Behavior Management and a Freebie

Hello friends!

I am linking up with Laura from Where the Magic Happens... to talk about a subject that I struggle with every year...behavior management.

It seems every year, I try to figure out different ways to approach managing my students. Last year I tried parts of the Whole Brain Teaching model. I started by using the Super Improvers Wall that is used to encourage students to set individual goals that are specific to their needs.

Click on the picture to download this freebie.

I had students select their own goals to try to encourage more ownership. The goals could be academic or behavioral. For example, sit at the carpet correctly or turn in my homework every day. Every time I noticed a student doing this for the day, I would put a star on their chart. When the chart was filled, the student would made a new goal to work on. The different color cards reflect how many goals each student has made. The colors correspond to the signs on the left.

At first I had my doubts about how this would work in my class. After using this system for a year, I really like it. My students LOVE "beating" their goal. I made certificates for each student every time to beat their goal.

I found most of the students picked goals that they honestly knew they needed to work on. If they didn't, this was a perfect time to discuss why they picked the goals they choose. I got my signs for free from Tara West's Teachers Pay Teachers store.

In addition to the Super Improvers Wall, I also used Class Dojo. If you are not familiar with Class Dojo, it is an online system that you can use to help manage students behaviors.

I found about half way through the year, the students do not seem to really care about the Class Dojo scores. When they hear the cheerful dings of the positive points and the dongs of the minus points it doesn't seem to change their behavior one way or the other. Parents can also go online and check to see how their child is doing throughout the day. Unfortunately many of my parents do not have access to a computer. I started sending paper copies home every Friday but I still didn't notice a difference in student's behavior.

I love the idea of the Class Dojo system, however I am finding it difficult to make it work the way that I want. A couple of years ago, I tried the Clip Charts and I really liked them. My students also really liked the chance to move up for positive behavior too. I think I am going to try this system again next year.

Also I am reading Setting Limits in the Classroom this summer. I am only a couple of pages in and I already have made some great connections. Like for example, I give too many warnings. This book suggested that I am sending the message that they can continue to do the same behavior and they will just get a warning. I didn't even realize I was doing that! I can't wait to continue reading this book.

Reading while waiting for the ferry yesterday.

What are types of behavior management strategies do you use? Don't forget to link up!

I only have 3 1/2 more days of school left. I can do this, I can do this!

Five for Friday (April 12)

Happy Friday! Whoohoo! Boy did this week go S-L-O-W! Who is ready for summer?

I am linking up with Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching for her weekly Five for Friday. Here are my 5 random things about my week.

1. On Tuesday our wireless finally started working. (Check out this post for more information.) I introduced the Class Dojo to my students and explained how the system worked. They loved it! Especially changing their avatars. I have already had a couple of parents sign up for automatic weekly reports. I am sending paper copies from for the next couple of weeks until we get the hang of it.

2. We planted grass on Monday. We are 5 days in...so far so good. I haven't managed to kill any of them yet. I even have a couple of the seeds sprouting! (Phew...thank goodness.)

3. Here is a better picture of our gross worms. Aren't they HUGE? My students love looking in the terrarium and finding all the worms slithering around.

4. We have been using this wonderful plant unit from Lindsay at The Teacher's Wife along with our science kits. Here is one little plant crafts in the unit. (All the parts of the flower are labeled as well.)

5. Can you see me? I'm the one with the scarf. (Haha) I'll be one of these fans tomorrow when I go to the Seattle Sounders game. I can't wait.

 

 

Have a good weekend.

Phew...I made it! And a Freebie!

Oy! What a day! Today was our first day back from Spring Break. Thank goodness it is over.

Have you heard of Class Dojo? I found out about this website last year. It is this wonderful online system that you can monitor from your phone or I-Pad. It is really easy to set up. All you need to do is input your class list and your class rules. As your students are following your class rules, they can earn points. At the end of the week, Class Dojo calculates the points for you and sends reports to their parents. I thought this would be a great way to inform my parents about their child's behavior.

(Rachel Lamb from The Tattooed Teacher has a wonderful tutorial about how to get started.) Last year, I couldn't figure out how to make it work in my classroom. The wireless was spotty and I didn't want to be tied to my computer to input the points. Fast forward a year later, I am in a new district and a better wireless system. I spent Spring Break trying to figure out how to incorporate this in my classroom. Then I get to school today AAANNNNDDDD no wireless Internet. No wireless Internet = No Classroom Dojo.  Darn the luck. Doesn't it always work that way? I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

Today we started our new math unit on measurement. We measured different places in the classroom using our feet. One student measured and the other student counted.

We made a great anchor chart of words that remind us of measurement.

It is a little hard to see but we also started our new science unit on plants. We started off by talking about what plants need.

Then we planted alfalfa seeds. Take a look!

I kill ALL the plants I have ever owned. I am a little scared that these ones won't last much longer. I am keeping my fingers and toes together and hoping for the best.

Now for the freebie. I have been playing with trying to figure out how to use QR codes. This is my 1st attempt at making an activity with QR Codes. Download your very own copy here. I will be using these next week.

 

 

I also included the same activity without the QR Codes.

 

Have a great week!