I am so excited to link up with one of my very BEST BBBs, Joanne! This is her first linky party (how freaking cute is her button??? So sparkly!!) and I know it will be a successful one because the topic is absolutely “magical!” 🙂 Each week, link up with her to share your magic tricks for motivating students- can be something you currently use or have used in the past… or even something you want to use!

This week, I want to share my “Good Deeds Tickets.”

I do everything I can to promote kindness and community in my classroom. One way I do this is through good deeds tickets. I have a huge roll of tickets like this:

I tear them apart and put them in a basket on my desk. I also have an empty tennis ball tube (no hands can get down in there…) sitting next to it for ticket collection.

Anyone that does something nice for someone else gets a ticket FROM THAT PERSON. For example, Vanessa helped John pick up his crayons that just flew all over the floor when his box came open… John gives Vanessa a ticket. She writes her name on it and turns it in. Then on Friday, I do a drawing. I usually pull 5 names (one for each day of that week). If I pull a duplicate, I redraw just to give others a chance. The winners get to choose a reward coupon they can cash in for fun stuff: homework pass, eat with the teacher, eat with a friend, candy from “my secret stash,” extra computer time, etc…

It has really helped my kiddos be more conscious of being considerate and helpful to others. I’m hoping this little “trick” helps kindess become a HABIT, not just something they do for a ticket. 😉

What are some of the tricks you have up your sleeve? Jump over to Head Over Heels For Teaching to share, and check out some other awesome ideas!! 🙂

P.S. Make sure to check out Third Grade Doodles!! She is having a 100 Followers Giveaway! 🙂

Here to link up with my BBB Joanne at Head Over Heels For Teaching!

I’m cheating a little bit today because I’m re-posting… but I first posted this in January when I didn’t know even half of you beautiful people! It really has worked wonders in my room, so I hope this gives you some ideas for the new school year next year!

I got the idea on Pinterest this summer, and thought I’d give it a try.

The kiddos have a clothes pin with their name on it, and every day, they start out on green (not sounding any different than most, right?) BUT they have the option of moving up or down the chart at any point in the day!

Let me help you with a visual:

I have a beach theme in my room, so I used surfer lingo in the meaning of each color. 🙂

We’ll start with what happens if they get in trouble:

 As I mentioned, everyone starts every day on green- “Hang Ten! Ready To Learn”.

If a student is warned and continues the behavior, then they move their clip to yellow- “Catch Another Wave! Conference With The Teacher”. When there is time, I will discuss with the student why their behavior was unacceptable and we will come up with an appropriate consequence together. But, teachers, you know this is true: what happens when a student moves their clip first thing in the morning? They give up. They don’t try to turn their day around. I believe in second chances, and don’t want the kids to think their day is ruined because they moved their clip… so if they are showing me they are trying to turn it around (or to “catch another wave”), I let them move their clip back UP to green. Not only does it help them see they can make a change, it also helps me because the kiddo isn’t worthless for the rest of the day! 🙂

Red- “Wipe Out! Time Out In Another Room (or office referral)” – I think we all know what this means. I will be honest, I haven’t been able to move anyone’s clip UP from red this year… but then again, it takes a LOT for them to get their clip down there to begin with.

Now for the fun- the more motivating part of my chart!!

Purple – “Radical, Dude! Taking That Extra Step To Be Respectful, Responsible, and Resourceful” (The 3 R’s are our school motto.)

Pink – “Cowabunga! Outstanding Behavior! You Are a Role Model!”

To get to these colors, you have to “take the extra step” and BE “a role model!”  If I see a student going above and beyond the norm (or sometimes, what the norm is of that moment), they get to move their clip up… and yes, I have had students move down to yellow, and then all the way up to pink based on several instances of good behavior!!! Here are some sample scenarios of when I tell my kiddos to move their clips up-

Scenario 1: students are standing at the lunchroom door waiting to walk out and at least half of them are turned around talking to each other. Instead of going up to them and making them move their clips DOWN, I go to the quiet ones and in a completely normal tone I say, “you may move your clip up.” It’s amazing how students can “not” hear you, but the minute they hear someone getting something they aren’t, boy can they HEAR!! 🙂 So, those students would move their clips up from wherever they were. (Yellow would get back on green, green to purple, and purple to pink…)

Scenario 2: students know it’s Math Calendar time, and I see them pull out their math journal and watch me, waiting for me to tell them to come to the floor EVEN THOUGH I’m on my computer doing attendance! I just point to those kiddos and point to the chart. They know what it means… As they get up, all of a sudden, ALL of my kids have their journals out, ready to go! 🙂

Scenario 3: Johnny is pulling out his pencil box and it falls out of his desk instead… all crayons, pencils, glue, scissors (you get the point) goes everywhere. A couple students get up to help him pick up his items. “Move your clip up!”

I’m sure you get the point. 🙂  You can see, it not only helps motivate, but it also helps me with getting everyone on the right page.

At the end of each day, my students mark the color they were on in their agenda books so their parents know daily what they ENDED on. (I say ended because even if they moved to yellow during the day, if they managed to pull it together and move their clip back up, I don’t punish them twice. They still have to do the consequence we decided together, but they can show their parents how they ended their day. If it becomes a habit, I will note it in their Friday Folders, but as we know very well, we all make mistakes!

If they get to pink, I write a note in their agenda as well to comment on what a great role model they were. They get so excited about showing their parents a GOOD note. If they get to red, THEY write a note that goes in their agenda and must be signed by a parent and returned the next day. They aren’t so excited about that one, LOL!

I hope this gives you an idea for management next year! I can’t wait to see the other ideas on Joanne’s linky– make sure to head over and link up and check out everyone’s ideas, too!

Also, make sure to go enter Kristin’s 400 Follower Giveaway!! (Will that be me soon??)

Aaaaaaah. Saturday. Always wonderful. Saturday after the last week of school? Oooooooh yeeeeeah!! (Sorry, I won’t rub it in anymore!)

Have you bought this bundle for Moore, OK yet? I donated to the bundle, and also bought it- there are over 500 products you’ll receive for a minimum of a $20 donation! I grabbed all the 3-5 items from the bundle and it will probably take me all summer to go through them!

Ok, now for a fun linky from my BBB, Joanne!

As teachers, I’m sure you all know students working with a partner is always more fun than students working alone. But if your kiddos are anything like mine, they want to work with the same partner every single time. But they DON’T want Ms. Ivey picking their partner for them… so I found a solution. Partner Picking Cards! There are many versions on TPT, but I love these and so do the kids- and they’re free! 🙂 Here are some examples of the cards from the download-

It’s a great way to randomize partners… I am happy because they are working with other kiddos, and they love finding their match, even if it’s not someone they would usually choose!

What are some ways you motivate your students? Go link up with Joanne at Head Over Heels For Teaching, and check out all the other great ideas while you’re there!

PS – I’m running another Daily Deal over at Teacher’s Notebook- this time on my Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Unit. Go check it out! 🙂