The Cone Game

Have you ever had a class of students that the normal level of noise is LOUD? Well that is me this year. I feel like I am constantly having students check themselves for the noise level, especially during Centers time. Well, if that sounds familiar, let me introduce you to "The Cone Game." Before ever starting this game, you set all your expectations and explain to the students how the game works. Here's how it works...put the cone on a student's desk who is meeting all your expectations, and tell them the game is beginning. If you see that some students are not meeting the expectations, you call out a code word. In my class it's "Monitor" -- meaning  monitor your voices. I know that code word is kind of lame, but hey, it works. The student who has the cone has to find another student who is meeting expectations and put it on their desk. If the students ask for the cone, they can't have it. At the end of Centers, the student who has the cone gets some small reward, etc. Hopefully this is an idea you can use. It sure has helped in my class.

Hot Seat

Each Friday, my class and I have a class meeting, so see how we are doing and to solve any problems that might be happening that need straightening out. After our meeting, we do an activity I like to call "Hot Seat." I call one student into the center of the circle, and each classmate tells that student one thing that they like about the student in the middle. As I introduce this activity to the students, we make sure we know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate comments. My students always look forward to class meeting, and especially enjoy being in the Hot Seat!