Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lucky Numbers

I took a picture of the make-up work board in action.


It has been one of my best ideas! 



Three years ago my school started using Accelerated Math


Admittedly, I never thought I would be able to fit the program into my class with only 45 minute classes, but I made it work... and I'll admit it, I am now a believer.

Over the last three years, I have had to find different ways to motivate my students.  I started with an incentive chart.  I gave students a sticker for every 2 objectives that they mastered by taking an Accelerated Math test.


As you can see from my students' chart, this has worked better for some that for others. 

By December, I needed something new.  So, that's when we started doing raffle-style drawings.  For any  Accelerated Math assignment a student received an 85 or better, they would receive a punched shape ("snowball", heart, shamrock, etc) that they write their name on and put in the bucket for their class.  During the week, sometimes once a week, sometimes more, we have a drawing for something small (ring pops, silly putty, homework passes, stickers, crazerasers).  Amazingly they love it!  A few of my students did more during the first week of January (during our "Snowball"), than they had all first semester!  They have really gotten into it.  I hadn't really planned on continuing with the whole thing after January, but the kids actually BEGGED me!  So, we're in the middle of "Lucky Numbers" (named by one of my students) and they are working hard.

These are the shamrock buckets that I got from Michael's for a $1 each, and I got the punch for $4 with a 50% off coupon.  Usually I get my buckets from the Target DollarStop, so that's always a great place to start looking.

Happy numbers!

1 comment:

  1. Can you please tell me where you purchased your orange incentive chart from? I have been searching all over the internet to purchase them. I am new in the library and we use these charts every year but I ran out last year and need them again this year. Any help would be greatly appreciated

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