grade seven nightmares!

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Home : 2002 : February : 24

grade seven nightmares!
By Jenny

Yes I know what it's like to sub in a challenging grade 7 class. On one of my very first days subbing I was in a grade 7 class in which there was a fist fight on the floor of the classroom by the end of the day. What a
nightmare. Anyway, since then, I always brace myself for the worse when I get a grade 7 call. I find that grade 7s won't respond to candy the same way that primary kids will, but they still do like candy, and you might be able to work it into a reward system. I sometimes wait a bit to see how challenging the class is, and then if it's going to need a reward system, I stop the class and

explain. What I usually do is split the class up into teams, and give points throughout the day for good behaviour. I would get them to suggest possible rewards because you need to find something that is valuable to them, that they will work for. Things like PE choice, a small amount of free time at the end of the day, or a game. Or letting them listen to one of their own CDs as long as they're working quietly. Sometimes I write a word on the board, like FREE TIME. Each letter will represent time, like 2 minutes. I erase letters off the word when the class is noisy, and then they're losing out on the free time. I put the letters back on if they're quiet. I think kids in grade 7 need to feel that they're being treated fairly, or they will start to get an attitude and won't respond to anything you try to do. I also sometimes try giving them tickets for good behaviour, and then have a draw at the end of the day for some kind of prize. Hope some of these suggestions help. Good luck!