Recommended Routines for Elementary – First Weeks of School
This document outlines helpful start-the-year instructional routines and management supports, to move students
toward becoming independent 21st Century learners in a safe, respectful, and responsible school community.
These routines are grouped to support each of the areas below:
COMMUNITY
Structures
COLLABORATION
Practices
COMMUNICATION
Protocols
CONTENT
Supports
These are suggestions, and do not represent every possible beneficial classroom routine, nor can all these be
taught in their entirety in a short period of time. They require reinforcement and refinement over time, as well as
customization to meet the needs of your particular students.
This is an evolving resource. Please check back at http://achieve.lausd.net/Page/6112 for updates and further
resources.
LAUSD Office of Curriculum, Instruction & School Support
rev. 08/07/14
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Recommended Routines for Elementary – First Weeks of School
COMMUNITY: Safe – Respectful – Responsible
Establishing
Routines for
MANAGEMENT
– Whole Group
Purpose
Create a positive
classroom community
environment.
Establish procedures and
norms for classroom and
campus behaviors.
Establish levels of
response and
consequences.
HSS - CIVICS
Classroom
Government &
Participation
Support HSS instruction &
Civics goals
Establish roles and
responsibilities for
classroom participation
and leadership.
(Constitution Day is
9/17/14.)
CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
Create a classroom
environment of
collaboration and
cooperation
Students learn to address
issues, consider other
views, resolve problems.
Suggested Objectives
Using LAUSD “Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be
Responsible” posters, as a class define “SafeRespectable-Responsible” large group expectations:
– Bring students’ attention back to whole group
– Transition between activities
– Self-manage grouping and working in small
groups
– Logistics – materials use and distribution
– To-from class: morning – recess – lunch dismissal, assemblies, food lines, restrooms,
library, yard, etc.
– Responsible use of Technology
Consensus agreement among students &
teacher:
– Rules and enforcement of rules
– Offices held
– Responsibilities of each office
(e.g., President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary,
Judges,)
– Signatures
–
–
–
–
Empathy and identifying feelings
Impulse Control
Problem Solving
Anger Management
LAUSD Office of Curriculum, Instruction & School Support
Teacher Tools
Sample Resources
(use Firefox or Chrome browsers)
(use Firefox or Chrome browsers)
http://tinyurl.com/sa
feresponsible
MELD First 10 days
Classroom Management
Booklet (Vicki Gibson)
Search “behavior” on
lausd.net website for
many resources &
examples.
Participation Protocols
Poster
Second Step program
sped.lausd.net/instruction/tier
-i-resources
Peacebuilders curriculum
Peacebuilders pledge
rev. 08/07/14
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Recommended Routines for Elementary – First Weeks of School
COLLABORATION: Cooperative – Engaged – Rigorous
Establishing
Routines for
Small Group &
Independent
Collaborative
Work
Science
Purpose
Students learn to use
independent time
productively:
Read or work independently
Collaborate
Research and explore
Use technology resources
Draft/revise/proof writing
Practice previously taught
skills
Establish Science Inquiry
Collaborative work Groups
Establish Roles: Function
and Rotation
Suggested Objectives
Teacher Tools
Sample Resources
(use Firefox or Chrome browsers)
(use Firefox or Chrome browsers)
Rules
Phased in over time
I Whole Group, teacher monitors
II Whole Group, Introduce menu, monitor
III Teacher pull 1 group, others work from menu of
required tasks
IV Teacher pulls multiple groups, others work from
menu of required and optional tasks
Debrief: Reflect on successes and challenges,
share new learning. Teacher facilitates.
TREASURES Managing
Small Groups (Gibson &
Fisher)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Chart for rotation
Assigned Groups
Safety rules
ROLES table cards:
(examples) Reporter, Starter,
Getter 1, Getter 2
ROLES: Reporter, Starter, Getter 1, Getter 2
LAUSD Office of Curriculum, Instruction & School Support
rev. 08/07/14
Discussion Protocols
poster
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Recommended Routines for Elementary – First Weeks of School
COMMUNICATION:
Establishing
Routines for
Discussion
Purpose
Clear – Thoughtful – Authentic
Suggested Objectives
Teacher Tools
Sample Resources
(use Firefox or Chrome browsers)
(use Firefox or Chrome browsers)
Large & small group
discussion protocols
(see Speaking & Listening below for more
resources)
Discussion-Talk Moves video
Rules and roles for
discussion: Timekeeper,
facilitator, recorder, etc.
Respectful – sharing protocols
Talk Moves poster
Construct viable arguments
and critique the reasoning of
others (Math Practice 3).
More formal register
Evidence from text
Provide feedback to reinforce skills
Talk Moves video 2
Classroom Discussion Rules
Sentence Frames –
Linguistic Patterns – English
Linguistic Patterns - Spanish
Roles for discussion &
cooperative groups
Core Academic
Conversation Skills chart
Discussion starters
(English & Spanish)
Academic Conversation
Skills & Prompts
Placemat
Constructive
Conversation Skills Poster
Math Practice 3
Speaking &
Listening
Clear Communication
Awareness of Task,
Purpose and Audience
Oral and Visual
Face to Face
Giving Presentations
Norms: Listen to each other; Share our own ideas
and explain them. Respect one another’s ideas,
even if they’re different. Respectfully disagree and
try to see the other viewpoint. Let others finish
explaining their ideas without interrupting. Try to
come to some agreement in the end. Take turns
and share airtime.
Class rules for speaking &
listening (active listening)
Sentence Extension
Routine
Gestures to cue and remind
Core Academic
Conversation Skills chart
Emphasize ongoing habit of staying on topic –
keep focused.
Graphic organizers to
capture information and
vocabulary
Respectful, appropriate volume and body language
LAUSD Office of Curriculum, Instruction & School Support
Sign language to support
vocabulary, reinforce
routines, practice spelling
rev. 08/07/14
SigningSavvy.com online
video ASL dictionary
Speaking flash cards
Thinking Maps
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Recommended Routines for Elementary – First Weeks of School
CONTENT-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS
Begin-the-year Resources to Support Content Instruction
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
CULTURALLY & LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE
English Language Development
Mainstream English Language Development
Academic Language Development
LITERACY & FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS
INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINES HANDBOOK: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, High Frequency Words, Spelling,
Comprehension, Grammar-Usage-Mechanics, Writing, Research, Questioning, Management
MATHEMATICS
MATH CURRICULUM MAPS
FIRST 10 DAYS OF MATH
ESTABLISHING DAILY MATH ROUTINE
3 PHASES OF PROBLEM
SOLVING
OTHER CONTENT AREAS
DIGITAL LITERACY (Common Sense Media)
LAUSD Office of Curriculum, Instruction & School Support
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
rev. 08/07/14
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