How Do I Use a Star Student in My First Grade Classroom?
So let’s set the stage… I just finished my mini-lesson for Reader’s Workshop. The students are all sitting at their desks working on their interactive notebook page for comprehension (which is their Schema Notebook), and I quietly sit down at my teacher table and look out into the class. The whole class is working quietly, we’ve got Farm Contest going on (which is my table points competition), and it’s peaceful and quiet, and now I get to start my first reading group of the day. The star student sits down at their VIP table and waits to answer questions.
Am I worried about being interrupted? No, because my star student takes over and answers questions for me for the next 45 minutes while I get to connect and engage with my small group. This is genius!
If you’ve ever wanted to include a Star Student of the Week and weren’t sure how to go about it… You’re in the right place! I’m going to share with you 6 ways that I utilize a Star Student every week for the whole year with my first graders. These are easy and fun ways to implement to help you streamline your classroom into a well-oiled machine. Let’s get started!
Here are my 6 ways that I use a star student:
1.) Peer Facilitator: There’s nothing greater than the gift of time, and your star student can certainly grant you that!
2.) Secret Walker: Being in charge of your class in the hallway is an awesome way to teach responsibility!
3.) Take Home Star Student Bag: Taking home Clifford the Big Red Dog on the weekend and taking pictures with him to decorate their bulletin board!
4.) Teacher Assistant: Leaving your star student in charge of your classroom when you have a substitute helps make the day run smoother and less chaotic!
5.) Show and Tell on Fridays: Allowing your star student to show their bulletin board full of pictures and their favorite things is so much fun!
6.) Star Student VIP Table: Why not have a special place where your star student can sit during the week, where they can feel very special?
1.) Peer Facilitator
My favorite job for my star student is having them be my peer facilitator. This is the job I have them do when I’m with a reading group and they have to answer questions for me so I’m not interrupted. They get to wear a visor that says “Ask Me” while they answer questions. I bought these visors from Hobby Lobby or Amazon and hot-glued foam letters on them. I have all the colors: red, yellow, orange, purple, blue, and green.
My students LOVE this job because they love to be the teacher’s helper. This is a lot less stressful for me when I have my reading group to work with and am unable to answer questions. Of course, you have to train the students, but once they know what to do… It’s golden! And yes, even first graders can be peer facilitators! But here’s the thing… you have to MODEL, MODEL and MODEL some more about how you want it to look like and sound like!
I train them that every time a student raises their hand, the star student has to go over and answer their question. When they are finished with their work, the star student has to check it and tell them if they missed anything. They also have to check every student’s work folder to see what work they still need to do. If the students forget to shade or outline their interactive notebook, the star student will remind them. When their work folder is complete, the star student says, “Now you may go to your centers.” It’s so fascinating to watch and trust that my classroom is a well-oiled machine, all because of my peer facilitator!
2.) Secret Walker
This is where some teachers struggle with their class. They are pretty good inside the classroom, but outside the classroom, they are a hot mess. They run around in circles, they talk and laugh, and they touch each other. They have no accountability or motivation to show self-management. This drives me crazy! I know it sounds petty, but having your students self-managing in the hallway like they are in the classroom is one of my pet peeves. Remember, your students are a reflection of you, and I want my students to reflect me in a positive way. I always tell my students: “Do the right thing even when no one is watching”. Which is a life long lesson they will need to learn.
So in order to attain this discipline, I use my star student as a peacekeeper. The star student has the power to control the class outside of the classroom. They can give compliments or reminders to walk quietly in the hallway. Their job is to stand outside of the line and monitor. They are noticing who is the quietest student to get bonus bucks when we reach our destination. This is the secret sauce to having a well-managed and behaved class in the hallway. Since every student gets a chance to be the star student, they are watching what they need to do when it’s their turn. I love this because I can step back and just observe the beautiful respect and leadership being developed among the students. At the end of our destination, whether it be recess, CAMP, or lunch, the star student will give out the bonus bucks to the most well-behaved student who had their bubble and thumb up the whole way. I urge them to be fair and pick a different child each time, preferably girl, boy, or boy girl. If you haven’t tried having a secret walker before, I really think you should try it this year! You will not be disappointed!
3.) Clifford Bag
I choose a different star student each week. I alternate between girls and boys. During the week, I’m watching to see who is listening and following directions to be the next one. This motivates my students to want to try their very best and remember the rules. On Friday, I select the new star student after lunch… and you could hear a pin drop when I announce the name. I’ll say something like: “This boy/girl has worked hard this week, they’ve stepped up and are being responsible, and I’m so proud of them! The new star student is…”. Then we all applaud for them!
That new student gets to take home the Star Student bag that has Clifford the Big Red Dog, his pet carrier, a small bulletin board, and a folder that has a star student template about their favorite things. They get to decorate the bulletin board with pictures of them and Clifford over the weekend and staple or thumb tack the pictures to the board. They can wrap the board with wrapping paper or scrapbook paper, or nothing at all. There is also a letter in the folder that says that the bag needs to come back on Monday to display their bulletin board on the star student podium. The student of the week template has a place to draw their family, themselves, draw their favorite book, their favorite subject, and their favorite food. My students are so excited about taking Clifford home during the weekend!
4.) Teacher Assistant
What better way to feel at ease when you’re not there than to know your star student is helping your substitute get through the day? I always leave a note on my sub plans that says “….. is the star student today, ask him/her any questions you have.” I know that whoever my star student is will always help the substitute no matter what, and they love this job. I’m not absent very often, but when I am, I know my class is in good hands. If I know I’ll be absent, I will let my class know that the star student is in charge and not to argue with them. This also alleviates a lot of confusion for the sub as well.
5.) Show and Tell
When the star student brings back their bulletin board decorated with pictures, they get to put in on the podium outside my classroom. This way, whoever visits our classroom will get to read all about our star student of the week! It makes the students fell so proud to have their pictures on display for everyone to see. It’s so fun for me to see how they will decorate their bulletin board each week!
After lunch on Fridays, we all sit on the carpet and the star student sits in the Author’s Chair with their bulletin board. This is the only time I have Show and Tell, which is very special for the star student. This is their chance to show us their board and tell us about their weekend with Clifford, their family, their favorite food, subject, and book. I take a picture of them holding their board in the Author’s Chair and I post it on Seesaw for the parents to see. They LOVE this!
6.) Star Student VIP Table
The best part of a Star Student’s week is getting to sit at the VIP table! I have a small picnic table in my classroom, and I change out the tablecloth to match the holiday. I have a special placemat that I laminated on top of the tablecloth so they won’t get messy. The star student gets to sit at this table all week while they are the peer facilitator. They can bring their supply box and work over to the table to work on while they are answering questions. I also have small trophies that I bought off of Amazon to give to the star student each week. They LOVE sitting at the VIP table because it give them a chance to be in charge!
So there you have it! My 6 ways that I use a Star Student in my first-grade classroom! I hope you got some great ideas that you can try in your class this year! If you’re interested in my Behavior Management resource that has my Star Student directions and templates, click HERE.
If you’re interested in reading more about my Day in First Grade, click HERE. I share my whole day with you from beginning to end!
Until next time, let’s take your classroom to the next level!
