Establish a strong sense of community in your classroom through community-building activities. Lessons that help students get to know their peers on a personal level make them feel more connected to one another. This helps prevent behavior issues and distractions. Activities might include interviewing another student and then introducing him to the class or writing a short biography about a classmate.
Develop classroom rules with your students. They are more likely to follow these rules if they had a say in creating them. Encourage them to describe how they wish to be treated and how they should treat others. Write these on a poster board.
Make a list of consequences so that students know what their punishment will be if they break a classroom rule. For example, if a student gets out of his seat during a lesson, he may be required to keep a timer at his desk for the day. Do not allow him to get up until the timer goes off. This will teach him the importance of staying seated for various periods of time.
Post the rules in a prominent location in your classroom. Refer to it throughout the year, and revise it as necessary.
Stay composed when a student breaks a rule, and be an example of how to calmly handle classroom distractions.
Take this student aside and explain to her what she did wrong. For example, if the student talked out of turn, point this out to her and refer to this expectation in the class rules. Ask the student to view the list of consequences you developed as a class and have her tell you the punishment. There should be no question or argument as to the appropriateness of the punishment, because it was determined by the class before the incident. Use the opportunity to discuss how the student would better handle the situation in the future.
Write a note or email to parents when a student breaks a rule. It is important to keep parents informed of behavior issues in your classroom.