We all know that one of the most important things to do on the first day of school is set the classroom rules. For the upper elementary grades, I am a big believer in allowing students to create the classroom rules. This helps them "buy in"-- think about it! If someone handed you a giant list of rules to follow, and you had no say in any of them, would you be as willing to follow? This is the activity I use on the first day of school for rule setting:
- We read the story A Kingdom with No Rules, No Laws, and No King by Norman Styles. You can grab a copy by clicking HERE or by googling the title! It's free!
- We discuss the moral of the story. The kids should understand that for the classroom to run smoothly, there MUST be rules!
- I get a giant piece of chart paper out, and ask the kid's to think-pair-share some rules they think our class should have. I list all of their suggestions-- some might be a little repetitive.
- I tell the students that this is a LONGGGGGG list of rules, and that we should try and combine them so we just have five. You can ask for students help to combine the rules.
- By the end, you should have a list of about five classroom rules. I copy these rules onto poster paper and have all of the kids sign the bottom. Laminate your rules list, and hang it up for the year!
