Re: Engaging my students, and still keeping it fun!

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I teach fourth grade. Below is a post I put up a few days ago that
describes the behavior system I use:

This may be long and it may be unclear. It is late and I'm exhausted
from working a 10 hour day and decorating my house for
Christmas. So if it doesn't make any sense, let me know and I
will try to clarify -

We use "infraction cards." Each child has an index card. They write
their name and date at the top and divide the card into 3 columns -
Time/Teacher/Infraction. They keep up with these cards all day. We
keep a library book pocket taped to their desk that they put it in
but they carry it to PE, the media center, computer lab, etc.

If a Bob breaks a rule, we say, "Bob, you have an infraction for
blurting." Bob gets his infraction card out, writes the time
down (practice telling time), writes down what he did wrong
(taking ownership of what he did), and then must bring it to the
teacher who gave the infraction for them to initial.

At the end of the day, they put their cards into a pocket chart.
I go through them. If they got an infraction, I file their
infraction card into a small box and put a blank card in their
pocket. If they did not get an infraction, I leave their card in
their pocket.

Here's where the kicker comes in. If Bob doesn't get an infraction
one day, the next day he adds the next day's date to the card. I
have a list of rewards posted in my room and each child picks their
goal to work toward. It starts out small - 2 days without an
infraction (which means their card has 2 dates written on it) will
get you a good note home, 3 days will get you a pencil. It goes to
20 days that will get you a day to volunteer in another class and 50
days will get you a chance to sit outside at lunch with a friend.
100 days will get you a meal of your choice for lunch. We
have tons of prizes. Now if Bob is one of those kids who gets in
trouble often, he might work for a 2 or 3 day prize, turn his card
in, and then start over again. However, if Bob never gets in
trouble, he might work for a 20 day prize. If he gets an infraction,
though, he will have to start all over again.

You would not believe how great this works for us! We've been using
it for 3 years now and third grade has begun using it, too. I
think it works because it is not punishing the bad behavior but
rewarding the good. And it rewards those kids who never get in
trouble and who often don't get rewards for doing what they are
supposed to be doing.

On 12/02/10, KK wrote:
> On 12/01/10, Angela wrote:
>> Read The First Days of School by Harry Wong. Read it and USE
>> IT!
>>
>> On 12/01/10, KK wrote:
>>> I am a junior at the College of Saint Rose. I am studying
>>> to become a Elementary Education teacher, hopefully teaching
>>> second or third grade, the little ones are my favorite. I
>>> really enjoy children and I love being able to go out into
>>> the real world, and teach them. Knowing that I am going to
>>> teach children really motivates me to finish school and to
>>> become the best teacher I can be. Children these days
>>> really need teachers that are motivated and want their
>>> students to become the best learners.
>>> I am wondering if you have any suggestions on keeping my
>>> future classroom organized and not chaotic. I don't want my
>>> students to get out of hand, but I do want them to enjoy
>>> being in my classroom. I want my classroom to be fun and
>>> engaging, so how do I do this and still teach them
>>> everything they need to know? How do you keep the students
>>> engaged and focused, and yet still have fun?
>>> Do you use some sort of token economy with your students?
>>> This way they're learning, and motivated to do well in the
>>> classroom? I really believe using this type of rewards
>>> system in the primary grades is a great idea.
>>> I want my future students to have as much fun in school as
>>> they can, but still get a great education. Please let me
>>> know if your suggestions.
>>>
>>> Thank you so much for your time,
>>> I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
>>>
>>> Thanks again,
>>> KK
>
>
> Angela,
>
> What types of rewards systems do you use in your classroom?
> If you use any? And what grades do you teach?
>
> Thanks so much for your feedback!
 

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