Clip Charts don’t work for the kids that need them the most.
For years, I have used a behavior clip chart and IT DOESN’T WORK for the kids that need it the most. So last year, I began using Lucky Ducks. A system I had read about on social media.
I am not one that refuses to see the areas I need to make improvements in or one that is unwilling to try to make things better. My dad always told my siblings and I, “If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem”. Maybe 20+ years of hearing this phrase has had a huge influence on my personality.
The system works like this:
- Each students’ name or number is written on the bottom of a rubber duck.
- At the beginning of the day pick a duck, but don’t tell anyone the name on the duck
- At the end of the day the student whose duck you pulled gets to pick from a prize bin.
- Return the duck to the bin and start over the next day.
I tried the new system
When I started it my kinders were thrilled about having their own rubber ducky in a bowl. As the year went on, I began seeing flaws in the system.
- Only one student gets to be the Lucky Duck- You may have the majority of your class deserving to be that person but only one person gets the prize.
- End of the day is crazy busy in my classroom- Between helping students put items in folders, packing up bags, answering last minute phone calls on dismissal and getting bus notes or change of transportation notes to the correct students and being ready for my end of the day dismissal duty it was way too much.
- That might be the only day the kid that needs to be Lucky Duck winner has earned his/her chance to pick from the prize bin. You know that kid. The one that never listens, sits still, or stops bothering other students. Well today he/she did and needs the positive reinforcement, but their name wasn’t picked.
- It needed to be more immediate and more tangible for those students that need a tactile reinforcement for positive choices.
I thought about it during my summer break and have created what my youngest son(and former student) said was “Genius, Where was that when I was in your class?”. As a former 4-Her, I subscribe to the philosophy of make the best better.
With my system you will still need the bowl of rubber ducks with one per student and their name on the bottom. Y0u will also need to print out the Lucky Ducky cards found in my TeachersPayTeachers store,https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Learning-With-Louise.
- Print in color or black and white
- Laminate
- Cut
Here is how my system works.
- When you catch a student making a positive choice, name on a paper, sitting quietly, listening, etc… give the child a Lucky Ducky card.
- The cards can be saved for a weekly prize given on Friday or whatever day you choose. Prizes for this drawing are inexpensive, sticker, pencil, eraser, etc… Pick from the rubber duck bin of the students that earned a card during the week. You can pick three, five or let them all choose a prize. Do what works best in your room.
- Or students can save the cards for a larger prize at the end of the grading period, bracelet, sit by a friend, teacher’s helper for a day, etc.. Anyone that still has cards from prior weeks or the current week is in the drawing for a bigger prize. Again you can pick three, five or let them all choose a prize. I am going to let all my kids get a prize on this day to help enforce positive choices.
Of course the prizes mentioned above are not included in my download.
So how do you get prizes without breaking your finances?
I send a parent letter home weekly. In this letter, I inform my families of curriculum content for the week ahead, any celebrations in the room, the lunch menu and at the end I also include a small wish list of items needed in the room. This is where parents that are able to help can find ways to volunteer items for the classroom.
Many times they send in McDonald’s happy meal toys, items from the dollar store and some purchase new items. Remember that children love the simplest of things and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune for them to feel proud of earning a prize.
My prize bin included items I had cleaned out of my supply drawer that I had purchased years ago and guess what? My kiddos loved their old style bookmarks, funny erasers, and number puppets because they had earned them.
Lucky Duckies helped make my room a fun and engaging room.
Back to School is a great time to prepare Lucky Duckies for your classroom. Snag your copy by clicking the link.https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-with-Lucky-Duckies-8282224
I ordered my ducks from Amazon. I purchased my bin from Dollar Tree.