We all know the drill...You just did a cutting activity with your students and their rubbish is all over the floor. The bell is about to go and you need it cleaned up FAST! Most teachers would start walking around directing students to pick it up. Some students would complain, others would do the bare minimum and no one is going to take credit for the rubbish in the corner!
Here's a trick that will have kids WANTING to pick up as much rubbish as they can and have FUN doing it. A simple game called
I Spy a Piece of Rubbish!
All you do is pick a bit of rubbish on the floor (with your eyes) and tell the kids whoever picks it up gets a reward. A sticker or school reward, doesn't have to be big, it could even be choosing the game the class will play next. Students go around picking up as much rubbish as they can. Wait until someone picks up the piece you chose and reward them. If your floor is still messy, keep playing with a new selected piece of rubbish until your floor is clean.
Tips and Tricks:
1) You can make it easy and lock you eyes on the piece so the kids have an idea of the area or keep an eye on the piece out of the corner of your eye so the students have no idea.
2) No one says you have to play honestly- you can always say the piece of rubbish you picked was the last to be picked up or happened to be picked up by a student who did a good job cleaning up.
3) I find for grades 3 and under that you have to reiterate a few times that you know which piece of rubbish it is and will know when someone picks it up. They don't need to bring every bit of rubbish up to you and ask if that was the one!
4) Make sure to inform them that the rubbish they pick up must go in the bin. If you get students only 'touching' pieces in a lazy attempt to win try only announcing the winner when the piece is placed in the bin. You could also try introducing a rule that every five pieces they must bin their rubbish.
I promise, by using this trick your class floor will be clean in no time!
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