My administrator recently left a note on my desk saying, “Love to see your students immersed in math centers.”
When I saw the note on my desk, the compliment she wrote instantly made me feel proud of myself as a teacher.
I am sure that when you receive a compliment from an administrator, colleague, or parent, it just brightens your day. So why not do the same thing for your students?
*Guest post by Heather from Recipe for Teaching
I have my kindergarten students working in partners and small groups many times throughout the day.
Some of the activities we do with a partner/small group are buddy reading, math stations, and reading centers.
It is so important to teach students how to work with a friend. I want my students to take turns, stay on task, be engaged, and be kind to one another while working. Working with others is a lifelong skill that will help them be successful in the future.
If you are anything like me, you like to promote positive behaviors when your students are working together.
I have a variety of ways that I promote positive behaviors with my students in my classroom.
One way I do this is by using “Compliment Cards” with my students.
When my students are working in groups, I like to stop at each group to see how their work is going.
If they are working really well with their partner(s), I drop off a compliment card to them. They keep the card with their group until it is time to clean-up their materials.
After we clean-up, those groups with compliment cards trade their card in for a trip to the prize box.
My students get so excited when I get the compliment cards out. It’s just a small reminder for them to work well with their classmates and stay on task during their activity.
A few suggestions for using these cards:
- Remind your students that every group might not get a compliment card.
- Once they receive a compliment card they need to continue their amazing work.
- You can use other rewards with your students for earning a compliment card. My prize box works well, but if you have other rewards they would work too.
Download the Compliment Cards
If you would like to try Compliment Cards with your students, simply click HERE to grab your FREE set of Compliment Cards. (They come in black and white too!) I hope you enjoy using them with your students!
Heather has been teaching for 12 years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s Degree in Reading. Heather’s favorite subject to teach her kindergarten students is math. When Heather is not teaching she enjoys spending time with family, baking, and traveling.
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Alex
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These are exactly what I need. Thank you!
Kerry
Wonderful! So glad they were helpful Kerry! 🙂