In Defense of the Stoplight System

I know I'm opening up a can of worms, but I keep seeing article after article about how horrible the stoplight system is and I decided it's finally time to add my two cents into the conversation. 

Many of the articles that I've read against the stoplight system use the argument that it's humiliating, hurts the child's self-esteem, the same children are always on red, children aren't taught how to act, other children tease students because of them, and more. 

I have to respectfully disagree. I do not think the stoplight system is "bad". I DO think that it can be (and probably often is) misused. Sometimes it becomes a crutch, a threat, an "easy" way to solve a situation and "demand" cooperation. BUT if it is used CORRECTLY, I do not have a problem with it. In fact, I use it myself. 

I DO NOT use it when the child is developmentally unable to meet an expectation. Sometimes students have developmental delays or areas where they are UNABLE to meet the same expectations as their classmates. I put modifications and interventions in place for these students.

I DO NOT put the same child on red day after day. If a child is on red or yellow everyday (or a majority of the time) then this system IS NOT working for them. I come up with a different system to use with them. It might be a daily sheet where we "conference" multiple times during the day to see what kind of choices they made during that specific time. This allows me to celebrate the good choices the child makes, even though they might still have a couple times in the day where they messed up. 

I DO NOT use it as a replacement for discipline or teaching alternative solutions. 

I DO use it when a child is CAPABLE of following the expectation but is intentionally CHOOSING not to follow it. If a child is acting out of character (they're not feeling good, didn't get enough sleep last night, etc) I will conference with them first (I'm not heartless), they'll probably even get a few extra warnings, but in the end even when we're tired or not feeling good we still have to do the "right" thing.

I DO still use natural consequences (you were throwing blocks in the block carpet you are all done in the block center today because you are not making safe choices). So why, you might ask, do I use the stoplight system at all. Well, I don't move their stoplight for EVERY little thing they do. If there's a logical consequence, I use that first. But sometimes they don't care about that consequence or what they did was a "big deal" (such as hitting.) It's also a visual for them. They can see that they are making sad choices. Some may say this visual is not needed, but I've gone with and without the stoplight system and I definitely notice a huge difference. It also gives me an easy way to communicate with parents. I have a calendar in their folder where I mark their color for the day. This encourages parents to either celebrate their good day or opens up a conversation for the parent to talk to the child about how they can do better the next day. 

I DO talk to my students about what choice they could have made instead. What could you have done differently? What words could you have used to solve your problem? Also if I have them move their color, then I'm fairly confident they knew what to do and chose not to make the "happy" choice. They chose the "hurtful" choice instead. But we do still talk about it, because I'm their teacher and I have endless patience (HAHA) and I will talk to them about the different choices they could have made a hundred times if I have to. 

I DO set my students up to be successful. I can count on one hand how many times I had a student on red last year. Overall, I'd say my students are on green 90% of the time. That's 9 out of 10 times (and for many of my students they're on yellow 0-2 times a year) and the students have the biggest smiles on their faces as they tell their parents they had a green day! They make choices that make themselves, their friends, and their teachers feel happy inside. Like I said before, If I notice a child is on red or yellow often and I'm not seeing improvement in their behavior. I take down their stoplight and try a different system. 

Just a couple more points that apply to ANY classroom management system:

• There will always be teachers who misuse classroom management systems. Who don't take the time to love and nurture their students. Who don't take their students feelings into account. BUT THIS IS NOT ALL TEACHERS.
• There has to be some form of classroom management. Students must be held accountable for their actions. Every year teachers are more limited on what they are "allowed" to do. Some of these changes are for the better. BUT TEACHERS HAVE TO HAVE SOME WAY TO KEEP STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS. In the end, students come to school to learn (this includes learning about appropriate behavior) and when a teacher is spending 90% of their time on the same 3 students, it's a disservice to all the other students in the class. (I was a student once. I know how it feels to be on the other end)
• Praise does not solve all problems. I have had plenty of students that I could praise to the moon and back and it wouldn't change their behavior. (and for the record their are plenty of articles stating what phrases of praise are bad, or too much praise is to bad, or any praise is bad) And I do praise my students A LOT, which is why I don't have to change their lights very often. 
• In order to function in life, students have to learn how to abide by rules and expectations (we have laws in our country, rules at our places of employment, etc.)

