To start at the beginning of this book club with me:
The Scoreboard is WBT's classroom management tool. They don't use clip charts, stoplights, or card-pulling systems. They don't use stickers charts, prize boxes, or classroom money. They use tally marks for when the class is good and tally marks for when the class is not so good. They are explicit about the good and not so good behavior and they have kids working for the teeniest little reward - and the kids love it!
I've created some pretty huge freebies for you - 50 pages worth of Scoreboards and introductions. This freebie has two products - one that is just Scoreboards: portrait and landscape of 5 different designs, then additional Scoreboards for the variations, also in all the designs. The second product is an introduction flipbook to keep by the Scoreboard for your reference, for when you are ready to implement a different version of the Scoreboard and you want to read really quick how to do it. As a newbie to the Scoreboard, this little flipbook is going to save my behind next year!
In chapter 11, we learn to give tally marks for positive behavior and also negative. This is a group reward and consequence, not individual. Students will need to work together to make good choices. Always use the 3 Point Rule - don't let there be more than 3 points between the two positive and negative. Tell the kids bout this, too. Tell them that if they are 3 higher in positive, you will be looking for negative behaviors, no matter how small. And if they are 3 higher in negative, you will be looking for the smallest amount of positive behavior. Even if one kid is sitting in their seat like asked, point that out and give the class the point.
As for rewards, start small. Kids can work towards one extra minute of recess. If they win on the positive side, they get it. If not, they owe you. This can go towards a one minute YouTube video, an extra minute of free time, or an extra minute of math centers (my class always LOVEs these!). Make these rewards easy on yourself. They shouldn't be too much prep and shouldn't cost you anything.
As you know, kids and teachers alike can get sick of the mundane. This Scoreboard is anything but mundane! There are 15 variations for how you can shake up your behavior system throughout the year. Use these sparingly, though. 3-4 of these spread out throughout the year is plenty. Even though we can get sick of doing the same thing over and over, we also know that kids thrive on structure and routine. Don't change it up on them too much.
At my previous school, the counselor would use a type of behavior system like this with my classes as she would teach counseling lessons (about building friendships bullying, etc). She would label one side "Teacher" and the other side "Students". She never gave any reward at all! The kids were always just so excited when they beat her and got more points! I think I may start the year with this system of Teacher v. Students and no reward. As we progress through the year, I'll change the board to Smiley/Frowney and start adding in small rewards, like the ones I talked about. I am actually going to giveaway my beautiful clipchart and go all out with this. I'm excited for the collaboration this will bring!
I'm linking up with TBA Freebie Friday!
