This document provides guidance for teachers on preparing their classroom in the first 20 days of school. It outlines a 3 stage process: 1) Planning - considering classroom layout, supplies, routines. 2) Foundation - establishing routines, teaching expectations, providing feedback. 3) Maintenance - continuing to review routines, reflect on successes and challenges, and provide consistent positive feedback. Specific tips are given for each stage, such as drawing a classroom layout, common routines to establish, and ways to recognize students. The overall message is the importance of spending the first few weeks planning carefully, explicitly teaching routines and expectations, and maintaining positive reinforcement.

1. THE FIRST TWENTY
DAYS OF SCHOOL
Project Shalom at SHA

2. 3 Steps of Prep
• Planning Stage
• Foundation Stage
• Maintenance Stage

3. Planning Stage
Classroom
Management
Students
Classroom
Layout
Identified
Routines

4. Setting Up Your Classroom
How many students will you have?
• What subjects will you teach?
• What supplies do you have?
• Smartboard? Math manipulatives? Classroom library?
• What is the space of your room?
• Windows? Whiteboards? Built-in cabinets?

5. Draw Your Classroom
• Seating Arrangement
• Groups, rows, pairs, large tables
• Large Furniture
• Cubbies, shelving units, etc.
• Teaching Areas
• Conferencing areas, tech areas, independent work areas

6. Successful Classroom Design
• Allow for flexible grouping
• Centers, small group meetings, one-on-one
• Allow for smooth movement and access
• Look for ways to minimize crowding around high use areas
• Allow for easy supervision in all areas

7. Classroom Routines
• Entering and leaving the classroom
• Transitioning between subjects
• Getting teacher’s attention
• What to do when finished with an assignment
• Sharpening pencils
• The list goes on and on…

8. What are the common routines
in your classroom?
What should you add?

9. Behavioral Management
• Create an area to post classroom expectations
• Identify main routines and that occur daily and weekly
• Transitions, independent work, whole class and small group
instruction, guest teachers, specialists
• Create lessons with explicit directions
• What does it look like and sound like when meeting in small
groups?

10. Foundation Stage
Effective
Learning
Community
Establishing
Routines
Teaching
Expectations
Consistent
Feedback

11. Establishing Routines
First Day of School
Teach:
• Two major school wide expectations
• Two major routines in the classroom
• Two areas in the classroom students will need to be
familiar with right away
• When teaching students classroom and school wide expectations, provide
both positive and negative examples of behaviors.

12. Second Day of School
Review:
• Before students engage in classroom and school wide
routines previously taught, they need to be reviewed.
• Involve students- have them show you what it looks like
and sounds like.
Preteaching sets students up for success
Teach:
• Two more major school wide expectations
• Two more major routines in the classroom
• Two additional areas in the classroom students will need
to know in order to be successful.
• For example, where to get math supplies or lined paper

13. Third, Fourth and Fifth Days of School
• Review, review, review
• Preteach already learned expectations and routines
• Continue to add remaining lessons for school wide and
classroom expectations

14. Feedback
Week Two
• Reflect on what subjects, transitions, routines need
continued focus. Reteach these each day, for three days.
• Consistently preteach expectations for as many
classroom routines as possible.
• Provide consistent, specific and positive feedback to as
many students as many times possible, every day.

15. Maintenance Stage
Dynamic
Learning
Community
Reflective
Management
Preteaching
for Success
Consistent
Positive
Feedback

16. Reflective Management
Week Three and Beyond
• Consistently review routines, subjects, areas of the
classroom/school that may be more difficult to manage
• Reflect on times of day that are going well- what does this look and sound like?
• Reflect on times of day that are not going well- what does this look and sound like?
• Do students know the routines?

17. Consistently Reviewing Expectations
• Preteaching to the whole class for success
OR
• Explicitly reteaching with select students

18. Consistent Feedback
• Provide specific positive feedback whenever possible.
• What can you say instead of “thank you” and “good job”?
• Say what you mean- just don’t say it mean
• Maintaining a calm tone regardless of situation
• If you find yourself in a moment where it might be tough to do any of the above-
make it a teaching moment. For yourself and your students.

19. Additional Resources
• Space and Places: Designing Classroom for Literacy
• By, Debbie Diller
• The First Six Weeks of School
• By, Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete
• Champs
• By, Randy Sprick
• Talk to me! Talk to Liz! Talk to Kristina!