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Outstanding Teacher Blogs: “Bucket Filler”
“Bucket-filling” is an important classroom
management tool that will help you
build classroom community.
The following is a compilation of fabulous “bucket filler” ideas
that come from the blogs of caring and compassionate teachers
everywhere. We encourage you to read educator Carol McCloud’s
book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” to your students. It is an excellent way to start the school year, as it helps
teachers establish classroom behavior rules which make for a pleasant, positive and inspiring classroom community.
It’s classroom management at its best! No wonder the book took off like wildfire after its 2006 debut. Enjoy learning
from the following expert bucket fillers we were lucky to find.
Guide to Successful “Bucket Filler” Techniques
How to use the bucket filler concept for effective classroom management.
Bucket Fillers Set the Tone for
my Classroom Environment.
By Mrs. Robinson’s Classroom Blog
It is essential to establish a warm and caring
classroom environment these first few weeks of
school. I try to do that in several different ways, one
of which includes Bucket-Filling. The idea comes
from the Bucket Fillers website and the book below
that explains it all in the simplest of words and
illustrations: The concept is simple: we all carry
invisible buckets with us everywhere we go. When
people are kind to us, our buckets get filled, and it
makes us happy. When people are unkind, they have
“dipped” into our buckets, which can make us feel
sad or upset. To make this idea more tangible, each
student has decorated their own individual bucket. In the blue bucket (below), I keep little slips of paper that
read, “I would like to fill ________’s bucket by saying __________________. From _______.”
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Bucket Fillers Set the Tone for My Classroom Environment
I have noticed students slipping these little papers into other
students’ buckets during classroom transition times, or if
they have a moment after completing their work...
It never interferes with instruction, as students
understand what the appropriate times are for filling
the actual buckets. On Friday afternoons, I allow
students to check their buckets and read their slips.
They can’t wait for this moment! I saw many smiles
today as students read the kind words from their
fellow classmates.
By Mrs. Robinson’s Classroom Blog
“I encourage students to fill not only the buckets of their best friends, but of students
they don’t know very well. What better way to make a friend?”
I reinforce bucket-filling by incorporating a number of books into my shared reading time during Reader’s Workshop.
We discuss themes common to the books - kindness, courage, perseverance, and acceptance. Many of the characters
in these books share these traits and are bucket-fillers because of the good choices they make. On the flip side, we also
get to see what happens when people make poor choices and dip into other people’s buckets. These books include:
Using the concept of bucket-filling has really helped
my students see themselves as part of a family or
team, rather than individuals functioning alone in the
classroom. The key is to make sure bucket-filling
endures, and is not a beginning-of-the-year thing or
one of those ideas that fizzles out after the first month.
I hope to do this by continuing to discuss kindness and
teamwork and bucket-filling language within the context
of the literature that I read to my students. In addition,
I plan to fill my students’ buckets from time to time,
especially if I notice students who have empty buckets.
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Start the Year on a Positive Note with Bucket-Fillers
By Mrs. Bainbridge’s Blog
At my school, teachers stand outside of their classroom doors each morning
to greet each student as they enter. It is something I enjoy doing and my
kids look forward to greeting me, too… but during my first year of teaching,
I stood at that door every day and greeted every student with a smile. To
some, I would just say, “Good morning!” in my best cheery voice and to
others I would ask, “How’s your morning going?” But most of my students
would walk right by me, never acknowledging me or greeting me in return.
This went on for a few weeks; each morning starting out with me feeling
down because my students wouldn’t greet me! And then I realized it... they
didn’t know that the polite thing to do is to return a greeting! I spent time
teaching them how to be polite to me in the mornings. I even lined them
all up in the hallway and had them practice entering the classroom and
responding to my morning greeting. Ever since then, practicing greeting the
teacher is a regular “first day” routine in my classroom.
That was a true light bulb moment for me: realizing that children just do not
innately know how to be, not only polite, but respectful, kind, and thoughtful to others. I was so excited when
I came across the book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud and knew that so-called “bucket
fillers” were the perfect way to introduce expectations of respect and kindness at the beginning of the year. Not to
mention a great way to sustain those positive feelings throughout the year.
If you are not familiar with “bucket filling,” the idea is that we all carry an invisible bucket with us, and others can
fill our bucket when they do or say kind things- or dip from our bucket when actions are less than kind. We also
have the power to fill and dip from the buckets of others- and ourselves too!
