Unlocking the 4 Secrets of Middle School Classroom Management

Get the tools you need to take back control of your middle school classroom.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
June 2, 2022

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

Subscribe via Email

Receive the best school culture resources monthly to inspire your planning.

Unlocking the 4 Secrets of Middle School Classroom Management

Get the tools you need to take back control of your middle school classroom.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
June 2, 2022
In my educational career, I have been lucky enough to spend a little time in each of the traditional school levels we tend to divide our schools into here in the U.S.

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

Subscribe via Email

Receive the best school culture resources monthly to inspire your planning.

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

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I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

Unlocking the 4 Secrets of Middle School Classroom Management

Get the tools you need to take back control of your middle school classroom.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
June 2, 2022

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

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Unlocking the 4 Secrets of Middle School Classroom Management

Get the tools you need to take back control of your middle school classroom.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
June 2, 2022

About the Event

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

Register Now

About the Event

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

About the Presenter

Jordan resides in Lexington, Kentucky. He has experience in Public Education as an Administrator, Science Teacher, and as a Coach. He has extensive experience with School Discipline, PBIS, SEL, Restorative Practices, MTSS, and Trauma-Informed Care.

Subscribe via Email

Receive the best school culture resources monthly to inspire your planning.

Unlocking the 4 Secrets of Middle School Classroom Management

Get the tools you need to take back control of your middle school classroom.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
June 2, 2022

In my educational career, I have been lucky enough to spend a little time in each of the traditional school levels we tend to divide our schools into here in the U.S.

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

All Reward Ideas for Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Amazing Race
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Stuffed Animal in Class
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Decades Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Awards Show Afterparty
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Locker Choice
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snack Pack
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Cut the Principal’s Tie
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Sweatshirt
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Stairway Messages
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Night
Grades 9-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Rolling Chair Rental
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Holidays Around the World
Grades K-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Lost & Found Fashion Show
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Toys
Grades K-8
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Blood Drive
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Free

All Reward Ideas for Elementary School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Special Pen
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Wristband
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Recess
Grades K-5
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Posters
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Stuffed Animal in Class
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Seat Swap
Grades 3-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Meet the Teacher
Grades K-8
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Cut the Principal’s Tie
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Book
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Final Fridays
Grades K-8
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
School Supplies & Merch
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Free Dress
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Event Ideas for Schools

All Free Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
🎁
Lunch Concert
🎉
👑
🎁
Seat Swap
🎉
👑
🎁
Stairway Messages
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
🎉
👑
🎁
Camp Read Away
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
🎉
👑
🎁
School Assembly
🎉
👑
🎁
Art Contest
🎉
👑
🎁
Student Messenger
🎉
👑
🎁
Special Screening
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Recess

All Reward Ideas for High School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Drop Lowest Quiz
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Career Day
Grades 3-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Movie Night
Grades 9-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Wild ‘N Out High School Edition
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Game-Based Simulation Learning
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Design the Bulletin Board
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Books
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Pie a Teacher
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Bonfire
Grades 9-12
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Blood Drive
Grades 9-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Hallway High-Five
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Firebird of the Month
Grades K-12
Student
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Gift Cards
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Free Dress
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Hat Pass
Grades 6-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Decades Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY

All Reward Ideas for Middle School Students

🎉
👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Free Dress
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Meme Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Get-to-Know-You Bingo
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Snacks
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Family Feast
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
School Spirit Day
Grades K-12
School
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Theme Party
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Anime Themed Party
Grades 6-12
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
STEM Field Day
Grades K-8
School
Event
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Class Pet
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
House Induction
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
Free

All Student Reward & Incentive Ideas

💰
🎨
Talk Time
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Follow a Friend
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
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Books
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Create the Seating Chart
Grades 6-12
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Privilege
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Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
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Free Dress
Grades K-12
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Privilege
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🎨
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Grades 6-12
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Grades K-12
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Grades 6-12
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Grades K-12
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Grades K-12
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Grades 9-12
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Teacher for the Day
Grades 6-12
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The Big Ticket
Grades 9-12
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All Virtual Reward Ideas for Schools

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Grades K-12
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Privilege
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Grades K-5
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Tangible
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Grades K-5
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Grades K-8
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Privilege
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Grades 3-12
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Grades K-12
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Grades K-12
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Grades 3-8
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Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
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Grades 3-12
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Grades K-12
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Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
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Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
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Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
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Donate $1
Grades 3-12
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Privilege
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Unlocking the 4 Secrets of Middle School Classroom Management

Get the tools you need to take back control of your middle school classroom.
By 
Jordan Pruitt
 | 
June 2, 2022

In my educational career, I have been lucky enough to spend a little time in each of the traditional school levels we tend to divide our schools into here in the U.S.

