Mystery Sticks

A few years ago this idea was in mailbox magazine and a colleague pointed me towards it!

This is a really easy and fun little trick for tough behavior days.

Materials Needed:
-A cup or container to hold sticks
-1 popsicle stick for each student in your class
-a permanent marker

Directions:
-Write a student name or class number on each stick.
-Place them in the container.
-Pull out 3 and read the names secretly. Tell students that you are watching only these three students to make sure that they are following the rules.
-----If one of the stick kids is not following the rules-you put it back (without saying the name- but make a big deal and tell the class, "Oh no, unfortunately have have to put one of the sticks back because I saw that someone was walking around the room when they should have been working."
----- At the end of a selected amount of time the sticks left over will be announced and they receive a prize.

I always will be a little silly and look really wide eyed at certain students and glance at the names on the sticks.  I usually do this right as I pull out the sticks and as I look at my "behavior" kids.

This is just a fun little trick to keep in mind for really tough times! Just don't use it every day. It is more effective when you just use it randomly.