Katelyn Shockey

40 Strategies For Bettering Ones Classroom

Table of Contents
Management
1. Fill a bucket
2. Fish binder
3. Reward Direction not
perfection
4. Broken record
5. Collective/Group rewards
6. Traffic light (control
conversation level)
7. Autism Spectrum Disorder
motivational systems
8. Line leader, door holder
9. Line from behind
10. Draw box
11. Give me 5
12. T-shirt warning
13. Lanyards
14. Power teaching
15. Thumbs
16. Multiplication and Division
help
17. Edmodo.com

Pedagogy
18. Brain Break/ Transitions
a. Movement/ Silent ball
b. Push-ups
c. Stretch break
d. Music/ Energize
19. Picture Lunch Count
20. Choices
21. Photo Schedule/ Planner

22. Spelling with dancing and

singing
23. Student missing help
24. Giant Timer
25. Motivation
26. Best for Last
27. Drawer labels
28. Using songs to help students
remember

Diversity
29. Classroom set-up
30. Adapt a lesson for ADHD or
LD learner
31. Behavioral Disorder
adaptations
32. Autism Spectrum Disorder
adaptations
33. Language Disorder
adaptations
34. English Language Learner
adaptations
35. Cool Down Corner
36. Physical Exceptionality
adaptions
37. Visual Impairment adaptations

Collaboration
38. Poker chips
39. Sandwich language
40. Relationship Development

Management

1. Fill a bucket
o Directions: each student in the room has their own personal bucket.
When they do something nice, help someone out, or do something
without being asked, or something then they fill our a slip of paper
and turn it in to the teacher. IN return for doing a good deed they
are given a fuzzy pompom ball that goes into their cup. Once they
fill their cups they are rewarded.
2. Fish binder
Directions: Each student has a personal binder that is organized
with folders for homework, papers, to take home, site words, and
so on. It also contains plastic sleeves with practice sheets, such as
math problems or letters. The students are then able to practice
their math or letters by writing on the plastic sleeve with a dry erase
marker. This binder allows the student to stay organized and
practice homework multiple times without using lots of paper.
3. Reward Direction not perfection
Directions: This strategy is related to student behavior, if you view a
student performing desired behavior praise and reward them for
that not for perfection itself.
4. Broken record
Directions: This is used to help break students who argue with a
teacher. The teacher is to ask first of all why the student acted that
way, and secondly to say, In my classroom we dont push or do
that. and the teacher continues to repeat that until the student
stops arguing. In this method you try to keep the power you have
as a teacher and not allow your students to take over.
5. Collective/Group rewards
Directions: If one student changes behavior and does something
extremely well reward all the students for that one students good
behavior.
6. Traffic light (control conversation level)
Directions: Green = students can talk with their normal voice to one
another, Yellow = students can talk but must maintain a whisper
especially if others are working, and finally red = is used to say do
not talk you may only raise your hand to speak.
7. Autism Spectrum Disorder motivational systems
Directions: As a teacher working with a child with ASD one can
make several adaptations first by creating a motivational system.
First you can arrange the schedule alternating preferred subjects
with un-preferred subjects to help the student look forward to
something once they complete their next assignment. A teacher
can use a token system, and a teacher should clearly state what is
expected to those students.
8. Line leader, door holder
Directions: Each week a teacher can select a student of the week
to help hold doors open, or lead the line.

9. Line from behind

Directions: When a teachers students are lined up, the teacher
should stand at the back of the line so they can see all that is going
on and step in to assist a child if necessary.
10. Draw Box
The teacher has a box or treasure chest and if the child continues
to show positive behavior a teacher can reward them and allow
them to go to the draw box or treasure chest.
11. Give me 5 (Listening)
Directions: The teacher calls out give me five and the students
know that means, 1. Eyes on the speaker, 2. Lips closed, 3. Ears
listening, 4. Sit up straight, 5. Hands and feet quiet.
12. T-Shirt warning
Directions: A teacher created a warning system with four colors first
green (good behavior), second pink (warning), third white (loss of
privilege), four blue (call home). Each student starts out on green
and if they miss behave continually they move down and if they
continue they keep moving however if they improve they can get
back to green.
13. Lanyards
Directions: Each student has a plain lanyard with their student
name on it and each time the student does something good (acts of
service,) they get a bead on their lanyard and get rewarded if they
get 5, 10, 15..
14. Power teaching (gaining students attention)
Directions: A teacher gains the classes attention by saying Class,
class and the teacher response with yes, yes.
15. Thumbs
Directions: A teacher asks their students if they are ready to move
on and perform a task on their own and then show were thumbs up
if they are ready and a thumb to the side if they would like the
teacher to help assist them more. Then the students move into an
independent study and the teacher works with individuals to help
them better understand.
16. Multiplication and Division help
Directions: A teacher asks their students about a unit of
measurement such as feet and inches and asks which one is
smaller and which is bigger. Once they distinguish that they use
their arms and say bigger to smaller and then know they are to
multiply at their arms come together and cross in the middle,
however if it was small to big they would use division. The students
do the hand motions to help them remember each time, gets them
active and physically moving as well.
17. Edmodo.com
Directions: This is a tool a teacher can use similar to facebook in
order to help monitor their classroom. This is a great aid for

teachers to use I learned about through this course and all my

observations.

