I have thought a lot about behavior and
classroom management this summer. Some of the questions I keep asking
myself are: What can I do differently in my classroom? What parent
communication needs to take place when there is a behavior problem? How
will I communicate positive behavior to parents? What visuals do I
need to have in place for my students to track their behavior?
We are a PBIS school. PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
PBIS consists of 4 elements: practices, data, systems and outcomes. At
the primary level our goal is to teach students expectations, manage
behavior and problems before they occur and monitor progress using
data. Our school has a school-wide behavioral
matrix. The matrix is posted throughout the building.
In addition to PBIS, I award students with Build Your Rainbow. The rainbow behavior chart was inspired from Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten.
This
year I will be using the following color-coded yard stick that I made
with a few "at-home" items. This stick will determine who earns their
rainbow for the day. If the student ends the day on green, blue,
purple, or pink he/she will earn their piece of the rainbow.
It was simple to make and costs less than five dollars. First, I purchased a yard stick at Lowe's for 69 cents.
Next, I painted the stick to match most color clip charts. I wanted to use the same typical colors.
Finally, I came up with a chart to
display next to the behavior stick. Students will use clothespins with
his/her name. Positive choices will result in the clothespin going up.
Students have the ability to move the clip up and down throughout the
day. Students will begin each day on green. Click here or the picture below to link to your free copy of the chart.
I also will use Stephany's "Secret Student" to reinforce good behavior. You can read the blog post about the "Secret Student" here. For your free copy, click the picture below.
Finally, I use Attention Grabbers
for transitions and throughout the day. Using attention grabbers helps
reduce disruptions and eases transitions in the classroom.
Please let us know what works for you in
your classroom. What behavior strategies and classroom management
tools do you use? What tips and tricks help your classroom run
smoothly?
We would love to hear from you. Comment below and I will choose 3 random comments to win a copy of my Attention Grabbers. Winners will be announced on our Wednesday Wisdom post.
Endless Possibilities,
Stephanie