Behavior and Rewards!

My students are great children, but as we all know, they have their moments!  Something I utilized during my first year of teaching was a behavior chart that also gives students immediate feedback on their classroom behavior without me having to say anything.  I want the students to be able to assess their behavior and figure out how to "fix" it without any feedback from me. 

On the board I have a 2, 1, 0, -1, -2.  Along side it I have a saxophone (I'm a woodwind player!) attached to a magnet.  Each class is given 2 "stickers" when they enter my classroom.  I show this by having the saxophone placed on the 2.  If I begin having to remind students of behavior, talking, etc. I move the saxophone down to 1 without saying a word.  The students know immediately that they have crossed the line and usually fix the problems.  On occasion, I will have to move the saxophone down to 0 which means they get no "stickers" for the day.  -1 means I take 1 of the stickers off they earned last week and -2 means I take off 2 stickers they earned last week.  Honestly, I can only think of one time in my elementary career I have ever had to go that far with a class. 

Next to the numbers is my chart, where I keep up with the "stickers".  When a class reaches 10 stickers, they each are allowed to choose one item out of my treasure box, usually filled with pencils, stickers, tattoos, candy and silly bands!