Procedures don't have to be painful. Try some of these ideas to spice up your procedure practice:
- Vignettes- a vignette is a short scene in a movie or play. Write the name of several procedures on index cards. After practicing each procedure the first couple of times, distribute cards to groups of 4 or 5 students. Each group comes up with and performs a series of three still pictures that show the beginning, middle, and end of the procedure. No props allowed. Other groups call out guesses of which procedure they are showing. Tips: Start and end in a neutral position (feet shoulder width apart, hands at sides). Have students come back to a neutral position between each pose. This activity is particularly good for multi-step procedures.
- Beat Your Best: Some procedures lend themselves to being speedy. Say, you are practicing lining up. Time your class performing the procedure. The next time, challenge them to correctly execute the procedure in less time.
| I posted this to my instagram. My kids are still asking me to time them! You can follow me @myteacherfriend |
- Choral Response: Brainstorm ideas with your class that can serve as a summary of the procedure. My restroom procedure is as follows (my pass is a bottle of hand sanitizer):
- The choral response could go:Teacher: Sign-out and Sanitizer. Exit Students: Return, Sanitizer and Sign-in.
- At various times in the day, throw it in there. Choral responding is a research-based strategy to help students retain information. You can also use it with states and capitols or math facts. Two birds.
- Make a couple into songs. The librarian at my school sings a hallway song. "My hands are hanging by my sides, I'm standing straight and tall. My eyes are looking straight ahead. I'm ready for the hall." It is to the tune of Gilligan's Island. When she finishes the last word, the students are expected to be ready to go.
- Read a book about the procedure. Here are some of my favorites:
When to Whisper
, Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker 
, Decibella and Her 6-Inch Voice 
, My Mouth Is a Volcano!
, Interrupting Chicken
I hope these strategies will help you and your students enjoy procedures!