I started as a substitute teacher at the elementary level and have shadowed Elementary Principals in my Administration training. I have taught physical science to middle school students, and once again, I spent some time observing Middle School level administrators. The bulk of my career has been in High School as I taught Science and have been an Administrator at that level as well. 

Staff often get stereotyped or categorized by the age of the students they work with. Some of these traits are true, but most are not. What I have found to hold true is that educators at all three levels care about kids and will do whatever it takes to make them successful. 

What is Middle School Classroom Management?

Effective classroom management is the instructor’s ability to create an environment conducive to success for the lesson. This is no different in the middle school environment.

In previous articles, I have written about the need for the instructor to gauge the needs of the lesson and the particulars of the students in the class. There are groups you can allow to be more independent. There are groups that need more direction. You also need to take into account the physical layout of the room, is it set up for success? 

So why is middle school classroom management different?

It stands to reason you should also take into account the grade level you are instructing. Most would agree that a 3rd grader communicates, receives, and retains information differently than an 11th grader. They are in different places developmentally, and socially and have likely had a different set of life experiences to pull from to create their social norms in the classroom. 

So what about a 7th grader? 4 years older than the 3rd grader and 4 years younger than the 11th grader? 

Middle school grades are unique for our students. Students are undergoing a number of changes in their lives during this phase. Some of them are social, some academic, and some developmental. That isn’t to say that all students are going through this transitional phase at the same pace. Some will seem more like elementary students and some seem to already be in the teenage high school phase. These differences are likely to show up as disruptive behavior in your classroom, and how well you manage them will determine the success of your lessons.

One year, I had a unique schedule in which I taught Physical Science at the local high school in the morning, and in the afternoon, I taught Science electives at the middle school. I really enjoyed that year because I got to observe the differences in the grade levels and my planning had to take that into account. 

The content I taught in those middle grades electives was not all that different from the content I taught in the morning at the high school, but my delivery needed to adjust and I needed different classroom management tips to be flexible for each. 

Keep reading for some tips and classroom management strategies to implement in your middle school classroom that I found to be different from Elementary or High School.

Middle School Classroom Management Strategies

1. Modeling Behavior

Problem: Students struggle when presented with tasks that are outside the normal routine such as lab work, group work, role play, or projects.

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Model exactly what you want to see, then have the students try it on their own in an environment they are free to make mistakes. 

For example, in my middle school class curriculum, we were to dissect sheep brains. I knew this was going to be a challenge for them so I planned a dissection safety lab for the week before in which I had oranges to dissect. 

This was a low-stakes method to teach them how to utilize the tools and to prepare them for what they were likely to experience in the real lab. 

2. Assigning Roles

Problem: The energy level is Off. The. Charts.

Solution: Design your class like a small community. Everyone needs a role to fulfill to make the community function. 

Draw up a “contract” that states all the roles and then go about assigning students to fulfill them. This works best after you get to know your students. 

Do you have a student who is overly active to start the lesson every day? Consider having him/her in charge of supplies. 

This gives them an outlet to get rid of some energy, interact with classmates, and a vital role in your classroom community. 

3. Restorative Circles

Problem: Students don’t show appropriate respect to each other or to staff. This often manifests itself in name-calling or talking out of turn.

Solution: Use restorative circles to teach empathy in your classroom. 

My suggestion is to start this process early with icebreakers or even with academic content. Your goal is to create a scenario where an individual can speak and be heard by the room. Keep it positive and keep it brief. 

Once you set the routines, you can utilize circles to corral a lesson that goes awry or to head off peer-to-peer conflicts before they get out of hand. 

