Author: TCR Staff

Behavior Management

Ideas for Rewarding Good Student Behavior

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Punch-a-Hole Card

Need a way to reward good behavior? Make a card for each student and divide the card into small squares, large enough to place a hole punch. Randomly give punches to the student’s card, ensuring that the student realizes that he or she has earned the reward. Keep the punch card in a visible place on the student’s desk. This way, you can check to make sure that you are not missing a student or unfairly giving one student too many punches on his or her card. Randomly reward behaviors such as the following:

  • completing work assignments
  • following instructions well
  • studying with another student
  • attention to task
  • helping another student
  • showing kindness to another

Consider using one of the specialty design punches, such as shapes like stars or hearts, rather than using the ordinary hole punch (stickers are also another great alternative). Additionally, set a time limit on the card’s use, such as a card for every two weeks, or so. You will find that students will count the number of holes they have earned. This makes the card a constant reinforcement of good behavior.

(Caution: The good student will typically earn hole punches too quickly. Therefore, make sure that these types of students do things over and above the behaviors they normally exhibit. Therefore, you are setting a goal for the good student to achieve.)

Have a special reward when each student has earned a set number of hole punches. Students must know they are working to attain a goal. The goal should be within reason.

Lesson Plans

Activities that Inspire Learning: Spelling Activities

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Listed below are a variety of unique ways students can practice their spelling words. You may want to assign a specific activity for students to complete or provide the list to the students and allow them to select an activity in which they are interested.

Story Writing
Have students use their spelling words in a story. You decide how many words they are to use; the number may vary according to individual student ability.

Illustrations
Draw a picture representing five of the spelling words. (This can be much harder than it sounds; check over your list before you give this assignment.)

Word Sentences
Use as many words from the spelling list as you can to make sentences with each letter in the word forming the first letter of a word in the sentence. For example, the word “paint” could be used as a base for writing “Paula ate ice cream nine times.” You may wish to let them work with partners at first if they have difficulty with this assignment.

Small Words
Students are to find the small words in their spelling words. Making it into a contest is the most fun, and many reluctant students will amaze you with all the words they can find. (If it is an unusual word, they must copy down the meaning.) Use the following rules:

  • Use no foreign words or proper nouns.
  • Words must be two or more letters.
  • Each word counts as one point.
  • If a student uses a nonexistent word, two points are taken off.
  • The person with the most points wins.

Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms
Write spelling words in a list on the left side of the paper and draw three additional columns with “Synonyms,” “Homonyms,” and “Antonyms” written across the top. At least one category must be filled in for each spelling word.

For more spelling activities, check out these best-selling books:

Behavior Management

Ideas for Motivating and Rewarding Students

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Special Mailbox
A cute idea for the classroom is to mount a real mailbox on a support stand. Use this to send special notes to students, praising their efforts and progress.

Some examples of reasons to send notes are as follows:

  • being kind to another
  • making learning progress
  • being polite and courteous
  • birthdays or other special times
  • putting away something left out
  • cleaning up unprompted
  • saying something kind
  • helping another student
  • straightening the desk
  • remembering what the teacher said

The teacher can write a special note to the student who is caught being good and put it in the mailbox for delivery. Have a mailman deliver the notes at the end of the day. Students love getting their mail and showing it off to others.

You can also have note cards ready for others to write notes. The principal, another teacher, the lunchroom people, or the custodian might want to offer praise. You can attach a small piece of magnetic tape to the back of the note before you send it home. Parents love knowing the good things their child does and posting the evidence on the refrigerator.

It’s Awesome!
After students know and understand rules and consequences, this idea will work with success. Cut out the letters for the word, awesome. Attach each letter to a visible board at the beginning of the week. Tell students that if they can keep up the word all week without losing all the letters, there will be a special surprise on Friday. When disruptive behavior occurs, remove one letter. Continue to remove letters whenever necessary. You will be surprised how much peer pressure works. 😛

Teaching Tips

Ideas to Get Students Participating in the Classroom

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Are some students not participating enough? Are the same students always participating while others just sit? Try a tally device to make the teacher and students aware of how often they are participating in whole-class activities and/or discussions.

For each activity, place three of anything on each student’s desk—right in front for easy access and visibility. Sticky notes are good, because they aren’t interesting enough for students to want to play with them, they stay in one place, and they don’t end up on the floor. Every time a child participates in the activity, take one sticky note off his or her desk. Students left with sticky notes are quickly aware of how little they are involved.

A fun way of introducing the activity is to put the notes on each desk, but do not tell students what they are for. Just say you will be removing them, and that it is a good thing to have them removed. It is up to them to figure out why they are being removed. Students will soon figure it out. Once they understand the concept, the teacher can start over with another subject area.

This is a really helpful way for a teacher to pinpoint those students who avoid participation. The teacher will also be able to see a pattern—one student may always participate in reading, but rarely during math. This can be valuable information.

Feel free to share any tips, thoughts, or questions you may have on student participation in our comment section.