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. :-)
What a great idea! I love that they are looking for positive things about otherse. One thing that I think has helped my overall class environment is bucket filling! Tattling still occurs, but it really doesn't seem like it's as much as usual.
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