Planning lessons is important for your students. In-between times, the transitions, need to be planned as well. That’s the time when you can ‘lose’ some students to dis-behavior.
When are the transition times?
* arrival, departure from the classroom
* beginning and end of small groups
* lining up for leaving/returning to the room
* clean-up times
What works?
* set clear expectations from day one and stay consistent until the last day of the school year
* practice those expectations as needed, especially at the first of the year and after vacations and extended classroom breaks
* know where you want the students to end up and tell them how you want them to get there (use well thought-out traffic patterns)
* keep the transitions calm– don’t fill their moving time with a lot of directions and conversation
* praise the class (verbally) when they make transitions quickly and quietly
* begin next activity quickly after giving the students a brief time to settle in (count down of 5 to zero is usually enough)
If you keep their need for carrying around materials and supplies to a minimum, the transitions will be more efficient. Tubs make a great way to control needed materials and can be organized before they are needed.
When students need a chance to move around, share that break-from-working activity after they make their transition, never during. Older students may not need any break time time beyond moving to their next activity. Younger students may need a directed break such as:
* stretches or yoga moves
* singing a fun action song like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”
* action game like ‘Simon Says’
Settle them back to the activity by another countdown from 5.