Another beginning of the year ritual is the constructing of our classroom constitution (I know, it's a mouthful!). We always have an end in mind (the guidelines we want to end up with), but it's important to let the students guide the process. We ask the students what they think the rules need to be for the class and record all of the suggestions. Then, we go through and compile any that are similar, broaden any that are too narrow and phrase them in a positive way. For example, instead of don't hit others, don't kick others, don't punch others, etc., we will rephrase it to- We will respect others' personal space. After everyone agrees to the final draft, some of the students copy it onto a poster and all the students in the class sign it. We hang it on the wall so everyone can see it.
Last year, we added a rights and responsibilities section to our constitution.
It is powerful because the students create it! We refer back to it during the year when a conflict arises or if a student is having a hard time meeting classroom expectations.
That's a great idea, and then especially to add the rights and responsibilities. A good example to the kids of why we have a U.S. Constitution.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you happened upon my blog and had good memories of the Williamsburg Orange Cake. That's a wonderful cookbook.