4. Interest Inventory

Problem: You're struggling to create positive relationships with students. Middle School students can be a tough crowd! But that doesn’t mean you can’t create relationships that lead to academic success.

Solution: Survey your students to find a set of interests you can utilize in casual interactions. This is great for middle grades as this is often a phase where students begin to feel a strong connection with the activities they participate in. 

Have some rowdy boys who like baseball? Study up and surprise them by dropping some baseball knowledge in your bellringer one day. 

The goal is to make yourself relatable and show that you care about them as a full person. 

Classroom Management Reflection Questions

These are just a handful of helpful strategies I found to be uniquely effective in the middle school setting. But many things hold true regardless of grade level and when it comes to classroom management you need to always communicate your expectations above all else. 

When setting these ask yourself 3 questions:

  1. How will you teach what you want students to do? 
  2. What are you going to do if they don’t meet your expectations? 
  3. How are you going to resolve situations? 

If you think through these 3 questions when planning your lessons, you’ll prevent yourself from reacting with emotion. Instead, you’ll have plans that prevent problems and you’ll have a sound strategy to fall back on when things go awry. 

Best of Both Worlds

Two things should stand out as important for you to thrive as a middle school teacher: relationships and planning

The better you can relate to your students the easier it is to keep their engagement level high. High School instructors are often great at building relationships because, at that grade level, students tend to tie their identity to activity and interests. 

The more organized your plan, the better. Have a plan, and be able to adjust your plan. 

Elementary instructors tend to be great planners. Young students often need structures and routines to thrive in education. 

The best middle school teachers need to be great at both. Need additional help? We put together some incentive ideas for middle school students plenty more classroom management examples. You can also further your research by checking out our list of the best classroom management articles. Need help motivating middle school student students? Check out our guide to using student voice to create prizes for middle school students.

All Reward Ideas for Students

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Certificate of Achievement
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Stuffed Animal in Class
Grades K-5
Student
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All Event Ideas for Schools

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House Induction
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Movie Night
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Bonfire
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Glow Party
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STEM Field Day
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Game Week
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Final Fridays
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Dance Party
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The A-List
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Trunk or Treat

All Free Reward Ideas for Schools

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Teacher Serenade
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Grades 6-12
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Grades 6-12
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Gift Cards
Grades 6-12
Student
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Grades 6-12
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Holiday Delivery
Grades K-12
Student
Tangible
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Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
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Snowball Fights (& Popsicles!)
Grades K-8
Class/House
Event
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Meme Party
Grades 6-12
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Class Pet
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
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School Assembly
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
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Read Across America
Grades K-8
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All Student Reward & Incentive Ideas

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Extra Reading Time
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
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Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
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💰
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Water Bottle Stickers
Grades 6-12
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Tangible
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Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
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Lunch Concert
Grades 6-8
Class/House
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
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💰
🎨
Video Game Rewards
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
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💰
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Class Book
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
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Locker Choice
Grades 9-12
Student
Privilege
Free
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Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
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🎨
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Passing Period Music
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Tech Time
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
💰
🎨
Movie Posters
Grades 3-12
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
💰
🎨
Vote
Grades 6-8
Student
Privilege
Free
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Loudspeaker Shoutout
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free

All Virtual Reward Ideas for Schools

🎉
👑
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Host a Virtual Party. 🎶
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Event
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👑
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Stickers
Grades K-5
Student
Tangible
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Positive Note or Call Home
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
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👑
🎁
Morning Meeting Leader
Grades 3-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Digital Escape Rooms
Grades 6-12
Class/House
Privilege
Deluxe
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Field Trip
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Extra Computer Games
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Donate $1
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Virtual Talent Show. 🎤
Grades 3-12
Class/House
Event
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Social Media Reporter
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Certificate of Achievement
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Podcast
Grades 3-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Classroom DJ
Grades K-12
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Student Spotlight Board
Grades K-5
Student
Privilege
Low Cost/DIY
🎉
👑
🎁
Show & Tell
Grades K-8
Student
Privilege
Free
🎉
👑
🎁
Teacher Q&A
Grades K-12
Class/House
Privilege
Free
See all Rewards

Want more ideas?

Rewards that Rock 🎸 has 100+ rewards, incentives, and event ideas to build your school culture.
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Jordan Pruitt
 

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