Behavior Management

Something I have tried implementing recently is a behavior management tool. The 5th grade students tend to talk out a lot without raising their hands and by this age I feel they should know what is expected of them. They should be used to a structured environment and be more responsible being that they will be going off to middle school next year. Maybe it is the hormones kicking in and them wanting to do what they want but I think discipline is very important in the classroom and having things under control plays a role in a student succeeding in their academics. There are classroom rules up in the classroom that the students are aware of such as completing the morning routine, locker times, and raising hand, etc. I told the students anytime they break a rule then the first time would be a warning, the second then they would have to write the rule they broke 5 times, and then the 3rd time they would get a stick taken out of their name pocket. Each student has a stick in their name pocket that is hung up in the room for everyone to see. By the end of the week if no student has a name taken out of their pocket then I would pick out something from the suggestion box. The suggestion box is where I allowed students to write ideas on a piece of paper that have to be appropriate and educational related to something that we could in school. The students love it and get excited if I pick from the suggestion box. However, students are still tending to talk out but I think it is because it is my fault for my not being more firm with them. I think if start enforcing the rules they will be more apt to follow them.