Honor Table and Paper Chain

In Front of the Class

by Linda Starr, Education World®

Nametage Holder & Attendance Chart

Create a dual-purpose nametag holder and attendance chart. Hang a long piece of material by the door to use as the attendance chart. Laminate student nametags and attach a small piece of Velcro® to the back of each. Also attach pieces of Velcro® to the attendance chart and to each student's desk. When students came in each morning, have them remove their nametags from the attendance chart and attach them to their desks. Taking attendance is easy -- and so is remembering students' names.

Table of Honor

Reward elementary level students with a seat at the Table of Honor. Every Friday, invite 4-6 students who have demonstrated exemplary behavior during the week to eat lunch at a "Table of Honor." Decorate the table with flowers and congratulatory placemats and provide invited guests with a small edible treat.

Behavior Chain

Are you trying to improve the behavior of your entire class? Attach a single paper chain link to the top of the chalkboard and write on the board a single behavior you want to improve -- staying on task, not talking during seatwork, and so on. Set a kitchen timer for a doable amount of time (10 minutes works well to start); when the timer goes off, put a tally mark on the board if students are displaying the designated behavior. Then set the timer again. At the end of the day, attach a link to the paper chain for each tally mark earned. When the chain reaches the floor, provide students with a classroom reward. As student behavior improves, you can lengthen the time limit or set the timer for an unspecified amount of time so students don't know when it will go off.

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