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Saturday, May 2, 2015

Classroom Management: Poppin' Points

It all started when I posted this picture on my Instagram.
Yep that is my room. Specifically I was posting this picture to draw everyones attention to my balloons. What are the balloons for you ask? Well they are part of my "gotta make it 14 more days" classroom management plan.
Disclaimer. This is not my original idea. I am a #TeacherThief. I totally copied this from
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She posted this fab Classroom Management post with some very easy to recreate tips and tricks. I just happened to fall in love with this one and decided to try it. Here is what the original looked like...
Here is how "Poppin' Points" will work in my room.
If you notice I put up 13 balloons. Inside each ballon I have rolled up a Post-It note with a behavior incentive. One of the things I love about this strategy is that I can make it completely positive, and tie it into my schools PBiS implementation. Here are some of the incentives I have hidden in the balloons.
1. Do our work on the floor.
2. Swap seats with a friend.
3. Juice party.
4. GoNoodle Brain break.
5. Five minute dance party.
6. Do your work with a colored pencil.
7. Do your work with a marker.
8. Take a bag of Markers (already used) home.
9. Everyone gets a Mustang Mark. (These are our schools positive rewards)
10. Everyone gets a POP pass. (Positive Office Pass)
11. Sidewalk chalk day.
12. Color a coloring page.
13. Watch a movie (Strategically placed last for the last day of school.)

Now on Monday I will explain to my students that I will have a tally of "points" for them. When they reach 5 I will POP one balloon and they will get the reward. Of course I had to pic colors that matched my classroom decor. ;)
So you all know I teach ELL/ ESL students and see 4 groups in each day. I will have 4 different tallies and not every group will get the same rewards, only the the group that popped that specific balloon. The only exception is the last day when I will play a movie for all my students.

What I love best about this system is that it is completely customizable.
*You could set your goal at any number.
*You could increase it with each reward.
*If you did it with just one class you could color code your balloons for different goals, like if everyone turns in their home work we will pop a blue balloon, or if we walk quietly in the halls we will pop the pink balloons, etc.
*You could pop a balloon each day if you wanted. Disclaimer, I would only do this toward the end of the year so that it doesn't lose it's novelty. 
Whatever works best for your class is what will make this system work.

I got my balloons from Target. They were $1.50 for a bag of 15. Naturally I had to have 2 colors. :) They make it really easy to match your classroom decor.
Warning the navy blue ones made my hands blue. It washed off pretty easy though.

I would love to know if you try it in your class, and of course make sure you drop by...
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So check out her other super easy and adorable classroom management strategies.
Show her some love.

Make sure you are following me on Instagram to get more frequent updates on what is going on in my classes.


Finally, don't forget to drop by A Teacher's Plan to pick up your monthly calendar and to do list freebie.
 

Wow that was a lot. Hope you are having a great Saturday!