Why Are Classroom Routines Important in the Classroom?

Creates Classroom Structure and Predictability

You would like that high school students would love independence and would push back on structure. But the opposite is true! My students love knowing that every day starts the same. That my expectations do not change. That I might have four or five cheesy catchphrases I say every day. But those classroom routines help them to feel comfortable. So much of a teenager’s life is changing. And there is so much to navigate in their high school world. So, to have a place where they know that the structure will always be the same is a comfort. Predictability is a gift to high schoolers. And trust me once class begins, they never know what I am going to do! 

Builds Community and Engages Students

Part of my classroom routines allow time for students to feel engaged and not in a forced way. As you will see below, I give students a chance to feel welcomed and get set for our class. And they can use that time how they want. They also have a chance to chat with their peers and with me. So, we have authentic time to build relationships without any silly icebreakers. This feeling of community adds to my students’ trust in me and the class. Once again, if they feel comfortable, they will do the hard things that I ask of them later. 

Sets Expectations

Now, we know that every classroom has to have rules and expectations. And part of my daily classroom routines includes reminding the students of expectations. While it is not the focus of the class, this small routine helps with my classroom management. A quick reminder of expectations daily means that when a student breaks those expectations, there is not much pushback. And other students will chime in and remind the student that I say the same thing every day. And my expectations never change! Once again that predictability is golden in the high school classroom! 

Five ELA Classroom Daily Routines That I Always Do

ELA Classroom Routines #1: Daily Agenda Slide

I know as an ELA teacher, you are organized and you always have a plan. And that plan isn’t a secret. Your students are going to find out what you have planned anyway. Why not make it visible to them? That’s why my first classroom routines is my Daily Agenda Slide. I list all the essential information that we need for the day on this slide. And, I have it up in front of the students when they walk in. This helps them to know where to look to see what we are doing. And it eliminates the dreaded “What are we doing today?” question! 

If you are looking for some new agenda slides, check out my Taylor Swift Daily Agenda Slide. Each daily agenda slide represents a different Taylor Swift era so you can mix and match your favorites or include them all! The best part is that all text on each slide is completely customizable for you! You can even move the spaces around to better suit your agenda needs. Keep yourself and your students organized with these Taylor Swift Agenda Slides.

ELA Classroom Routines #2: First Five Minutes Free

Have you ever tried to focus on something intently for a long time? And then be forced to immediately switch to deeply thinking about a new topic in just a few minutes? That is what we ask our students to do every single day! Our students are focusing on math and learning new and complicated concepts. And then the bell rings and boom they have three minutes to race to class. And now switch their brain to ELA! I need time to reset between every class and I teach the same subject every day. 

So, that’s why my third ELA classroom routine is giving the first five minutes free. After the bell rings, my students know that I am not going to start class right away. I am going to allow them to just sit and chat with their friends. Or take a few minutes just to debrief from the last class. Or heck, maybe go to the bathroom when the line isn’t a million miles long. I also take this time to connect with my teacher besties in the hall. And to catch up with students. I can learn more about them in those five minutes than I would with a getting-to-know-you activity at the beginning of class. So, stop worrying so much about your precious instruction time. And instead, give away those first five minutes to your students!

ELA Classroom Routines #3: Student Greeting

After I give those first five minutes free, I always bring the class together with the same morning greeting. “Hello, friends! Let’s get started”. I also pull the door closed while I am saying this phrase as a nonverbal cue. Now this may seem so simple and feel like common sense. But, think about it. Do your students know when you are starting class? Is there something that you do or say every single day that helps them know? By just creating a simple greeting that can be used every time, my students have a signal that I am starting and it’s time to focus. Test run a few phrases and see what works for you. And gives your students the right idea. This classroom routine will help to get everyone on the same page each day. 

ELA Classroom Routines #4: Classroom Expectations Reminder

My next ELA classroom routines is essential for classroom management. Each day, I remind my students of my classroom expectations in one sentence! Here’s what I say, “Just a reminder, hats off, hoods down, airpods out of the ears, and cellphones put away.” Did you catch all my expectations? I list the four things that I expect my students to do that also are a part of the student handbook. This means that per my discretion if any of my students are doing these things, I can write them up. By giving a reminder at the beginning of class, my students now know that is their warning. If they are doing any of these things from that point forward, they can expect a consequence. 

I really love it when this happens in my class and the student protests. Not because I love punishing kiddos. But, because I will normally have a student who will repeat my expectations reminder and then give the student a hard time for not following the instructions. That’s when you know you have a good routine! When students can repeat it word for word and use it! 

If you want to make your expectations clear and visible right from the beginning of the school year, check out my Back to School Bundle. Besides having first-day stations to help engage your students. You have access to my editable classroom syllabus where you can create your own expectations to send to the students. Or you can steal mine! Check out this Back to School Bundle now!

ELA Classroom Routines #5: 10 Minutes of Independent Reading

My last and favorite ELA classroom routines is independent reading. In my classroom, I set a reading goal for each of my students at the beginning of the semester. And I make it a team competition. If every student in the class hits their reading goal, I will bring in Chick-fil-A! To help give students the time that they need to accomplish their goals, I give 10 minutes of independent reading time every single class period! I love this routine because there is so much research showing the positive effects of daily reading! Plus, as an added bonus, I have the chance to read every day too! 

If you want to learn more about how I do independent reading in my classroom, check out this blog post How to Refresh Your Independent Reading Ideas That High School Students Will Love.

More Examples of Classroom Routines

Top 5 ELA Teacher Mistakes I Am Definitely Not Making Anymore

How to Refresh Your Independent Reading Ideas That High School Students Will Love.

Top 5 ELA Activities I Will Definitely Be Doing Next Year

So now you know the 5 ELA classroom routines that I use every day! I hope that you take my ideas and make them your own. Because your students crave predictability and you can give that to them so easily! And if you want a little help getting started with the routines, check out my Daily Agenda Slides. You can get into the routine of showing your students your plan each day. Plus, then you will never forget what comes next!

If you found this blog post to be really helpful and you want to see more like it, go check out the rest of my blog posts at www.theteacherrewrite.com. And on Instagram @theteacherrewrite. I focus on all the ELA resources, tips, and tricks that you need to make your life easier. Without having to rewrite your curriculum Let me do all the hard work for you! I hope to see you over there! And as always, remember to think smart, not hard. So snag these 5 ELA classroom routines for yourself!