Creating a Caring Classroom starts the very first day of school. I think the most important thing a teacher can do that first week is to establish a warm and caring atmosphere in his or her classroom. You'll need to build an atmosphere of trust, where students can feel free to be themselves without worrying that classmates will make fun of them. At the same time, you need to establish clear strategies for classroom management right from the very beginning. There are many ways to accomplish these goals, and I'm going to share a few of my favorites. In particular, it's important to establish good classroom management and build both team and class spirit. You'll also want to consider how to seat your students in cooperative learning teams. Read on for lots of ideas and resources!

My website contains lots of good resources, but there are also some wonderful books on this topic. Two of my favorites are listed below:

Seating Arrangements and Team Formation

If you have any questions about how to arrange desks, take a look at a new PDF file I created and put online. It shows 6 different ways you can arrange desks in teams (both rectangular desks and the L-shaped desks). Visit the CL Network files to find it, or use this Seating Options direct link.

• Establish Procedures - Good classroom management is essential to effective cooperative learning. You'll need to have a clearly defined set of procedures so that the kids know your expectations. Don't even try to implement the "fun" teambuilders and classbuilders described in the next section unless you have a good grasp of classroom management. Think through every aspect of the day, to include use of restrooms, lining up for lunch, morning routines, dismissal procedures, etc. Ask a veteran teacher for ideas on managing these day-to-day routines effectively.
• Utilize an Effective Management System - If you teach elementary school, you might want to look at the Stoplight Management System description on my website. I have used this management system with great success for about 10 years. Perhaps some middle and high school teachers would be willing to share any management systems they have found successful.
• Create Classroom Rules - Involve your class in discussing the importance of rules and creating a set of class rules. Refer to the PDF file entitled Creating Classroom Rules for some ideas about how to do this in a cooperative classroom.
• Implement a Quiet Signal -You'll need to have a fool-proof Quiet Signal. You can have a hand signal, a bell, a clicker, or even a rainstick! You need something that can get the students' attention in 3 to 5 seconds. If you are new to the group, read the Quiet Signals tutorial on the Network website.
• Other Ways to Manage Noise Levels - If you feel your class is too noisy during cooperative learning activities, there are ways to teach them to control their noise level. Just use a strategy like the STOP technique. Before you start a CL activity, write the word STOP on the board. Teach them how to whisper and how whispering sounds different from regular voices. After that, erase a letter from the word STOP on the board every time you hear anything above a whisper. When they lose all their letters, put an end to the CL activity and immediately move into individual seatwork. Let them know that if they want to do the CL activities they will have to work more quietly. About an hour later (or the next day if you don't have the kids all day), try another CL activity. If you reinforce this consistently, you'll find you can really manage the noise level.

1. Name Tents -  I give the kids a 6" by 9" piece of white construction paper and I have them fold it to make a "tent" that stands up. They write their name on it in fancy letters and decorate it with pictures that tell about themselves. Then they take turns telling about their name tents. I usually give about 30 seconds to a minute for each person's introduction.

2. Team Talk activity - You'll need to print out the Team Talk cards in the CL PDF files for this. These are just a set of ice breaker question cards. Stack a set of cards face down in the middle of each team. One person becomes the Question Reader turns over the first card and reads it aloud. It might be, "What is the best book you have ever read? What did you like about it?" The Question Reader gives think time and everyone gives thumbs up when they are ready. Then the Question Reader gives his answer first, followed by the each team member. At the end of that round, the next person on the team becomes the Question Reader.

3. Team Interview - Brainstorm a list of interview questions with the class on the overhead. The list can include anything the kids want to learn about each other - favorite foods, birthplace , hobbies, family members, favorite vacation spots, etc. Then designate one person on each team to stand and be interviewed by their team mates. The other students take turns asking the interview questions in Roundrobin format until you call time (about 2 minutes). Then that person sits down and the next person stands. Students should know they have the right to pass if they consider a question too personal for any reason. Younger kids enjoy rolling up a sheet of paper to make a "microphone" that one person holds up to the interviewee. This gets passed around the team.

