RITUALS,+ROUTINES,+CLASSROOM+ENVIRONMENT

//Creating rituals and routines are great for classroom management and provide stability for LD students. //
 * __Rituals, Routines, and Classroom Environment __**

 __1. Sign-In Board *__

 a. Ask ‘how are you?’ and give 4 options in the target language for students to choose from, common language or target language.  b. Each day when they arrive, they read the options and sign-in one quadrant – whiteboard works well!

 c. Helpful hint: for 2nd language, use cognates until words are taught in class d. Other subject applications – Environmental Science, TOK, History, Psychology could sign in on a social issues/moral dilemmas.



 __2. Classroom Arrangement*__

a. Divide into (3) countries, regions, cities, etc… - History, World languages, English, Math (Pi Eaters, Square Roots, etc) b. great opportunity to group kids, particularly LD students, by their strength area



 3. __Jobs*__

a. President, vice-president, ‘bolt’, drum roll king, permanent one-word responders, license to express yourself (give students a ‘license’ to say a specific expression, when appropriate, during class) b. For LD students, make sure they know in advance what their job is.



 4__. Classroom Library, Free Voluntary Reading, Story Time__

a. Build a classroom library, try Free Voluntary Reading with partners, or Kindergarten-style ‘storytime’ in which all students sit in front (pillows or blankets make this a fun and comfy activity!) – Language and History b. Science, TOK might use current events magazine articles. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">c. identifying the levels of the books beforehand will help students select books to read successfully.



<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;"> 5. __Use Gestures and Puppets!!*__

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;"> a. Great to use with vocabulary words- write it down, translate it or define it and try to create a corresponding gesture. Continue using gestures as needed! When I can’t think of a gesture I ask the kids or investigate the sign language gesture online. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">b. Assign specific gestures for students to communicate with you, for example, slow down (lower both hands to the table) or I don’t understand/know that word (make a fist and punch it into your other hand). <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">c. Hand puppets or small stuffed animals are great for gesturing, reinacting events, acting out processes (chemical bonding, electrons around a nucleus), etc... Particularly useful for the students who don’t want to get up and a. Pick up some small stuffed animals at garage sales or ask kids to bring in old ones they don’t want anymore.

(Puts cologne on a classmate) (Wakes up) (Sits down)

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;"> 6__. Create Identities *__

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;"> a. In getting to know your students, create appropriate nicknames for them for your class. You may choose to add a ‘naming ceremony’. Great way to reinforce their strengths, for example, //the best trumpet player in the world// or //the fastest kid in the universe. (Props to Ben Slavic!)//



//<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">* denotes a strategy that could be applied to almost all content areas. //