A Complete and Comprehensive (but easy) Classroom Economy for Upper Grades

Many teachers implement classroom economies....as a matter of fact I remember my very own 4th grade teacher doing it so many years ago!  And it remains one of the fondest memories I have and is actually the reason I ever began doing it to begin with.  However, you will see many variations of the classroom economy depending on the teacher you talk to.  Since I work at a private school, we often have parents touring the school and my classroom economy is actually something the principal always likes me to discuss with them.  The parents LOVE it!  And so do the kids.

My economy is broken down into parts. Somethings I implement EVERY SINGLE YEAR and others I may depending on the class and their ability to do things without it taking too much classroom time.  Here is a quick list of things I do with my economy:

1. Newspaper Ads (Help Wanted and Classifieds)
2. Online Job Applications
3. Job Interviews
4. Class Cash
5. Paychecks (complete with taxes taken out)
6. Bank
7. Fines/Bonuses
8. Swap Shop
9. Class Auctions
10. Life's Little Happenings
11. Classroom Businesses 

NEWSPAPER ADS

Each year I begin the first week of school with giving each student a copy of the classroom newspaper.  Really it's just consists of Help Wanted ads and Classifieds.  Depending on the school year, I update the Help Wanted ads with the jobs that will be available that year.  Students are told to read through the ads and think about 3 of the positions that they would like.  Jobs are held the ENTIRE year as some require "training" and I don't want to spend too much time having to do that throughout the year. Many positions have multiple people who have the same job.  The classifieds let students know about things that I will purchase (like books, old toys, etc) for the classroom library and swap shop.

ONLINE JOB APPLICATIONS

After students have had some time to look over the newspaper ads, they then fill out an online job application.  You can view the application here.  Before students fill it out, we discuss the different components of the application and why each part is important (like an emergency contact number).  This is where you find out which of your students KNOW their address and those who don't.  I make it a requirement that all students know their addresses as I think it's super important.  After students have filled out their job applications, the Google Form will neatly input all the information into a spreadsheet for me. I use that spreadsheet to look over the information and set-up interviews.  Here is what my online job application looks like.  You can easily create one using Google Forms.

JOB INTERVIEWS

Prior to doing job interviews with the students, we discuss what they think would make someone want to hire you.  We talk about only have about ten seconds to make that great first impression. I even instruct them on how to give a firm handshake and to make sure they are giving good eye contact.  I set-up the interviews with each student in advanced - this way students know to make sure their hair is combed, clothes are nice and neat (my students wear uniforms so we talk about having shirts tucked in, etc), clean hands and more.  I always give them a heads up about some of the questions I will be asking so they can think about their responses beforehand.  It's important to note, I usually schedule about 10 minutes per interview and I typically do them during their recess/lunch. Click here to see my go to interview questions.

CLASS CASH

Samples of what my K-Money looks like. 

Typically classroom jobs don't begin until the second or sometimes even the third week of school depending on the year and the class.  Since jobs are paid via paycheck, I also have class cash.  My cash is called K-Money which is because of my two daughters - Kenzie & Kaidyn.  All the cash features pictures of them on it. :-)  I deal only with $5, $20, $50, and $100 bills. Each of the different denominations are printed on different colored paper making it easy for me to know which are which.  These I pull out on day one of school. Students begin earning class cash aka K-Money by answering questions and through good behavior.  I make sure each student has earned some on day one as it gets them even more motivated....plus I need them to have a bit of money when I introduce the bank and checks which they pay a small fee for. ;-)  I use the class cash all year long and even leave some out for any substitutes to hand out while I'm gone.  It's a quick and easy way for me to give incentives to my kids.  In order for me not to run out of printed money (though I have a TON!) I do require students to deposit it into their checking account once we start the banking (usually about week 3-4 of school).  They are allowed to keep about $500 in class cash to pay off quick fines if needed.

