make it visual

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Home : 2005 : April : 20

make it visual
By Susie

I deal with this a lot too. I think some students don't realize that they interrupt. I experimented with making the interruptions visual. I assigned each student a clear baggie with their name on it and mounted it to poster
board. Each time a student interrupted, I gave them a chip to put in his/her bag (beans, counters, small squares of construction paper-whatever you want to use is fine). At the end of the day we took 5 minutes and each child counted the chips in his/her bag. We cheered the students with empty bags and discussed how many chips were distributed. We related each chip to wasted time

in the day. Then all the students emptied their baggies for the next day.
This project turned into a goal setting opportunity. Each student set a goal for themselves and the class set a goal for the the group. We even graphed daily progress. It amazed some students how often they do interrupt. It has helped cut back on the number of interruptions. Not all are gone, but it's better!