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Latecomers: Tips for Handling the Disruption of Students Who Come Into Class Late

You’re already five minutes into the lesson and a late student walks in. How do you handle the
disruption? Do you stop the class? Do you ignore it? Included: Classroom management expert Howard
Seeman offers eight tips for handling latecomers.

Latecomers disrupt the learning of the rest of the class, give negative attention to the latecomer, disrupt
the teacher's train of thought, often become disruptive talkers after they sit down, and then ask
questions about what you just explained

How can you curtail those problems? Following are eight suggestions for handling latecomers from
Professor Howard Seeman. Some of these ideas might work for you.
For help with many classroom management issues, go to Classroom Management Online.

Howard Seeman

Professor Howard Seeman, author of Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems: A Classroom

Management Handbook, is a former New York City public school teacher and professor of education at
Lehman College, City University of New York. A national consultant on classroom management, Seeman
has published more than two dozen articles on education, psychology, and philosophy, and has been a
keynote speaker at many national education conferences. Seeman also teaches an online course,
Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems. Visit his Web site at www.classroom

managementonline.com. Educational toysBest online courses

Additional Articles

If you liked this article, the following Education World articles by Howard Seeman might be of interest:

* Know When to Discipline!

* Cheating in the Classroom: How to Prevent It (and How to Handle It If It Happens)

Don't miss those articles and others in our Classroom Management Center.

Leave one or two empty chairs by the front or back door for latecomers. Students who are late are not
to walk in front of the room or to go to their regular seats. They must take one of the "late seats" by the
door. This will prevent latecomers from disturbing the class already in progress.

Do not talk to latecomers. Don't accept a late pass or an explanation during class. Ignore them as they
come in and motion them to take the "late seat."

At the bell, mark anyone not in his or her seat absent by marking a small a in your attendance book.
Make sure students understand your "latecomer policy" from the first day of school: If you come in late
-- after I've taken attendance -- you have been marked absent. If you want me to change your "absent"
record to a "late," you must see me after class. Then, I'll change your a to an l. If you forget to see me
after class, your a remains." That policy shifts the responsibility of being on time to the student, who
now has the burden of remembering to remain after class to change their absent record to a "late."
Decide on some system like: three ls equals an a and three as equals 5 points off the class grade. That
will motivate students to be on time, and to remain after class to change an their as to ls.

Post a "do-now!" activity on the board or a sheet of chart paper; this is a quick activity that students do
each day at the start of the class period. The assignment is always collected 5 minutes after attendance
is taken. If a student comes in late and can't complete the "do-now!" activity, he or she doesn't get
credit for it. (You might use the collected papers as a means for recording attendance.)

Give tests back at the beginning of the period. Students who arrive late do not get their tests back until
the end of the period or at the start of the class period tomorrow.

Sometimes the coordination of an entire school policy on lateness is the best strategy. For instance, one
school worked collaboratively to institute a strict policy of locking the classroom doors as soon as the
late bell rang. That, coupled with "hall sweeps" of any stragglers, was quite effective. Latecomers were
channeled to a detention room where a careful record of lateness was kept. Each infraction carried a
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After the first lateness, the student got a warning.

After the third lateness in one day, the student's ID card was held until a parent came to school.

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Parents got letters informing them about the plan and enlisting their cooperation. On the first day of the
new policy, about 100 kids got "swept." But within a few days, students realized the school meant
business. So many students were on time the next week that the city's transit authority called to ask the
school if it had changed its morning schedule!

