Hop Back to School!

Hop Back to School with Classroom Management Tips and Freebies!



I have exactly one week left before teachers in my district return to school.  It's been a very relaxing summer, and I'm excited to be teaching 6th grade ELA exclusively this year!

I'll be entering into my 23rd year of teaching and have spent all of those years in middle school except for one.  (I taught special needs at the high school level and then they changed the certification requirements so I went back to middle school - presumably where I belong.  :)  )

As we head back, I am running a checklist through my mind to ensure I have all my ducks in a row.  I think one of the biggest decisions that need to be made are those concerning classroom management.  As you can imagine, I have tried several different ideas out over the years.  The one thing that worked best for me is TICKETS.

I give a ticket to students who follow our beginning of the class routine and have their planner filled out and bell work ready before our daily song ends.  I give 2 tickets for every 100 on a test or assignment and 1 ticket for every 90.  I give tickets for answering questions when I call on a student as I pick their name out of my cup.  I give out tickets for someone caught being kind.  I give out tickets for...well you get the idea.  Then the students write their name on the back of their tickets and place them in the correct bucket.

I pass out tickets to students for all kinds of positive behaviors.  Then students put their names on the back and place them into buckets for a weekly drawing.


I use my system right away in the first week of school to help students to remember to bring back all their important papers (or to fill them out online).

On Fridays, I draw tickets for prizes.  Students can choose the "sure thing" - a piece of candy from my jar...

Students can choose to be rewarded with the "sure thing" with a treat from the Reward Jar or take their chances with my boxes!

or

what's in box #1, box#2, or box #3.

If a student's ticket is drawn they can try their luck at choosing an unknown prize from the 3 boxes of mystery!
At the beginning of the year, I make sure that 2 out of 3 boxes have really good prizes like full-size candy bars and bags of chips.  As the year goes on, I will put seasonal goodies in the boxes.

No matter what you do, be sure to have a plan.  And then follow through on that plan so that students know that you are on top of things and mean what you say.

To kick off your year, I have a great freebie for you!

There are a million things to do during pre-planning to get ready for that first week back! Use this checklist to make sure that you get it all done!

There are a million things to do during pre-planning to get ready for that first week back! Use this checklist to make sure that you get it all done!

This handy freebie should help you make sure that your first week of school is off to a good start!







Thanks for stopping by!