Many elementary students are naturally social, so let them work in groups for part of the school day to complete particular assignments or projects. Students can be heterogeneously or homogeneously grouped. Homogeneous groups place students of similar abilities together, while heterogenous groups place students of differing abilities together with the idea that higher achieving students will help lower achieving students complete projects. Often, teachers group students according to other criteria, and behavior might be one of them. Diane Heacox, author of "Differentiated Instruction in the Regular Classroom," says that students should be in flexible groups. If students are used to moving in and out of groups, they will not feel disrupted if you move one or more students because of behavioral issues.
Problematic behavior often erupts during transitions. When transitioning students from one activity to another, give them a countdown to let them know how much time is left to complete the previous task. You can also use a timer to alert them about when time is up. A timer is an arbitrary object signaling the transition, and it may be met with less resistance than the teacher.
Disruptions occur when students have to get up to get materials or take care of basic needs. Give students time to sharpen pencils before beginning a new task. Have extra paper, pens and pencils ready at the front of the class, in a place where students have easy access to these materials. This strategy will minimize disruptions. If they are reading a book, have a copy at each desk beforehand to avoid wasting time passing out books. Any gap in the schedule is an opportunity to misbehave, so do not give students the chance to do so.
Harry Wong, author of "The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher," says giving students procedures to follow can help avoid common behavior problems. For instance, if students know they will come into the classroom and immediately get started on a an assignment (called "bell work"), they will be less likely to roughhouse or play around at the beginning of class.