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| You can see the small captions that tell about the consequences underneath and to the left the Behavior Chart.. |
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| My behavior chart is all about Happy Faces! |
If they break one of the class rules they helped write, they move their clip down to the 2nd color, yellow, and that means just a warning. The 3nd color, orange, means miss 2 minutes of recess. 4rd color, red, means miss 5 minutes of recess. They NEVER miss their whole 15 minute recess. Kids need to run around and get their wiggles out.
Hardly anybody ever gets called out 5 times in a day. But the last face on the chart is blue and it is not happy. Blue means go to think time in another classroom for 5 to 10 minutes. Students draw a picture or write out what they did wrong, how they need to change it when they return back, and if they think they can do it, with Yes or No circled. It’s on a little form where there is a place for a picture and a few lines for text. Then they talk with the teacher in the other room before she signs it and they return back.
| Classroom Treasure boxes are great tools for motivation…. |
That way it takes the emotion out of it for everybody and the student can get direction in what they need to do in the future from the teacher down the hall. But it puts the responsibility on THEM for figuring out what they did wrong. I like it. It has worked for me for more than a dozen years. Kids likewise come to my classroom for think times occasionally. I have a desk they sit at and everybody leaves them alone. When their paper is filled out they raise their hand and I go talk with them privately about what they wrote, and then I sign it and they return back to class. It’s not a big deal, it’s very low key and positive reinforcement for our school rules.
I made the circles out of poster board linked together with 1-inch rings. The superstar chart I got from a teacher supply store. The clothespins are from the dollar store. Some years I find colorful rainbow clothespins. I like the positive behavior motivation this chart is. But I do think you always need to address both to be sure you are dealing with misbehavior as it happens and noticing the good behavior too.
If students are “caught” doing something good; book out first, helping another student, printing neatly, helping the teacher, whatever I notice, I call them out to go move their clip to SUPERSTAR! They get a treat or sticker (their choice) at the end of the day! It makes them feel so great to be a superstar of the day. Many days I will have 6 or 7 clips up on that star. It’s great to call a few out when you see trouble brewing because it distracts everybody for a minute and they want to also get on superstar so lots of times it will motivate the class to do a better job instantly!
I also use forms such as these for returning homework on time. The student gets a sticker in their homework folder on one of these. When it gets filled up they go to a treasure box with stuff the parents help me fill up. It has things like hot wheels cars, crayons, super balls, ring pops, dollar store stuff. It helps encourage responsibility. And it takes 4 months to fill it up. And it helps me keep track of homework and behavior for report card time too.
I think most kids are visual learners so my Happy Face Chart just helps them keep track visually on their own behavior in school. And you should see their faces when I call them up to come move their clip to superstar! Priceless.