The 100th day of school brought a new part of our daily routine. I introduced our "Heart Tree" on Tuesday, and students seem to be excited about it so far. I told students that after 100 days in first grade, they certainly know the rules and expectations for making our classroom a safe, happy, and productive place to learn. Our heart tree is a visual reminder of how we're doing. Each child randomly selected a numbered heart to put on the tree. This number is their number for the rest of the school year...even when our heart tree becomes a different type of tree (I plan to change the tree according to holidays/seasons/themes/etc. For example, in March we may have snowflakes or shamrock shapes for our tree). The goal every day is to keep your heart in the tree. As long as students are following our classroom rules, that will happen. When a student does not follow a classroom rule even after a friendly reminder, he or she must move his/her heart down a level. There are several levels on the tree:
Top of the tree=I had a VERY smooth day and helped make my classroom safe, friendly, and productive! I get to work with a friend during quiet time tomorrow!
Dangling on a low branch=I forgot a rule at least once but turned it around and had a great day!
Top of trunk=I had at least two reminders about being safe, kind, or productive and had to make a mental plan to share with Mrs. Sorenson or another adult.
Middle/bottom of trunk: I had three or more reminders about the choices I made today and will owe 10 minutes of free time tomorrow.
Off the tree: I had four or more reminders about my behavior today and will owe 10 minutes of free time tomorrow AND Mrs. Sorenson will contact my parents about how today went.
There is also a group incentive--students can help the class earn marbles to put in the jar. We try to collect enough marbles at a class to have a special treat! If a student stays at the top of the tree, he/she gets to contribute 2 marbles at both check in points--before lunch and at the end of the day. If the student is at the bottom branches of the tree, he/she can contribute one marble. If a student is on the trunk or off the tree, they do not get to contribute a marble toward our class goal.
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| We already earned enough marbles for a class party on Thursday. Hooray!! Great teamwork, everyone! |
You can help support this system by checking in with your child about where they were on the tree each day. If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me.
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