*Also, in defense of all teachers, when you stick 29 Kindergartners (or any grade) in a classroom with one teacher, don't allow them to use developmentally appropriate practice, and require them to teach way above the children's zone of proximal development . . . well that's a whole nother issue! Makes me so happy that I teach preschool and the state has laws in place to make sure our kiddos are taken care of!!!!

Once again, I want to restate that I UNDERSTAND why so many people have negative feelings about this system. It can be (and often is) misused. I just wanted to offer a different point of view, that the stoplight system, as with any classroom management or discipline technique, it can be misused or used appropriately. I know some people will still disagree and that's okay! Isn't that what we're telling our kids all the time? It's okay to disagree? 

Preschool Schedule

Here is our daily schedule. I have a full day class (8:00-4:00). I tweak our schedule and routines a little bit every year (and sometimes throughout the year), to meet the needs of my students and try new things, so who knows how long THIS will be our schedule. 


I display a picture schedule on our white board. I have a little button I move down as we move from one thing to another. This helps students know what is coming next. Also when there is a change in our schedule, I can just flip the cards around and they still know what's going on.

Welcome (3 minutes)

I greet students when they walk in the door and help them through our morning routine.

1. Daily Folders in the black box.
2. Backpacks in cubbies. (Put rest time things away on Mondays)
3. Sit down and work on Morning Work.

Morning Work (15 minutes)

Every morning, students come in and complete their morning work. At the beginning of the year we do rainbow names. Each student traces their name with three times with different colored crayons. This makes their name look like a rainbow! As the year progresses, we do journals during this time as well. We also switch to writing our names with pencils later in the year.

Choice Time - #1 (45 minutes)

After students complete their morning work, they can choose a center. My TA and I try to reserve this time for being in the centers with the kids asking questions, facilitating conversation, teaching play, modeling social skills, etc. 

Outside Time - #1 (30 minutes)

I'm pretty sure outside time is every child's favorite time of the day! Although this year, we had to wear jackets on the first day of school! CRAZY (and now it's back up in the high 90's . . . St. Louis weather!)

Calendar Time & Math Mini-Lesson (10 minutes)

Our calendar time (5 minutes) consists of singing the days of the week, saying the month, counting to find the date and adding it to our calendar, looking to see what color or shape comes next in our pattern and singing our seasons song. Then we have a short mini-lesson (5 minutes) on a math topic, such as an estimation jar, counting objects, skip counting, rote counting, etc. 

Snack Time & Independent Reading (10 minutes)

A preschoolers second favorite time of day!

When they are finished with snack, they choose a book to read independently while they wait for our friends to finish snack. 

Literacy Time (10 minutes)

This time looks very different each day. We do shared reading and a letter song every day. Throughout the week we cover reading, writing, phonemic awareness, and phonics through a variety of different activities.

Choice Time (90 minutes)

This is our loooong choice time! This is when we do small groups, art, and more teacher directed/needed activities.

Large Group (15 minutes)

Our large group is when we focus on social skills, science, the theme, or more literacy and math. 

Lunch (30 minutes)

Hey, we have to refuel from our full day of playing and learning! In our school, we have a lunch room we eat in. So we have to be very punctual, as other classes come in to eat after us.

Outside - #2 (20 minutes)

Missouri standards recommend a minimum of 50 minutes for outside play! Which is fine by me, my kids loving playing outside and it is essential that they develop their large motor skills.

Rest Time (120 minutes)

The teacher's favorite time of the day!!!! :P

Snack & Independent Reading (30 minutes)

Our snack time in the afternoon is a little longer, since it takes awhile for everyone to wake up and put their things away. It also allows all of our students to get independent reading time. 

