Lab 1 First Day of School

For my first day of school I chose to do a lesson on biomes. I wanted to introduce what biomes are and start on a group project where students work together to investigate biomes and teach each other about them. Because this was the first day of school for me and my students, I addressed my expectations and procedures so that students were aware of how they should conduct themselves in my classroom.  My 6 expectations are: Safety First, Being Prepared for Class, Being Respectful, Being Responsible, Coming to class Ready to Learn, and Being Yourself. I want my classroom to be a cooperative learning environment where students are engaged and on task. My procedures are for students to arrive to class on time, turn in all assignments to the class basket, to complete bellwork, and to remain on task throughout the class period. I know that there will be times where students will get off topic but by listing it as a procedure I expect students to remain on task and stay focused as part of their daily routine for everything they do. When I was going over these, I feel like I rushed them a little but. I did ask students what they thought each of the expectations and procedures meant and then I described what I wanted them to mean. This ensured that teacher and student are on the same page and also gives students a value to the classroom procedures and expectations. During the class session I did forget to mention my consequences. Which are: First Offense-Verbal Warning, Second Offense- Phone Call Home, and Third Offense- Detention. I also included a disclaimer stating that base on the severity of the offense, more appropriate punishments may take place. This is a warning for students to know that if they are being dangerous in the classroom they may be referred to the office immediately without a verbal warning.