PAYCHECKS

Classroom job paychecks is probably my most favorite part about all the components of my classroom economy.  I did a post on them last year but for sake of making you leave this post to go there, I just copied it over for you.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE these paychecks.

The students earn paychecks that look like a real check!  This allows me to add the element of banking to my classroom economy.  When students earn their first paycheck, we go over how checks work, what all those numbers mean, and I even invite a guest speaker into my classroom from a bank to answer the students questions.

The paychecks that my students earn not only look like real checks but they also have taxes taken out....just like real life!!  This adds a whole new teachable element which allows me to talk about with my kids.  What taxes pay for, who gets the money, why do we pay them...etc.  It's an eye opener for many of them.  :-)

In the beginning, I would spend quite a bit of time doing payroll.  It really became time consuming because I wanted my students to have accurate YTD information (especially for when tax season came around).  After some wasted time, I knew I had to find a new way to do payroll that wouldn't take me more than 3 minutes. I searched high and low and was unable to find what I needed.  So I finally sat down with a friend of mine and created exactly what I needed.  Enter my mail merge and spreadsheet using Excel and Word!  This handy tool allows me to easily input each students name, what pay period it is (which will automatically calculate the YTD information), and their pay.  After I enter that information, the formulas automatically calculate the taxes that are taken out which is about 25% of their pay.  :-)

Sample Paycheck

I'm happy to share this awesome spreadsheet and mail merge with you through my TpT store!  The zip file also includes an easy tutorial video to walk you through how to run your own classroom payroll.

BANK

In order for students to be able to do something with their paychecks, I had to implement a bank and the job of bankers.  In my classroom, we use the online platform called My Kids Bank which is totally FREE!  You can easily create accounts for all your students, create bankers, do direct deposits and more. It is such as awesome resource that I'm in awe that it is FREE.  This resource is super easy to use and makes it easy for me to "train" my bankers on it.  The bank, which is called Lyon's National Bank opens up whenever students are finished with their work and once a week at a set time.   This allows the customers to cash and deposit checks, make rent payments, and do withdraws if needed.  However, the joy of My Kids Bank, is students have the ability to check their account at anytime as long as they have internet access.  They also can make direct payments to other students and the City of Lyonville, which is how they pay their monthly rent and fines when needed.  In addition, each student pays $30 for a checkbook which contains 15 checks.  They can use these checks to pay for things. The checks are turned into me. I make sure they are filled out correctly and give it to the appropriate bank teller who will deduct the check from the student's account.  Here are a few of the forms that I use in the bank setting:

Students receive this with their unique username and password to get into their account.

Here is what our deposit slip looks like.  I also have withdrawal slips. 

Each "customer" gets a receipt after doing a transaction at the bank from their banker. 

Students are required to keep an accurate check register of their account. 

YES! Students pay rent and utilities each month (usually I start this the 2nd month of school). 

Students are required to pay rent each month.  However, I do offer the opportunity for students to "purchase" their desk.  I typically make the cost of the desk about 3 months rent.  If a student does purchase their desk, the no longer need to pay the desk and chair rent. However, they still pay for utilities.  Students receive a Desk Deed once they purchase their area.  In some years past, students were able to purchase desks of those students who had no desire to buy them.  Those students would then be responsible for paying their new owner. However, I did have difficulty keeping track of that so I no longer do it.

Students get a copy of this deed for their files. :-)

FINES/BONUSES

In addition to the bank, I also have Police Officers who help me collect fines from the class.  Fines are given out for a variety of things - here is a list of fines and the amount the students need to pay.  Yes - they are steep fines but the idea is to make them not want to get these fines.  Each fine correlates to one of the classroom rules that isn't being followed but is broken down into three categories - Being Respectful, Responsible and Responsible.  You can get my classroom rules posters for free here.

Classroom Rules - a version of Whole Brain Teaching Rules

Each student gets a copy of this for their binder.