Kids sometimes struggle to recognize when someone
has done something kind for them, so bucket filling
not only entails teaching students how to be kind
to others, but also how to know and respond when
someone has done something kind for them!
In my classroom each student has a “bucket” into
which others can put a little bucket filler card. They
can do this during recess or at the end of the day.
Every Friday, we check out buckets and students
give a hug, high-five, or thank you to anyone who has
taken the time to fill their bucket during the course
of the week. This is a very positive time full of smiles
and good feelings in my classroom.
Though I usually try and make sure everyone has something in their bucket, sometimes students do end up with
an empty bucket. This is a good time for me to pull them off to the side and ask them to remember if they tried to
fill anyone’s bucket with kind words or actions during the week. Together, we think of ways they could make an
effort to be kind the following week.
My students love doing “bucket fillers.” It makes them feel good to know that they have done something nice for
someone else and, doing nice things for others is a quick and easy way for my students to fill their own buckets in
the process!
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Bucket Filling Makes Establishing Classroom Rules Easier
You can never have too many ideas about
bucket filling in your classroom. One thing I
have done lately is give myself a “bucket” (ok,
it’s actually a clear vase). We’ve been having
a little trouble following procedures at carpet
time or in line - blurting out, talking in the hall,
etc. Now, I watch for behavior that fills my own
“bucket” and add a colorful pom pom to it
each time my first graders or “firsties” as I call
them, are following procedure. My firsties love
to fill my bucket and it helps to point out their
positive behavior rather than the negative.
By Herding Kats in Kindergarten
I use my great Hobby Lobby bucket finds to reward my kindergarten students– or “kinders” as I like to call them–
who demonstrate great bucket filling. Many of my kinders come to me without having been to pre-k, and many
have the attendant vocabulary and language delays, so it is challenging, as a teacher, to establish common
language every student will understand. I love using “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” at the beginning of the
year to develop a positive classroom community with shared language.
I also use a number behavior system in class. It is strictly verbal, as I never liked the idea of having a visual
system that everyone could see (including visitors) to the classroom - I always worry about a child feeling
ashamed with their “bad behavior” on display for everyone to see.
Here are my classroom rules and the number system for behavior:
Classroom Rules:
•Listen while others are talking.
•Follow directions.
•Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.
•Work and play in a safe manner.
•Treat others with kindness
Behavior System: Each day I will write a number in every child’s planner that corresponds with their behavior
throughout the day. At the end of the week, children who have been on a ‘3’ or ‘4’ for at least four out of five days
will be able to choose a prize from our Treasure Box! Here’s a breakdown of what the numbers mean for my parents.
4 - Your child had GREAT behavior today. I didn’t even
need to give a reminder. This is Very hard to get please celebrate!
3 - Your child had a Very Good day! Although I had
to give a reminder or two, for the most part their
behavior was on track today! You should be proud of
your child!
2 - Your child’s behavior disrupted learning in the
classroom today. I have taken care of in-class
consequences, but please have a talk with your child
about following our procedures.
1 - Your child’s behavior required a removal from the
room. This is a last resort and we will need to have a
conference to discuss how to improve behavior. Please
let me know what time is most convenient for you.
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“Have You Filled a Bucket Today?”
This system has worked really well for the past two years. My parents are very
good about checking the number in the planner each day. I rarely have anyone
on a ‘2’ and I’ve only had about three children get a ‘1’ in two years! I have
also never had a parent complaint or issue! Then Sarah* came along…
Bucket filling helped me solve some unusual behavior problems.
After a few weeks of school, towards the end of the day, Sarah was extremely disruptive during group time. After a
reminder, I finally said “Sarah, you’re on a `2´ now.” to which she replied “That’s ok, I’m fine with a `2´.”
Just like that… I could see my whole behavior system going up in smoke. If Sarah was ok with a `2´ then the other
children would soon see it the same way. No longer would I get results from just saying “Do I need to put you
on a `2´?” I pulled Sarah aside and had a quick word with her about the fact that a `2´ was not ok with me, or her
mother, or the principal…and that if the behavior continued she could expect to have a conference with all three of
us. She settled down, but I knew I had to have something else in addition to my number system for those students
who “didn’t care.”
* Names have been changed to protect privacy.
How to Organize an Effective Bucket Filler Plan for Behavior Modification:
That’s when I found “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” Here was a simple story that explained things on a
kindergarten level. Suddenly we had the common vocabulary that I desired - children could talk about how
someone filled their bucket and give examples. Instead of screeching, “Give me that! I had it first!” when someone
took a crayon or toy, suddenly they were saying, “That’s being a bucket dipper!”