Repeated Reading (10 minutes)

We read the same book everyday of the week. This increases student comprehension, vocabulary, and ability to retell. After we've read the book a few times, I start letting the kids finish the phrases in our books. They think it's so cool that they are an "expert" on the book. 

Dismissal (15 minutes)

During the warm months, we dismiss from the playground. When it gets cold, we dismiss from the classroom. 

*This is the third time I've edited this post because I keep finding mistakes. It's not even 10:00pm yet, but it feels like 2am. The first week of school is exhausting!!!!

Setting Up a Classroom Library for Preschoolers

Here are some things to consider when setting up your classroom library.

Find the Right Spot

The first decision that needs to be made, is where is the best spot for a library. I recommend a quiet area of the classroom. The block and dramatic play centers tend to be very loud, so a quiet library should be far away from these centers. I also like to put my library next to my writing center. Many students like to use books as an inspiration for their writing. 

Decide How to Display Books

Here are a few things to consider while deciding how to display books.

• Experts recommend having 10-15 books available per child. (That's 180 books in my classroom library!)
• Books should be displayed with the front of the book facing out. (This takes up more room then just having the books lined up on a shelf with the spines showing)
• Preschoolers are going to be accessing the books. Think about height, ease of getting to and putting away books.

Here are a few ideas for displaying books;

These slotted book shelves are a great way to display books by their covers. I use this area to display books that support our current theme. 

(The books in this picture are from my All About Me theme)

I'm limited on furniture, so I also use book boxes to display books. These are actually locker crates that I use to display my books. They are great because they can sit directly on the floor. They usually run around $3 a piece during back to school season.

Here is a great idea from Kindergarten Kindergarten. The black bins on the lower shelves are dish drainer buckets. You can find them in the kitchen section in Wal-Mart for a few bucks a piece. (I'm actually purchasing a book shelf so I can use these bins to expand my library, since I still have not reached the 180 book mark)

Remember that books can be displayed ANYWHERE in the classroom. They don't all have to be in the "library". I have a book bin (They're actually ice buckets from Wal-mart. Less then $2 a piece!) in every center in my classroom. 

Choose What Books to Include in the Library

If you're book crazy like me, you may not be able to put out all your books at the same time. (This is a good thing! My students love it when I switch out books) Think about the following questions to decide what the best books are to include in your library. 

• Are there any books you want out ALL the time? (Such as class favorites, class made books, cultural books, all about me books etc.)
• What are you focusing on this week/month?
• Seasonal/Holiday books
• Books by the same author (It's my goal this year to always have at least one author "series" out at all times)
• 50/50 - Our ELA curriculum this year is focusing on using 50% fiction and 50% non-fiction.

Make it Comfortable and Inviting

You chose the perfect spot for your library, figured out the best way to display your books, and chose what books you want to include in your classroom library . . . you're almost there! All that's left is making your library comfortable and inviting. You put a lot of thought into this space and you want to make sure the students USE this wonderful space to read. 

• Pillows (I found black pillows at Garden Ridge and my TA sewed some fabric into pillow covers)
• Bean Bags
• Rocking Chair
• Stuffed Animals (Kohl's is a great place to find stuffed animals that go with different books. And the proceeds go to a great cause)
• Carpet

Here are a couple other great ideas:

Bath mats can be picked up and moved by students. The dollar tree often has carpet squares for $1. 

A child sized couch makes an inviting place for children to sit and read. 

Don't miss my post about teaching preschoolers how to care for books.

