No Reading Homework Tonight!

So the topic of today's post is behavior management during small group.  I love meeting with my small reading groups at the end of the day, but I have been finding it very difficult to control the rest of the class.  Nothing seemed to work, and my students seemed to always be off task and too loud. 

Today my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Hager over at 5th Grade Rocks 5th Grade Rules, came up with a strategy that was very successful!  The idea is like a reverse game of basketball "HORSE."  Instead of a letter being negative, the students word towards earning words through their good behavior and staying on task throughout our reading block. 

I labeled different colored index cards with each of the groups books.  Each group got a set of cards that said, "No reading homework tonight! (on the same colors).  I had one card for each team with me at the back table that was labeled with an "X."

The different cards for the reading groups.

At the end of each rotation, if the students had stayed on task, their group would receive a card to put up on the board.  If at anytime the groups were misbehaving, the teacher would simply hold up a strike card.  As in baseball, three strikes and you're out!  In terms of our activity, three strikes mean extra reading homework that night.  It's really amazing how well students behave when there is extra homework on the line :)  I am happy to report that this behavior management activity was a success, and I am hopeful that it will continue to work for our small reading groups.  My students stayed on task and worked quietly while I met with my other reading groups (and they didn't have any extra homework).

We are thinking of trying to adapt it for our small groups in math centers as well because it was so successful.

The students would put the cards up on the board as they earned the different words.

A Little Luck of the Irish

We're getting into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day a early this year!  My cooperating teacher found a cute St. Patty's Day craft which our students started on today.  We had such cute (and creative) leprechauns.  Next week our students will finish their craft by making their leprechauns talk.  We have been learning how to properly use and write quotations, so our students will continue practicing by adding some speech bubbles.

On another note, I received the "One Lovely Blog Award" from the wonderful Miss D over at Daydreams of a Student Teacher.  Take some time to check out her page (if you haven't already)!  I enjoyed her post about "Letters to Miss D."  What a great way to allow your students to get to know you.  They get to ask as many questions as they want, and the teacher can answer in their own time. 

So here are the rules to the award:

1.  Link back to the blog that gave you the award.  Check!

2.  Pass the award on to 15 other lovely bloggers.

Please stay tuned and check back as I am on the hunt for other lovely bloggers!  More to come :)

My Scotties Rock!

And...exhale.  The writing test is finally over!  Today, our students finished the writing SOL prompt portion of the test, and they worked their little butts off.  They have prepared so much for this week, and I hope that all their hard work is reflected in their scores.  They did not go at it alone, however, and we were really thankful to those teachers and fellow Scotties who lent a helping hand and were there for moral support.  I think the extra positive motivation gave our students the boost they needed to dig deep and do their best. 

The fantastic motivation from our fellow
Scotties.  Each student was given a smaller,
lucky rock for their desk to remind them
throughout the test.

As always our students were well taken care of :)

I'm so glad that our classroom can return to its semi-normal, chaotic self, but as reality sinks in, I begin to realize how much work we still have left to do and just how much material we have left to cover before the end of the year. While we do not have to focus as much on writing now, we are going to need to buckle down for the intense ride that awaits us on Monday!

Behavior Management

I would like to share one of my behavior management systems with you.  I use a money reward system called, "Monkey Money," and my students really love it.  In fact, when I forget to pay them, my students are quick to remind me that I "owe them money."  Each of my students has an envelope and a balance sheet which they keep in their desks.  When they receive money, it is their job to record it on their balance sheet, and at the end of every week, they get to "pay" for a prize.  My prizes include candy, homework passes, a good phone call home, and everything inbetween.  My students earn money through good behavior, turning in homwork, and scoring well on exams and quizzes.  They lose money through bad behvior (and at the teacher's discrestion).  You can download my templates by clicking here.  Please feel free to customize the system to fit your classroom, and watch the dollar signs fly.  Cha Ching! 

On another note, the writing test is almost here!  As our students leave for the day so that they can get a good night sleep and return in the morning to tackle the first part of their writing test, Mrs. Hager and I got into the spirit and painted our nails to resemble pencils :)  Our students have worked so hard, and we hope that it all pays off.  We wish them nothing but luck for tomorrow and Thursday! 

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Well, here it goes--my first blog post as a Student Intern.  I am very excited to share my ups (and downs, as I'm sure there will be plenty).  I hope to learn just as much as I plan to teach my students.

As the week comes to a close, our students helped celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss.  The students participated in a school-wide parade in which every grade level displayed posters, sang songs, recited lines from popular books, and dressed up in honor of the legendary author.  It was nice to allow the students a little time to unwind as we are quickly approaching the writing test (only one full school day left)!  Our students designed posters in which they carried around the school.  Their posters illustrations included book covers, characters, and birthday greetings for the Dr.  I believe they enjoyed themselves, and it was a nice way to end a long week of writing preparation :)

Some students proudly display their Dr. Seuss posters.