronting a student for apparent misbehavior, all
Sarah BramlettClassroom ManagementEDUC303
other class members tend to be adversely affected as well.” (Orlich et al., 2018) Reminding a
student that they have spoken out of turn this would have a ripple effect on the class in that by
seeing a student be reminded they would keep their hand raised and wait to be called on instead
of shouting out an answer.
I would use Class Dojo as a way of managing my classroom. I have sat in on classes that
have used this as a system and it has worked well for them. The students can see the class and
their individual points up on the screen throughout the day. The teachers that I have observed use
this tool have enjoyed it because it is something the kids enjoy. They get excited to see their
points add up throughout the day and it makes classroom management into a sort of game.
As we are completing assignments or having discussions, I can have Class Dojo ready
and if students are following the rules, I can add points to their avatar. If they are not following
the rules, I can reduce points. They can then use their points to cash in for rewards which helps to
motivate them to follow the rules. If I see a student not keeping their hands to themselves then I
can verbally remind them but they will also lose points so that there is a sense of punishment for
breaking the rules. If a student remembers to raise their hand then I can give them points for
raising their hand.
Sarah BramlettClassroom ManagementEDUC303
References
Orlich, D. C., Harder, R. J., Callahan, R. C., Brown, A. H., & Trevisan, M. S. (2018). Teaching
strategies: A guide to effective instruction. Cengage Learning.