Children who “didn’t care” about the number system certainly cared when I
said “Reading time is my favorite part of the day, please don’t be a bucket
dipper by interrupting.”
I got most of my printables from Teaching Heart’s page and found that they
really helped children integrate the bucket filler ideas.
I decided against doing a visual system with my buckets, simply because
I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it, and I worried about children
taking pom poms from other buckets, etc. Instead, we do a simple end of
day meeting where the children talk about others who filled their bucket that
day. The only rule is that you cannot talk about something you did; only what
someone else did to fill your bucket. I then award a bucket to those students
who have shown great bucket-filling behavior that day.
If someone has already earned a bucket, but had a lot of good bucket filling
moments, then I give them a sticker or stamp. In the beginning it’s easy to
pick students, but towards the end when there are just those few kids left
who have difficulty “playing well with others” I have to keep a sharp eye out
for any bucket filling behavior and make sure to bring it up at our meeting.
This also helps me to focus on the positive side of those students rather than
looking for the negatives.
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We Are Bucket Fillers!
Don’t Hesitate to Involve Parents in Bucket-Filling!
I did have one student last year who had some severe behavior issues.
At the beginning of the year he spent most of his time hiding under
tables and in the cubbies (until I began blocking them off after the
children put their backpacks away). After two weeks of letting him
acclimate, we had a meeting with his mother and decided on a special
system for him. Instead of numbers, he could earn a sticker for a.m.
behavior and a sticker for p.m. behavior. I created a simple sticker chart
for him that goes along with the bucket theme. After a set number of
stickers his mother rewarded him with a special prize.
His behavior didn’t turn around over night, and his problems are likely
to continue long term, but this incentive chart got him interested in our
classroom and gave him a more immediate reward for behavior. I kept
the chart in his planner and had a mini meeting with him twice a day to let him pick out his sticker, or talk about
why he didn’t get a sticker and how to improve his behavior the rest of the day.
That’s how I use this great concept in my class! I really believe that this book is an effective classroom
management tool!
By Yearn to Learn Blog
For the past several years I’ve used the popular Bucket
Filler books by Carol McCloud in my classroom. If you’ve
not taken a peek at this series it is a MUST do. At the
start of every school year, I begin the bucket filler program.
I have this bulletin board display of personalized buckets
for classmates to add positive bucket filler thoughts.
Here’s my Bucket Filler Bulletin Board. I personalized each
bucket with student’s names and taped them to party
favor treat boxes.
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We each have our own buckets that get filled as we
fill others. An important part of our weekly classroom
routine is recognizing our Bucket-Filling efforts. I will
read aloud notes that are written by our peers and then
put the notes in each student’s bucket. At the end of
the year students have a wonderful keepsake of all the
ways others have “Filled their Bucket.” These are the
slips we use: (Above)
In addition, I found an adorable Bucket Filler song
online written by Ken Beere. You can find it on my
classroom website. Be sure to grab a copy of the song
lyrics I typed up. Also view the video skits done by
Fairmont Elementary School. The song and videos are
a GREAT way to get Bucket Fillers off to a great start in
your classroom!
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You’re never too old to appreciate bucket-filling!
By First Time at Fifth Grade
I was looking around on different blogs to help me get into the elementary
mindset. When I saw “Bucket Filling,” I was unsure whether it would be too
young for my fifth graders. The more I read about it, the more I felt that it was
not too young. I have only been doing it for a short time, but I love it! Bucketfilling is so natural to help build rules for the classroom. The focus on the positive
is such a nice change for some students.
I have four students this year who are new to the school. I think Bucket Filling
has benefited them the most. I have watched them filling out cards, thanking
people and getting to know each other’s names. It also has shown the other kids
how the little things add up. Reminding a new student where the bathroom is
might seem little, but is huge to a new nervous student.
My fifth graders are switching classrooms for the first time to get them ready for middle school. I had a student
come up to me and ask if they could fill out some slips for other fifth graders not in our homeroom. Now we have a
special delivery place so that I can give them to students in other classrooms! It has made a happy community of
learners. I think it’s a good lesson to remind them that they are never too old to thank people for being kind. I plan
on having my students fill out slips for their parents for back-to-school night and will also ask the parents to write
one and put it in their child’s bucket!
Notes:
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