Hey everyone! Next year will be my first year teaching 5th grade, I've taught 3rd in the past and used WBT.

My question this time around is how do I use the scoreboard and practice cards when I will not have the same group of students all day.

I start out with my homeroom group for about 15 minutes in the morning. Then have an hour and a half block with a group of students (some may be the same students as my homeroom plus others.) Then I have a second hour and a half group- with some new, and some homeroom. Then I'm back to my homeroom students for lunch, recess, writing, then off to specials.

I'm not sure how to use scoreboards- should I have a seperate one for each group Homeroom, block one, block two? Have the points keep rolling over until Friday- then give them their few minutes of music, mind soccer ect. at the end of their period?

Also- as far as the practice cards are concerned- can I do this with the other students I have (not my homeroom) if the teacher I trade with is not doing it? I will not have them for recess- so when would I have them practice? Or could I just send the practice letter home to inform the parent.

Last year at my other school for 3-5 grade our school wide discipline started new every week, not everyday. I wouldn't think the practice cards would work this way since they shouldn't have more than two...



I know thats alot of questions- just wondering how others handle it all when they don't have the same students all day- but have some twice

Here's my suggestions:

Yes, I would use a separate scoreboard for each of the block periods and label them accordingly IF you are planning on doing Weekly rewards. Otherwise--keeping track will be too much of a hassle. I have a friend who does this and labels each of the scoreboards by the color of their block (their blocks are color-coded).

However, if you are doing daily rewards, you need not have separate scoreboards. You could use the scoreboard points to use for a minute-3 minutes of mind soccer, etc. at the end of the period each day--or for whatever the penalty is you are using (extra pages of homework?, etc.)

I think both depend on what type of reward system works best for your class.

As far as the Practice Card System is concerned--I agree this may be hard to monitor if the student is not with you after the recess. And I think keeping track of that would be difficult! I think you're on the right track to use the practice note as a way to inform parents of the behavior. The "practice time" could be homework practice that the parents have to sign off.

Lastly, this may be a good question to post in the middle school section of the forum. I know that 5th grade isn't necessarily middle school--but this blocking is common in middle school so there may be some teachers out there who have some ideas for how to make WBT work with a block schedule:)