Classroom doorbell is an essential tool for classroom management for elementary teachers. A wireless doorbell for classroom is...
Real talk: classroom management has always been my biggest struggle as a teacher. I think that this is true for a lot of teachers. It’s one thing to read about classroom management strategies in a college classroom, but it’s a whole other ballgame when you’re standing in front of a roomful of middle schoolers and you are somehow expected to keep them all in line! I’ve had a few tough groups over my first few years, and I needed something to up my classroom management game. The classroom management strategy I’m going to share with you today has been a total game-changer for me, and I hope it can help you, too! This strategy is called Behavior Bingo. To implement it, you will need a 10×10 chart numbered from 1-100. I used to draw mine out on big chart paper, but I’ve since created this handy printable board so that I don’t have to draw it out each time! You will also need 100 popsicle sticks each labeled with a number from 1-100. I keep these in one of those metal pails from Target, and you will also need another pail for the sticks to go in once you have pulled them. You will need a board and set of numbers for each class you are using this with – I have used it with up to 4 classes at once! I marked each class’s set of sticks with a different color and then discarded them all into the same tub. If you don’t want to buy or have to label all the popsicle sticks, I have also seen teachers use small slips of paper numbered 1-100, or even just a random number generator online! Here are the rules that I use: The object of the game is to get 10 numbers in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) and get a bingo. At the start of each class, I write the numbers 1 2 3 on the front whiteboard. During class, I erase a number any time the students are not meeting my expectations, starting with 3, then 2, then 1. At the end of class, however many numbers are left on the board is how many popsicle sticks they get to pull that day. For example, if only the 3 was erased, then they get to pull 2 popsicle sticks. They can earn up to 3 numbers each day. The students pull out the correct number of sticks for that day. I let them take turns. I hold the jar up above their heads so they can’t peek inside. Then I color in the numbers that were pulled on the bingo board. You can certainly adjust these rules to meet your needs. For instance, you could use a smaller or bigger bingo board, depending on how quickly you want them to earn their reward. With the 10×10 board, it usually takes 1-2 months to earn the reward. You could also adjust how many numbers they can earn each day. Another thing you could do is tie the numbers to specific goals. For instance, my students know that at the beginning of class they need to be in their seats with homework out and working on their warmup. If this doesn’t happen, they know I will erase a number. As for the reward, we choose this as a class before beginning the game. I have the students brainstorm ideas (I tell them that they need to be something either relatively inexpensive or free and can only take up about 20-30 minutes of class time) and list them all on the board. Then I have the students vote for their top two choices. Some ideas we have come up with in the past include an ice cream party (I bring the ice cream, they bring the toppings), root beer float party, time outside, free time, board games, donut party, dodgeball, or popcorn and a short movie. I write their choice at the bottom of the bingo board as a reminder of what we are working toward. And that’s it! It’s very easy to keep it running, and it has been very motivating to my students, especially when they are down to only one number left for the day. You can find the printable board that I use in my Teachers Pay Teachers store if you’re interested! Do you have any awesome classroom management strategies? I would love to hear about them in the comments!
Brain breaks are a great classroom management tool to use regularly in your classroom. Brain breaks are short, 1 to 2 minute, activities that can…
FREE Call Backs and attention getters for the kindergarten classroom! Great classroom management tool!
Attention Getters will cut out your classroom chaos and work for all grade levels. Attention getters in the classroom are the perfect solution if you are...
How do you encourage positive student behavior in your classroom? I have tried too many behavior systems to count - clip charts, flipping cards, behavior contracts… you name it and I have tried it. What I have found over the years is that no matter what, students genuinely want to do well and
Microsoft Teams is your classroom management hub if your students use Microsoft tools. Learn how to manage Teams like a pro. If your school is using
data:blog.metaDescription
Read about how ChatGPT can help streamline your teacher life!
Voice O Meter Template (Large 13×20″ Printable Poster PDF, Word Doc & Letter size PDF) Help manage the voice levels in your classroom! Includes a fully editable download -Word Voice o Meter Template
Even if you've been teaching a while, you might still experience moments when all of your classroom management tools stop working. This one cheap, quick strategy, using a simple blank notebook, can help you regain control in under a minute.
Whether our emotions get the best of us, or we fall into familiar but unproductive habits, here are 7 common classroom management mistakes, and what the research suggests you should do instead.
