Planning for Back-to-School: Essential Middle School ELA Classroom Procedures for the 2024-2025 School Year

 

    As we gear up for the new school year, establishing clear and consistent classroom procedures is crucial for creating a productive and comfortable learning environment. This means comfortable for YOU and your students. 

    Here is a comprehensive guide to help middle school ELA teachers prepare their classroom procedures and address common student questions.

Bathroom Policy

Clearly outline when students can use the bathroom and how they should ask for permission to go during your class. Two fingers in a peace sign was always my bathroom sign. Consider a sign-out sheet or bathroom passes to keep track of student movement. Also consider utilizing a virtual hall pass/bathroom pass if that would work for you– those seem to be all the rage!

I know it can be tough with repeat offenders, but under most circumstances, let students go to the restroom if they ask. I know there are going to be kids who are just trying to get out of class or trying to meet up with their friends there at times, but it’s basic human decency. Establish the expectation that students should be going during lunch, recess/break, or other appropriate times. Let them know that you respect them but also expect them to go to do their business and come right back.

Water Breaks & Water Bottles

Specify whether students can have water bottles at their desks or if there are designated times for water breaks. Staying hydrated is important, but so is minimizing disruptions. Find the right balance for you and your students. If your school has water fountains, consider using a sign for water. I used three fingers pointing up (#3) as my classroom water sign. I also had a fountain right outside of my classroom, so that made it quick and easy.

Tissues

Place tissues in a convenient location and establish a quick, non-disruptive way for students to grab one when needed. Consider having them raise their hand while covering their nose as the signal.

Nurse Visits

Explain the procedure for visiting the nurse. Make sure students know if they need a hall pass and that it’s for genuine health issues. If you have a fridge with a freezer in your classroom, consider keeping a small ice pack in there. At one school, our nurse gave out a mint when students didn’t feel well, and it was often a magical cure. Consider stocking those in your room as well. And also the next topic.

Band-Aids

Keep a supply of Band-Aids handy for minor injuries (and to cut down on nurse visits). Let students know where they are and when it's appropriate to use them.

Eating in Class

Decide if eating in your class is allowed. If not, communicate the reasons and designate snack times if needed– maybe you allow snacking during independent work time. If you do, be sure you establish routines and expectations for students cleaning up their area. I worked at one school where the school policy was that students couldn’t eat in class. Just be aware of these kinds of things.

SICK? Run for it!

Explain what students should do if they feel sick in class. Maybe they just need a mint from the nurse or maybe they need to RUN for the bathroom. I always told my students, if it is an emergency, JUST GO!

Can I use my cell phone in class?

You will need to refer to your school policy to guide your classroom policy on this one. Some school districts are moving to no device during school hours. Other schools allow for students to use their phones for structured in class activities. That aspect comes back to your comfort level. I always said no phones in my class, but I also had access to a Chromebook cart, so they never needed a phone for technology reasons.

I Was Absent– What Do I Do?

Have a clear policy for students to follow when they return from an absence. A designated "Absent Work" area or a digital platform can help them catch up. I had a couple different systems for missing work, but the one I liked best was having hanging folders in crates for each student. When you hand out papers, just toss the leftovers into the absent students’ folders. You could even train your students to do this for you. I used the same hanging folders to pass back papers.

I also posted assignments on Google Classroom when applicable, and students/parents knew to check there as well. My last school also had a portal where teachers were posting homework assignments daily on there. Students and parents had access to the portal as well.

How Do I Know What the Homework Is?

Post daily homework assignments in a consistent place, both in the classroom and online, to ensure all students (and parents) have access to the information. This is one of the many reasons I chose to have a simple and regular homework routine: reading or writing. This way students pretty much always knew what their homework was each night.

Also see my previous topic.

Want to see what I used for my homework reading log? Check it out here.

When and How Do I Get My Graded Papers Back?

Set a regular schedule for returning graded papers and explain how and when students can expect to receive feedback on their work. I used the crates with hanging folders mentioned earlier. This way, they could be organized into the folders anytime I had them graded, and it was the students’ responsibility to check their folders at the end of class to get their graded work.

What Do I Need to Bring to Class Each Day?

Create a checklist of daily essentials, such as notebooks, pens, textbooks, and any specific materials needed for that day’s lesson. One of my daily materials was the student’s reading novel: either the assigned one (if we were reading an assigned book at the time) or their own independent reading novel.

