Quick Guide
- Keywords: Classroom management, contract, behaviour
- Learner English Level: Pre-intermediate and above
- Learner maturity: Middle school, high school, university
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Activity time: 20–30 minutes
- Materials: Whiteboard, markers, scrap paper and pens, examples of “sensible” and “silly” rules (Appendix A), pictures of example rules (Appendix B).
Classroom behaviour contracts involve teachers and students negotiating a shared set of class rules at the start of a course and are widely used across age groups and contexts. However, lower-level and shyer learners may be less engaged in the drafting process. This article presents a scaffolded pre-task designed to support contract creation. Students first classify “sensible” and “silly” rules through a movement activity, then analyse the modal verbs and functional language used to express obligation and prohibition before creating their own imaginative rules in a communicative mingle task. By combining humour, movement, and focused language work, the activity develops the lexical and functional resources needed to negotiate classroom agreements while increasing engagement and reducing resistance to the subsequent contract-writing stage.
Preparation
Step 1: Before class begins, write several “sensible” and “silly” rules on the board in random order. Include a range of modal verbs expressing permission, obligation and prohibition (e.g., “must,” “should,” “have to,” “can,” “must not,” “cannot”). Examples for sensible rules include, “Students must hand in homework on time” and “Students must not use their phones during class.” Examples of silly rules are “Students should bring a pet parrot to every class” and “Students cannot enter the classroom without wearing sunglasses.” See Appendix A for more examples.
Step 2: Underline modal verbs and any other key structures (see above examples).
Step 3: Prepare two simple pictures illustrating classroom rules: one showing a sensible rule (e.g., students listening to each other) and one showing a silly rule (e.g., students giving the teacher chocolate every Friday). See Appendix B for example images.
Step 4: Ensure there is enough room in the classroom for students to move left or right safely and provide paper and pens for students to draft their own “sensible” and “silly” rules later.
Procedure
Step 1: Show the students the two pictures (Appendix B) and have them guess which rule on the board each represents. Ask which rule is fair and which one is not fair, eliciting reasons why (e.g., “We shouldn’t buy chocolate for the teacher because the teacher has money and children do not have money”).
Step 2: Explain and demonstrate the movement activity: “If the rule I read out is sensible, run to the left wall, and if it is silly, run to the right wall.”
Step 3: Read each pre-written rule aloud. Allow students to move and ask them to justify their choice using phrases such as “It is sensible because…” or “It is silly because…”
Step 4: Ask students to sit. Highlight the underlined modal verbs and key functional phrases on the board and elicit whether they express obligation or prohibition, using concept checking questions (CCQs) appropriate to their level (e.g., must: “Is this a rule,” “Do you have a choice,” “Can you say no?”)
Step 5: Write sentence stems on the board: “Students must…”, “Students mustn’t…”, “Students should…” Drill the chunks and check for meaning and pronunciation.
Step 6: Draw two columns on the board labelled “Sensible” and “Silly.” Ask students to work in pairs and brainstorm possible classroom rules for each column, writing key words or short phrases. (e.g., phones in class, bring pets, sing before lessons). Model one or two examples so students understand they do not need to write full sentences. Monitor and help students.
Step 7: After a few minutes, instruct the students to individually choose their best ideas and write a list of sensible rules and silly rules as full sentences using modal verbs. Tell the students to keep their rules secret while monitoring and providing language support.
Step 8: Tell the students to stand up and find a partner to read their rules to and guess whether each other’s rules are sensible or silly. Students mingle and rotate partners for several minutes.
Step 9: Stop the activity, invite a few students to share rules, and discuss which sensible rules could be used in a real classroom contract.
Step 10: Transition to drafting the classroom contract.
Conclusion
This activity is effective because it combines movement, interaction, and language focus to engage students while highlighting the structures needed to draft classroom rules. It encourages learners to notice and practice modal verbs and provides a fun and safe space to experiment with language before applying it in a classroom contract activity. It is particularly beneficial for teen and adolescent learners, who enjoy dynamic, communicative tasks, and for classes where establishing shared expectations has been deemed a priority. By making the task interactive and personally relevant, students are more likely to internalise the language and concepts, paving the way for a successful contract creation activity.
Appendices
The appendices are available below:
