On Task

Calling Teachers Everywhere! 

So, as you all have probably discovered long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away... okay sorry :] anyway as I was saying: students get off track. Whether you're just starting the lesson or just finishing the lesson or just walking in the door or maybe they aren't even there, somehow the student will be off track, off task, off point, whatever you want to call it. However, I have discovered two very simple, very genius ways of fixing this. Well, okay, not fixing. But, two ways to make your life as a teacher a lot less hectic and you're less likely to go home and drink that whole fifth of whisky you have in the liquor cabinet because Johnny and Susie Q won't shut their mouths long enough for you to explain to the rest of the class what to do.

1. Hole Punch Point Sucker- this is aptly named because it literally sucks the points away from those students who do not and will not do as they are told. This idea is best for individual work and it's quick and efficient and all it requires is a single hole-puncher.
When students are working on individual work, worksheets, handouts, etc. and Johnny the Dingleberry continually wags his mouth to form words that don't seem to be in the form of any language known in America, and repeatedly beats his pencil on his desk because he aspires to be on the drumline, simply walk by and hole punch his paper at the top. If Johnny the Dingleberry continues to disrupt others around him and insists on adding cymbal sounds to his drumbeats, walk by again and hole punch his paper a second time, and so on. When papers get taken up, good boys and girls who took a solid interest in their work and received no hole punches will receive 100's. Johnny the Dingleberry, however, will receive 5 points off for every hole punch in his paper. This is great if you allow students to take home work that is not finished in class and bring it home or if you don't have time to grade papers right away and can't remember right off hand who behaved in class that day or not. Johnny the Dingleberry will be served justice that day.

2. Individual/Group Point Tracker- this is the best idea I have ever had when it comes to group projects because I was always the kid that got stuck doing all the work and everyone else got my credit! This will involve a little extra time. Basically, if you know you are going to do a group project, you will need to make little strips of paper that include a place for the students name, block, and include numbers in increments of 10 going vertically down the page like so:

Name____________
Block____________
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100

Each student should be given a strip like this and I would suggest making them with spaces between the numbers or with lines because you will need to be able to cut. When students are divided into groups, students should be instructed to contribute to the group however the group decides, but everyone must participate. If students do not participate, or if you walk around the room and notice large amounts of conversation not pertaining to the group project and it is disturbing other groups, cut off the bottom portion of that or those student(s) strips so that they are now left with a strip starting with 90. Every time you walk by and a student is not helping, or refuses to help, or continues to talk with other group members about non school related or non group related tasks, another strip gets cut.

When students leave the room they should hand you their strips as they will serve as their "exit ticket." This allows you to grade the group work as a whole, but to give the individual their own grade based off their work in class. If I had to cut twice, their individual grade would be an 80, four times, a 60 and so on.

My students who are just like me think I'm a genius. I ask them what took them so long to figure that out! :]