Classroom Management (Behavior)

Classroom Management (Behavior) Tips & Tricks

Behavior Action Plan Sheet Grades All
This form is intended to be used in your classroom for students to record misbehavior. You can make multiple copies to either store in a binder or on a clipboard. Students sign their name, mark the day of the week and indicate their actions.
Submitted by: Jennifer

Behavior Reflection Grades Various
This is a basic form that students can use to reflect on their behavior. The age of your students will determine the support they need to complete the form. It’s not included on the form, but you may want to require a parent signature on the reflection as well. You will find two forms, each are 2 pages long: Behavior Management with lines and Behavior Management without lines.

Submitted by: Jennifer

Classroom Contract Grades ALL
Here is a classroom contract that you can use with your students. Keep copies of the contract on hand. When needed, provide students a copy of the contract with the violation checked.

Submitted by: Jennifer, The Teacher's Corner

Tickets and Work Grades ALL
My classroom is a place of constant teamwork and it's a positive place to be. Each student has the opportunity to receive tickets that can be purchased at your local Wal-Mart or made on the computer. When a cooperative group shows good behavior, a student gives a correct answer, or the whole class receives a compliment the students get tickets. On Friday of each week they can turn in their tickets. The rewards consist of 5 tickets-sticker box, 10 tickets small treasure box (pencils, small items from oriental trading), 15 tickets large treasure box, 25 tickets-free homework pass, 35 tickets-eat lunch in the room with a friend, 45 tickets- teacher buys you lunch or ice cream.

This can be arranged in any fashion. The students also are put in cooperative groups by our rooms theme which is "Sports." I have groups with mobiles that hang from the ceiling that consist of a baseball group, basketball, soccer, and football. I call on groups by calling out their sports name.

The students have labels of these groups on the board. They have the opportunity to receive more tickets when their group has received 10 tally marks beside their groups label. That group will earn 5 tickets. We also have a whole class chain that we use for the whole class completing a task or good behavior. When the chain hits the floor the class is rewarded with a afternoon movie, extra reading time, ice cream, a reading from the principal, extra science experiment time, etc. These tallies are placed on the board for all to see. The students have cards with their names on them and the letters S+ (gold card), S- (yellow card), N (green card), U (red card) At the end of each day the helper rewards those that stayed on gold with 5 free tickets. At the beginning of each morning I sign my students agenda with a Smiley face and they have the opportunity to keep the smiley face at the end of the day if they don't pull a card. If they land on N their smiley will turn to a frown and a note will be written below with a comment from me and the student to
their parent.
Submitted by: Michael Miller mrm4mail@email-removed

Conduct Cards Grades Any
With this simple routine, parents and students will always be aware of their weekly behavior.
"I always dreaded hearing from parents about a conduct grade that I gave a student until I came up with conduct cards. Each student has an index card with their name and the week on it. I use computer labels to make them easy and neat. The cards all stay in a file box with several pens in it. Each time a student forgets an assignment or book or breaks a rule, he/she has to sign his/her conduct card. At the end of the week, I put a grade on the card.
The students take the cards home on Monday to get signed by their parents and return them to school on Tuesday. Students who behave positively receive a nice stamp on their card to bring home. I have one that says, 'Give your child a hug today for this good work.' Parents have never questioned a grade that I have given since I started using these cards, and my class is in control."
Submitted by: Suzanne D. Puckett teacher172@email-removed , a fourth grade teacher at W.J. Turner Elementary School in Ft. Worth, Texas. This tip was published in the NEA's Weekly Tip Newsletter.

Crying Students Grades Primary
Have children who cry for their parents everyday at the beginning of the school year ask them to bring in a photo of Mommy and Daddy or their family and let them leave it on their desks. This one usually works for my little ones.
Submitted by: Gina Ferrell - McNeill, MS

Easy Student Grouping
Keep your students easily grouped and organized. Place colored stickers on each child's desks to aid with grouping. Students would group up based on the color of their sticker: red, yellow, blue, or green.You can call on individual colors to distribute paper, lead group, etc.

Listening Skills
1. I went to my local public library and found copies of old radio shows. I took home numerous tapes from the original "Lone Ranger" radio program and developed lessons around the content of those tapes. The students were fascinated with them and soon they were listening intently, waiting for the next clue that would help them find the answers to my questions. Some students went on to develop their own radio adventures!

2. Another tactic that I have found to be successful comes from a series called Critical Thinking: Following Directions. (Midwestern Publications) The exercises have the teacher read a series of steps that the kids must do ion order to create a drawing similar to the one described in the book. They must follow the directions precisely in order for their drawing to be correct. As most children love competition, (and drawing ability is NOT a factor), they really took to this in grades two-four.

3. Similar to the above, I have cut out several geometric shapes, placed them in sip-lock bags and distributed them to each student. Working with a partner, one student places the shapes onto a piece of white construction paper, and describes as accurately as he can, the exact placement of each of the individual piece. The other student tries to do what the first partner is stating and they see if they can make their "pictures" match. I use a vertically folder piece of white construction paper so the "describer" can keep his "picture" out of view as he talks to his partner. This is a lot of fun and you will find that you can vary this activity numerous ways - even tying it into geometry, learning shapes, measuring matter, etc.
Submitted by: Jane Carlson-Pickering, M.I. Smart! Program Coordinator http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/mi_smart.htm

Questioning Behavior
"When one of my students has a discipline problem I go into my file cabinet and take out a previously copied form. There are four questions on the form. The questions are: 1) What did I do wrong? 2) Why wasn't my action acceptable? 3) What should I have been doing instead? 4) What will I do in the future? I read the completed form over with the student to make sure all facts are correct and then mail the forms home to the parents. This system forces the students to own up to their actions. I've found that it works wonderfully in curbing behavior problems."
Submitted by: Laraine Reisner lreisner@email-removed, a fourth grade teacher in Los Angeles, California. This tip was published in the NEA's Weekly Tip Newsletter.

Velcro Seating Labels
An easy and creative way to help keep your students sitting in one spot during group time. "My students sit on the floor for group activities. In the past, I've used mats or carpet squares to designate where they should sit. They are a chore to move and the children continually shift about on them. In searching for a solution, I took colored, hook side Velcro, cut it into four-inch strips and wrote each child's name on one. The strips cling to the carpeted floor and can even be vacuumed over. Now the children no longer move about."
Submitted by: From Lana Schaefer, a preschool teacher: This tip was published in the NEA's Weekly "Works4Me" Email list.

Weekly Behavior Report Grades Any
Keeping an open line of communication with parents is crucial. One way to do this to create a weekly behavior report. Create a customized form that works best for you and your students. (For younger students you might want to include emoji faces.) You will create a single page for the entire week that includes a box for each day of the week. Once you have your form created, make several copies of this form to make either a small, bound notebook, or place pages into a binder or pocket-folder with prongs.

For each day, both positive and negative behavior should be documented. Adding any information about grades and/or special assignments throughout the week could also be valuable. Decide on the day(s) that this notebook/folder will go home to parents. The parents will sign to signify that they have seen the information and reviewed it with their student. They can also add any notes or thoughts of their own.

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