Marbles and Popcorn!
Establishing an Effective Learning Environment with Collective Accountability (Virtual Tour)
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 1: Beginning LiteracyStage 2: Consolidation / Fluency
Ages:
5-8
Grade Range:
K 1st 2ndFood Groups:
Primary: Classroom Organization & Time Management
Transcript
Here is the marble system that I use in my classroom. We talk about the behaviors that I expect from them. The beauty of this is that my students develop a sense of community because they don't get marbles individually. They get marbles for things that they do as a class. Although sometimes, I can say, "oh, I really like what I see so and so doing, so I'm going to give the class a marble on her behalf". I always tell them you get two marbles when I see this, or you get five marbles if you do this, or you get one marble. So they also always know what to expect. When they fill up the bucket, they put all the marbles in here then they get a popcorn celebration. It's a movie, they bring a movie, we vote on the movie and they get to watch it and get popcorn and other treats. It's a very exciting afternoon because it's a way to celebrate their achievement and their good behavior.
Related References
Additional Links:
Reading Rockets: Consequences, Privileges, and Positive Discipline http://www.readingrockets.org/article/consequences-privileges-and-positive-discipline
Activity Objective
The goal of Marbles and Popcorn!: Establishing an Effective Learning Environment with Collective Accountability (Virtual Tour) is to encourage students to develop a sense of community by following classroom expectations. Whenever the teacher sees someone following the classroom expectations, he adds a marble to the jar on behalf of the class rather than for the individual student. This inspires the class to work together to earn enough marbles for a party.
Quick Tips
Additional Comments:
- Allow students to vote on what kind of reward they would like at their popcorn party. - Countless items can be used instead of marbles such as pom-poms, popsicle sticks, or even pieces of Lego.
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