Tracking Down
Stolen Goods

When an item goes among the missing, are there prime suspects in your class? Or might one of the least suspicious be the actual criminal?

For starters, it is best to tell students that an item is missing and ask if anyone knows where it is -- without referring to it as "stolen." Let students know that if the item was taken without permission, it is important that it be returned immediately. You might designate an unmonitored area where the student can return the item unobserved.

If you teach kindergarten or first grade, students might have only a limited understanding of property rights; your job is to help students understand that stealing is wrong.

Source: Ken Shore: The Classroom Problem Solver

09/14/2010