How to use Popsicle Sticks and Dixie Cups for Classroom Management

I often saw 150 students a day when I was teaching elementary music in an inner-city public school. While I did have a grade book to manage attendance, I found that the little grids in the book were difficult to maintain accurately while keeping the class engaged in the lesson. I also needed a system that the students and I could easily understand to keep track of discipline and attendance. I invented one that worked for those purposes and also helped me to make sure that I invited each student to participate in the class each day. All it takes is a bulletin board, some paper cups and some craft sticks. Here's how to set it up and use it.

Things You'll Need

• 1 bulletin board
• Colorful background paper
• Paper cups
• Stapler and staples
• Labels
• 1 permanent black marker
• 1 craft stick per student plus about 20 extras

Instructions

1. Staple the background paper to the bulletin board. Then staple five paper cups near the top of the board. Affix labels above each of these cups. They should read: "Absent," "Tardy," "Warning #1," "Warning #2," and "Uh-Oh!" Use the rest of the board to arrange one cup for each class you teach. Label the cups with the period and/or the homeroom of the students.

2. Write the name of each of the students on one craft stick. I found it helpful to also write the student's homeroom or the period that they would be in the room. These numbers correspond to the labels on the paper cups. Store all the craft sticks for each class in the paper cup labeled for that class period or homeroom.

3. Remove the bundle of craft sticks for a class at the beginning of the period. Take attendance by pulling a craft stick out of your hand and calling that child's name. Because the order will change every period, the students will pay attention. This is a good time to ask a simple question that will allow you to check their understanding or even to set up the next lesson. If a student is absent, his craft stick goes into the Absent cup. If he comes late, it is easy to move it from the Absent cup to the Tardy cup. Your roster is not messy with erasures, and you can enter the information later during your planning period.

4. Use the craft sticks whenever you plan to call on random students to answer a question. This reduces the potential for a few students to monopolize the class or for very shy students to not participate. Say, "I am going to ask you a question. Talk about it with the person sitting next to you for a few minutes. Then I will pull three sticks. The names on the sticks will get to tell the class what their partner thinks is a good answer." Use the blank sticks for anyone whose craft stick is in the Tardy cup or in one of the Warning cups.

5. Place the stick that belongs to a child who is disruptive in the Warning cup, and if necessary, move it to keep track of increasing levels of consequence. This system should be adapted to reflect the school disciplinary code.

Tips & Warnings

• I found that by using craft sticks and paper cups, my students and I had a better and more predictable experience. I was less apt to become frustrated or to forget something I said or threatened. Almost every student participated personally with me at least once during each class period, and my records were accurate in spite of my bifocals.