4. Me Bags - I give each student a small, plain paper bag. If I can find colored ones I use them, but if not I just use the brown paper lunch sacks. I tell them that they are going to go home and make Me Bags out of them. Then I show them the Me Bag I made. One by one I pull out items that tell about me. This year I had been to a Harry Potter party and had some black plastic Harry Potter glasses. I also had an airplane ticket stub, a photo of my family on top of a mountain, a miniature camera, a recipe card, a computer disk, and a ziploc bag with some blueberries. As I took out each item, I explained what it represented about me. For homework that night they decorated and created their own Me Bags. The next day (when I moved them to a new random team), I found this to be a perfect way to share information about each other. Everyone kept everything in their own bag until it was their turn (so they wouldn't play with their stuff). Each person was given a minute or two to pull their items out of their bag and tell their team a little about themselves.

5. Buddy Venns - You can use the Buddy Venn graphic organizer on my Teaching Resources site or just have the kids draw a Venn diagram on paper. Pair kids up within their teams and have each pair draw a large Venn diagram. Have them each write their name at the top of one circle. In Rallytable format, they pass the paper back and forth as they tell about themselves (favorites, hobbies, family, etc.). When they discover they have something in common, the person holding the paper writes it in the middle. If a person names something that is unique for him or her, it is written in the circle under that person's name. After each pair is given 10 minutes or so to make their Buddy Venn, they share and compare with their teammates.

6. Team Compliment Cards (Our Team Rocks!) - This is a quick teambuilder that works wonders when your teams are having trouble getting along. Click on the card link below for full directions and a blackline master.

1. Name Toss - This is a simple game just designed to practice names. Have everyone stand in a circle. Give a playground ball to one person and start a stopwatch. That person has to say a person's name and pass the ball to that person. After doing so, they quickly sit down. The ball gets passed around the class, with an emphasis on calling each classmate's name correctly. When everyone is sitting down, stop the timer. Announce the time and challenge the class to beat the time on the next round.

2. Spelling List of Names - My first spelling list is made up of the names of everyone in the class. To make a game out of learning the names, I give each person an index card and pair the students randomly. The students interview each other and take notes about their partner's interests. Then we write down everyone's name on a large spelling list. While I'm writing the person's name, their partner stands up and introduces the student to the class. Students copy the names down and we use them in other activities like Bingo. I generally have them learn only the spellings of the first names, and if the class is large I divide the test into 2 different parts.

3. Classmates Mix - This is a fun icebreaker activity. Students mix around the classroom until you say give a signal to stop. Then they pair up with the closest person. You call out an icebreaker topic such as the ones below. Students talk over their answers until you call time, and then they begin mixing again. Continue with several rounds for as long as time allows. You might try 3 rounds one day and 3 rounds the next day if your students have trouble handling the movement at first. (The STOP technique works well for classroom management during classbuilders.) Here are some discussion topics to get you started:

• Share a little information about yourself and your family.
• What are some of your favorite things? Talk over your favorite foods, colors, animals, or anything else that's a favorite of yours.
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What's the best book you have ever read? What did you like about it?
• What's the best movie you have ever seen? Why did you like it?
• What's your favorite subject in school? What do you like about this subject?
• What are your strengths? What kinds of things do you do well?
• How would you change this school if you were the principal?
• What can students do to make school a better place to be?

4. People Bingo - This is an old favorite. Students have a bingo form that includes descriptions of things people like to do, places they've been, family information, etc. I found a sample People Bingo sheet on the internet. Print a copy for each student. They mix around the room asking people to sign in the various blocks. You can decide how long to let the activity continue. You might require them to get everyone to sign their sheet somewhere, or allow them to stop when they have 2 rows completed.