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School Rules

June 20, 2016 by Mary Amoson 2 Comments

School Rules Print & Play Pack

First thing is first.
The FIRST month of school you are going break down your class rules for your students,
many of whom have never been to school or in a structured environment.

In fact, one of the Kindergarten Social Studies Standards (Citizenship) in Georgia states,
the student will learn “How rules are made and why they should be followed.”

This is a topic the teachers of younger grades cover over and over again.
It is a standard I teach and reteach all year long as I grow my kinders into problem solving individuals.
After all, some problems can be solved differently in February when we learn more friendship skills
than they can be in August when we are simply adjusting to the structure and routine of our school.

 

 

The Break Down of School Rules

Three lessons I teach every August are contained exactly in the standard above.
That is right.
THREE lessons from that one standard.
I have to break this one section down into
what are rules,
how are rules made and
why should we follow them.

The Golden Rule

The golden rule in Kindergarten is: Assume nothing.

I can not assume my class even understands what a rule is to begin with.
Around the third day of school, which is most likely as soon as we are ready for this lesson,

Lesson One: What Are Rules?”

I break out my first lesson, “What are Rules?“

Here is a group chart that is already filled out, as well as a blank one to complete as a class,
to lead a discussion what are rules.What are Rules? Printable

I like to use my smart board with the blank version,
but a paper chart is an excellent option as well.

We also work on a pocket chart sorting activity.
I like this activity because each teacher/school/ even group
might have different RULES they have to address and follow.
Don’t get me wrong MANY if not all of us have similar rules such as feet and hands to yourself.
You can use the cards that relate and apply to YOUR needs only. What are Rules? Sorting Activity

Lastly, we have a Good Rules to Follow printable.Good Rules to Follow Printable
This is a PERFECT activity to send home as homework for great interaction between the parent and student.
(I created several versions of this printable including one with graphics only so you can add you SPECIFIC class rules.
There is also a version that is completely blank so you can make it exactly as you desire.)

Talking Through Situations

I also LOVE the printable showing situations at school such as work time and student match
the YES behavior and NO behavior to it.
This is a great collaborative activity to make sure you kids understand
the right and wrong way to act when rules are concerned.
(Our students in the beginning of the year can’t read much or any at all, right?!}

How are Rules Made?

Now that we have discovered what a RULE is, we can talk about how they are made.
Some schools have set rules given for everyone to follow.
Some teachers are allowed to create specific rules for their class.

But… the question (and standard for that matter) remain…
How are RULES made?
How Are Rules Made?

Ideally, the class makes the rules together.

We also have to create new rules for some classes that have never been an issue before.
When a situation arises, I sit down WITH my class to create our new rule.
We talk about what happened, leaving out names.
We decide on a way to solve the problem if it happens again… AS A CLASS.

And sometimes things happen in the school, not in my classroom, that dictate new rules
that our administration needs.
How Are Rules Made? Pocket Chart Activity
Here is a sorting activity to help sort the brains of our little learners to understand how rules are made.
And the best part is, there is NO ONE RIGHT ANSWER.
You can help direct the learning activity how it is done in your exact situation.
{And YES I will change our Obama after the election this year. :)}

Next, I have a lesson that is a MUST DO very quickly in the school year
and it is ideal to keep around to reteach as needed.
This is the exact lesson I WISH I thought to teach my kids
before a situation arose
during my first year
and second year
and third year teaching.

When Should I Tell the Teacher

This lesson is on When Should I Tell the Teacher.
There is a set of charts, of course.When Should I Tell the Teacher? Printables

As well as a pocket chart activity to guide your instruction.
You can talk about each situation and what you want your students to do when that happens.

When Should I Tell the Teacher? sorting activity

You can teach with this set.
And you can reteach with it as well.

Sometimes YOU Need to Know Things

BUT. Here is the biggie…
I also included a section to guide classroom instruction on what students should do BEFORE
they come tell the teacher.BEFORE You Tell the Teacher... how to teach your class to solve problems first

{I know, I know… you are welcome!}
This section allows you to break down ways to solve problems before a student needs to come talk to you.
I highly recommend covering WHEN they should tell a teacher first.
This way your class knows sometimes they SHOULD come to you first.

Here are the sorting cards for things they can do before they have to tell the teacher.

Walk away, talk to your friend, try to solve the problem, say stop
My favorite activity of the whole pack is this printable…What do you do when... a girl is yelling in class?
It covers classroom situations and gives your students three choices:
Talk to their friend,
walk away,
or talk to a teacher.
I think this is an ideal class discussion for each and every classroom to have.

This isn’t for once a year!

Every veteran teacher will affirm that students get comfortable with each other around December
and start to forget how to be a great friend.
This is when we step in as leaders in the classroom to reteach a lesson
or change a structure in how we handle friendship situations.

This is why I took time to create a section on Sharing or Taking Turns.When do you SHARE or TAKE TURNS?

The two concepts are similar BUT not the exact same.
Here is a sort for things that we can share as well as things we can take turns with.
Ask your class to sort the cards FIRST to get an idea of how well they understand the two ideas.
When do we TAKE TURNS?

There are plenty of options for classroom specific things as well, such as tablets.should we share or take turns???

It is worth the class time to dive into these topics so that there is a firm understanding of rules and
how to follow them in the classroom.
It is invaluable to be proactive to address these issues in your classroom.

Glossary

Lastly, there is a glossary as well are definition cards.
I printed the 6 glossary terms on page here.Glossary and printable
This would be ideal to send home in an agenda or as an additional character education lesson for a child who missed it.
Or for those who need to be retaught.

One thing many people LOVE about the Print & Play Packs is the color coding.
Here is one of the lessons from this pack. Color Coded Lessons for Character Education

All the border colors MATCH for easy sorting. border colors MATCH for easy prep and assembly
Additionally you can coordinate the lessons with the matching baggies. School Rules Lesson you will LOVE

Here is a look at all 5 of the COLOR CODED lessons included in the School Rules Pack.  School Rules Print & Play Pack

I simple print the pack, cut out the sorting pieces, copy the printables as needed,
and my class is ready to play!
This whole pack is this easy to organize…Easy PREP and Storage of School Rules Print and Play Pack

and fits into a file folder ready to go!

how to store your School Rules print and play pack

https://sharingkindergarten.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/School-Rules-website.mp4

 

School Tules

 

School Rules
Click here to read all about CHOICES.

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Filed Under: Back to School, Literacy, Print & Play, Social Studies

Comments

  1. becca says

    November 22, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    Where can I find your school rules pack? The link does not work

    Reply

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  1. First Day Art Project - Sharing Kindergarten says:
    July 24, 2016 at 10:41 pm

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