Classroom Management

4th grade - Willow Ridge (GLPS)

School-wide

In my future classroom, I want to promote a safe and positive learning environment. I am

familiar with PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and so far, it’s been working

well in the classroom and school! When it comes to classroom behaviors, we are geared toward

rewards. We expect our students to already be masters in following directions and rules. We

reward students based on their expectational manners and work, within and outside the

classroom.

With our PBIS lessons (school-wide), we pass out slips called, “Hero Tickets”. At the

school, our students know and use the motto, “H.E.R.O” (Honesty, Encouragement, Respect, and

Ownership). Teachers pass slips out when students show being a hero! Our school uses a

raffle/drawing system so students can either turn one ticket in (randomly picked to get a prize

token) or, students can turn in a pack of ten hero tickets (all students who turn 10 packs in, get a

guaranteed prize token). These tokens are distributed at the end of each week. Students get to go

to our prize tower in the hallway and insert their token into one of the four options and claim

their prize!
In Our Classroom

As I’ve been teaching, I’ve noticed that I am a very calm teacher. I want to ensure that the

students are also feeling calm in the classroom. In the classroom, I made a “Group Productivity”

chart that has all our table group colors. This is a chart system that starts students with 10 points,

if a student is being disruptive to classmates, a point gets removed from the table group or groups

involved. The students may have chances to earn points back based on their behavior. At the end

of the day, the table groups with the highest point throughout the day get a tally mark. At the end

of the week, the groups with the most points gets to spin our “Wheel of Fun”. This not only falls

on individual students' behavior, but it helps with groups making sure their peers are focused and

on task.

We also like to do a whole-class reward and that is our marble jar. During whole group

instruction, students can earn and lose marble throughout the day. We like to give (if needed,

take) marbles throughout the day and explain why so that the students know what they did to

earn or lose them. Once this marble jar is filled, students and teachers get to come up with a

whole class reward. Our first-class reward was class fish. We wrote down suggestions that the

students wanted and many of them enjoy extra computer time, playing games (board games),

extra recess, movie and stuffy day, etc. One important thing about the marble jar is that even

though the jar could be filled, the marble can still be taken away until we’ve reached the day we

plan on having our reward. Students need to keep their marbles in order for the reward to go into

action!

The last and most important thing in our classroom is to establish expectations we all

come to an agreement on. Making a social contract with the students is so valuable because it
keeps the students accountable for their actions within and outside of the classroom. Having a

contract allows all of us to treat each other with respect, kindness, and more! Without a contract,

there is no way to help keep the class accountable for how they impact others in the classroom.

This is a guide to help the class and myself grow, while also keeping in mind our goals for each

other!