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125 Report Card Comments It's report card time and you face the prospect of writing constructive,
insightful, and original comments on a couple dozen report cards or more. Here are 125 positive report
card comments for you to use and adapt! Struggling Students? Check out our Needs Improvement
Report Card Comments for even more comments! You've reached the end of another grading period,
and what could be more daunting than the task of composing insightful, original, and unique comments
about every child in your class? The following positive statements will help you tailor your comments to
specific children and highlight their strengths. You can also use our statements to indicate a need for
improvement. Turn the words around a bit, and you will transform each into a goal for a child to work
toward. Sam cooperates consistently with others becomes Sam needs to cooperate more consistently
with others, and Sally uses vivid language in writing may instead read With practice, Sally will learn to
use vivid language in her writing. Make Jan seeks new challenges into a request for parental support by
changing it to read Please encourage Jan to seek new challenges. Whether you are tweaking statements
from this page or creating original ones, check out our Report Card Thesaurus [see bottom of the page]
that contains a list of appropriate adjectives and adverbs. There you will find the right words to keep
your comments fresh and accurate. We have organized our 125 report card comments by category.
Read the entire list or click one of the category links below to jump to that list.
AttitudeBehaviorCharacterCommunication SkillsGroup WorkInterests and TalentsParticipationSocial
SkillsTime ManagementWork Habits Attitude The student: is an enthusiastic learner who seems to enjoy
school. exhibits a positive outlook and attitude in the classroom. appears well rested and ready for each
day's activities. shows enthusiasm for classroom activities. shows initiative and looks for new ways to get
involved. uses instincts to deal with matters independently and in a positive way. strives to reach their
full potential. is committed to doing their best. seeks new challenges. takes responsibility for their
learning. Behavior The student: cooperates consistently with the teacher and other students. transitions
easily between classroom activities without distraction. is courteous and shows good manners in the
classroom. follows classroom rules. conducts themselves with maturity. responds appropriately when
corrected. remains focused on the activity at hand. resists the urge to be distracted by other students. is
kind and helpful to everyone in the classroom. sets an example of excellence in behavior and
cooperation. Character The student: shows respect for teachers and peers. treats school property and
the belongings of others with care and respect. is honest and trustworthy in dealings with others.
displays good citizenship by assisting other students. joins in school community projects. is concerned
about the feelings of peers. faithfully performs classroom tasks. can be depended on to do what they
are asked to do. seeks responsibilities and follows through. is thoughtful in interactions with others. is
kind, respectful and helpful when interacting with his/her peers is respectful of other students in our
classroom and the school community demonstrates responsibility daily by caring for the materials in our
classroom carefully and thoughtfully takes his/her classroom jobs seriously and demonstrates
responsibility when completing them is always honest and can be counted on to recount information
when asked is considerate when interacting with his/her teachers demonstrates his/her manners on a
daily basis and is always respectful has incredible self-discipline and always gets his/her work done in a
timely manner can be counted on to be one of the first students to begin working on the task that is
given perseveres when faced with difficulty by asking questions and trying his/her best does not give up
when facing a task that is difficult and always does his/her best is such a caring boy/girl and
demonstrates concern for his/her peers demonstrates his/her caring nature when helping his/her peers
when they need the assistance is a model citizen in our classroom is demonstrates his/her citizenship in
our classroom by helping to keep it clean and taking care of the materials in it can always be counted on
to cooperate with his/her peers is able to cooperate and work well with any of the other students in the
class is exceptionally organized and takes care of his/her things is always enthusiastic when completing
his/her work is agreeable and polite when working with others is thoughtful and kind in his/her
