Expectations: We’re taught from college how important it is to set and keep consistent expectations for our students. When I because a reading intervention teacher last year, I wasn’t quite sure the best way to transfer that over into my new role. See, as a classroom teacher, I always sat with my students and had them help me come up with our expectations together. I also wanted to expand on how I had set up expectations in the classroom.
When I was a classroom teacher, Since my first year of teaching, I’ve always had my students help me come up with our classroom expectations “together”. They sort of helped, but I already had them in my head, so it was basically rigged. I thought this was well enough and good because they didn’t know it was rigged. However, looking back, I might as well have just had expectations ready made before they entered for all the good it did.
Now that I’m a small group reading intervention teacher, I still want to have my students help me come up with expectations, except I truly want to come up with our group norms together. No rigging this time. And , I want them to see that there are expectations for ALL of us, including me! I realize that classroom expectations are often so focused on students. Why not give our students a chance to tell us what they expect of us? I promise, you’ll be surprised (in a good way).
So, this year, I’m using this super simple chart. I spiral bound a bunch of copies so I can create a separate one for each group together WITH that group and then I’ll keep them on my table top easel to flip to and display as reach group joins me. Here’s an example of what it looks like. (I can’t share the charts my students actually create, but they did a fantastic job!)
Did it take up most of the first time we meet? Yes. Are my groups fluid and ever changing? Yes, but that’s okay because when someone new comes, they’ll have a chance to add an expectations that they think belong on the chart. My students absolutely loved doing it. They loved being about to truly have a voice. They also loved being about to tell ME what they expected. And, from my kindergarteners all the way to my fifth graders, they shared SUCH great ideas! In addition to including how we’ll work, they added social norms. Some of these included norms for both teachers as students like: try our best, respect, ask questions, listen, help each other. Some of their expectations for me are to make learning fun, to teach, to never give up.
Now, I didn’t just blindly write everything my students said on the chart, but they did have a voice! ️ If they could explain why they think something should be added, it went up. (And I didn’t end up having to challenge anything. It was all very appropriate. If they had said anything that went against school expectations, than we would have talk about why it can’t go up.
You can find this expectations chart template in my
free resource library. Simply enter your email in the box below to receive an email with the password and the link.
