Diggin' Into Next Year: Behavior Management

Welcome to another week of fresh ideas and tips to make our coming school year as smooth as possible! This week we are tackling BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT!

...handle behavior management in my classroom! Within the last couple years, I have completely revamped my behavior management style. Each group of kids is different, so my "style" remains the same BUT I always tweak it to work for my current group of students. I love using a colored clip chart where students can move up AND down the chart depending on their behavior throughout the day. Here is what my clip chart looks like in my classroom:

I don't have a lot of extra space in my classroom, so I use the side of one of my file cabinets to hang my chart. I use two metal hooks at the top with binder clips and it works like a charm. Every student has a clip with their classroom number on it. This makes it slightly more anonymous than using names. Everyone starts the day in green. Then, they move up and down throughout the day. At the end of each day the students fill out one half of this behavior chart:

On Friday, my students take their behavior charts home to be signed by a parent. They return them signed on Monday. Each students gets a ticket (reward system) to put into our class drawing, if they return it signed. To get the most participation, I have found there needs to be an incentive attached to returning the notes. This not only holds the students accountable for their behavior, but it also holds the parents accountable. They have to sign the note, so they don't have to come in and ask me how their child is behaving in class. If they are signing the notes regularly, they will already know! Win-Win!!!

For many years I had been using the ever so popular color card system. (I can hear all of your groans as you read this) It actually had worked really well for me and most of the teachers at my school. Most of us used it school wide. However, I wanted to make a change and switched to the color coded clip chart. The main reason I made the switch is because I really liked the idea of rewarding positive behavior as well as having consequences for negative behavior. When I used the color card system, I felt more of the negative behaviors were being highlighted instead of the positive ones. 

Next year, I also want to make sure kids are moving up and down the chart more frequently throughout the day. Many times, the day gets so busy, and  I forget to have the kids move their clips up. Then dismissal time rolls around and it's time to fill out their behavior charts and I realize they all had great days and should be in pink, but their clip is still in green. 

So, as you can see, the process is always evolving, but the foundation remains the same!

If you are interested in the colored clip chart behavior management system, click on the picture below:

If you would like to use individual MONTHLY behavior charts, I have an editable packet in my TpT store, too. These are great to use for students that have specific individual behavior goals you want them to focus on improving (ie: sitting in seat, raising hand quietly, working independently for a longer period of time etc.)

A big thanks to Laura from Where the Magic Happens for hosting this awesome linky.