Total Lesson time: 45 minutes (can shorten or lengthen as needed)
Google Slides - Make a copy to edit
Before:
Have an idea of what classroom expectations you want to include so that you can nudge your students in the right direction 😉
Materials: colored pencils, paper, sticky notes, poster board
Warm-Up:
Think Pair Share (10 minutes)
Think: Imagine your least productive learning environment. Draw a picture of this classroom on the front of your paper.
Pair: Compare your drawings. What do they have in common?
Share: Share with class, highlighting themes.
Now, imagine your MOST productive learning environment. Draw a picture of this on the back of your piece of paper.
Activity:
Brainstorm expectations (15 minutes)
Sticky notes: Individually, think about what your most productive learning environment looks like, feels like, and sounds like. On your yellow sticky note, write down what this classroom LOOKS like. On your pink sticky note, write down what this classroom FEELS like. On your green sticky note, write down what this classroom SOUNDS like.
Post your sticky notes on the board and read what some of your classmates have written.
Create a class contract (15 minutes)
Title the poster board "Class Contract"
Go through sticky notes, reading common themes to the class
Based on sticky notes, create classroom expectations and write them on the poster board
Example: Does talking over each other reach this vision? No! So our classroom expectation is "One voice at a time." What do we think about having phones out in class? Guide students here!
This helps set the tone for your year as students recognize that their voice matters, is heard, and is respected.
Closing:
Make it official (5 minutes)
Have everyone sign (including yourself!).
Post it somewhere in your classroom as a constant reminder.
Create a bonus for "Following class contract" and send it throughout the year to hold students accountable!
Extra Credit:
Brainstorm a classroom name and mascot (students of all ages love this, even the older ones act too cool for school😎).
Check out our next lesson on Introducing A Classroom Economy To Your Students.
Any suggestions for co-creating classroom expectations? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], or shoot us a message below :)