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By Kathy J. Krieger I knew that I could not end each school day as I had last year: in chaos. Children were excited to go home and everyone was doing something to get ready, but there was no order to it, and voices were LOUD. The energy level, combined with the lack of structure, wasn’t good for my students or for me. This year, I wanted to establish a better, more orderly end-of-day routine, a routine that promoted ownership and responsibility for each child.
I knew I had to have my new end-of-day routine—and an implementation plan for it—ready to go before the start of the school year in order to start using it on Day One. So I prepared over the summer a routine that included cleanup/organizational time, gathering necessary belongings quietly and quickly, participating in a closing circle, and leaving in an orderly manner.
Modeling and practicing the routine
Once I knew what I wanted from my new routine, it was time to model and practice the various parts of it. During the first few weeks of school, I described, modeled, and practiced the routine: what it looked like, sounded like, and felt like to come to the closing circle. I was careful to note the proper sequence of things, so the students would be clear about what my expectations were: - Voices quiet when the “closing bell” (signal for silence) rings
- Clean up/organize materials
- Gather folders and papers
- Store/retrieve items in cubbies
- Sit in circle on carpet
As I modeled the new routine during September, I was always careful to go through the steps quickly, quietly, and calmly, in a businesslike fashion. Slowly but surely, most of the students began to understand my expectations AND to demonstrate that understanding by doing the process the way I modeled it.
September observation: after modeling the entire procedure
I decided to do some formal observations of the process we were using, to determine how it was working. Here are my notes.
When the bell rang for cleanup and closing today, I noticed most children immediately stopped what they were doing, talked softly, put their materials away, gathered their folders, and went to their cubbies to get the rest of their belongings before coming to the carpet to sit. I noticed a few children taking too much time to put their things away, talking in normal (rather than quiet) voices. Everyone was able to complete all the steps in less than five minutes. Overall, the children did what was expected of them during the routine. During our closing circle, we talked about what our voices should sound like, and each student assessed the appropriateness of his own voice level during the closing procedure by giving thumbs up, thumbs sideways, or thumbs down. I think this type of daily self assessment will pay off.
October observation
At the bell signal today, I observed many quiet voices and hands as students cleaned up. Most children were quick to get to the carpet today. A few children were loud until I asked them to remind me of what our routine is and how it should sound. Once the louder children remembered what it was supposed to feel like at the end of the day, things were calmer and quieter. Our dismissal went smoothly today.
November observation
Today we did not have a bell signal because we were working on a project that the children were finishing up at different times. I told them to return to the circle when they cleaned their area. Knowing we were going to play a game (Tinker Bell) during the closing circle motivated students to work at the routine. The routine wasn’t perfect—I had to ask a few children what it should look like when they sat on the carpet with their backpacks, which should be placed behind them so they don’t get in our way during circle—but it was a very calm dismissal day; smiles abounded as children left!
I’ve noticed that some of the children have taken ownership of their classroom by directing other children during the closing routine if materials are not cleaned up correctly, or voice levels are too high, or if students’ movements are too hectic or too slow. Those leaders remind the others what it looks like, sounds like and feels like to make their classroom a safe place. The children who are self-motivated receive support from me through the use of reinforcing, encouraging language.
Next steps
Once the routine was well established, I set about sustaining it. I continued to use reinforcing language to encourage children to be leaders at the end of the day. I modeled and remodeled the parts of our end-of-the-day procedure that weren’t going well at any particular time, and revisited the procedural expectations throughout the year. I added reflecting on the day’s learning, quick games, songs, team-building activities, and acknowledgements to our end-of-the-day activity. And, best of all, I was satisfied that I now had an end-of-day closing that was good for all of us.
Kathy Krieger teaches first graders at Fall Creek Elementary School in Fall Creek WI.
This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Educators, Fall 2008
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