Punch cards.

Pom-pom jars.

Desk pets.

Tickets.

Classroom stores.

Brag tags.

What do all of these have in common? They are used as a form of classroom management tool to reward positive behavior. Sure, these are fine and all, and I myself use a ticket system for students to buy items from a classroom store. However, if you rely on JUST these cutesy ideas, your classroom management will most likely suffer.

The truth is, classroom management is at its BEST when you set EXPLICIT expectations and follow through with natural consequences. Yes, you can reward positive behaviors, as many many students will respond positively to this. But you CANNOT leave out the expectations and consequences. Students should not just “be good” (though I hate the terms “good” and “bad” to refer to behavior) to get a piece of candy, as that is surface level and will not stick for long.

If the lack of explicit expectations sounds like your classroom, there is still hope! Many educators use what is known as CHAMPS to set these explicit expectations. Read more to discover what CHAMPS is all about.

The most VITAL aspect of any classroom management system, however, is frequency and consistency. Before doing ANYTHING in your class, have a one-minute conversation about each of the CHAMPS.

“Okay, class, what is our Conversation level?”

“Zero!”
”What is our Help level?”

“Raise your hand!”
And so on…

If you tell your students what you expect of them before doing anything, there is less room for confusion and no excuses can be made of, “But Mrs. Marks! I didn’t KNOW I couldn’t get out of my seat during this activity!” AND, if your students decide to NOT follow your expectations after you have explicitly stated, you can then give your warning (I always make sure my students have the opportunity to correct their behavior), and then follow through with whatever consequences you have in your room. Don’t let behaviors slide, and don’t forget that sometimes silence gives permission. If you see something but don't say anything to them, it’s like you’re giving them permission to do the thing they’re not supposed to do.

My favorite part of this resource is that it’s editable. If you don’t like what I’ve written, you can change it up - I even added a link to the exact (free) font I used so you can use the same style. Not only this, but I included miniature versions of the poster (also editable), so you can put them on a keyring and take them wherever you go for easy referral.

A few benefits of this resource:

(As long as you’re consistent.)

✨A decrease in negative behaviors

It’s a fact that there is an “extinguishing period”, so a lot of times behaviors will get worse before they get better. They will TRY. YOU. but if you are consistent and have follow-through on consequences, you will see a decrease in negative behaviors with most students* because they know what will happen if they break expectations.

Starting this in the beginning of the school year is ideal, but you can always start this whenever necessary. (It will be more difficult, but it is possible.)

*Note: some demographic of students will obviously have different reactions to different management strategies, so you need to know your students and their backgrounds and defer to any BIPs if necessary.

✨An increase in student performance

Students who can’t learn due to behaviors will not meet performance expectations. If your students are able to follow expectations, you’ll get more done and your students will have a greater chance to succeed.

✨You’ll feel less stressed

It’s soooo much easier to go about our days when we have a plan, right? This resource can act as a checklist so you don’t forget to mention a certain expectation before beginning any activity.