Beginning of the Class Routines every ESL Teacher Should Use

 Some teachers may think that the routines that you have at the beginning of your classroom are not important. I am here to tell you that they are having beginning of the classroom routines sets the tone for your day. By having routines you will have a calmness to your room because the students are not confused about what to do next. You can spend more time on teaching versus giving directions on what to do.

Having routines also allows you as a teacher to do any administrative duties that you need to do. Beginning of the classroom routines creates independence with your students. I am going to share my top-five beginning of the class routine you can adapt these routines before your classroom so let’s go ahead and jump right into them

 The first routine that I used for my classroom is to have students clocking in for the day what this looks like it’s simply having a piece of paper or you can use a Google doc where students come into the room and check in for the day I love doing this for my students they act like they’re at work and where it is encouraging seeing them clocking in and being responsible for the morning activities

The second routine that I use it the beginning of the classroom is letting the students know what materials they are responsible for the day. There is a board with visuals of what the students need for the class. For example, the “Materials Board” may show pencil, paper, and a clipboard for today’s lesson. This helps them to clearly understand these are the materials that they need. It encourages them to be prepared for the class. Using this routine I very seldom have students asking me what they need for class today.

The third routine that I use in class is to have a bellringer or a do now for the students. Every morning at the beginning of class the students are responsible for completing an assignment and pick up the materials. I teach the students to have a sense of urgency when doing this because their time is limited to complete assignments. This allows me the teacher time to take attendance, check homework, and also complete other duties that I need to do before class.

The fourth routine that I use in my classroom is to have a daily message. Every morning the students read a daily message that I write to them. In the daily message, I explain to the students what is happening in the class for the day. I also offer encouragement, spotlight students who are doing well, and them know what is happening in the school. During the message, I let the students take turns reading aloud to practice fluency and instill confidence.

The fifth beginning of the classroom routine I use with the students is “Target Talk”. You may have heard me discuss Target Talk, and how this simple activity can get your students to speak. During Target Talk, the students are presented with a learning goal. Then, students discuss a higher order thinking question about the learning goal. Students can also rate where they are in the learning process during this time.

Take about 20 minutes to design a beginning of the class routine for your students. Use the planning sheet attached to walk you through how you can do this for your students. It is important to note that these routines should not take up the whole class period. Limit it 10 minutes maximum.

Share some of your favorite beginning of the class routines you use with your ELLs.