interactions with others is creative when problem solving is very hardworking and always completes all
of his/her work is patient and kind when working with his/her peers who need extra assistance
trustworthy and can always be counted on to step in and help where needed Communication Skills The
student: has a well-developed vocabulary. chooses words with care. expresses ideas clearly, both
verbally and through writing. has a vibrant imagination and excels in creative writing. has found their
voice through poetry writing. uses vivid language in writing. writes clearly and with purpose. writes with
depth and insight. can make a logical and persuasive argument. listens to the comments and ideas of
others without interrupting. Group Work The student: offers constructive suggestions to peers to
enhance their work. accepts the recommendations of peers and acts on them when appropriate. is
sensitive to the thoughts and opinions of others in the group. takes on various roles in the work group as
needed or assigned. welcomes leadership roles in groups. shows fairness in distributing group tasks.
plans and carries out group activities carefully. works democratically with peers. encourages other
members of the group. helps to keep the work group focused and on task. Interests and Talents The
student: has a well-developed sense of humor. holds many varied interests. has a keen interest that has
been shared with the class. displays and talks about personal items from home when they relate to
topics of study. provides background knowledge about topics of particular interest to them. has an
impressive understanding and depth of knowledge about their interests. seeks additional information
independently about classroom topics that pique interest. reads extensively for enjoyment. frequently
discusses concepts about which they have read. is a gifted performer. is a talented artist. has a flair for
dramatic reading and acting. enjoys sharing their musical talent with the class. Participation The student:
listens attentively to the responses of others. follows directions. takes an active role in discussions.
enhances group discussion through insightful comments. shares personal experiences and opinions with
peers. responds to what has been read or discussed in class and as homework. asks for clarification
when needed. regularly volunteers to assist in classroom activities. remains an active learner throughout
the school day. Social Skills The student: makes friends quickly in the classroom. is well-liked by
classmates. handles disagreements with peers appropriately. treats other students with fairness and
understanding. is a valued member of the class. has compassion for peers and others. seems
comfortable in new situations. enjoys conversation with friends during free periods. chooses to spend
free time with friends. Time Management The student: tackles classroom assignments, tasks, and group
work in an organized manner. uses class time wisely. arrives on time for school (and/or class) every day.
is well-prepared for class each day. works at an appropriate pace, neither too quickly or slowly.
completes assignments in the time allotted. paces work on long-term assignments. sets achievable goals
with respect to time. completes make-up work in a timely fashion. Work Habits The student: is a
conscientious, hard-working student. works independently. is a self-motivated student. consistently
completes homework assignments. puts forth their best effort into homework assignments. exceeds
expectations with the quality of their work. readily grasps new concepts and ideas. generates neat and
careful work. checks work thoroughly before submitting it. stays on task with little supervision. displays
self-discipline. avoids careless errors through attention to detail. uses free minutes of class time
constructively. creates impressive home projects. Related: Needs Improvement Report Card Comments
for even more comments! Student Certificates! Recognize positive attitudes and achievements with
personalized student award certificates! Report Card Thesaurus Looking for some great adverbs and
adjectives to bring to life the comments that you put on report cards? Go beyond the stale and
repetitive With this list, your notes will always be creative and unique. Adjectives attentive, capable,
careful, cheerful, confident, cooperative, courteous, creative, dynamic, eager, energetic, generous, hard-
working, helpful, honest, imaginative, independent, industrious, motivated, organized, outgoing,
pleasant, polite, resourceful, sincere, unique Adverbs always, commonly, consistently, daily, frequently,
monthly, never, occasionally, often, rarely, regularly, typically, usually, weekly Copyright© 2022
Education World

