School Rules

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.

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.

Lastly, we have a 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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

{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.

My favorite activity of the whole pack is this printable…
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.

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.

There are plenty of options for classroom specific things as well, such as tablets.

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.
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.

All the border colors MATCH for easy sorting.
Additionally you can coordinate the lessons with the matching baggies.

Here is a look at all 5 of the COLOR CODED lessons included in the School Rules 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…