Practice Cards for Classroom Management


I can't believe it's already November! It's that time of year where the kids have learned the routines and procedures and KNOW the rules really well and what is expected from them. I have been using Whole Brain Teaching's classroom management system and have loved it. You can read all about WBT in this book Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids. Chris Bifle also has a website with tons of free resources.

I started off the year with happy face/sad face for the whole class. I then added the Super Improvers Wall which you can read in my post here. Now it's time to add some more individual accountability for breaking the rules. That's where the practice cards come in. I took my rule posters and saved them as pictures so I could re-size them in PowerPoint. Then I printed them on card stock and glued them onto popsicle sticks. 





I made this very unfancy pocket chart that is numbered with the students' numbers. (I'm not happy with the way the title came out but it will have to do for now.) I placed the practice cards nearby on my library shelf. If a student breaks a rule after a warning they get a practice card placed in their pocket. During recess or free time, anyone with a practice card in their pocket needs to practice that rule by doing the hand motions that go with it and saying it quietly to themselves. 





The practice card is removed after the student practices the rule and they get to start all over. If a student continues to have trouble with that same rule, they get a note home asking the parent to help them practice. They need to get it signed for the practice card to be removed from their pocket. Unfortunately I left that file on my flash drive at school but will upload it soon. Check back later this week if you want it. Here's a pic of what it looks like.



I would love to hear how you incorporate Whole Brain Teaching methods in your classroom. Do you have any tips?





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