Indoor recess? Gloomy weather? Increasingly complex concepts to learn? Students snapping at each other? The middle of winter is also the beginning of the second half of the school year and students may be stuck in a rut or acting out a bit.
Here are some tried and true ideas I use every year to help keep students learning and on track!
1. Challenges!
At my school, we have several online programs that the kids are supposed to complete throughout the year. It can be daunting to some, so, I turn them in to smaller, weekly challenges with fun, kid-selected rewards.
On a piece of paper, I write the challenge, we brainstorm the reward, and then kids sign that sheet (and get their reward!) as they meet the challenge. We do this during our morning meeting each day and my students get so excited to come up and sign the challenge sheet!
Some of our recent challenges have been: 100 minutes of Lexia for the week, pass 50 ST Math puzzles, complete 2 levels of Rocket Math, pass 3 Renaissance Readers quizzes, etc. I think it helps to break things down into smaller, more manageable pieces for my students and they get to brainstorm some fun rewards, which always ups the engagement factor!
Some of our rewards: Smelly stickers, Class Dojo points, free book drawing ticket, school money, free punches on their punch card. You can click the following links to get FREE punch cards and FREE book drawing tickets to use in your classroom today!
2. Game-ify it!
Have a math worksheet? Cut it up and turn it into a Scoot game! Not familiar with Scoot games? Just cut up the worksheet and post the various problems around the room. Give the kids a recording sheet or a whiteboard and they will walk around the room to complete the problems instead of sitting at their seat! You can do the same thing with reading comprehension activities, word work, etc. Anything that is a little bit different can up the engagement factor!
Looking for some simple Scoot games? I’ve got a few! Click the images below to check them out!
3. Reader’s Theater
Reader’s Theater plays are always a great way to change up your reading block! They are still practicing reading fluency, accuracy, and expression, but they get to do it with a friend or small group and put some acting skills to use, too! Check out this blog post I wrote about why we LOVE reader’s theater in my classroom!
💡 Need some reader’s theater scripts? I’ve got you covered! Click HERE to see all of my fun scripts for both two readers and four readers.
4. Nice Notes
I have a great time handing out nice notes at our morning meetings a few times per week and the kids get so excited to get them. I keep a class list of who has received them by marking the date next to their name. I make sure EVERYONE gets one before starting over. Check out my Nice Notes, with various sayings that reward kids for effort, growth, behavior, and more! I always write a personalized note on the back to tell them exactly what I’m recognizing them for with this reward!
❤️ Check out this blog post with more details about my Nice Notes!
5. “Gimmicks”
Two of my favorite “gimmicks” for upping student engagement are our 30 Second Dance Party buttons and our spinning wheel!
We have a job in our classroom (Technology) and those students get to tap the button for our 30 second dance parties each morning (and as needed!). It’s a nice way for kids to get energy and wiggles out after working hard. Some kids dance, some go get a drink, some rest, but everyone gets a little break! I got mine at 30sdp.com! (Not an affiliate link…I just love our two buttons!)
Our spinning wheel is filled with reward ideas brainstormed by the students. We change choices out several times throughout the school year to keep it exciting! When we earn our “DRAGONS” letters (whole class incentive), someone gives it a spin to see what our reward will be. It’s a quick and easy whole class reward.
I hope some of these ideas are helpful to you and your students!
Thanks! Happy Teaching!
Jennifer ~ Practical Primary Teacher
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