Farley is hosting her monthly Linky Party! Check out Currently February: As many of you know, I'm preggers (due in April). Therefore, my hubby and I are staying in a lot more than we usually do and watching lots of TV! We've watched Breaking Bad (all five seasons) and Homeland (just starting season two). We also watch lots of documentaries on Netflix. We found a great one the other night that I'd like to recommend. It's called "American Teacher" (2011), and it follows the lives and experiences of four teachers. It's only about 80 minutes long, so check it out if you have some free time! Matt Damon narrates the documentary so enjoy that! =) Photo courtesy of IMDb. On another note, did you hear about the Sunday Super Sale over at TpT!?! Everything in my store will be on sale for 28% off! Yippee!! I know I'll be shopping for lots of activities for the month of February, spring time writing activities, more clip art, and some center activities! Last but not least, I just added a great resource to my store called Sweet Sentences Mega Pack! It's only $4.00 and contains 56 pages of grammar and writing activities to help young writers grasp the concepts of complete vs. incomplete sentences. There are posters, activities for literacy stations and small groups, printables for independent practice, and whole group lessons. Check out a few examples below: {CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1j and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f} Leave a comment below about writing instruction in your classroom (also include your e-mail), and I'll choose a few lucky winners to receive the Sweet Sentences Mega Pack for FREE! :)
High school teacher Grace Dearborn says students don’t all respond to consequences in the same way, so teachers need a full toolbox of options.
Stop taking away recess and using other punishments to control your students. Find success with 10 powerful classroom management strategies!
If you struggle with classroom management no matter how many different strategies you try, there's a chance you're doing something to get in your own way.
These favorite classroom management ideas and tools are easy, inexpensive and effective classroom management solutions for any classroom.
It's more than what it seems.
Teachers love using our trauma sensitive Calm Down Corner as a classroom management tool, helping students to self-regulate, get calm & focus.
Microsoft Teams is your classroom management hub if your students use Microsoft tools. Learn how to manage Teams like a pro. If your school is using
Learn the simple, quick strategies cognitive scientists say can boost student learning in any classroom.
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
I received a handout at a workshop I recently attended on different factors coaches can look for in classroom observations. Collecting quality evidence during observations and presenting it in a clear manner to teachers is such an important piece of improving teacher practice and student achievement…so this handout really got me thinking about what I look […]
In a self-paced classroom, each student is given an appropriate level of challenge and grows at a steady pace throughout the school year. Here's how it works.
When we blame our teaching problems on the collective inferiority of a generation, we only make things worse.
Restorative discipline isn't a protocol, it's a toolbox full of strategies we can use to differentiate our teaching in order to help each individual child.
If we are truly honest, a great deal of our time is spent on classroom management. I recently went into a classroom to do a faculty evaluation. I usually try to blend in and act like a student. I s…
Read about helpful conflict resolution skills for kids, including using I-statements, finding win-win solutions & being a good listener.
Being able to de-escalate and defuse situations with kids and young adults is an extremely helpful skill. Kids and young adults who become emotionally overwhelmed or irritated in a situation may begin to express their emotions in challenging ways. Some examples of these behaviors might include aggre
There is a very wide variety of digital formative assessment tools that can be used for free. I’ve made simple graphics for 18 of them. Most of the tools work with any web browser, so they are great for laptops, computer labs, iPads, Chromebooks, tablets, and smartphones.
data:blog.metaDescription
With a trouble huddle, you allow your best laid plans to veer off the rails, stop the activity, and ask, “What’s going on here? What seems to be the problem?”
Swot analysis is a consisted in business strength, weakness, opportunity and threats that a business has to face in market. Swot analysis is used to
Many kids and young adults struggle with executive functioning challenges. Some are easy to spot, such as when a student can't focus on a lesson or comes to class without their entire binder. Other EF challenges are less obvious, though. A learner might take two times as long on homework because th
Parent Teacher Conferences are right around the corner. The beginning of the school year has gone by SO fast! I am wanting to try something new
Visual project management is a trend we all need to be aware of. Learn how to make your project communications pop and to present your data clearly, whatever information preference your stakeholders have.
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
Learn the simple, quick strategies cognitive scientists say can boost student learning in any classroom.
