Behavior Management and Monday Made It

This week I decided to take a look at my bag of tricks in regards to behavior management.  At the beginning of each school year I work with students create a set of class rules.  Throughout the year I try my hardest to be firm and consistent to reinforce those rules.  However, sometimes I need something dazzling to motivate my little darlings.  Here are a few ways I manage positive student behavior:

Lucky Lottery
If I notice students making wise choices I pass out lottery tickets.  They simply place their name on the ticket and put it in our lucky lephrechaun pot.  At the end of the day I pick the lucky students who get to use the computers while waiting for the bus.  Sometimes I pick names for students who get to eat lunch in the class or other various "rewards."  A sample of some of my lottery tickets can be downloaded here.

 

Teacher Vs. Class Game
 This is a game students love.  I post a t-chart on our bulletin board (or draw one on the whiteboard.)  One side I label Teacher and the other side I label Class.  Throughout the day if students make good choices and are on their best behavior I give them tallies.  If they make poor choices then I get a tally.  Whoever has the most tallies at the end of the day (or week) wins!  Usually, before we start, we decided on how long the game will last and what reward we want.  I let students decide on their reward.  Usually they select something such as eating lunch in the class, recess time, or a free homework pass.  I select something like students must write a letter to me about their favorite part of school or they have to draw me a nice picture.  Whoever wins, wins the reward decided upon.  Download a sample T-Chart to use in your class here.

Mystery Envelope
 Sometimes I place an envelope on the board containing a mystery surprise.  Students try to collect stars, tallies, or letters to make up a word.  When they do, they win the surprise inside the mystery envelope.  To spice things up, you can post several envelopes, each with a number from 1-6.  When students earn a reward, roll a dice to see which mystery envelope they get to open!

Classroom Economy
One of my favorite teachers is Beth Newingham.  She has a whole section of her website showcasing her classroom economy.  You can get check registers at your local bank (if you ask, they will often donate some to your class) or you can create your own.  Check out her website.

Happy Rocks
While looking through Pinterest pics I came across Happy Rocks from Kinderi. How does it work? During the school year, when I notice the class making positive choices I will add a happy rock to the jar. When the jar is full, we will have a whole class surprise. What rewards will I use for a surprise? I was thinking the first time I will bring in Pop Rocks to make their mouths happy. Other rewards could be outdoor recess (our school does not have a daily recess built into our schedule), a day where students can pick where they sit, or free time on the computers. We shall see!

This week, I'm linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics again for her Monday Made It!

I stopped by Dollar Tree to purchase a cute plastic jar with a blue lid (to match this year's color scheme) and some colorful rocks.

I made a cute label for the jar, drew smiley faces on each rock, and placed the rocks in the jar. 

Want to make your own? You can download my label here.

I like to use a variety of systems throughout the year.  When one management technique gets worn out, I simply surprise students with another one.  What do you use for behavior management in your class?

Oh....and don't forget to check out my quick and easy giveaway!