I play gentle music in the morning as they do their morning work, and it seems to help them get in the zone and start work, instead of chatting. I also reward the students working quietly and efficiently with moving their name up on the clip chart, and this helps set the tone for the other students.

I would stick to a strict routine, starting with greeting students at the door. I'd also have the agenda and a prepared activity written on the board. If necessary, remind students of class rules and the procedure for entering the classroom. The main thing is to reinforce this routine.

I think that a lot of kids, especially younger kids need to get their wiggles out. So playing a brain break song like something from Jack Hartmann on YouTube just to get the blood flowing to start the day might help. Then they might be more apt to get to work.

Ah yes, the morning is always very hard to redirect and get kids focused. I am an aide in the 3rd grade, and I find it most beneficial when my teachers play soothing music in the morning, and have a set task that the students take care of every day so they know what to expect. In their case they have their homework for the day written on the board and the students have to sit down and write all the homework and reminders in their planners. Usually works pretty well, however it is the morning and the children have lots of energy so just keep working on redirecting and refocusing them the best you can! The worst thing to do is to let them run amuck until they've settled down on their own. That may never happen.

I would try using class dojo and by better enforcing your classroom rules and procedures. If this doesn't work try and focus on the problem student who seems to be causing others to get off task.

I would provide a structured morning routine and stick to it. Should the students complete these tasks, they will be provided with morning work. The morning work should not be overly complicated. I would provide that are age and developmentally appropriate, such as word searches.

Maybe try to start the class with a morning meeting. Allow students to wake up and talk about something like a fact about themselves or what their favorite food is. Getting them excited about something to start the day could help their energy.

I believe that routines are extremely important, especially in the morning. Class should begin with a structured routine, and it must be implemented daily in order to be effective.

I like to start each day in the classroom with some soft, instrumental music and dull lighting; creating a quiet and peaceful working environment where students can come in and relax from their busy morning and prepare to learn. The point of bell work is to keep students busy while the teacher and students are getting ready to start the day. If bell work is too distracting, you can have them read, draw, continue working on an assignment, etc. By giving them a choice, they might feel more inclined to participate. You could even have students stretch or follow along with a yoga video. If you are not a fan of this approach, you could also have students interact with a learning video that requires participation such as repeating, following along, dancing, etc.

Establish a morning routine. That way students know what to expect. Greet each student at the door, let them take a seat and chat with their friends for a few minutes, and then let them begin morning work. Students want to talk about what their night or weekend was like. So give them a few minutes to do so while they are waiting for the day to start. But once the bell rings their attention is on morning work at hand. A consistent schedule has students knowing everyday what they should be doing and what is expected. But remind them that talk time in the morning is a privilege. If they can not respect that then it will be taken away.

I would have a morning routine consisting of coming in, getting homework out of backpack if needed, putting backpacks away, and then doing a short, fun activity to start the day. A morning meeting with the students can help hem get out things they want to say as well.

I think establishing a clear morning routine is best. I would also utilize class dojo to provide incentives to get the students on task. My CT plays a morning welcome song and they can dance and helps get them awake and ready for the day.

I am not sure if you have a morning routine in your classroom, but that is where I would start to address this issue. I have always greeted students as they walked into the classroom. I have their agenda information presented using the ELMO and they copy the needed information into their agendas. When they finish, they read quietly until the class bell rings and we begin our day. I also have them leave their agenda out so I can check it before they put it away. Having this system and structure helps them. (Lower level grade in elementary school.)

Students always have a tough time in the morning. One thing I did in elementary school was morning yoga! The teacher would set a timer for 5-10 minutes and show us yoga poses to wake us up. It was something we always looked forward to and it prepared us for the day!

I have an issue with this in my internship. My CT and I changed the seating arrangement in the classroom, and I walk up and down the rows giving gentle reminders to the students to get on task and do their morning routine. I also tend to discuss during a morning meeting with the students what my expectations are. I go over bellwork and students are graded upon whether they have provided me with an answer or not. If they did not provide me with an answer or even a question about the bellwork, then they receive a -1 for that day.

Try to find a morning routine that gets the students excited to learn for the day.

I would change your routine to see if they are just bored with doing the same thing and maybe make one that seems to be more exciting to them and see if this works.

There needs to be set classroom rules and procedures for this class. There should be a specific start up / come into the classroom routine that students follow. If students are not following them, the rules and procedures should be reviewed along with modeled by the teacher. These rules and procedures will need to be reviewed each day if needed until students are behaving accordingly. There also needs to be set consequences for when the classroom procedures are not followed. The students who do not follow these procedures need to receive consequences. It is also very important that the consequences are consistent.

Morning work needs to be apart of a grade if they are not going to do it. and if they continue to not do their morning work then start giving them pop quizzes every morning that they do not get it done.

Maybe start out with an activity that is on their feet and gets their energy going? Also, maybe rearrange the schedule so that the harder lessons are in the afternoon and the less focused ones in the morning.