Chapter 7 Five Powerful Classroom Rules

Describe how you will teach, and continue to reinvigorate for the school year, one of the Five Classroom Rules.

The rule that I would like to teach and continue to reinvigorate for this coming school year is rule 4-Make smart choices. I chose this rule because it applies to life inside of and outside of the classroom. It is important for the students to think about how their choices will affect themselves and others in the present time and in the future. A smart choice that a student makes could help earn a smilie for the class or a personal self improver star due to generosity or honesty. A choice that is not smart could earn a frownie impacting the class' recess time.

To rehearse the rule, I would have the students put on short skits showing first non-examples of smart choices and then examples of smart choices. I could also have them share about smart choices that they made during lunch recess as they are under the care of the lunch staff during that time and I do not see their actions. This has been a hard time for them as the rules during that time are slightly enforced. If we discuss smart choices after the fact and then the next day before lunch recess, that may help to eliminate some of the un-smart choices the students could make and add to the smart ones.

Honoring students with a ten finger woo who make smart choices will encourage them to continue on the right path as they will be receiving positive attention. I would also like to have students look for "superhero" students who make smart choices even when others may not. The watcher could honor the "superhero" student" verbally or with a super improver star at the end of the day just before they leave to go home as we have a short sharing time on the carpet.