Teaching Preschoolers How to Care for Books

As preschool teachers (and parents) we know how important it is for our students to have their hands on books. Experts say 10-15 books should be available PER student at all times. In my room with 18 students, that's a minimum of 180 books! Now, think about the first day of school. 18 preschoolers walk into the classroom and begin grabbing books off the shelves and leaving them on the floor, fighting over books, walking on books, throwing books, coloring on books, ripping pages out of books, oh the chaotic nightmare can go on and on and on . . . but let's put an end to that right here. There's HOPE! You can have a large, book filled, and CALM classroom library that meets the literacy needs of the students without breaking the bank by replacing books every few months. Trust me you CAN! Yes you CAN! Just keep reading. . . 

Teaching Preschoolers How to Care for Books

First rule of classroom management (in my book anyway), don't give students access to materials you haven't discussed with them yet. Therefore, on the first day of school, I recommend either leaving your book shelves empty, covering them with something, or leaving the library center closed. A small book box will get your students through the first day or two of school, until you get a chance to discuss how to care for books. 

(3 minutes)

I use a T-chart to facilitate a discussion on proper care of books. 

One side of the chart has a smily face and the other side has a sad face. I ask questions to get the kids thinking of happy and sad ways to care for books, and write their responses on the chart. Now I know some of you are saying . . ."but I teach PRESCHOOL they can't read." Here's why I use anchor charts/T-Charts/etc with my kiddos.

• I can read. Writing down their words allows me to remember what they've said. I can then go back and remind them of what THEY said were happy or sad choices.
• I consider this a shared writing experience. My students are being exposed to purposeful writing. They are learning that their spoken words can be written and written words have meaning.
• A lot of times, my TA will go back later and add little illustrations next to the words to increase the amount of meaning my students are able to pull out of the poster. 

The students will have some great ideas of how to care and not care for books, but they may still need a little direction. 

(5 minutes)

I found this WONDERFUL book (FOR FREE) over at kindergartenkindergarten for teaching my students how to care for our books. 

Someone has not been taking care of this book! This book has been scribbled on, ripped, had things spilt on it, taken outside in the mud, and more. It's a silly way to show kids how not to take care of the book. 

(3 minutes)

After reading the book, we go back to the T-chart and I ask the students if there is anything else we should add to our chart. If there are specific things I'm wanting to address (such as leaving books on the floor), I will guide students to discussing those choices.

(3 minutes)

When the T-chart is completed, I summarize their responses and tell them what our class expectations are for using books. Also, don't forget to discuss the WHY of the expectations. Why is it a sad choice to leave a book out on the floor? Possible answers could be; It might get stepped on or lost. I leave the T-chart up and we visit it daily for a few weeks. Usually before or after independent reading time. 

My Expectations: I call them expectations not "rules", because they are more for my benefit. These are the things I'm guiding our discussions towards and reminding my students about. These are the things I want my students to learn about caring for books. I don't expect them to get them all the first day or even first week of school. There are no consequences for not following them (at least not at first) just gentle reminders. 

• Books are for reading
• Books should be in your hands! Not just sitting on the floor waiting for someone to step on them . . . 
• Hands should be clean and dry before touching books. (My students don't have to wash their hands before reading our books, but our independent reading time is right after snack time so I always remind my students to make sure their hands aren't dirty or sticky before touching the books.)
• One book per child at a time
• Be gentle with the books
• Share books by reading together and taking turns

Don't forget to STICK to your expectations. Monitor students in the library, giving gentle reminders to students who forget to put their book away, are being to rough, etc.  Catch sad choices BEFORE they get out of control. One book left on the floor is a teachable moment, every book in your library on the floor is chaos. 

I know this might sound like a lot, but it can be done in 10-15 minutes. Which is probably as long as preschoolers can sit at the beginning of the year! :)

Check back soon for tips on setting up a classroom library with 10-15 books available per student!

Science "Rules" Poster

I've been busy today (well really the last two weeks) getting everything ready for the new school year. I love the start of a new school year. And I go back three weeks from yesterday! I laugh every time I see these statements on pinterest.