I usually have about 4-5 police officers each year. Each officer is in charge of a select group of students within the class.  When a student earns a fine, they are told to tell their office.  The officer then records the fine in their logbook (logbooks consist of a laminated folder that has an individual fine sheet for each of their assigned students).  They record the date, the fine violation code and the fine amount.  At the end of the day they add up each of their students' fines and collect the money.  The students who are paying can either pay by check, cash, or direct deposit through their bank account to the city.  This log serves a dual purpose - one it's a record for the officer to collect fines but two, it provides me with a behavior/work habit log that I can use if I need to have a conference with parents regarding a student.  Honestly, this system works out so well for me. All I have to do is say "Tell your officer" and the students are responsible from handling it from there. In the beginning it does take a little bit of follow through from me making sure it happens, but the officers take their jobs seriously and will get it done.  One thing to note - officers DO NOT hand out fines on their own.  Fines are only given through me.

Bonuses are another nice little addition to the classroom economy.  Students can earn cash bonuses through answering questions correctly, scoring well on quizzes/tests, being complimented from other teachers, birthday/other holiday gifts and more.  I don't have set rates on most bonuses but there are a few. For example, if a student scores 100% on their spelling PRE-TEST (meaning they studied ahead of time) they get $100 in class cash.  I also give "job bonuses" around the holidays. :-)  The joy of this is I can hand them out at my discretion.

SWAP SHOP / CLASS AUCTIONS

So you may wonder, what do the students get to spend their classroom money on?  During the year, I have two auctions - one after the first semester and one at the end of the year.  It is during these auctions that the students get to spend their money (or hoard it - whatever!) on a variety of items.  However, just like you, I earn a teacher's income so money can be tight.  Enter the Swap Shop.  The swap shop is a way for me to "purchase" my students' old toys, books, etc.  You know how the saying goes - "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  Well this is certainly true!!!  Students are encouraged to clean out their closet and bring to me (with their parent's permission of course) old toys, books, DVDs, etc that they no longer want.  I have a scheduled time each week that I accept these items.  The students come up and show me their goods - I then determine if it's worth any class cash.  If I think it's something that will sell, I will offer them a sum of class cash. They have the ability to accept, refuse, or negotiate a higher rate.  I have a set rate on books and DVDs but most other stuff it just depends on what it is. I have gotten some pretty awesome stuff by operating the Swap Shop and easily make back 2 to 3 times back in class cash during the auction than what I originally paid for it.  There are a couple rules to the swap shop - games and toys must contain all their parts, students must attempt to sell it to me (aka Swap Shop) first. If I don't buy it, they have the ability to make a private sale with another classmate if someone is interested. The variety of things students sell to me is amazing - costume jewelry, mugs, candles, picture frames, toys - you name it, they sell it.  Parents love this as it allows them to "clean out" things too. Sometimes students will sell to me little trinkets that I know won't sell in an auction. If they are in good shape, I will usually still purchase them for small class cash fees and then I share them with the primary teachers at my school for their own prize buckets. It's a win-win for us all.

During the class auctions, each student will have a post-it note that shows their balance of class cash and money in their account.  I set the timer for about 20 minutes.  I begin by holding up an item and give a starting bid.  Students will raise their hand if they want to bid on the item and the highest bidder wins.  Bidding wars often break out - it gets crazy fun.  Students KNOW they are not allowed to bid more than they have and if they break this rule, they can be banned from the auction and economy altogether if necessary. My teacher assistant is in charge of writing the items down, who won the bid, and the amount it went for.  Students collect their items at the end of the auction and pay at that time.  They are responsible for deducting their bids from their post-it notes so they always know how much money they have to work with.

LIFE'S LITTLE HAPPENINGS

Life's Little Happenings are cards that I pull on Friday.  I randomly choose 3 students who come up and pick from a set of cards I have.  These cards have different "life situations" on them.  They may have cost the student money, or they may give the student money.  The students LOVE these cards and they help teach them that sometimes.....things happen. :-)

Here are some sample cards and what they would say.

