Friendly competition

So it has been an interesting week in 5th grade. In the past week I have gotten a new student, a student has had to leave the room (he threw a fit so the principal intervened), a student in my class got suspended, and I have found a plan that works for keeping my class quiet! The secret? A little friendly competition and stickers. Each of the 5 table groups has a clothes pin. On the board there is a chart that monitors noise level: "Good working level" "Focused with a little buzz" "Chatty" "Noisy" and "Way too noisy." If the group is able to keep their clothes pin in the top two levels, they get a sticker at the end of the day. It's the little things that count. So far, mornings are great under this plan, but usually things unravel the last hour of the day. Regardless, my mornings are productive (and in terms of preparing students for the MCAS test in the spring, the morning is more important). I can't complain this week! Now I just have to pray that this plan continues to work.