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Happy Monday friends!

I'm sure we're all getting our minds in back-to-SCHOOL mode. (I know, shouldn't have said the "s" word when it's still summer vacation!)

For this upcoming year I want to get kids even more excited about using technology in the classroom for both educational and "fun" things. I thought a great idea would be to incorporate the use of technology with positive behavior rewards. Students scan QR codes and earn their reward. Simple & fun! Kids love scanning QR codes! {It must be the anticipation of what the QR code will reveal.}

Whether you have one iPad, iPhone, etc. or if your whole class has them, you can still use this idea to promote positive behavior. I currently only have one iPad, but hopefully each child will be getting them this year in our district. That will be so exciting!!

There are 69 rewards included in this pack, so I can pick and choose which rewards I want to use. My class this year might not be so excited to get the "broom master" {sweep the floor}, but last year they were using my hot pink broom and dust pan to sweep every afternoon!

 At the beginning of the year I will introduce the rewards, scan some QR codes like a magic show and get students pumped up about what they can earn. I use the clip chart and Class Dojo app as a part of my classroom management plan, so this will be a perfect time to introduce some Scan & Earn reward coupons. {This can also be used without incorporating technology if you choose.}

I'll start simple with just a handful of cards--some for individual rewards and some for whole class rewards. I'll use individual rewards with Class Dojo and my clip chart. When students earn a certain number of points in Class Dojo they can choose a Scan & Earn reward and get a coupon to redeem that reward. For my clip chart, when students get to the top {outstanding} they'll get a chance to scan and earn an individual reward. View the complete list of rewards here.

Whole class rewards {such as "Butter me up!" popcorn party, "Let your light shine"-turn off the lights and wear glow bracelets during work time, "Dance Party! - 10 minutes of Just Dance or Kidz Bop music, etc....} will be used when students meet goals as a class. If you use Accelerated Reader, the whole class (and individual) rewards can be given when all students take a certain number of AR tests per week. Keep a simple class chart to display when students take AR tests {I count 80's and 100's --60's if a student has modifications}. Students want checks on their chart and this helps motivate them to read. Also, we set goals each nine weeks for students passing a certain number of AR tests that nine weeks and maintaining an overall average of 80% or higher. Students meeting their 9 weeks goal will pick from the rewards.

Class Dojo whole group rewards can be given when the whole class maintains a certain % of positive behavior for the month. Our goal was 85% positive. The app shows you the % of positive behavior points your class has earned. At the end of each week I record the % of positive points we've earned. {I reset my points each week.}

There are tons of ways to incorporate these coupons into existing classroom management plans.

Here's how to use QR code Scan & Earn Sweet Rewards:

You can also use these positive behavior incentive cards/coupons without technology:





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Thanks for stopping by the café today! If you've used QR codes in your classroom I'd love to hear how you've used them! 

Ideas to Motivate Your Readers ~ Inexpensive Accelerated Reader Prizes

Welcome back to the Café!

Stay with me a minute, I do have some good prize incentive ideas for AR I want to share, but first please let me tell you a little about my week.

I'm so glad Friday is finally here. Anybody with me? What a busy week, and just let me say it's been really CrAzY! What should've been a 3 1/2 day week for students was turned into a whole week because of the snow days in January. And I really missed my teacher workday today. :-(

 I can barely find the bottom of my desk right now! Is it just me, or is everybody else super-organized during this time of the school year?

We took an exciting field trip this week 1 1/2 hours away, and on the way back home one of our activity buses decided to break down. Parents were picking up their kids at 4:30 and we didn't roll back on campus until 5:45! Hanging out in a gas station parking lot for an hour {waiting for a local bus garage worker to fix the bus} with a busload of first graders wasn't how I planned to spend the afternoon--AFTER touring the museum that day. Whew! 

The kids were champs, though, and they ended up earning 2 cupcakes for our Cupcake Compliment incentive {1 from a parent's compliment at the museum and the other from me for being such troopers on the l-o-n-g ride home.} Lunch time was @11:15 and the last bathroom break was.....well....too long ago to remember for a first grader. But surprisingly, nobody had to "go" {except me, but I wasn't going to dare start that chain of events} and no complaints of being hungry. It will definitely be remembered as a {fun} memorable trip. :-)

 Now...moving along to the REAL REASON for this post! Thanks for hanging with me as I shared about our exciting trip. Usually after the first semester or so I notice the kids really start to slack off with their AR reading. They don't seem to be as motivated and the AR point clubs with little incentives aren't doing the trick as much.

So a few weeks ago I introduced my class to the "AR Top Point Earner" prize board that goes up each Monday and the winner is announced on Friday. It's very simple, nothing fancy.{yet} I'll work on sprucing that up for next year. I figure spending less than $3.00 per week until the end of school will be well worth it~ if it means students are motivated to READ!

My prizes are mostly from The Dollar Tree or from the dollar sections at WalMart and Target. I also bought some things in bulk from Oriental Trading Company that I add to the prize board. Below are some of the prizes I've used the past several weeks.

I have been AMAZED at the response of students wanting to win these little prizes. AR testing has definitely increased. I think, too, that having the prizes on display in front of the class helps. {I have a small area of a bulletin board sectioned off for this}.

As I print my report for top point earners each week I notice the names at the bottom are now moving toward the top. And I'm mainly excited to see different students win each week! It shows they're really motivated to win, not just the top readers doing their normal reading routine.

I haven't had an exact tie yet, and hope that doesn't happen. If it does I would probably pull out some more prizes and let them choose or go shopping and try to find identical prizes. But...let's not think about that right now.

Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Café. Hope you're able to use this to help with Accelerated Reader in your class! I'd love to know what you use to help motivate reluctant readers. {AR and reading in general}  Please leave your comments below. :-)

Have a great weekend!