CLASSROOM BUSINESSES

About halfway through the year, I introduce the idea of classroom businesses.  Students can fill out a business application and apply for a business license.  Prior to doing this, we review the different between goods/services. Students can then apply for license by filling out the business proposal.  Students can run things like insurance companies where the other students pay them in case they end up with one of "Life's Little Happening's", check book decorating, tutoring and more.  IF the business requires materials and real money, students must also get their parents' permission too.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Here are some great resources that you can find online regarding classroom economies:
Info on Beth Newingham's economy:  http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/creating-classroom-economy-unit-plan

A detailed PDF about setting up an economy: http://www.councilforeconed.org/lesson-resources/lessons/sample-lessons/classroom_minieconomy.pdf

A website that contains over a dozen lesson plans on Economics:  https://www.moneyinstructor.com/classeconomy.asp

Contains forms and more ideas: https://www.myclassroomeconomy.org/print.html?grades=4-5#

FREE resources from Wells Fargo for their Hands On Banking program: http://www.handsonbanking.org/en/educators.html

Do you have a classroom economy?  What different components do you do? Share below.

Classroom Economy: Student Paychecks

I've been teaching for ten years and have been doing a classroom economy since my second year.  I fondly remember my own fourth grade teacher having classroom cash and thinking how cool it was.  As the years have gone on, my classroom economy has become more complex (not in terms of work for me) to imitate the real world for my students.

The Classroom Bank

One of their (and their parents!) all time FAVORITE elements of my classroom economy are the paychecks they earn.  Yep, that's right.  They earn paychecks that look like a real check!  This allows me to add the element of banking to my classroom economy.  We go over how checks work, what all those numbers mean, and I even invite a guest speaker into my classroom from a bank to answer the students questions.  We use the online platform called My Kids Bank which is FREE!  You can easily create accounts for all your students, create bankers, do direct deposits and more. It is such as awesome resource that I'm in awe that it is FREE.

The paychecks that my students earn not only look like real checks but they also have taxes taken out....just like real life!!  This adds a whole new teachable element which allows me to talk about with my kids.  What taxes pay for, who gets the money, why do we pay them...etc.  It's an eye opener for many of them.  :-)

In the beginning, I would spend quite a bit of time doing payroll.  It really became time consuming because I wanted my students to have accurate YTD information (especially for when tax season came around).  After some wasted time, I knew I had to find a new way to do payroll that wouldn't take me more than 3 minutes. I searched high and low and was unable to find what I needed.  So I finally sat down with a friend of mine and created exactly what I needed.  Enter my mail merge and spreadsheet using Excel and Word!  This handy tool allows me to easily input each students name, what pay period it is (which will automatically calculate the YTD information), and their pay.  After I enter that information, the formulas automatically calculate the taxes that are taken out which is about 25% of their pay.  :-)

Sample Paycheck

I'm happy to share this awesome spreadsheet and mail merge with you through my TpT store!  The zip file also includes an easy tutorial video to walk you through how to run your own classroom payroll.

Do you have a classroom economy?  What are some special ways you make it more real?

Enjoy!

Katie

Surviving the End of the School Year

It's that time of the year. The pencil bin is almost empty. The markers are about dried out. You are still trying to figure out what that stain is in the middle of your classroom is.  But who cares?!?! It's almost time to pack it all up and start thinking about next year's class.  I've joined up with 20 other bloggers to offer you some of our best end of the year advice and give you an opportunity to get hooked up with some great stuff!!

