Although Christmas, the time most children associate with the phrase “Naughty or Nice,” has passed, with N-Week nearly over, it felt like a reasonable time to focus on the concept.  With many new friends still learning the ins and outs of the classroom, as well as old friends who need gentle reminders, Peter designed today’s project to be a game for reviewing behavior expectations at Harbor City School.

Peter made two large posters that he hung from the ceiling.  One was painted with a happy face and said “Nice” beneath the face, while the other was painted with a grumpy face and said “Naughty” beneath the face.  One the floor below each sign, Peter taped a rectangle large enough for all of the children to stand within and taped off the happy and grumpy faces.  He explained that while he and I modeled different behaviors, they were to determine if our behavior was naughty or nice, then show us their decision by running to the appropriate side of the room.  The Tugboats need little provocation to run, so we started the game and they were eagerly off!

We demonstrated both the naughty and nice sides of a variety of behaviors that we commonly see in the classroom, including putting away toys, sharing items, and personal space.  The Tugboats did a great job judging our behavior!  They eagerly shouted out “Naughty!” or “Nice!” and ran to the appropriate space.  On occasion, we tricked them by asking two Nice or two Naughty in a row, which prompted them to simply run from one side of the room to the other.  When we questioned them, however, their words showed that they knew the correct answer, even if their bodies were more interested in running.  Who can blame them?  Running itself falls into the “Naughty” category unless we are outside or it is sanctioned for a specific reason!  Another benefit of the game as Peter designed it is that it was accessible to our students who are not primary English speakers.  While they may not have understood all of our words in describing the behavior, they could clearly recognize and understand what we were doing.  The painted signs also helped reinforce the vocabulary.  Despite a few bumps a tussles as we played the game, I think the whole group benefited from the review and enjoyed themselves!