Pedagogy
18. Brain Break/ Transitions
Directions: Taking a break when needed to help refocus students
and give them a break in a sense. (Water break, dance, silent ball,
push-ups, and stretch breaks)
a. Movement/ Silent ball
Directions: This is a form of a brain where the teacher provides a
soft ball for the students to throw around and try to catch if they
drop it they are simply out, and they continue till they have the last
student standing.
b. Push-ups
Directions: This is another form of a brain break used to help guys
particularly in a gender specific class get a quick break and then
move on to another activity.
c. Stretch breaks
Directions: This can be used as a form of brain break and it gives
students again time to re-group and take a little rest before
continuing on in class.
d. Music/ Energize
Directions: Music and dance can also be incorporated as a brain
break, it simply gets kids moving and they are focused on dancing
taking a break from school and thinking about homework or an
assignment for a while and then re-engage and continue on with
their lesson.
19. Picture lunch count
Directions: On the front board there are magnets of each students
picture of a tray. When the student comes in the morning they place
their picture either on the tray or off the tray to indicate if they are
getting a tray for lunch or if they have packed their own lunch. This
strategy allows the teacher to take lunch count without disrupting
class.
20. Choices
Directions: This strategy is put into practice when it comes to
centers or any form of assignment a teacher could allow or have
several different activities to do and give the students a choice of
what they would like to do first.
21. Photo Schedule/ Planner
Directions: A teacher can create a schedule and use both words
and photos to help a student both read and see what they are
expected to do next, a teacher can accomplish this by either taking
photos of the spots or finding some online or even drawing them.
This just really helps all students in general.
22. Spelling with dancing and singing

Directions: Today the teacher was singing and moving from hands
on the ground saying P then moved her hands to the ceiling and
shouted l then moved her hands to her hips and said a then
again moved her hands to the floor and said y finally saying and
clapping twice spells play. The students would then repeat that 4
times and then move to the next word.
23. Student missing help
Directions: At the start of the day students get their folder out of a
file and have their work in it for the day. If however someone is
absent the teacher can quickly see who is missing and place any
other assignments in their folder if they need to make any
homework up.
24. Giant timer
Directions: A teacher can purchase a timer to have when students
are at centers or working individually so they know how much time
they have left to work.
25. Motivation
Directions: Both boys and girls respond with motivation when they
are encouraged. Therefore as a teacher it is important that we
continue to encourage our students.
26. Best for Last
Directions: As a teacher in order to continue to keep the students
focused and excited for the day if there is a subject or event they
just love a teacher should save that for last to give the students
something to look forward to and then a reason for them to stay
focused as well.
27. Drawer Labels
Directions: As a teacher working with younger kids a teacher
should label craft drawers with both a word and image to help their
students find all they might need. (This would also be extremely
helpful when having a ELL in ones classroom)
28. Using songs to help students remember
Directions: money song Example: A penny is worth 1 cents, a
nickel is worth 5 cents, a dime is 10 cents, a quarter 25 cents. ( I
saw this while observing Mrs. Raes class)

Diversity
29. Classroom Set-up
Directions: Have the chairs all facing one direction where the
teacher will be and have them all separated for 2nd grade this is a
great strategy because it limits talking and helps cut down on the
chattiness.
30. Adapt a lesson for ADHD or LD learner
Directions: As a teacher one should give additional instruction,
have clear structure, modify task delivery, change homework to fit

the needs of the students, and finally use that childs talents to help
benefit all students.
31. Behavioral Disorder adaptations
Directions: As a teacher one must do several things first of all a
teacher must continue to keep their students attention, state
different/simplified directions if needed, be organized, and set a
consistent schedule.
32. Autism Spectrum Disorder adaptations
Directions: A teacher can have a picture schedule, keep a routine,
show movies, give students a planner to help them, allow more
time for a child with ASD, clear areas of distractions, substitute
verbal instructions for cues, adapt curriculum to focus more on
visual versus verbal, and finally possibly creating a checklist for
homework so when they finish completing an assignment they can
simply mark it off. A teacher can also promote social skills by using
a buddy system, using scripts, and practicing greetings.
33. Language Disorder adaptations
Directions: A teacher should promote social interactions to help that
student improve their language disorder.
34. English Language Learner adaptations
Directions: A teacher should help by speaking slower and repeating
themselves if necessary, as well as limiting talk in a classroom to
one person at a time, and finally a teacher can help by labeling
drawers with words and even photos.
35. Cool down corner
Directions: For a student with behavior problems if they begin to act
up the teacher asks them to go to the cool down corner to cool off
and help them relax before coming back.
36. Physical Exceptionality adaptions
Directions: A teacher can help those who cant move around well by
attaching a pencil to the desk with string so if the pencil falls the
student can get it by pulling the string, teachers can give students a
set of books at home and at school so they dont have to try to take
their books back and forth, a teacher can give the student a roll
chair so they can slide around and finally a teacher can spread
things out just to make the room more mobile.
37. Visual Impairment adaptations
Directions: A teacher can use captioned videos, have a copy of
notes for the student to use when they study, one person talking at
a time, and again labeling drawers.

Collaboration
38. Poker Chips
Directions: As a teacher this is something you can do to help
encourage your students just as we learned in class it is important

to encourage others when we see good behavior this helps the

students be more confident in themselves.
39. Sandwich language
Directions: When correcting a student or talking to someone first
give them positive feed back, then give them one thing to correct,
and finally end on another positive encouraging note.
40. Relationship Development
Directions: As a teacher it is so important to develop relationships
with your students and for their teacher to support them, one way
you can do this is by finding out something they love perhaps is
sports or dance and as a teacher one can go see their students and
encourage them, as well as meet that parents and get to know
them more. Over all this is a great strategy for teachers to get to
know their students and their students parents.