6th grade Behavior Management Plan Ideas

[TeechMee]

Good news!!!! I was offered a long term position that will start on Monday and end at the end of the year. I'm excited but I have run into an issue.
The Situation: I have been subbing for 2 years in primarily in elementary school grades. The position I am taking is 6th grade at a middle school in the same district. I will have 2 period of Math and Science and then a 3rd period of Literacy/LA.
The Problem: I've never worked in a classroom where I don't see the same kids all day long! So having a changing roster is odd to me, and exciting. But all my behavorial management plans are very elementary (pocket charts with red/green/yellow cards, tokens/tickets for positive behavior to pick from the treasure box, classroom Good Day Dollars) and I feel like they won't apply to my classroom situation.
Any good ideas to motivate positive behavior and manage a changing classroom??

[h2omane]

Congrats, Wish I could give you some ideas, but I'm in search of a few as well.

[WindyCityGal606]

I've taught 4,5,6,7, and 8 and the most important thing to remember is that no matter the age, they all need routines. Give them time to learn yours by practicing over and over again daily until they can manage on their own. My current 6th grade LA/Reading class love the routines because they know what to expect when they enter my class. They know what they need to do and what they can't do. My first year or two of teaching, I struggled with this thinking they would get bored and lose interest if the routines were set in stone but now I find it's exactly the opposite. Things run smotthly now and can focus on teaching and the students can learn. As far as having to change the token systems you are used to, I wouldn't change too many things. 6th grade is still pretty young. They may be quite faniliar with your system from elementary school and may welcome it. They have plenty of time to "grow up". They are still kids. Have fun!!!

[jd019]

I teach 6th grade science/social studies and here are a few things that work for me. 1) PAT TIME, this stands for preferred activity time. As a class students can earn up to 30 minutes a week. On Fridays we play a game that has some sort of educational value tied in. The kids love it and it serves as a great way to review. Individual students can also earn PAT time for the class if I need to set up a personal behavior plan. 2) I.C.E, isolated classroom environment. A quiet place in the room that I send kids who need some alone time. They listen to a tape recording of the classroom rules and then complete some reflective questions.3) Behavior book, after a verbal warning I record the names of students in my behavior book. If there name appears more then once a week I have the student call home and let the parents know we ware having a problem. I am a new teacher but all these things are working really well. The final thing that my team does is if a kid is on our last nerve we send him to another teacher on the team. We incorporate that student as part of the class and the problem is taken care of because the student feels odd being in a different class. Hope you find something that works for you. Good Luck, Jen

[wig]

Great suggestions above.

Make certain you go in with procedures, teach them, practice them, and be consistent. Following procedures eliminates potential behavioral problems. If you haven't read Harry Wong's "First Days of School" be sure to do so. He also posts a monthly column: http://teachers.net/wong


Also read "Love and Logic". We have been doing the training for the past year and I cannot believe the difference it makes.

http://www.loveandlogic.com/teachers.html

Scroll to the bottom for some great articles.

Congratulations and good luck!

[Ima Teacher]

My favorite managment plan is Randy Sprick's CHAMPs program. I've used it for several years and I love it! It focuses on teaching procedures & routines.

Randy Sprick's Site