Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tried it Tuesday and a little freebie!!

Our friend, Holly is hosting her first ever linky party called Tried It Tuesday! I love this idea, since I like trying new things... some are successful and some are not. =)
Photobucket
Back in the beginning of the school year, probably around the end of September, I came across this pin and traced it back to the original post written by Amy from What Happens In First Grade.  She explained that she uses mystery walker as a way to manage her class in the hallway. I LOVED the idea since I have some kiddos that have trouble controlling themselves once we leave our classroom.  You can find her original post about how she uses mystery walker by clicking on the picture below. 
I tried doing this idea a few different ways. First I tried remembering my mystery walkers. After three days I couldn't remember who I had and hadn't picked. Duh... sometimes I can't even remember what I wore two days ago. I can't believe I tried remembering.  Then I tried this by printing off a roster and crossing off kids as I picked them. This worked, but I'd forget to pick a kid, and then cross it off. Or I'd forget that I needed a new roster etc...  Finally, I had my hubby make a sheet of numbers inside circles {green, pink, and zebra print, of course!} and I cut them out, laminated them, and placed them in a cup labeled "mystery walker- not picked". Once I secretly picked the two walkers for the day, I'd place their numbers into a cup labeled "mystery walker- picked".  My rule for mystery walker is that I pick two kids {they each have a number} and I monitor how they walk in the hallway {to lunch, to specials, to recess, during a fire drill etc...}. At the end of the day, my students remind me to tell the class who the mystery walker was... If they did a great job, they move their clip up on my clip chart. If they didn't do a good job, I explain that the mystery walker had a hard time {staying quiet, keeping his hands to himself, walking, etc...}. That person's number stays in the "mystery walker -picked" cup until the next time around.  I don't say who the mystery walker was when they didn't do a good job because I don't want them to realize that since their number is in the "picked" cup that they won't be picked for a while, and therefor mess around in hallway. I LOVE the mystery behind it!! 
For the most part, this works like a charm. We're always getting compliments about our hallway behavior. I still have a few kids who are either completely clueless about how they walk in the hallway, or they could careless about moving their clip up on the chart. If you're having trouble in the hallway, I highly recommend this method!! =)  

Here are the numbers my hubby made. Click on the numbers to find this freebie in our TPT store! 
Happy Tuesday!! I love blogging during the middle of the day!! I could seriously be on Spring break FOREVER!! =) 


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

17 comments:

  1. I really love this idea - so simple yet so effective, thanks for sharing (and thanks for the bonus freebie!).

    Looking From Third to Fourth

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love mystery walker! Works like a charm! I also always forget who has received a turn and who is still waiting. I used to say, "Smile at me if you haven't gotten a turn in awhile." But, you can imagine how well that worked! Not.at.all! Now,I use a checklist and check them off as they get their turn. Once everyone has gotten a turn, I start over again. I think your way is adorable!
    ΡΌ Lori
    Teaching With Love and Laughter
    luvyorkies@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Lori!! I'm pretty sure the "smile at me" would not work with my kids either. Those kids would be smiling all the time!

      Delete
  3. This is a really great idea! I'm definitely going to try this :) I still have friends who have a hard time controlling themselves--this may help :)

    --jen
    teaching,life,and everything in between

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a cute idea! I may have to pass this along to some of my friends.

    Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please do! It's a great little tool in the "tool box of teaching"! =)

      Delete
  5. This is a great idea-I love the numbered chips. Great way to "catch" the kids being good.
    Hunter's Tales from Teaching

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! I'd rather reward than take away. It's a much happier environment when I do. =)

      Delete
  6. I love this idea!! I had to laugh reading about how you tweaked it because that is totally me too!! There are so many things to remember throughout the day that my new strategies usually need adjusting due to my forgetfulness! haha!! Thank you so much for linking up!
    ~Holly
    Fourth Grade Flipper
    P.S.
    Yay for spring break:) I just woke up from a nap with my 3 year old and am now blogging!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hooray for naps!! I took one today, yesterday, and probably tomorrow too! What an awesome linky, Holly!!

      Delete
  7. This sounds like a great and effective idea! Thanks for sharing!

    Tracey
    Third Grade All Stars

    ReplyDelete
  8. I do this with my kiddos too! I call it "Mystery Soldiers" (because what 5th grade boy doesn't want to be a soldier?" :)

    ~Jessica
    Joy in the Journey

    ReplyDelete
  9. So glad this worked for you! Thanks for the shoutout...what a surprise as I was blog-surfing and came across this sweet post. :)

    Love your blog!
    Amy
    What Happens in First Grade

    ReplyDelete

We LOVE your comments!! =)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Blogging tips