Classroom Rules and Management

On the second day of school, third graders discussed how rules help us.  We identified that rules keep us safe and that rules allow us to have fun and learn.  We generated a list of rules that were good rules for school.  Did you know that third graders sure do know a lot about school rules?  You can tell that they have learned a lot since they started school when they were in kindergarten.  They are certainly among the leaders in the school now.

Once we created a list of nearly 15 good rules for school, we talked about how that is really WAY TOO MANY to remember.  We thought about how a lot of them fall into just a few main categories like "respect", "being prepared", "following directions", and "responsibility".  We agreed that it would be easier to remember just 4 rules instead of 15!  We talked about Ms. Amstutz's four basic rules.  We agreed to sign our class-generated list and hang it below Ms. Amstutz's list as a reminder of how they are related.

Da'Marieon signs the class-generated list of rules.

You can find Ms. Amstuts's four basic class rules under the RULES tab on the home page of the blog.

In third grade, students will continue to follow the color system for behavior management.  Students will begin their day on green. They may move up in levels to blue, purple, and pink for positive behavior.  They may move down in levels to yellow, orange, and red for negative behavior.  For each color, a point value is assigned and students use those points to earn entry to the P.R.I.D.E. party at the end of the month.  In addition to points for the P.R.I.D.E. party, consequences or rewards accompany each level.  In Ms. Amstutz's class the points and consequences are as follows:

Pink            +5         Positive phone call to parent

Purple         +3         Verbal Praise

Blue            +2          Verbal Praise

Green          +1
Yellow        -1          Verbal Warning

Orange        -3          Behavior Action Plan

Red             -5          Behavior Action Plan and Parent Contact

A behavior action plan is a form that students will complete in which they will identify the rule that was broken and what was done to break the rule.  They must then identify why they broke the rule.  And lastly, they must identify ways in which they will solve the problem in the future.  They will sign and date this plan and a copy will be made for their file.  The original will be sent home for parent signature and should be returned the next school day.  If it is not returned, I will then make a phone call home.

Behavior charts in agendas will be completed at the end of day and should be initialed each night by parents. Students who have agendas initialed will earn a "good work" ticket which can be accumulated and redeemed for items in our classroom economy.  Good work tickets are given for positive academic behaviors such as doing homework, participating in class, being diligent on assignments, following directions, etc.