But I know we are all so desperately trying to get things finished up so we can move on.  So I'm going to share with you my clean up tip.  I always take one day during the last week of school and create clean up stations.  First my students all clean out their desks. They pack in their backpacks what they want to take home and toss the rest. I ask them to donate their markers, crayons, etc. to my pile if they plan on not using them.  After they have done that, I have different stations:

1. Crayon Check: In this stations, students go through my crayons. They put in a bin any broken crayons and neatly arrange the colors into their correct container. 
2. Marker check:  Students check to make sure my markers are working.  Again, they organize the colors into their correct container.
3. Colored Pencil Check:  Students sharpen and organize the pencils into their correct container.  
4. White Board Clean-Up: These students go through and completely clean off all my individual white boards.  They also check the white board markers to make sure they are still working.
5. Library Clean-Up: My librarians go through and clean up the library and put paper over my bookshelves.  
6. Game Checkers: These students go through my games and make sure all the pieces are intact and still there. 
7. Desk Cleaners: Despite having students wipe down their own desk, I still have a few who do a very thorough job to do it again.  

In addition to these stations, I always have a puzzle station open for those who just don't want to do anything else.  Very seldom is it used but I want them to feel like they can take a break from all the manual labor.  

Thanks for joining our end of the school year blog hop today. We had a great turn out of hoppers. The prize pack part of the hop is now closed. Stay tuned for blog excitement in mid July.  

Please keep hopping along to read our tried, tested and true survival tips. 

Happy Hopping!

Katie

An InLinkz Link-up

Techie Thursday: Too Noisy Pro - An App for the Classroom

Dear friends, I know I've been gone for awhile. The new school year and family demands are taking up much of my time.  But I've missed you all.  So I have a short and sweet post for you today.  Today I want to tell you about my NEWEST favorite app for the classroom.

If you have an iPad (or even your own iPhone) for your classroom, than you MUST get the app called Too Noisy.  Remember the Yacker Trackers from back in the day? It can cost anywhere from $79.99 and up depending on the make and model you get. It was designed to allow you to set a noise limit within your classroom.  Students start to get too loud and the tracker would change from green to red.  It was a great idea! But the price tag on this device always prevented me from ever
getting one. When funds are tight in the classroom, let's be honest - no one has money for that. So I never got one....until this week.

But my "yacker tracker" is on my iPad.  In the form called "Too Noisy Pro".  There is a free version of this app, which allows you to have limited controls or a paid version which gives you multiple features. I'll admit....I splurged! I paid the $2.99 right away to have all the wonderful control goodness it came with. 

What does it do?  Well, it allows me to set different settings on my iPad for sound levels.  I can set it at silent work, group work or class work. It even allows me to adjust the sensitivity levels until it is just right.  You can adjust "dampening" levels too to account for regular background noise.  One you have your level set, you can then decided on a theme.  They have six fun themes to decide on. Right now, I'm rocking the "winter" theme. 

The best part about this app, is the star feature in my opinion.  You can set it up that your students are awarded stars for going so long without setting the alarm off.  They can earn up to ten stars.  If they get too loud, a star can be taken away (if you choose that setting).  Finally, you get to choose the alarm sound.  This is the sound that students will hear if they set the alarm off. If they get too loud, the screen will pretend to shatter.

At first, I thought my students would constantly try to set the alarm off to hear the sound and watch the screen shatter. But within a matter of minutes of me beginning to use this app, my students were quietly working and if needed, reminding their fellow classmates to "shhhhhh".  They saw the screen shatter once but that was the only time.  Another neat feature is my ability to pause the noise tracker. This allows me to make announcements if I need to.





In order to provide a positive reinforcement for them doing so well, I give them $20 in class cash for every star they earn.  They LOVE it!  It has become a competition with themselves to see if they can earn all ten stars and keep it there.

Seriously, I have spent worse money on some no good worthless apps. This app, my friends, is NOT one of them.  Go. Buy it now. You won't be sorry.

P.S. My colleague has the free version. Despite it not having as many options, he loves it too!

