Creating Classroom Norms with Sam Horne in 5/6 Social Studies

Creating classroom norms at the beginning of each year is a way teachers in the FCS Middle School build community and establish common expectations. Instead of choosing classroom rules and announcing them to their students, teachers help facilitate collaborative conversations with students that get them thinking about the classroom experience and what best supports their learning. Teachers ask students about what works well and what doesn’t, and what they need from teachers and classmates alike in order to succeed. Then, the students formulate norms that they collectively endorse and can refer back to as they take on the year together. This hands-on, student-centered process gets to the heart of what students want and need out of their classroom experience, and is an integral part of community building.