It is amazing to me how many teachers use Teachers Pay Teachers. I know it really has changed my life and way of teaching. Resources are right at my fingertips, ideas posted on some of my favorite blogs, and best practices are discussed by a collaborative group of teachers, like myself. I tell others, TpT is one of the greatest PDs and collaborative educational resources there is.
My top seller on Teachers Pay Teachers is my Attention Grabbers packet. It has been pinned over 2,000 times!! That just blows my mind!! Many teachers from all different grade levels and from other states have purchased this classroom management tool for their classrooms.
Here are a few videos of my students reciting some of the Attention Grabbers in this resource pack. These are not the greatest videos, but they will give you an idea of how they work. When the teacher says something, the kids have a response. It allows students to talk... (they are just saying what you want them to say and not off task).
Not only has it been a great product for me on TpT, but it has also had the most meaningful feedback. These are just a couple...
Click here to view this product.
Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie
You know when you have one of those days where you feel that you have tried EVERYTHING and you still can not get their attention? Well, wait no longer...
I use these Attention Grabbers EVERYDAY in my kindergarten classroom. I feel that my classroom management has improved with these as well as the use of Whole Brain Teaching techniques.
What is your "go to" classroom management resource?
Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie
I have posted before about my "Secret Student" before but I am posting about it again to include in in What the Teacher Wants Behavior Management Linky Party! Get over there and get yourself some good ideas! These last few weeks have been hectic and crazy. The kids in my class have been real troopers through it all. We went from three first grades to two first grades after the first two days of school. Yeah, that was interesting to say the least and I think we are all finally getting into the groove of things! We added some more friends, moved some tables around and crammed ourselves in nice and cozy!
I am always looking for ways to bribe promote good behavior. We give Eagle Feathers out at our school and in first grade we keep them in a shoe organizer labeled with their number. They kids had no idea that it was a shoe organizer. As I was helping someone tie their shoes the first day we had the shoe organizer up, I had a student who was absent (when I explained the system) come up and ask where they put their Eagle Feather. I kept saying "In the shoe organizer." They put it in their shoe. It stayed there a good part of the morning until I noticed. We trade our Eagle Feathers in for coupons we got here. The kids love the coupon system.
I also have a "Secret Student." Each morning before the kids come in I fill out one of these by writing a student's name on the line:
Then I stick it in a magnetic container and put it at the top of the board. There is also a little glitter in there for good measure.
At the end of the day, I get it out and pull out the name. If that student had a good day, they get to keep the note to take home to mom and dad. They also get something out of my little prize box. If the student didn't have such a good day, I don't call them out. I just put it in my pocket and explain that whoever it was didn't have a very good day and maybe they will have a better day tomorrow.
The kids LOVE the Secret Student. They always remind me at the end of the day. All I have to say throughout the day is "I need to check on my Secret Student." You can only imagine how that gets pencils moving, lines straighter, voices off....
If you want a free copy of the Star Student cards you can get it here!
Update:
If you need the version with "behaviour" (Aussie, UK, Canada version) click HERE! (Free on TpT)
Hope everyone is having a great week!
Stephany
As you may already know, our school is a PBIS school. We teach positive behavior interventions and supports. Yesterday was our first day of school and we had our PBIS kick-off today. All teachers in our elementary school wore PBIS shirts to show our pride with this behavior system. Teachers were set up in stations to practice expectations.
Our school has a school-wide classroom matrix. The matrix is posted throughout the building. It is posted in the bathrooms, hallways, gym, cafeteria, library, art room, music room, office, and every classroom. Our PBIS team and classroom teachers came up with the matrix through many meetings and observations.
The four major "Be's" are Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Prepared, and Be Your Best. Each classroom has the matrix with expectations posted. After careful discussion and LOTS of practice, each teacher develops an additional classroom matrix. I have included my classroom matrix below.
I have this chart posted in my classroom. As a class, we also created the same matrix on chart paper. We will refer to this matrix for rules and procedures throughout the school year.
If you are looking for more information for your school, please visit this website.
In addition to PBIS, I award students with Build Your Rainbow. The rainbow behavior chart was inspired from Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten. Click here to see how she uses it in her classroom.
It is a positive visual for my students to view behavior. When students complete their rainbow, they get to visit the "pot of gold". The pot of gold is the prize box. In the prize box, students can choose from pencils, candy, small toys, or other items. It is not a lot, but the children are proud of whatever it is they earned.
Positive Possibilities,
Stephanie
