Teacher Talk Thursday and Giveaway

So today I wanted to share some management ideas. I really think I picked this idea because I wanted to see what you do!! Once I got into my classroom and thought about what management ideas I wanted to share I was a little stumped! So I came up with a few things I do that work in my room- hoping that a few of you play along and share some even better ones.

One behavior management strategy we use at our school is a marble system we call MARBLE MANIA. The kids earn marbles for good behavior in the hallway, lunchroom, in special area classes and for going above and beyond in the classroom. It is a whole class activity. Every time the kids earn 100 marbles we get to have some sort of celebration. Our PTO gives us $50.00 a year to spend on marble parties and I have done all sorts of things. Usually I let the class have a say in the reward. We have had movie and popcorn, pj party with hot cocoa, Tye dyed t-shirts, dance parties, board game parties and this year I borrowed a cotton candy machine and we had extra time outside while enjoying fresh cotton candy- that was fun!
So to keep track of our earned marbles I have a magnetic chart that hangs on my board. We transfer our "marbles"- jelly beans from one bag to the other. This is a student job, he does it every time we earn one. Having a student responsible of it has been a great help this year. I got the chart from my favorite place: Really Good Stuff. I am sure it is for the 100th day of school, but this is how I use it in my room.

WE ARE ONLY 10 MARBLES AWAY FROM A PARTY!!







Another positive motivator I use is a Classroom Reward Bingo board. I have been using this for two years and it has been a HUGE motivator for my kids. It is not a difficult idea and is just another item I have ordered from Really Good Stuff. If I catch my kids doing something great I ask them to "sign the Bingo board". That is all it takes. I remind them at times that I am  "looking for someone to sign the Bingo board" and the desired behavior is usually  not far behind. I not only have individuals sign it, but I have whole teams, the whole class or whoever I catch doing great things. Once the kids have signed the board their name stays on the board until the board is filled and then we clean it off and start again.  I draw bingo every afternoon. Usually I draw two or three numbers a day. If your slot is chosen you get to pick off the prize board. My prize board has EASY rewards on it like- Pick Your Seat (they get to pick their spot the next day like my chair, the kidney table, the carpet etc.), Pop For Snack, Computer Pass, Homework Pass, Bring Something to Share, Lunch Bunch (pick a friend and eat in the classroom), Positive Note or Call Home, Treasure Box and things like that. You could totally make your own Bingo board like this, but in my opinion it was totally worth the $6.99 I paid for it! :)



I know those things are not much, but those are just a few things that work for me!
What works for you?

I also had to share a few doors from some of my colleauges. I mentioned in an earlier post that at my school we decorate our doors like book covers in celebration of I Love To Read Month. Here are a few that I thought were looking good, oh and mine again! Everyone is not done with theirs yet, but I love how the school looks with the adorable doors.

HOW DOES A GIVEAWAY SOUND??
So this week I have teamed up with another Abby for my 1st GIVEAWAY!!
I know you all know her as Babbling Abby and I am sure you follow her blogs.
If not you can find her HERE or HERE.
Today we are giving away ONE ITEM OF YOUR CHOICE from Abby's Teacher's Pay Teachers shop! Yes, her items are geared more toward the K-1, so if you don't teach K-1 I am sure you could find someone that would be more than happy to have one of her WONDERFUL digital downloads! I love them all!

SO, with all that being said here is how YOU can win.
1st- Head over to Abby's shop and pick out what you hope to win!

• One Entry for following  my blog and leaving me a comment telling me which item you hope to win.
• One Entry for following Abby's NEW Teacher Blog.
• One Entry for following Abby on Teacher's Pay Teachers.
• One Entry for linking up this week for Teacher Talk Thursday.

Winner will be announced no later than SATURDAY evening. If your email address is not active on Blogger, please make sure to leave it in your comment so we can reach you!

Thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to see what you all have to share this week.
Please let me know if you have an idea for a future Teacher Talk topic.
Happy Thursday.

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