15 Fun Ways to Review Rules and Procedures After a Break
Taking the time to review and PRACTICE your rules and expectations will save you time in the long run. When you model and allow students to practice your classroom rules, they in turn are more likely to understand and follow through with them. When students have an understanding of what is expected of them, they are less likely to be disruptive so you won’t have to spend all your energy and time with behavior management.
The following 15 fun ways to review your rules and procedures after break include a variety of hands-on activities, games, and movement activities to get your students up and moving! All of these options could be easily adapted to differentiate as needed.
Review #1 ~ True or False
You can vary this game of True/False depending on how active you would like to get your students. The teacher would read a statement of their rule or procedure (e.g., When we finish something early we can read a book or use our catch-up folder – ‘true’ OR We can hit our friend to get their attention – ‘false’). The student response could be as simple as a thumbs up/thumbs down or holding up a response card that has the word ‘true’ on it or ‘false’. If you choose to make it more active you can start with all your students sitting in their seats. When you say a ‘true’ statement have the students jump up out of their seats. If the statement was ‘false’ the students can crouch down or lay their heads down.
2 ~ Find A Friend
Here is a FREEBIE just for you! Our “Find A Friend” activity is editable to make it yours and to fit your classroom rules and procedures. You can read each number aloud and it is the student’s task to find a friend in the room that can answer or show them the stated rule or procedure correctly. Once they find this friend they can sign in the box that they completed it. It is a great opportunity for students to get up and walk around the classroom (if appropriate) and no student can sign another’s paper more than once.
3 ~ Jeopardy!
This classic game can be adapted for any subject or material. In this version, you can adapt it to include your classroom’s rules or procedures. Simply divide your classroom board into categories and allow student teams to pick their category.
Review #4 ~ Task Cards or Morning Meeting Slides
You can use this as a small group, center, or whole group activity. In this activity, students are given a question regarding a classroom procedure. Students may write their answers on a recording sheet, or raise their hand to call out the answers.
5 ~ Charades!
I always like to state that this idea comes from a terrible tech issue that I was having with some of my students where I couldn’t hear them and their microphones not working. I had them act out their answers. In this version, you can allow students to act out a particular expectation, rule, or procedure and allow the other students to guess which one they are portraying.
6 ~ Make A Video
You can choose to show off your tech-savvy side and create a video! If you are like me and NOT that much of a tech person, this is still very doable. You can record the students showing themselves modeling the proper classroom procedure for a particular scenario. For older students, you can have them submit a video of them completing the task. Combine the clips to create a brief classroom behavior expectations video. This would be beneficial to show throughout the year as well for a simple refresher and reminder.
Review #7 ~ Create a Class Book
I LOVE adding “homemade” books to our classroom library that my students have worked hard on. Have students work in groups or individually to create a page explaining a rule or procedure. Don’t forget to allow them to add illustrations of what it looks like. Once all the students are finished you can assemble the book (laminate for durability and tie together for durability). You can add the finished product to your classroom library for students to show off their hard and creative work.
8 ~ Art Walk
Here is another fun option for your creative students to complete. Working individually or in small groups, students can draw a particular rule or procedure on a large piece of paper. Once finished you can hang the students’ work in the classroom or the hallway. Allow students to do an art walk and admire other’s art. This is also a great opportunity to allow other classes to view their work and if they have questions about their art the students can explain the rule or procedure they drew.
9 ~ Two Truths and a Lie
Here is a slight twist on the game “two truths and a lie”. The object is to provide three choices, two being true and one being a lie. You can set this up prior or have students write two true and one false statement about a classroom procedure. Crumple up the papers in balls and toss them into a pile. Each student picks up a crumbled piece of paper and reads the three choices deciding which one is the lie and how to correct it.
Review #10 ~ Trivia
By using technology, you can create an interactive trivia game! Websites like Kahoot, Acadly, Quizlet and SeeSaw are all great options for preparing interactive games. Students answer questions about classroom procedures using a personal device to receive high scores.
11 ~ Scavenger Hunt
Students follow clues about classroom procedures to find additional clues hidden around the room. Teachers can create and provide instructions: “Find the place where you hand in your completed assignments. Go to the location where your options are if you complete a task early.”
12 ~ Power Writing
Setting a timer for 1 minute…students need to write as much as they can when provided a classroom procedure. For our younger students, they can draw a picture matching the statement. Once completed students can participate in a think-pair-share opportunity.
Review #13 ~ Venn Diagram
Using a Venn diagram format, students can compare and contrast two different classroom procedures or rules.
14 ~ Anchor Charts or Procedure Charts
Students (or the teacher) can create anchor charts to outline a variety of classroom rules and procedures.
15 ~ Blabberize
Blabberize is an online tool that allows students to record their voices and create talking images. This is a fun and easy way to incorporate technology into your classroom. You can upload your own images or use the number of free possibilities throughout the website. Students will enjoy choosing a variety of animals to characterize!
(There is a free trial but does have a cost, so other district technology tools may be better utilized than this but still wanted to include it in this week's motivator).
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