Classroom Management Ideas

When it comes to classroom management, I try to employ a variety of positive reinforcement with my students.  My main system that I use is a classroom economy.  In the beginning of the year, students apply for classroom jobs (which they keep the ENTIRE year.) We discuss things such as online job applications (get your copy here for free), resumes, and interviews and talk about what to do and what not to do.  Students each interview with me for the job they would like and I hire them based upon what students I think would be best for each job. (I always try to give them one of their top three choices.)  Once jobs are in place, students are put on payroll. I actually have a spreadsheet and mailmerge that allows me to print out paychecks for each student.  These paychecks reflect what a real check would look like.  I take out taxes to help run the "city" and we discuss what each of those taxes are, etc.  These checks are deposited into their bank accounts, which give them online banking access at www.mykidsbank.org. So again, students learn all about checking accounts and even have checks of their own that they can use to pay for fines or things they purchase. 

mykidsbank.org - IT'S FREE!

Sample Paycheck

In addition to the checks, students can earn class cash, which in my classroom is called Kenzie Kash (named after my daughter, Kenzie).  Students can deposit their cash into their checking accounts or keep a small bit on hand. They use the money to pay for things that they win in the quarterly class auction, the classroom video store where they can rent VHS and DVD tapes to bring home, or pay for fines if they aren’t following the rules in the classroom.  I often hear very positive reviews of my economy system from not only the students but the parents as well. 

Character Certificates

However, the classroom economy is just one of the methods I use to help with my management. Other things that I do are the character certificates.  You can read more about them here but the main idea is that the students recognize each other for their good character.  (Download the freebie here.) 

Puff Ball Payout

Another idea that I do is my puff ball machine. It correlates with the classroom economy in which students who don’t receive points in behavior and work habits the previous week get to take a spin on the puff ball machine.  I did a blog post on that too where you can read all about it.  Depending on what color puff ball the student gets, they get a certain amount of class cash to go with it.  (Read the blog post here.)

Desk Messages

One of my favorite ideas that I do is a weekly thing. Each Friday, I choose 5-6 students and I write a positive message on their desk with a dry-erase marker.  The students really look forward to this each week. I rotate to make sure that each student gets one every few weeks. (Read the blog post here.)

Along with all of these methods, I also use Classroom Scratch and Win cards.  These cards are reserved for birthdays and days that I see kids doing something fabulous.  They LOVE them!  They are super easy to make too.  Basically, I take my certificates and cover the box with a piece of packing tape.  I then mix 1 part dish soap with 2 parts black paint (silver is preferable but all I have is black right now). I then paint over the packing tape with a couple coats of the paint.  When students get a card, they scratch off the paint to see what they won.  They really get a kick out of this! (See my scratch and win printable here.)

Sample scratch & wins (available in my store)

What are some classroom management tips and systems that you have in place? Comment below!

Feel Good Friday - Desk Comments

Most educators can agree, Pinterest is a wonderful place to find ideas.  The great thing about my school is almost all the teachers are on Pinterest, so when one comes across an idea they are always willing to share.  Just last week, our second grade teacher shared an idea that I absolutely loved!  Using a dry erase marker, she wrote little messages on the desks of her students giving words of encouragement and praise to individual students. 

I'll admit that because I teach 5th grade and my students are older I sometimes forget that they even appreciate being recognized by their teacher.  I decided to jump on the bandwagon and also wrote on my students' desk before they came into the classroom.  So for the past two weeks I have chosen 6 students on each Friday and I wrote a little message on their desk using different colored dry-erase markers.  The messages were met with enthusiasm from my kids and they really enjoyed going around and looking at what I wrote.


I'm keeping a class list so I know what desks I've written on and which ones I still need to do.  Since I only have 17 students, each student will receive a message from me about every three weeks.  I enjoy taking about 5 minutes and focusing on a positive little message directed at each individual.  One of my favorite parts about my Feel Good Friday Comments is that they are quick and easy to do and are appreciated.

How do you recognize your students or provide encouragement? Share your ideas below. 