I feel like the guilty newish teacher at the back of the room, raising my hand timidly and saying, "actually . . I'm ready for summer to be over." Not that I don't love summer, but with no kids, my husband at work, temperatures over 100 degrees, and being stuck in my apartment with my adorable but often times annoying puppy dog, I'm ready to go back to school.

Couldn't resist adding a picture of my puppy. (Although he's about 20 pounds heavier then when this picture was taken)

So, back on topic. I've been spending most of my waking hours the last few weeks working on back to school stuff. Today was no different. I made a "science rules" poster to accompany my super scientist badges. I used quotations, because I don't really like the word rules, but I never know what else to call them. I presented my expectations in a very positive way, by wording the "rules" as things that scientists do. We will read our poster about what a scientist does before our experiments and inquiry lessons. After reading the rules, my students will put on their scientist badges and be ready to be scientists.

The poster and super scientist badges can be purchased at my tpt store for $1.00. I debated charging for items on my tpt store or keeping them free. I decided to sell my items for only a dollar. Hopefully this will help fund my new found clipart obsession. I'll see how it goes. Might as well try right?

Here's a picture of my super scientist badges. Click here to read my post about these.

Do you have a tpt store? Do you charge for your items or keep them free? I would love to hear how this went for you. Please leave a comment. :)

Reward Jars

I still use candy as a reward. I know the world of education is moving away from giving out sweets, but our school still lets us give out candy. I do try to give it out very moderately. The two types of candy I give out, are skittles and Hershey's kisses. 

The skittles are used as a classroom management tool. I give out skittles when our room is cleaned up quickly, everyone is sitting on the carpet correctly, we made good choices at lunch, etc. I don't give them out EVERYTIME something is done correctly, just randomly. Sometimes everyone in the class will get one, and sometimes it's only the students making the right choices. I usually only give out skittles once or twice a day. 

The other candy I give out is Hershey's kisses. If you've never heard Dr. Jean's Kiss Your Brain song, it's a hoot. My preschoolers think it is the funniest song. They beg to hear it every morning. The song encourages kids to kiss your brain (kiss your fingers then touch your brain) when they do something smart. I use the Hershey's kisses as an academic reward. When we are doing assessments I will give them out. I will also give them out when I can tell students are paying attention and putting a lot of thought in to their answers/statements.

I used some Dollar Tree containers and a couple packages of stickers (from Hobby Lobby) to make my reward jars this year. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. These will look great on my teacher shelf in my classroom. 

Hope your enjoying the last little bit of summer! 

DIY Super Scientist Badges

So far, I've finished 5 back to school projects. The super scientist badges are my favorite. The idea originated from Kindergarten Kindergarten. After I saw her post about science badges, I knew I had to make them. 


A large part of our curriculum is teaching the students how to "be a scientist." We focus on using our 5 senses to observe the world around us and record/report the information ACCURATELY. At the beginning of the year, I show my class  an object (lets say it's yellow) and ask them to draw it in their science journal, over half of the drawings are blue, pink, purple, etc. After we finish our unit on being a scientist, the super scientist badges will be a great visual to remind my students what it means to be a scientist. When they put on their badge, they also need to have scientist eyes, ears, hands, thoughts, etc. 


So after much ado . . . .here they are!

These badges were fairly inexpensive and simple. I started off getting a couple packages of horizontal badge holders and badge id clips. I got mine at Wal-Mart. They are sold in packs of 12 for $1.88. 

Then I found some scientist clip-art. Jessica Weible has an awesome Mad Scientist pack for $5.00. Click on the picture to follow the link.

The clipart is Skinny Latte by Kimberly Geswein. You can download if for FREE by clicking here.

I designed the badges in publisher. I made a box with a thick black border and added the clipart and text inside. My badge holders are 3 1/2" by 2 1/2". So I made the box a little smaller then this, so that I could add scrapbook paper after it was printed to add a colorful border. 


Here's one last look.

Download for FREE at my TPT store! 

If you are a blogger, please leave a link so I can check out your blog. Good luck with all your back to school projects.