I work every year to help my class become supportive of each other and take responsibility for their behavior. One of the ways I do this is to have the kids work with Kindness Coins. These little plastic coins that I bought from Oriental Trading have smiling faces on one side and sayings on the other side. We start out in Community Circle and talk about what "kindness" means and share examples. We listen to everyone's ideas and then I have the kids share with the person next to them a time they showed kindness and then a time when they were on the receiving end.
Next, I tell the kids that we are going to watch each other today and see if we see any acts of kindness. At the end of the day, I give each child a coin to give away...that's the catch, you are giving to someone else for a behavior you observed instead of getting something for yourself. The kids stand up, tell the reason they are giving the coin and then tell who the recipient is in the class. By naming the person last, the whole class is listening better to the reasons (and hoping that they are the one being talked about) before the coin is given. The kids do not have to give the coin if they did not observe an act of kindness, they just keep it until the next day and start looking again. Those who give their coin away get a new one the next morning.
The kids deposit their coin into a see-through container next to their names (I use 2 clear bead containers that have about 15 little separte compartments and they are just the right size for the coins to fit). At the end of the week, I count up each person's coins and the one who has the most is the "Student of the Week" the next week. I give a paper certificate and some kind of Star Student gift (sticker, necklace, etc.), have their name announced on the PA system Monday morning, and hang their picture up in the classroom along with their interest inventory they fill out the first day of school.
We practice how to give our statements several times so the kids get used to the procedure. At first, they start out with things like, "I'm giving this kindness coin because this person is kind by being my friend." Then, we progress to more specific behaviors as the kids catch on. I am always with them to help them if they are unsure of what to say. Then, after focusing on "kindness", we change to other life skills or behaviors that we look for in our classmates.
This also gives me the chance to help the kids that are having a hard time with behavior or fitting in because I can also award coins. When the others see that I am accepting of the student it increases their willingness to also be accepting. The kids become more aware of their own behavior and that others are also observing them.