Market Mondays: Reflector App

Since my class has been piloting the 1:1 iPad program at my school for the past 4 months, I have come across a lot of cool (and not so cool) apps.  One of the best "tools" apps I have found is Reflector.  Many of us have heard of Apple TV.....and even own one. (I do at home).  They are great little gizmos.  And the thought of being able to wireless connect your iPad to your Apple TV at school is a wonderful thing.  Easily allowing you to stream movies, show your iPad screen, and more to your class.  What's not so cool?  The price!  At $99, the Apple TV is an expensive technology gadget. And when you are working on a teacher's budget (gasp - or worse a district's!!!) that is a lot of money to pay.  Especially when you need to factor in the cords and other accessories you need to make it work.  This is where Reflector enters.

For the low cost of $14.99 (single user license) or $49.99 (5 person multi-license) you can download this fabulous app and have it do the same EXACT thing that Apple TV would do.  It allows you to wirelessly mirror your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC.  Unlike other apps, you download it to your actual laptop or desktop instead of your device.  Then by simply hitting the home button on your iPad (or iPhone) and swishing to the left, you activate AirPlay.  Instantly, mirroring your device!  Display it through your LCD projector and your entire class can see what you are doing.

I use this app DAILY in my classroom.  It allows me to walk students through what they should be doing, or quickly show them something cool.  Better yet, I can have my students become the teachers and mirror their iPad by simply activating AirPlay on their device.

So let's break it down....

PROS:

• Simply put - COST! At $14.99 you are saving almost $85 compared to the Apple TV. 
• Ease of installation and use.  You can purchase, install and implement all without ever leaving  your desk and within 10 minutes.  Try to make it in and out of an Apple Store in that time!
• Features - did I mention you can record what your doing to save for later?  Imagine the possibilities!  Allow students to access a lesson even after it's done.
• You can download it on either a Mac or PC.

CONS: 

• Sometimes the connection is dropped. But for the amount of times I use this product and the number of times this has actually happened it really doesn't matter. Plus, from what I hear, the Apple TV has the same issue. 
• You can only connect either an iPhone or iPad - no other devices.  For me, not that big of a deal since my school is an Apple product school.  But for others who are not, this app would not work for you.  

So, overall I truly give this product a 5 out of 5 stars.  Check it out today - for $15 what do you have to lose?

Any other fabulous apps that you have found that work the same way? Share below!


 

Character Certificates

I can honestly say, I really enjoy my class this year!! I have a great group of 16 students - with a majority (10 to be exact) being girls and the rest boys.  However, one thing that we have a constant issue with is tattling.  Now, don't get me wrong - if there is some type of bullying going on or something that I need to be aware of, I don't mind.  But when every day I go to pick my kids up from recess, lunch or a special class and they greet me with a tattle, it gets a little old.....especially since I'm dealing with 5th graders.

I've tried a few different techniques to stop this behavior but all have just about failed.  So, in a last ditch effort, I have begun Character Certificates.  I created these certificates that you see below (and can download for free in my TpT store) to help my students focus on the good things that they are doing and not the bad.  Let me explain.

Each day, I randomly pick two students who will award two other students with a Character Certificate.  Throughout the day, they are watching for someone who exhibits good character and kindness of some sort.  It can be in the classroom or out on the playground.  At the end of the day, they give me the certificates and I announce who it was, and why they were chosen.  The students who were given the award get to put a sticker on their chart on our bulletin board and get a spin on our Puff Ball Machine (which you can read about in this previous post.) Now explaining to the student what they should and shouldn't be giving the award for did require a lengthy conversation with the them.  We talked about not just giving the certificates to their friends or for someone just smiling at them but for demonstrating real character.  And honestly, so far SO GOOD!  I'm very impressed with what they are awarding each other for.  Better yet - the tattling has all about stopped and has been replaced with conversations about the good things their classmates are doing.  Now that in my opinion is success.  Peers recognizing peers!

Here's hoping that this awesome behavior continues.  What are some ways you deal with tattling?

And of course, feel free to download these red/green certificates and use them in your own classroom or download my new chevron certificates.  :-)