Expextations:

I recently read this post; and included it in my daily classroom management techniques. "You'll want to set your behavior expectations immediately. Think about how you want your students to behave. You said they are talkative. How tolerant are you of that? My class this year is VERY talkative, so I've had to design my lessons to allow them to talk some. I do a lot of partner/group work. I'm pretty lenient on the talking if they are productive."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vvlR7o81x2Q