125 Report Card Comments

Back to Geography Lesson Plan Where Did Foods Originate? (Foods of the New World and Old World)
Subjects Arts & Humanities --Language Arts Educational Technology Science --Agriculture Social Studies
--Economics --Geography --History ----U.S. History ----World History --Regions/Cultures Grade K-2 3-5 6-8
9-12 Advanced Brief Description Students explore how New World explorers helped change the Old
World's diet (and vice versa). Objectives Students will learn about changes that occurred in the New
World and Old World as a result of early exploration. use library and Internet sources to research food
origins. (Older students only.) create a bulletin-board map illustrating the many foods that were shared
as a result of exploration. Keywords Columbus, explorers, origin, food, timeline, plants, map, New
World, Old World, colonies, colonial, crops, media literacy, products, consumer Materials Needed:
library and/or Internet access (older students only) outline map of the world (You might print the map
on a transparency; then use an overhead projector to project and trace a large outline map of the world
onto white paper on a bulletin board.) magazines (optional) Lesson Plan The early explorers to the
Americas were exposed to many things they had never seen before. Besides strange people and
animals, they were exposed to many foods that were unknown in the Old World. In this lesson, you
might post an outline map of the continents on a bulletin board. Have students use library and/or
Internet resources (provided below) to research some of the edible items the first explorers saw for the
first time in the New World. On the bulletin board, draw an arrow from the New World (the Americas)
to the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) and post around it drawings or images (from magazines or clip
art) of products discovered in the New World and taken back to the Old World. Soon, the explorers
would introduce plants/foods from the Old World to the Americas. You might draw a second arrow on
the board -- from the Old World to the New World -- and post appropriate drawings or images around it.
Adapt the Lesson for Younger Students Younger students will not have the ability to research foods that
originated in the New and Old World. You might adapt the lesson by sharing some of the food items in
the Food Lists section below. Have students collect or draw pictures of those items for the bulletin board
display. Resources In addition to library resources, students might use the following Internet sites as
they research the geographic origins of some foods: Curry, Spice, and All Things Nice: Food Origins The
Food Timeline Native Foods of the Americas A Harvest Gathered: Food in the New World We Are What
We Eat Timeline (Note: This resource is an archived resource; the original page is no longer live and
updated.) Food Lists Our research uncovered the Old and New World foods below. Students might find
many of those and add them to the bulletin board display. Notice that some items appear on both lists --
beans, for example. There are many varieties of beans, some with New World origins and others with
their origins in the Old World. In our research, we found sources that indicate onions originated in the
New and sources that indicate onions originated in the Old World. Students might create a special
question mark symbol to post next to any item for which contradictory sources can be found Note: The
Food Timeline is a resource that documents many Old World products. This resource sets up a number
of contradictions. For example: Many sources note that tomatoes originated in the New World; The
Food Timeline indicates that tomatoes were introduced to the New World in 1781. The Food Timeline
indicates that strawberries and raspberries were available in the 1st century in Europe; other sources
identify them as New World commodities. Foods That Originated in the New World: artichokes,
avocados, beans (kidney and lima), black walnuts, blueberries, cacao (cocoa/chocolate), cashews,
cassava, chestnuts, corn (maize), crab apples, cranberries, gourds, hickory nuts, onions, papayas,
peanuts, pecans, peppers (bell peppers, chili peppers), pineapples, plums, potatoes, pumpkins,
raspberries, squash, strawberries, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, turkey, vanilla, wild
cherries, wild rice. Foods That Originated in the Old World: apples, bananas, beans (some varieties),
beets, broccoli, carrots, cattle (beef), cauliflower, celery, cheese, cherries, chickens, chickpeas,
cinnamon, coffee, cows, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger, grapes, honey (honey bees), lemons,
lettuce, limes, mangos, oats, okra, olives, onions, oranges, pasta, peaches, pears, peas, pigs, radishes,
rice, sheep, spinach, tea, watermelon, wheat, yams. Extension Activities Home-school connection. Have
students and their parents search their food cupboards at home; ask each student to bring in two food
items whose origin can be traced to a specific place (foreign if possible, domestic if not). Labels from
those products will be sufficient, especially if the products are in breakable containers. Place those
labels/items around a world map; use yarn to connect each label to the location of its origin on the map.
Media literacy. Because students will research many sources, have them list the sources for the
information they find about each food item. Have them place an asterisk or checkmark next to the food
item each time they find that item in a different source. If students find a food in multiple sources, they
might consider it "verified"; those foods they find in only one source might require additional research
to verify. Assessment Invite students to agree or disagree with the following statement:The early
explorers were surprised by many of the foods they saw in the New World. Have students write a
paragraph in support of their opinion. Lesson Plan Source Education World Submitted By Gary Hopkins
National Standards LANGUAGE ARTS: EnglishGRADES K - 12NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for
UnderstandingNL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research SkillsNL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural UnderstandingNL-
ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills SOCIAL SCIENCES: EconomicsGRADES K - 4NSS-EC.K-4.1 Productive
ResourcesNSS-EC.K-4.6 Gain from TradeGRADES 5 - 8NSS-EC.5-8.1 Productive ResourcesNSS-EC.5-8.6
Gain from TradeGRADES 9 - 12NSS-EC.9-12.1 Productive ResourcesNSS-EC.9-12.6 Gain from Trade
SOCIAL SCIENCES: GeographyGRADES K - 12NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial TermsNSS-G.K-12.2 Places
and Regions SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. HistoryGRADES K - 4NSS-USH.K-4.1 Living and Working together in
Families and Communities, Now and Long AgoNSS-USH.K-4.3 The History of the United States:
Democratic Principles and Values and the People from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural,
Economic, and Political HeritageNSS-USH.K-4.4 The History of Peoples of Many Cultures Around the
WorldGRADES 5 - 12NSS-USH.5-12.1 Era 1: Three Worlds Meet (Beginnings to 1620)NSS-USH.5-12.2 Era
2: Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)NSS-WH.5-12.6 Global Expansion and Encounter, 1450-1770
TECHNOLOGYGRADES K - 12NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations and ConceptsNT.K-12.5 Technology Research
Tools Find many more great geography lesson ideas and resources in Education World's Geography
Center. Click here to return to this week's World of Learning lesson plan page. Updated 10/11/12

Where Did Foods Originate? (Foods of the New World and Old World)

50 "Needs Improvement" Report Card Comments Having a tough time finding the right words to come
up with "areas for improvement" comments on your students' report cards? Check out our helpful
suggestions to find just the right one! The following statements will help you tailor your comments to
specific children and highlight their areas for improvement. Be sure to check out our 125 Report Card
Comments for positive comments! Needs Improvement- all topics is a hard worker, but has difficulty
staying on task. has a difficult time staying on task and completing his/her work. needs to be more
respectful and courteous to his/her classmates. needs to listen to directions fully so that he/she can
learn to work more independently. is not demonstrating responsibility and needs to be consistently
reminded of how to perform daily classroom tasks. works well alone, but needs to learn how to work
better cooperatively with peers. does not have a positive attitude about school and the work that needs
to be completed. struggles with completing his/her work in a timely manner. gives up easily when
something is difficult and needs extensive encouragement to attempt the task. gets along with his/her
classmates well, but is very disruptive during full group instruction. has a difficult time using the
materials in the classroom in a respectful and appropriate manner. has a difficult time concentrating
and gets distracted easily. is having a difficult time with math. Going over _____ at home would help
considerably. is having a very difficult time understanding math concepts for his/her grade level.
He/she would benefit from extra assistance. could benefit from spending time reading with an adult
every day. is enthusiastic, but is not understanding ____. Additional work on these topics would be
incredibly helpful. is having difficulty concentrating during math lessons and is not learning the material
that is being taught because of that. understands math concepts when using manipulatives, but is
having a difficult time learning to ____ without them. is a very enthusiastic reader. He/she needs to
continue to work on _____ to make him/her a better reader. needs to practice reading at home every
day to help make him/her a stronger reader. needs to practice his/her sight words so that he/she knows
them on sight and can spell them. needs to work on his/her spelling. Practicing at home would be very
beneficial. can read words fluently, but has a difficult time with comprehension. Reading with ______
every day would be helpful. could benefit from working on his/her handwriting. Slowing down and
taking more time would help with this. is having difficulty writing stories. Encouraging him/her to tell
stories at home would help with this. has a difficult time knowing when it is appropriate to share his/her
thoughts. We are working on learning when it is a good time to share and when it is a good time to
listen. needs to work on his/her time management skills. _______is able to complete his/her work, but
spends too much time on other tasks and rarely completes his/her work. needs reminders about the
daily classroom routine. Talking through the classroom routine at home would be helpful. is having a
difficult time remembering the difference between short and long vowel sounds. Practicing these at
home would be very helpful. is struggling with reading. He/she does not seem to enjoy it and does not
want to do it. Choosing books that he/she like and reading them with him/her at home will help build a
love of reading. frequently turns in incomplete homework or does not hand in any homework.
Encouraging _______to complete his/her homework would be very helpful. does not take pride in
his/her work. We are working to help him/her feel good about what he/she accomplishes. does not
actively participate in small group activities. Active participation would be beneficial. has a difficult time
remembering to go back and check his/her work. Because of this, there are often spelling and grammar
mistakes in his/her work. does not much effort into his/her writing. As a result, his/her work is often
messy and incomplete. is struggling to understand new concepts in science. Paying closer attention to
the class discussions and the readings that we are doing would be beneficial. is reading significantly
below grade level. Intervention is required. does not write a clear beginning, middle and end when
writing a story. We are working to identify the parts of the stories that he/she is writing. is struggling to
use new reading strategies to help him/her read higher level books. is wonderful at writing creative
stories, but needs to work on writing nonfiction and using facts. has a difficult time understanding how
to solve word problems. needs to slow down and go back and check his/her work to make sure that all
answers are correct. is not completing math work that is on grade level. Intervention is required. is
struggling to understand place value. is very enthusiastic about math, but struggles to understand basic
concepts. has a difficult time remembering the value of different coins and how to count them.
Practicing this at home would be helpful. would benefit from practicing math facts at home. is very
engaged during whole group math instruction, but struggles to work independently. is able to correctly
answer word problems, but is unable to explain how he/she got the answer. is having a difficult time
comparing numbers. Related: 125 Report Card Comments for positive comments! Student Award
Certificates! Recognize positive attitudes and achievements with personalized student award
certificates! Copyright© 2020 Education World

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