Kara Schroeder #13

Reduce Waste-d Time: Transition Quickly to Maximize Fun!

(Grade 3)
Undesirable Behavior Targeted: Students are taking too long to transition between activities, do not
have the necessary materials out well into the next activity which wastes valuable time for learning.
Expected Behavior: Transition Quickly
 Hear the music, see the visual timer
 Put away what you are working on
 Check board for required materials
 Have on desk only items needed for the next activity
Positive Reinforcements
1. Immediate R+: Plastic bottle token in the tiny recycling bin on the corner of each students’ desk
2. Ongoing R+ Displayed: It takes 100 tokens to fill each of the four big blue recycling bins. As each
bin is filled it is moved to the curb.
3. Overall R+: Reduce Wasted Time Fun Day!
4. I will grab a handful of tokens immediately after I display what is needed for the next activity and
begin rewarding students who beat the timer. The desks in my room are grouped into 4 larger
tables of 5 making it easy to administer tokens to all 20 students if warranted.
Interactive Learning Activity
Reduce Wasted Time Fun Day is a full day focused on creative ways to reuse recyclable materials to
have fun while learning. Using their previous research from the unit, students rehearse and record
informative skits or PSAs about recycling, composting, and programs that resell donated items that
will be posted to our private YouTube channel. We will use recycled receptacles to plant succulents
and Mimosa Pudica (leaves fold up when touched) to compare how structures and functions of plants
allow them to survive in an environment. Students will record properties of different recyclables to
make informed decisions when building boats that they will test to see if they float. Finally, each
student will repurpose materials into an item that can help people and we’ll share our ideas and vote
on the most innovative idea!
TEKS: ELA 28 Presenting research, Math 1.E Organize, Record Representation of Math Ideas,
Science: 1.B Conservation by Reusing 2.D Interpret Evidence from Investigations 10.A Compare How
Structure and Function help plants survive environment SS 4.D Effects of human processes like
pollution and conservation
Teaching the Expected Behaviors: Model each step for students with gestures. I will cup my hand to my
ear when I hear the music. Look at the board, model my thinking aloud saying I am going to try to beat
that timer. Close my Writing Journal and put it in my desk saying aloud that I need to put my things
away. Then looking back at the board, I would say I only need my pencil and my Math Journal on my
desk. Ha! I beat the timer! I’m ready to transition! Then I would have students practice three
consecutive times at first, then have them practice twice at the next transition before being able to earn
any points.
Teaching the Plan: Teacher: Class, transitioning quickly means that we can fit more opportunities for fun
learning into each day! This month we are going to be focusing on the interdependence between
organisms (people included) and the environment. To help us practice our skill, I will be placing a
recyclable token in the small recycling bin I’ve taped to each of your desks if you have transitioned
quickly enough to beat the timer. Before reading time at the end of each day, you will take any tokens
you’ve earned and place them in the hundred pocket chart. Each time we, as a class fill the pocket
chart, I will move the bin to the curb to show our progress. When all four neighboring houses have their
bins at the curb at the end of the day, we know that the very next class day will be Reduce Wasted Time
Fun Day! This day will be packed with fun activity after fun activity, we will be creating, building,
planting and testing out hypotheses all using recyclable and reused materials. The best part is that we
will be so quick at transitions that we won’t have to miss out on any of the fun!
Some Options Might Be: The theme is a bit specific, but the method of distributing tokens and working
towards a goal of 400, then rewarded with a fun learning activity can be applied to any target behavior.
Demonstrate all Necessary Items: Recycled items collected from neighbors, cafeteria, my home, HEB
bakery, folded paper boxes as bins on desks, empty bubble party favors that can be reused by students
after BCP ends, marbles, soil, a few succulents to plant pieces of in pots and Mimosa Pudica starts that
grow wild in my yard, tablet to film skits.
Kara Schroeder #13