What Do I Do When I Finish Early?

READ YOUR BOOK. This was always my answer. In my classroom it was NEVER work on other classes’ work, play on Chromebooks, etc. My catch phrase was “This is READING class, so you READ when you’re done.” lol There wasn’t a lot of spare time anyway.

Another thing I often allowed was for students to browse my classroom library when they were done early. You do have to have procedures for this as well or else you end up with a cluster of 6th graders chilling in the corner of the room and up to no good lol.

What Are We Going to Be Learning in This Class? Is It Going to Be Boring?

Share an overview of the curriculum and highlight exciting projects and activities to build enthusiasm…is my nice answer.

Yes, I loathe this question. BUT I take some deep breaths and just recognize it’s okay. They maybe had some not-so-great teachers in the past, but I only control what happens in my classroom.

OPTION 1: Answer with sarcasm. I don’t really recommend this, but if you are comfortable with your students, they may respond well to this. Read the room.

OPTION 2: Just smile and say, “I hope it’s not going to be boring because I hate being bored!” And skip across the classroom and back into your lesson.

Where and How Do I Check My Grades?

Ensure students know how to access their grades online and how often grades will be updated. I recommend that you choose ONE day a week that you will plan to upload grades into your online gradebook. This will help you with time management and your consistency will help students and parents know what to expect.

When and How Can I Get Extra Help?

Provide information on tutoring sessions, office hours, or any other opportunities for extra help. My last school required each teacher to offer office hours before school at least one day a week. Did students take advantage of it? Rarely. But it’s still good to do if it works for you in your school schedule. I used the same time for students to retake and makeup tests and check out books from my classroom library.

When and How Can I Retake a Test?

Establish a policy for retaking tests, including the criteria and process for scheduling a retake. I highly recommend requiring students to come in for extra help in order to qualify to retake a test. This prevents students from just retaking and failing again (which seemed to happen more often than not). 

Can I Turn in My Assignments Late? What Is the Policy?

Clarify the late work policy, including any penalties and deadlines for turning in late assignments. This is a hot topic in education these days. Your school may dictate this policy, or you may have control over it.

Here are some things to consider:

·         How late can something be turned in?

o   At my last school, my policy was that the end of the grading period was the official cut off because I had to finalize grades.

·         Are points taken off for late work?

o   I struggle with this one. I do not like grading late work because I have to find the answer key, figure out how it was graded, etc. Let’s be honest: grading late work is extra work for the teacher 100%. Because of this, I think there should be some kind of point tax/penalty.

o   The argument against taking points off the work is that you should be grading the students’ ability, not their punctuality.

·         My suggestion is to have procedures in place for dealing with this, similar to your procedures for retaking tests.

o   TEACH students how to ask for an extension.

o   Require students to meet with you and/or fill out a form about why they were not able to turn in their work on time.

§  There may be actual legit reasons like they had to take care of younger siblings, family emergencies, other home life circumstances, etc.

o   Honestly, this situation is also a main reason I shifted to mostly in-class projects and the only homework was independent reading and writing. This cut down SO MUCH on late work. See my homework topic for more info on my homework suggestions.

Classroom Technology– Do I Get My Own Device?

Explain the technology available in the classroom, including whether students will have individual devices and how they should be used.

When’s Lunch? What’s My Schedule?

Provide a copy of the daily schedule, including lunch times, to ensure students know where they need to be throughout the day. Hopefully, your school does this. I also always posted the bell schedule in my classroom to help with this.

How Long Do We Have Between Classes? What Happens If I’m Late?

Discuss the passing time between classes and the procedures for tardiness. Find out your school’s policy on tardies, and then consider your own comfort level.

You are responsible for know where students are at all times, especially in middle school. They have more freedom than they did in elementary school, but they still need to make it to class on time.

Most schools have a system for hall passes, in case students are in the office, with the nurse, held back by another teacher, etc. Find out what yours is.

What Time Does School Start? What Happens If I’m Late?

Reinforce the importance of punctuality and the process for late arrivals per your school handbook.

What’s the Dress Code/Uniform Policy? Hair, Nails, Shoes?

Review the school’s dress code policy and ensure students understand the guidelines for clothing, hair, nails, and shoes. Then, be sure to enforce fairly. 

    

By addressing these common questions and establishing clear procedures, you’ll help your students feel more confident and prepared, setting the stage for a successful and enjoyable school year.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash