From the 15+ variations of the Scoreboard in Chapter 11, pick five you will use in the school year. Explain why you picked each one and estimate how long you will use your selection before going on to the next.
Pages 62-76
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I plan to begin my year using the traditional scoreboard with the goal being a one to two minute “true story” each day. This will be a simple way to introduce the scoreboard and students will learn about me in the process. A variation I might try for the second (or third week) is for the class to work toward a true story from a student. I could randomly pull a student’s name to share his or her story with the class. After about a week of this, I might allow ALL students to turn to a partner and share a “true story”.
ReplyDeleteNext I plan to continue with the original scoreboard, but vary the rewards (recess, homework, extra credit, etc.) each week for a few weeks. This will keep the scoreboard simple so that my students will learn about my high expectations for earning the rewards.
The Virtue Board is a variation I will use next (early in the year) to focus students’ attention on appropriate behaviors and to set the tone for the rest of the year.
After the Virtue Board, I’d like to label the scoreboard with “captain and crew,” etc. just to add variety. I will also rotate the rewards. At this point I will allow leaders the opportunity to write down reward ideas to be placed in a jar and pull one each week to add mystery (perhaps not revealing the reward until it is earned). The reward could be placed face down on the board near the scoreboard. If it is earned, it is revealed, if not, it is placed back in the jar and another reward is pulled for the next week.
Mystery Road is a variation I can’t wait to implement, but I will wait until later in the year when motivation is fading. This would be a perfect variation to use as we prepare for state testing.
There are SO MANY variations and I would love to use them all, but an important point I learned from this chapter is, “Too much variety in how you’re using the Scoreboard will make your class less, not more, focused on the goal of positive, learning behavior.”
Sandy,
DeleteYou have laid out a great plan for your year using the Scoreboard Game! Here are 25 certification points for you!
To help ensure that the Scoreboard is always a strong focus of my Whole Brain Teaching classroom, I will use a minimum of the five Scoreboard variations. The first variation, which I have previously used, will be Ping Pong. Ping Pong helps students realize that I am looking for positive and negative behavior; when I put up Ping Pong points, I have had students tell me I have eyes in the back of my head. Secondly, I would begin using the Marker Move, which will keep students on their toes and wanting to do the appropriate behavior so they can earn a smiley. Since the Marker Move goes so well with the Fake, I will use Fake next. Students will think they are getting the point and instead, I will trick them. I can hear the students groaning now and see them trying to improve their behavior quickly. Sometimes, I like to switch up what students say when they get smiley or frowny points, so I will use Pirates next. Instead of just using the Pirates theme, this could be a Hawaiian theme, Halloween theme, Christmas theme, etc. Students get excited when they get to change up the saying and even look at the smiley/frowny faces daily to see if the picture has changed. The last scoreboard variation I will definitely try is going to be the Drum Roll. I even like the “In your face” but instead, I will have my students say “Swoosh, In your face!” so that it feels more like they earned the point. Even though I will probably use all the variations at one point in time next year, I want to focus my efforts on effectively incorporating these five variations. Since I have never tried the Marker Move, Fake, and Drum Roll, I am really excited to see what happens this school year.
ReplyDeleteLaken,
DeleteNice job choosing 5 variations of the scoreboard. Here are 25 certification points for you!
The first scoreboard I would introduce to my students is the smiley/sad face. This scoreboard will be easy for students to get the concept of scoreboard. It is not difficult to figure out if you are doing something correct or not when you make a mark on the smiley/sad side of the board. Students generally want to please and they love free time, especially 6th graders.
ReplyDeleteAfter students are fully engaged in the smiley/sad scoreboard in about a month or so, I will had to it boys/girls. There is nothing better to get students to work than boys vs. girls. They love to out do one another. This will reengage them in the rules and learning tasks at hand. This is an extension of the smiley/sad face scoreboard, but at a different level of friendly competition.
In another month, I will introduce fake. This will really get 6th grade going. Sixth graders live in a world of instant and this will make them work a little harder to get that much needed gratification. I will use this when students begin to slack and lose momentum. This will only be used at those moments. I will use fake for about a week and then let this scoreboard rest until needed again.
Another scoreboard I will introduce in about another month is doubler. This, again, will only be used when students begin to lose luster. Students love to play double or nothing and this will be the scoreboard version of the game. Who would not want to get double marks for doing what is asked? After about a week or so, this scoreboard will go away and come back out when needed. This one is good to alternate with fake. Too much of a good thing can be disastrous for sixth graders. They need small doses of the good stuff to get them jump-started and back to being the great students they are.
The fifth scoreboard I will definitely use next year is pirate. Who doesn’t like to act like a pirate? This is catchy and will motivate students at the end of the year when they are hit with review after review and test after test. This scoreboard will give some comic relief these tense moments.
All of the scoreboard ideas are great. Another one that I will keep in my bag of tricks is beat the clock. This scoreboard will be used when students get a little lazy when following directions or completing menial tasks. Sixth graders love to beat their time and this could also be good to incorporate with the super improver wall. One cannot go wrong using WBT scoreboard techniques.
Debora,
DeleteGreat job selecting the Scoreboard games that will benefit your kids the most! Here are 25 certification points for you along with 5 BONUS POINTS for an extra thorough post!
At the beginning of the year I will use the Happy Face/Frownie Face Scoreboard to help the students learn the basic concept of how the Scoreboard works. Because I see students in one hour blocks of time rather than an entire day, the traditional scoreboard will remain effective for my students for several months. I will periodically during this time use the Ping-Pong to build momentum toward the end of the week and will alternate this with the Happy Face/Frownie Face Scoreboard as needed for maximum class participation. Probably about Thanksgiving, I’ll need to pull out a new tactic to compete with the upcoming holidays. My students will love Drum Roll since they’ll get to make noise AND continue to receive points for on-task behavior! Since I am going to be sharing a room with my husband, another WBT with second graders…our Drum Roll may sometimes have to be adapted to use the practice drums that you can only hear through earphones. We’ll pretend to put our earphones on and do great BIG motions without the sound which will be equally reinforcing because we will all look so funny as we are doing big drumming motions with no drumming sound. When it’s time for the Oh, Yeah…we will scream it silently with all the mouth and face motions as I mark the scoreboard. When it’s time to add more variation to the scoreboard (and I anticipate this being in the early spring), I’ll employ the Mystery Road. I love this idea and my kids will too. They will work all of the hour to have two minutes of walking on stompers (canned shaped devices they stand on with a plastic cord for each hand). This will be another scoreboard that I’ll intersperse with the regular Happy Face/Frownie Face Scoreboard so they never know when it’s coming. I might even use it in the middle of a class just to increase participation if we’re having a slow day. I want them to be begging me to use the Mystery Road or the Drum Roll. As school is winding down, I’ll use the Doubler to maintain interest until the last day of school and explain the Doubler as being a 3rd grade Scoreboard that they are now ready for! I’m getting excited about 2013-14 just planning out my scoreboards!
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteGreat choices for your Scoreboard Game! Here are 25 certification points for you plus 5 BONUS POINTS!
OH YEAH, Sweet mama we love those extra certification points!!!!
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the school year, I would start with the traditional smiley and frowny faces. I would use this scoreboard for the first two months of school. To avoid the problem of students getting board with this, I would vary the rewards and penalties. I would start with more and less recess. After a few weeks, I would change it to more and less homework. “Students will work extremely hard to avoid a small amount of work.” I think a chance at less homework would really motivate my students. Once I have taught the Daily Five, I would change it to minutes of computer time.
ReplyDeleteIn November I would introduce the “Pirates” strategy. With Thanksgiving this month, I would label the scoreboard Farmer vs. Turkey. In December I would change it up and use Grinch vs. Elves. When students score a point, they would say “ho ho ho.” When the teacher scores a point, they would say “heh heh heh.”
Once we come back from Winter Break, I would introduce the “Drum Roll” strategy. This seems like something that students would really enjoy. I would definitely add in the “in your face” part. This is such a motivating thing for students. I would use this for a month or so.
The next scoreboard I would introduce is the “Team Scoreboard.” At this point of the year we have really worked on teamwork and how important it is to work cooperatively as a team. My room is normally set up into four groups. I would split the four groups into two bigger groups. I like the idea of lining up first as the prize. Once we have used this scoreboard for a few weeks, I would change it so that the teams were scoring points for the class as a whole. This would encourage teamwork even more. When both teams have a total of three more positives then negatives, they would earn an extra recess.
The final scoreboard I would use in mid April through June is “Boombox.” I think this would be something exciting and motivating for students. They would work hard to hear even thirty seconds of music. As we get closer to the end of the school year, I am hoping they will earn a few minutes of music. How fun that would be!
Elissa,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas for your Scoreboard! I love the labeling ideas for November and December! Check out your 3rd sentence for a tiny spelling error. Here are 20 certification points for you plus 5 BONUS POINTS!
At the beginning of the school year, I will use the smiley-frowney scoreboard to get students accustomed to how we use the scoreboard. After students have gotten used to the "normal" scoreboard and are beginning to rest easy, that is when it is time to change it up. Below are the five scoreboard variations that I plan to use and rotate throughout the school year.
ReplyDeletePing-Pong: My students sit at tables, so I easily have four groups of students that I can ping-pong back and forth between. When one table is on the ball and the table beside them is off the hook, I can reward the good behavior and then take points for the negative behavior. This way students will know that I am always watching for both good and bad behavior and their points and come just as easily as they can go.
Fake: This past year in using the scoreboard, my students could tell when I was going to mark and point and they would already begin to give me a might oh yeah or a might groan when I made my arm made its way to the scoreboard, so the marker would always stop short. I plan to better train my students this year not to react until I mark the point, by telling them to "wait for it…". By using the fake, if this behavior begins, I can just "fake" them out and not give them the point and quickly explain why before moving on to the next part of the lesson.
Doubler: Like the book says, getting double marks on the scoreboard is so much more exciting. This variation is for later on in the year when the scoreboard is really becoming boring to students and nothing else has helped to keep it exciting. Double points are just like a double-stuffed Oreo. Who doesn't like double?
Drum Roll: At a time when students are being absolutely awesome, they deserve a drum roll. Second graders love to make noise and beat on the tables once in a while, so students will drum roll as I make my way to the board and once I mark the point, they will give me their biggest and best Mighty Oh Yeah! I am not very fond of the idea of having students saying "in your face" because I can see them using that towards each other and we end up with hurt feelings. This will be something I will have to gauge if my students can handle appropriately and this may be something I add to the drum roll piece.
Beat the Clock: This is a great strategy because I have seen with my own students that they love to try to beat a record previously set. So during the lesson, when a negative behavior occurs, I will stop the timer and mark that time on the board. From that point on, the students are going to have to try to beat that time without displaying the chosen negative behavior. If students are able to beat that time, they will earn a point. If not, then a negative point will be rewarded. Students enjoy a little healthy competition!
I'm very excited about using the scoreboard and all the variations this coming school year.
Allyson,
ReplyDeleteGood job choosing 5 different scoreboard techniques. A few suggestions to make this a quality piece of writing - First, proofread your Ping Pong and Fake paragraphs for spelling and mechanical errors. Then, double check the prompt to make sure you have addressed all parts. An important part of this prompt was how long you will use each variation. Outstanding, thoughtful responses will even earn bonus points! You can do this!
So, did I not earn any points at all for this post?
DeleteAccording to the grading scale under each prompt, 3 or more errors constitutes 0 points. So unfortunately you are correct. There are, however, plenty of points to be had. Please don't be discouraged. I have suggested to more than one person that you compose your response in a word processing program and then copy and paste here on the blog. That will help with the grammar and spelling. :)
DeleteThanks for explaining. Unfortunately, I did use a word processing program to type it up and auto correct changed some things such as mighty to might and when I reread it, I didn't catch it. I hate auto correct sometimes! Wish I could do this post over, but that isn't possible, correct?
DeleteAllyson:
DeleteThanks for being understanding! There are already a large volume of comments that we have to evaluate. If we allowed re-writes this would significantly increase our workload ... and all the WBT Staff are also full time teachers!
Chris
I completely understand - most frustrated with myself!
DeleteOf the many variations of the scoreboard, there are multiple ideas that appeal to me. The ones I know I will use include: Ping Pong, Boombox, Doubler, Pirates, and the Fake.
ReplyDeleteI will, of course, start the year off with the most traditional of Scoreboards. I will use the Smiley and Frowny board for as long as it holds student enthusiasm. In one of his Youtube videos, Coach B. mentions, “It’s a long time until spring, and the more students are rewarded, the more they expect.” Most students will enjoy the gratification of earning points and trying to ‘beat the teacher.’
Even subtle changes in the Scoreboard can refocus students and liven the classroom. So, I will periodically add the Ping Pong effect. It’s amazing what this ‘back and forth’ giving of positive and negative points does to bring student attention back into focus. This is the best 10-15 second brain stimulation I have ever witnessed. In such a short period of time, Ping Ponging, along with the Mighty Oh Yeah and the Mighty Groan, allows a teacher to restore student attention. Ping Ponging is awesome!
The Pirate approach works really well for a quick and easy change up. After the Smiley and Frowny loses its appeal (hopefully around November), I will title the board differently. The variety provided by "Yo, ho! ho!" and "Arrrgggg!" is an unbelievable way to quickly bring interest back to the Scoreboard. One of my favorite alternatives is Queen of the Universe vs Earthlings. I know students will be able to come up with some awesome variations and will be excited when I use theirs for the Scoreboard.
Next, I will periodically use the Fake for a quick attention getter. I like the fact the students say, "awwww." Acting like I'm going to give a point will cause the children to work harder, and their response supplies energy and eagerness for a positive mark.
Middle school kids will work long and hard for even one minute of music. So, Boombox sounds really neat. Since I do not have a radio in my classroom, I will write the word 'Boombox' on one corner of my white board. I will then move a small laminated 'Tunes' sign from the opposite side toward the 'Boombox' sign. I will star several places along the sign route where students will get to listen to 30 seconds of music. When they reach the goal, I will play one minute of music. Knowing it's a long year, I will move this to two minutes after our winter break and three minutes after our spring break. Students will suggest songs that I preview and purchase on iTunes and play from my phone through classroom speakers. My sixth graders will just love Boombox! It will be a good option during December as the holiday break approaches and will help keep attention focused on class instead of the upcoming vacation.
Finally, the Doubler will add some Funtricity to class. The students will love giving a double Mighty Groan and double Mighty Oh Yeah. I know the resulting points will tally the same, but "it feels much more exciting" to get double points. It is a long time from February to April without a break, so I will use the Doubler during this time frame to liven up the classes.
I also love the idea of using Mystery Road and the Vertical Morphin' Scoreboards near the end of the year as we prepare for the end-of-year state history test.
I am constantly on the ‘educational hunt’ for fun variations of this awesome Scoreboard system. Andre Deshotel, WBT veteran, gives an excellent WBT forum post on just this topic. All of these Scoreboard changes will spice up my classroom and keep my middle school kid’s Amygdala (pleasure/pain center) begging for more.
Melinda,
Delete10 woo with lightning sizzles! Excellent ideas for how you will use the Scoreboard throughout the year! I am so happy to see you are utilizing the Forum on the WBT website as an additional resource. Here are 25 certification points plus 5 BONUS POINTS just for you!
The scoreboard is a unique tool, and I plan on implementing it right away at the beginning of the school year. My plan is to first introduce the scoreboard using the basic smiley and frowny board for as long as my students seem excited and motivated. I will then look forward to implementing the Ping Pong strategy, Beat the Clock, Pirates, Team Scoreboard and Leaderboard.
ReplyDeleteThe Ping Pong approach gives students a subtle change, but it also refocuses attention quickly. The ‘ping pong’ of positive and negative points keeps students engaged and eager to follow directions quickly. With the reinforcement of the ‘Mighty Oh Yeah’ and the ‘Mighty Groan’, the teacher will quickly reinforce positive behavior and the students will have a good time doing it! I plan on adding this approach periodically throughout the year when I feel my students need to engage and liven up.
‘Beat the Clock’ is a wonderful strategy for instilling good behavior while facilitating the competitive side of middle-schoolers! This will be a good strategy to use at the beginning of the school year, as the rules and classroom procedures are beginning to be learned and practiced.
The Pirates game creates a twist on the game and makes the scoreboard that more entertaining. I think this will be great to start soon after Thanksgiving Break, as students are getting restless for that long-awaited Christmas holiday. This approach will refocus the students and will allow the classroom to be fun, while also maintaining order and structure. Changing up the names and creating variety will spice things up! I think allowing the students to compete in creating their own variations will be fun as well.
I love the idea of the Team Scoreboard as it creates productive, positive competition! I think having the boys vs. the girls, or even class period against class period (I am wondering how this would work, but I think it would be fun), would create more motivation for positive behavior. This would be a nice change of pace from the traditional scoreboard, and would come in handy right after the first semester when things get a little monotonous.
I love the idea of the ‘Leaderboard’ as well! I love how individual students get the opportunity of shining, and it provides me a way to give individual praise and recognition. I like also how students nominate and will be able to recognize leaders in their fellow classmates. I think the ‘Leaderboard’ will be great to use once or twice at the end or beginning of each grading term so I can give acknowledgement on an individual basis intermittently throughout the year.
Amanda,
DeleteYou have chosen 5 great ways to spice up the scoreboard! I noticed you mentioned that you are in middles school. I hope that you are taking part in discussion on the middle school Facebook page! The Facebook page would be a great place to post your questions on how to use class vs. class and the leaderboard! (I'm the middle school Facebook admin, and would love to help you through these techniques!) Here are 25 Certification Points for you!
At the beginning of the year, I will start with the traditional happy face/sad face scoreboard. I teach third grade, and this is easy enough that they can grasp an understanding of it easily. At this point also, they are new to my room and are still in the “ please the teacher” mode, so something simple should be enough.
ReplyDeleteAbout mid-October to November, I will introduce boys against girls. The newness of my room will be wearing off about then, and I think some competition between the boys and girls will motivate them.
After Christmas Break, we’ll try the Mystery Road along with a Mystery Prize. In the circle of the Mystery Road, there will be an unknown prize. This will have come from student suggestions and then drawn from a jar. The prize isn’t revealed unless the students earn it. If they don’t earn the prize, then it goes back in the jar. I think the students will enjoy this one during the cold winter months when the weather isn’t very nice and getting outside for recess is sometimes difficult (We’re in the Midwest with lots of cold and snow.).
Towards the end of February, it will be time for another change to keep things new and exciting. The month of March is a testing month for us, so I think the Drum Roll with a mighty “Oh, yeah!” will work good here. It will give the students an opportunity to do something I usually frown on (drumming on their desks) and add some excitement to the scoreboard.
Lastly, around mid-April to May, I will introduce the “Timer.” In my experience, behavior usually falls off towards the end of the year. I think the “Timer” will add some spice and competition to our room.
In addition, when I use the boys against girls and the “Drum Roll”, I think I will also give my columns different names from the happy/sad faces. This will make it seem like something new.
Cheryl,
DeleteYou have included some fun variations on the scoreboard! At our national conference in June, Coach B also encouraged us to connect the scoreboard to academics by having the smiley side of the scoreboard represent 2 grade levels higher, and the frownie side of the scoreboard represent Baby School. SO for you, you'd have 5th grade and Baby School. It's a great way to show your kiddos that your expectations are really high! Here are 25 Certification Points for you!
ReplyDeleteI am a Scoreboard Rookie. This will be the first year I implement this component of Whole Brain Teaching. I will begin the year using the Smilies/Frownies Scoreboard. I will start with this one because third graders will easily grasp the use of the happy and sad faces. I also think there are a lot of emotions tied up in the faces, triggering the limbic system. Next, I will implement the Ping-Pong variation which will come into play when the Smilies/Frownies Scoreboard becomes routine. (After day 20 guided math and reading routines have been established, so I will put into my calendar a reminder that this would be a good time to evaluate how the current scoreboard is working.) Ping-Pong seems very engaging when used with the “Mighty Oh Yeah!” and “Oh no! Mighty Groan!” The next variations will not be used necessarily for duration of time, but will be used during certain situations. The Marker Move will be used when we are close to earning a reward. I think that this would be especially motivating at the end of the day when the students are close to earning some extra homework or a reward math game. I love the Boombox idea and am eager to use this for extended writing lessons. At times, during writing lessons, we have our thinking music on. They actually enjoy listening to Kenny G or classical music like Beethoven or Mozart. The Boombox Scoreboard will fit in well during these lessons. The Fake will be used when we need a little fun added into our routine, as will the Drum Roll. Using the Scoreboard all year will require some flexibility and creativity, so I will keep the Chapter 11 variations on flip cards to refer to easily throughout the year. (I will take notes on the back of the cards listing how successful or unsuccessful a Scoreboard was, and I will add a card for ideas for future Scoreboards.) I will evaluate at the end of each quarter the use of Scoreboard, and make notes in my upcoming lesson plans detailing which fresh scoreboards I will introduce.
Catherine,
DeleteGreat job thinking about how to use the scoreboard so it is most effective with your students! I like that you plan to constantly evaluate your ideas. That is so important in teaching. When you have a chance, take a look at the video I just posted about the scoreboard at http://katebowski.blogspot.com/. It contains a clip to show Ping-Pong. Here are your 25 certification points!
Thank you...I will do that!
DeleteI will begin the school year using the traditional scoreboard with the smiley and frowny faces. At first, my kindergarteners and I will play for the sake of winning. In past years, the sheer thrill of winning as a team created a much needed closeness and helped my kiddos become familiar with the scoreboard.
ReplyDeleteUsually, as the students became more familiar and comfortable with the scoreboard, they begin to become antsy and want to increase the challenge. I present the next challenge of more or less recess in about the third week of school. For the upcoming school year, I would like to add a minute of recess for each smiley and remove a minute for each frowny. The difference in smileys and frownys will determine whether they win or lose recess time. During minutes lost, the students will watch others play outside. This stage of the scoreboard will reinforce good team work with the added challenge of rewarding something they all enjoy collectively.
After about six weeks into the school year, I would like to introduce Level Two of the scoreboard where we utilize the Super Improvers Wall. By this time, the students will be familiar with most of the management systems in the classroom and routines. We will be diving into the curriculum by this time and I feel this will allow us to set individual goals academically and behaviorally. We already have baselines established and know what the expectations are, so this is an ideal time to track our improvements.
My kiddos tend to become ansty around November near Thanksgiving Break. Therefore, I will probably add additional challenges to the scoreboard. One day I will have them play Boys versus Girls. The next week I will throw in a variation of individual tables earning points for the collective whole. The end of that week may need a time where we play teacher versus class. The winner in this variation chooses the afternoon activity (within reason). As Kindergarteners, we love to dance and sing. So, I would like to add the “Boombox” challenge as a reward another few days. These variations help to refocus and rejuvenate the class around those hectic holidays.
When we return from the long Christmas Break, I’ll spend a week or so rehearsing and refreshing the rules, rituals, and routines. This would be a good time to return to the traditional scoreboard with the added recess time, smileys/frownys, and the Super Improvers Wall. In the second week upon returning from break, I will set class times on daily activities for us to beat. My students are about to go into first grade and should be moving much faster through directions and transitions. If we beat our best time as a class, that will add an additional BONUS minute to our recess.
Hopefully, I will be able to put off using the penalty cards and Guff Counter until February. In the past, I have been able to use the management system for 95% of the class with about 5% of the class having rough days here and there. Of that 5%, one or two students tend to display consistent behavior problems. I am hoping that I can delay using Levels 3 and up as long as possible due to these tough kids! Chances are, I will need to implement Level 3 and up along with the Guff Counter towards the end of the school year. I would also like to additionally add to the scoreboard a section of behaviors where they “act like a first grader” so that they can be further encouraged to behave like first graders.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
DeleteGood thinking about how you will use the scoreboard. I like that you plan to switch up the styles of the scoreboard for added variety. I just wanted to clarify that the super improver team is a level of the scoreboard rather than a variation. An important part of this prompt was to choose 5 variations to discuss. When your students "lose" on the scoreboard, use the "watching others play" only 1 or 2 times to show you are serious about giving penalties. If their behavior continues to not be good enough to win on the scoreboard, it means they wasted instructional time in some fashion so they must need the extra time to cover all the concepts. So keep teaching! Does that make sense? Here are 10 certification points for you!
Students will only spend about an hour a day with me, so every second counts. The scoreboards I choose will help me keep the hour moving and focused. As I introduce the Whole Brain Teaching systems to my group of special education inclusion second graders, I will start with the easiest to understand, the happy face/frowny face scoreboard. It will be the tool to teach “mighty oh-yeah” and “mighty groan.”
ReplyDeletePING-PONG: Their first scoreboard will be a lot of ping-pong style scoring. Fun, while shaping the behaviors of paying attention, working quickly, following the rules, and laughing freely, is the goal.
PIRATES: After a couple of months with our scoreboard functioning automatically, it’s time to put in pirates. Giving my students, who are mostly boys, a chance yell out “Yo, ho, ho, “ when they get a point and “arrrg” when I get a point (with appropriate gestures) will be a way to offer the scoreboard as it’s own reward. No minutes, or bonuses are necessary when you get to spend part of your class as a pirate. Other variations on a theme will spice up the scoreboard occasionally with characters the students are familiar with and are all too anxious to imitate, only on my terms.
DOUBLER: The scoreboard basics with ping-pong and teacher vs. class roles are probably going to last a long time. However, when they sag in the least, my next step will be introducing doublers. By offering opportunities for double points, both positive and negative, I can raise the stakes and the achievement level required for double points. It becomes double the agony and the ecstasy. I doubt there will be many double frowny scores, but enough to keep the board balanced.
VERTICAL MORPHING SCOREBAORD: When my class has passed the winter holidays and resumed their level of performance, I will draw in the extra line above the known scoreboard with it’s own set of happy/frowny faces and wait for the questions. “This is HIGHER POWER scoreboard! The “oh-yeahs” for working at the third grade level.” My students will begin working harder, knowing that they are now working at the next grade level scoreboard.
VIRTUE BOARDS: Breaking the sequence of scoreboards, keeps our students excited to see what “game” we are playing today. One of the variations after the vertical morphing scoreboard, should be the virtue board. It’s all positive. It’s a list of virtues where I can reward all the students in the span of class period by recognizing their individual virtue.
SCOREBOARD REWARDS: To this point, we’ve been able to make the scoreboard as a game the reward. But when we need to spark some serious attention to the scoreboard, its time to roll out the one minute rewards. For any class that ends with a 3-point lead on the smiley side, a minute reward is available. The awards are chosen by the spinner on the whiteboard that points to one of the rewards on the wheel surrounding it. A minute of crazy dancing, a minute of follow the leader back to the classroom with turns and gestures (no sounds), a minute of paper airplanes, a minute of throwing paper balls at the trash can; all those things that are just fun for a kid.
By the time we reach minute rewards, the school year should be winding down and the performance of the class should be well tuned to the process of learning in the Whole Brain Classroom and it’s delightful taskmaster, the scoreboard.
Russ Lamb
Russ,
ReplyDeleteGreat job choosing 5 variations of the Scoreboard! It sounds like you have really thought out the year. Just remember to keep an open mind about giving rewards. Some classes will work hard just to play the game but others will need to have an actual reward or penalty to keep the system working. Here are your 25 certification points!
Pirates: This one cracked me up! I know it will get me and my students laughing. As I highlighted in an earlier chapter, “Laughter is good for us…and our students.” It would be fun to do a mini-classroom theme with this. I could bring in a parrot as a mascot, put an eye patch on, put pictures on the board for captain and crew, etc. I was thinking I could tie in social studies themes like loyalists and patriots or union and confederates. I would probably use this variation for two-three weeks, but I may be able to bring it back if I tied it into social studies units.
ReplyDeleteBeat the Clock: I am very competitive, and so are my students. They are very motivated by time. I like the idea of highlighting one behavior to work on. If we aim to beat our time, class will become very entertaining! I would probably pick a few “watchers” to help me keep track of the behaviors as well as the time. I think this one could go on for three-four weeks.
Mystery Road: I like visual representations of things. Even though the prize may not be different, setting it up in a different way can help make things more entertaining. The mystery spots are interesting, too. I’d need to have it all planned out ahead of time. Maybe I could attach a balloon with a slip of paper explaining the mystery spot inside. The balloon has to be popped to get to the paper. Depending on how exciting the board is I could run this for two-four weeks.
Gridboard: Again, this is a great way to highlight one behavior to work on. Instead of marking points for various rules or expectations, the students can really get excited about one thing. I like that this variation has several variations as well, such as sleepy/energetic, gestures, focus, etc. I estimate I could use this for two-three weeks.
Virtueboard: This is my favorite variation! I LOVE rewarding students for exhibitions of great character. Some of my favorite virtues are encouraging, helping, sharing, cleaning, kindness, and respect. I would add a category for “Non-lemming Behavior!” We talk a lot in our class about being a lemming. Don’t go along with what everyone else thinks is right. How do you know they are right? Think for yourself! Provide reasoning and examples! Anyway, this is something I would like to develop separately from the original scoreboard. I would like to see if, by slowly adding virtues, I could have this board up all year long.
Meredith Pearson
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great reflection on five variations of the scoreboard! Here are 25 Certification Points and a 5 Point Bonus for your enthusiasm! Nice job!
Since the scoreboard is such an important motivator in Whole Brain Teaching. I plan on using the original scoreboard from the first day of school. I have made a traveling scoreboard that I will wear so that no matter where students are during the day they will and can earn points. Students need to be motivated from the very beginning. I plan on having the reward for earning 10 points in the first half of the day as a couple extra minutes of recess each day. For the second half of the day students can earn extra points to start Fun Friday earlier. Having them get small rewards for each part of the day will keep them happy, having fun, and learning. I will do this for the first two months of school.
ReplyDeleteMonths three and four I will keep the scoreboard as original, but change the rewards they can earn. Some simple rewards that won’t cost me anything can be game time towards the end of the day, no morning work, etc. Keeping the original score board keeps the routine normal for those students who don’t handle change well. Changing the rewards keeps the students still motivated and having fun learning.
For months five and six I will change the score board to leaders. The class will choose three boys and three girls to be leaders for the week. Every time I see the leaders doing the extraordinary behaviors that leaders should do the class will earn a point. When the leaders earn ten points, the leaders will vote on the class reward. I can change it up and put a specific rule I think they need more practice in or specific behaviors I am looking for in the class itself. I will also change the leaders weekly so that everyone in the class gets a chance to be a leader. This will hopefully keep the Whole Brainers motivated and happy.
For months seven and eight I will change the scoreboard to the horizontal morphin’ scoreboard. The frownie side will have two frowns and the smilie side will have two smilies. If I see students not following the classroom rules, passing out papers to slow, being unkind to each other, answering to slow or not making grand gestures while teaching each other I will place a point on the two frownie side and tell students that it counts as two points. If I see students excited and giving grand gestures when teaching each other I will mark a point and it will count as two points. Students will earn double the extra minutes for recess, playing a game, or fun Friday. This will keep students motivated and still on the Whole Brain Teaching path.
For months nine and ten, the last two months of the school year, I will switch the score board to teams. This is where I will team the boys against the girls. They will need to continue to show the grand gestures when teaching each other, pass out papers quickly, open books quickly, and follow the 5 most important rules of the class. Each team that wins the most points for the day will earn a reward from my reward list. I have a list of inexpensive rewards that students can earn in class and use the next day if they wish. Some rewards are wear your slippers to school, no shoes for the day, sitting at the teacher’s desk for the day, eating lunch with a friend, eating lunch with the teacher, etc. Using this specific score board towards the end of the year will help keep students motivated to learn and keep the rules of the classroom even when they are not with me. The end of the school year is a chaotic and fun time and this is the time that students need to continue to be Whole Brainers as I call them and do what is expected. Changing the scoreboard every two months will hopefully keep they and I happy and enjoying learning.
Sorry! I forgot to type my complete name at the end. It is Tabitha Opio. I changed it for the future.
DeleteTab,
DeleteGood thinking about how to keep the scoreboard fresh. Just a question about your leader system. If I understand correctly, on Monday you will tell students A, B and C they are the leaders for the week. What is the motivation then for the remainder of your students to try for leader status? Using leaders is an awesome tool. I would encourage you to look for leaders more frequently. For future posts, watch out for those little writing errors. (to slow/too slow, keep they and I happy/keep them and me happy). Also, check your first sentence for a punctuation error. Here are 10 certification points!
I had a great time reading about all the different Scoreboard strategies given in the this chapter. I closed my eyes as I envisioned which ones would rock a classroom full of energetic first graders. My favorite five are: Marker Move, Boombox, Doubler, Mystery Road and Drum roll.
ReplyDeleteI will start the year off with the traditional Smiley and Frowny board. In the beginning of the year I will simply make a huge deal that Smilies beat Frownies. At the end of the day, I will put the music, set the timer for ten seconds and my students will “free dance” to celebrate their victory. If Frownies beat Smilies, they will do a “mope-mop” around the room. Shoulders down, my students will get into a line and mope while using their hands like mops and swing them from side to side as they walk around the room (giggling is inevitable!). I will change this Scoreboard strategy after about a month or so.
I will then sizzle things up by varying the way I label the Scoreboard and I will vary the rewards and penalties as well. I may substitute the Smiley and Frowny faces with: Sensei and Ninjas, Pilot and Passengers, Lifeguard and Swimmers, Coach and Players. The marks stand for more or less: free draw, mini art lesson, true story, game time or anything else that pops into my head! I expect this to last until about Winter Break.
I will walk in the first day after Winter Break holding a boombox playing a song pumping with energy. I can already see my students laughing and bouncing to the beat. After about 5 seconds I’m going to stop the music and say “You want to hear more of that?”
“Boombox Class!”
“Boombox Yes!”
“Let’s play Boombox!”
My students already had a taste of the awesome music and I know they will work really hard for even one minute of more rocking tunes! I also think it will be great to start the second half of the year off with a bang, or a BOOM! I suspect that Boombox will last for about two months which will lead us into the Marker Move.
Marker Move is a great way for the kids to visualize their successes and setbacks. I can already feel the enthusiasm building up as the marker moves closer and closer to the Scoreboard. I know that as the marker moves closer, my students will work harder to get that point and give a big ol’ whopping “Oh Yeah!” I think I will be able to use Marker Move for about a month or so until the enthusiasm begins to die down.
I cant wait to introduce Mystery Road because it’s so mysterious! To add the mystery, I’m going to write the reward on a piece of paper and tape it to the board face down. The road will lead to the unknown prize which will really build the suspense and excitement! I love the idea of putting question marks along the road. These Mystery Spots are a great way to review and to have a short break in the progress of the day. I see this lasting for a month or so, although, after my students reach the reward, I’m sure they would love it if a new reward appeared the next day and we started all over again!
As the year comes to an end it will be time to introduce Drum roll and Doubler. I like to use these two together because getting double points is so super exciting that it calls for a Drum roll! I will save this for the end of the year when summer is in the air and the smell of sun screen has permeated my classroom. We are going to need some hard core excitement to keep the learning and focus going instead of dreaming of the beach!
-Rivky Greenberger
Rivky,
DeleteYou have chosen some great variations on the Scoreboard! To start the year, try playing for no reward at all for as long as you can! Don't even start the music/moping activity yet. You can bring that on in as a variation when needed. When you do pull this one out of your back pocket, you probably don't want to do the mopey mop part. If they didn't earn enough Smiley's, it was probably because they wasted some of their instructional time. So keep teaching! Here are 25 Certification Points for you.
I will start the school year with the Scoreboard Game using the Smiley/Frowny face. Since I am so new to this, I want to make sure I am confident in giving marks under the faces for their behavior. I also want to make sure the Mighty Groans and Mighty Oh Yeahs are under control. I was glad to read about the Whisper Groan, Whisper Oh Yeah, and the Teensy Weensy Gestures. (I teach in an open concept school.) After a month or so, I know we would be ready to move on.
ReplyDeleteFor the past few years, I have had my class in groups of four or five with a leader. The groups would earn points throughout the week. Then at the end of the week, there would be a reward for most points. So I believe my next move would be to go to the Team Scoreboard. The teams pay close attention to their points so the score board game would be great for the next step!
So to keep the energy up a bit, a change will be needed. By now, everyone is ready for Christmas break so, I would introduce the Mystery Road. Starting few weeks (or a month) before break, I will come up with review questions as we move along the road toward the prize. These Mystery Spots will help in reviewing for assessments that will be coming up. Keeping the road in constant change, but eventually moving forward will keep the students highly motivated with lots of Mighty Oh Yeahs!
We are three-fourths of the way into to school year and introducing Ping-Pong would be perfect. Since my class is already in groups and they know the Scoreboard game well, transitioning to this game will work great! Maybe instead of Smiley/Frowny faces we could use characters from the book we are reading or character from a popular movie. (It would be fun to do something with the Minions . I have a picture of them here I hope it goes through cyberspace okay.)
Next, I would incorporate the Vertical Morphin’ Scoreboard. I’m always telling my third graders soon they will be walking down the hall to fourth grade. We talk a lot about what behaviors fourth grade teachers want in their classroom. So this will work very well in my classroom. I’d label categories with specific behaviors like focusing, following rules, etc. I would move student’s names up to the fourth grade scoreboard and have everyone up there by the end of school.
I’m sure throughout the school year I’d be closely monitoring student’s engagement and be ready with another motivational scoreboard in the wings just waiting to make its appearance!
Cathleen Cunningham
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMrs. C,
DeleteGood job thinking about the scoreboard variations. I think you will find that you'll be able to intertwine these throughout the year to keep the kiddos on their toes. One of Coach B's newest ideas for the Scoreboard is to label the smiley side 2 grade levels higher than what you teach and label the frownie side as Baby School. This pushes the kids to even higher standards of behavior. Double check your paragraph containing the Minions. They left you a teeny writing error. Here are your 20 certification points!
Oh I see where there was a space after the word Minion and the period. I guess that's where the picture would of gone had it went through. Sorry, no more graphics for me!
DeleteThanks,
Cathleen Cunningham
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBased on my experience the more I use the scoreboard, the better my students behave! In order to keep the scoreboard working and my students excited I must use a variety of tactics to employ success. Here are my five variations of the scoreboard, which I will be utilizing, in the coming year.
ReplyDeleteI will begin the year (the first day) with the standard scoreboard. This will help to solidify the class rules, teaching chants and movements (such as lines, pencils, and papers) as well as beginning the year by teaching my expectation. This is important because the first days of school are the foundation to how the classroom will run. I will also utilize the ‘ping pong’ method to increase excitement. The ‘marker move’ will also be employed since this is a great way to build upon their desire to succeed. The ‘Fake’ will also be added in for the same reasons. Incentives will be implemented in order to keep their attention. These will vary.
While utilizing the standard scoreboard, I will monitor my classroom to make changes as needed (perhaps quarterly changes), for every classroom is different . The next step I will use is the ‘doubler’. This adds a little ‘extra’ to the sides of the scoreboard without actually adding more. Each time you add two points to the side they receive. Two points for the smiley side “Oh Yeah!” two points for the frowny side “Ugh”. Lots of points will be on the board but they still balance out!
My next administration will be the ‘vertical morphin scoreboard’. This extends your scoreboard downward so the students can earn ‘high powered’ points for being super amazing or super sad. This will allow you to say things like, “That was good for a fourth grader,” (normal smiley) or “That was amazing like a fifth grader,” (super smiley). This can be varied by using the ‘horizontal morphin scoreboard’ but instead of extending the scoreboard downwards you add extra columns. The additional columns add extra points, ‘super amazing ‘adds 2 points in the column and ‘super sad’ would add two points to the column, whereas the smiley and frowny are still one point each.
As I see that certain methods need tweaking, I will implement new strategies to keep my scoreboard fresh!
Krystal,
DeleteGood job thinking about the variations of the Scoreboard that will work with your class. Tell us more about the Marker Move and the Fake. Also, check for a pesky writing error in paragraph 3. Here are your 20 certification points!
The scoreboard is such a fantastic WBT tool; it has been instrumental in keeping kids on task in my classroom this past year. This year I would like to try the Ping-Pong Scoreboard a bit more often. Andrea Schindler suggested this one, and I think the positive point followed by a quick negative point, or vice versa, is an easy way to get the students’ attention. Their limbic systems (emotional control centers) are quickly activated, or switched “on”, by the quick succession of positive and negative stimuli. I want their attention; and I want those brain switches to be “on”.
ReplyDeleteAnother one that looks like fun is the Boom Box approach. This idea is so creative that I would just love to snag it. I wonder why I did not incorporate this one sooner. My kiddos love to bring music to school, and we usually listen to a few songs at the end of the day. They would just have loved this approach, which is why I would like to use the boom box this year. They would be willing to work very hard, to earn that extra smilie points, so that they might listen to some music at the end of the day.
Then there’s the Doubler. Who does not love doubles? Doubles are exciting, just like doubles in a tennis match, a double-deck bus, or double chocolate; it takes it to the next level. This one is easy to manage since the points still add up the same as “singles”, and it is sure to motivate the kids.
Using the Pirates approach will have them wild with excitement. I like this one because it can be theme based, like the turkeys vs. the farmer during Thanksgiving, or the pirates and captain, on Talk-like-a-Pirate-Day (yes, there is such a day). Sometimes it’s harder to keep the kiddos on target when there’s a special event or a special day, but this is a sure way to keep them joyfully involved in the scoreboard game. This one also challenges me to be more creative, since it will take some research and creative energy to come up with special characters that will work well. The students could always help with ideas, which will give them more “buy-in” and thus more enthusiasm to play the game.
Beat the Clock looks like a very effective strategy, to work on some rules that might need more practice, in a fun, yet constructive way. From what I’ve read and seen so far, most teachers have students who struggle with rule 2, raise your hand for permission to speak. This approach would be a great way to practice the rule. Practice makes permanent, right? I also think this strategy will increase the student’s awareness of how often they might be breaking a rule, and I am sure no-one wants to be the one to break a rule first.
There are so many great strategies with the scoreboard, but as our text warns, we have to be careful not to change strategies too often or too late. Habituation could take place if one method of playing the scoreboard is followed for too long without any variation. Yet, changing the method too often could lead to confusion. I would wait to switch to a different scoreboard game until I see less excited responses, which is a sign that habituation is occurring. It should be several weeks though, and not every other week. I am excited to implement some of these strategies, and I know my students will love these strategies too.
Mariaan Carreiro
Mariaan,
ReplyDeleteGreat job showing understanding of the scoreboard variations that would appeal to your kids! I think what you might find is that you can actually throw some of these in just for a moment or for a day. Take a look at my blog for a video that includes the ping pong (katebowski.blogspot.com) I have used doubles on some Tuesdays. We call it "Two Point Tuesday". Just some food for thought! Here are your 25 certification points!
I plan to start the year with the Teacher v. Students board. I feel that this will help my 2nd graders visualize working together to beat me! The only reward will be the satisfaction of beating me! We will use the Mighty Oh Yeah and Mighty Groans, and if they win at the end of the day, we’ll have a Five Second Party!
ReplyDeleteAfter the first quarter of school (October 4th), I will switch the board to the Positive v. Negative categories across the top (instead of Smileys). This way I can emphasize their personal behavior and what they need to work on to maintain the most amount of points in the positive column. I’ll throw in a couple Fakes here and there to make it fun and to keep the kids on their toes. I will also add in more rewards, such as an extra minute of recess, an extra minute of math centers, or an extra minute of free time. These rewards will be quick, easy to implement, and most importantly – require no prep on my part! I’m a busy teacher and I don’t have time for that!
After the kids are used to the Positive v. Negative board, I want to spice things up and add in a whole lot of fun. Enter the Mystery Road. I like to do fun things throughout the year, like watch a movie and make popcorn in my air popper (kids go NUTS when the popcorn flies out of the bowl!) and take a special field trip to the county park next door to the school. I think doing mystery board between change-ups will help transition to a new board, but also bring in those super fun activities that I already plan to do, but give the kids more purpose and motivation to earn them!
During third quarter I want to try the Leader Board to give some recognition to those super star students, but also to give kids who are almost leader status a chance to show me they have earned a coveted spot on the Leader Board.
After another go at the Mystery Board, I want to end the year with the Horizontal Morphin’ Board. I want the kids to really start to act like 3rd graders and try to achieve 3rd grade expectations. I think it will be a great way to end the school year and to show the next years’ teachers what wonderful students they will be getting!
I made an easy flipchart that I posted on my WBT blog. I think it will come in handy when implementing the new variations throughout the year and help remember them. You can download them here!
Nicole Heinlein
Nicole,
DeleteGreat post on your plans for implementing the scoreboard. One new idea from Coach is to start the year with 4th grade vs Baby School. You want your kids to reach for expectations 2 grade levels above. Connecting it to academics is an amazing idea. Here are 25 Certification Points for you.
This year I plan to use the following five variations of the Scoreboard:
ReplyDelete1. Pirates – This is the first variation I would try for the obvious reason that a pirate is our school’s mascot. What a great way to instill school spirit while also managing classroom behavior! I also think it would be fun, and very different from what my students experienced in earlier grades since currently the only teachers in my building using Whole Brain Teaching are all in my grade level. I would most likely use this variation for 6-8 weeks at the start of the school year.
2. Ping Pong – I love the back and forth dynamic this variation offers. While students can still be consistently rewarded for following directions, they are also reminded that I am on the lookout for poor behavior. It also injects an element of surprise into what might easily become a predictable routine for me since I am relatively new at WBT, thus fighting the tendency to habituation. By my estimation, we would use this variation for 6-8 weeks.
3. Virtueboard – By the start of the second semester I would transition to using the Virtueboard variation. We’re only halfway through the year and there is still a lot of the school year remaining. I would use this variation to emphasize various virtues that my students were probably demonstrating earlier in the year without prompting, but by January might need something more motivational to spur them on to good behavior. Again, I estimate using this variation for 6-8 weeks.
4. Beat the Clock – Goal setting is a very important component in my classroom so I really like this variation for that reason. There are all kinds of mini-variations within Beat the Clock depending on what sort of behavior you target. That allows me to customize this variation to suit the particular needs of my class. I estimate using this variation for 8-12 weeks since there are so many behaviors I could focus on with my students.
5. Doubler – Finally I would choose the Doubler late in the year. It’s just the proverbial “shot in the arm” we would need in the final weeks of school. It’s also very simple to use since it’s just doubling the points, although somehow this more than doubles the energy level! I would use this variation during the last 4 weeks of school.
I didn’t learn about the Scoreboard until almost the 3rd quarter last year, so I’m looking forward to better utilizing this wonderful component of Whole Brain Teaching.
Sally,
ReplyDeleteGood explanation of the variations that you will use! Ping pong also works great in combination with all of the other variations, and you can come back to it all year long! Here are 25 Certification Points!
I’m excited to try many of these variations of the Scoreboard this year! My favorite five that I will be sure to implement include the Mystery Road, Pirates, Grid Board, Boom Box, and the Team Scoreboard. But, I’m sure I will sneak some of the others in later in the year, they are too good to pass up! What really sold me on the scoreboard was the reward system that Coach Biffle recommended to accompany the Scoreboard method. Finally, this year I won’t be up to my elbows in receipts for prizes!
ReplyDeleteAfter introducing the regular scoreboard and utilizing it for at least a month, I will move to the Grid Board. I chose this as my first variation because I think it ties into the other WBT activities well. I would begin with the virtue of partial turn/full turn. That seemed to be one aspect my students didn’t do as well last year. Some would just tip their head toward their partner rather than turning completely toward them. I think that this is a way to reinforce the respect that each speaker deserves during the “teach-okay” exercises or the “turn and tell your partner” activities. Then, a few days later I would move to sleepy/energetic, then a week later move to little focus/max focus.
Next, I would change to the Pirates. I would do this mid-October when we need to spice up our scorekeeping. I love that it is fun and flexible, allowing the teacher to change the labels. I think the students will laugh at the “Arrrrggg”! Anything to get them laughing is a big plus in my book. I will use the pirate first, and then the next week change to a rapper with a rap response as we move into our figurative language unit that we do with current music. I think the kids will love this! I’m sure they will want to stay with this scoreboard for a few weeks.
Following the Pirate Scoreboard, I will move to the Team Scoreboard. I chose this third because it would fall right in the heart of indoor sports season. Most of my fifth graders are involved in basketball or volleyball and are quite competitive, so this would be right up their alley. I would begin with boys against girls first for at least a week. Then, I would move to left side of the room versus the right side. My room is set up in two columns so this will be perfect. I like the idea that I can start with a small reward and then later in the year I can revisit this and double or triple the award. Simple rewards such as the winning group going to the front of the lunch line would be perfect. With a few variations on the teams, I could use this easily for a month.
Fourth, I will move to the Boom Box. My students are dancers so they will love this challenge! I think that I will place the boom box on a small rolling cart, allowing the boom box to roam the room (along the perimeter) as it gets closer to the plug in. When they finally earn the music time, I will allow them to get up and boogie to the music. That will really motivate them! I’m saving this one for later in the year when I know they will need a pick-me-up after the holiday break. Listening to the music and dancing will be a great way to wake up the sleepyheads! This could, again, work for at least a month.
Fifth, I will use the Mystery Road. This one sounds fun! I love that their trip involves zooming ahead, veering off the road and even looping back. What a great visual to track their behavior! I really liked the statement “When they complain, of course that means they are going even further backward, further away from the Prize.” (73) That helps keep the game positive. Mystery Spots are a perfect way to review in a fun way. The mystery road would be perfect to use prior to state testing because it also throws in several quick reviews. I would use this for at least three weeks leading up to testing. I’m sure I will want to sneak in some of the other scoreboard ideas too; all of them are such great motivators!
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteYour five choices are very popular among teachers, and they keep the Scoreboard strong through the year! Nice job! Here are 25 points for you!
I am so excited to make use of the many variations of the scoreboard this year. There are multiple varieties that make sense for my upcoming first graders. The five variations I know I will use include: Ping Pong, Boys v. Girls, Pirates, Doubler, and the Virtueboard.
ReplyDeleteTo begin the year, I will start off with the most traditional of Scoreboards. I will use the Smiley and Frowny board with ‘3rd Grade’ (2 years) above the smilies, and ‘Baby School’ above the frownies. The students will work for the first week or 2 trying to meet or exceed my high expectations. I will reflect on our points and continue for as long as it holds their enthusiasm. It is a long year and I don’t want my students always expecting rewards for things they should by doing. I will gradually add rewards a little bit at a time. Most students will enjoy earning points and ‘winning’ the Scoreboard game to begin with.
The next variation I will introduce will be the Ping Pong. This will refocus my 6 and 7 year olds and bring some funtricity into the classroom. I will continue to use this version occasionally throughout the year. I think Ping Ponging is a great way to quickly gain student attention and achieve 100% engagement. The Ping Pong variation will be a wonderful way to help my students remember that learning is fun!
Next, I will introduce the Boys v. Girls variation, possibly around October. My class is spilt 50/50 and will love this little taste of friendly competition. I can use this for part of the day or perhaps 1 day a week. An example would be to use this on Fridays and the winners will get to pick their ‘Fun Friday’ center first. I think this will keep them focused during our weekly review prior to their end of the week assessments and I will really encourage improvement over performance. Being able to control those points, naturally I will mix up the winning side and keep it close right up to the end.
The Pirate, the minute I saw this approach I immediately thought about teaching ‘r controlled’ vowels. Right around November we begin –ar words, I think that would be a great time to introduce ‘Pirates’. This will be a quick and easy change up and I will introduce it after reading one of my favorite books, ‘How I became a Pirate’ by Melinda Long. The variety provided by "Yo, ho! ho!" and "Arrr!" is a sure way to bring laughter into my classroom and will open the door for many more variations.
The Doubler will be a great way to sprinkle in some math throughout the day. Doubles is a big standard in first grade, so again, I will introduce this during that math unit which begins in January. Giving a double Mighty Groan and double Mighty Oh Yeah will recharge my students after the winter break. I will also use a different color marker to show the doubled points and then I would be able to bring it back out later in the year after this math unit (2 weeks) is done. I am so excited to use this variation because I can see my students adding in their heads during the day to see if they are winning.
Finally, the Virtueboard! I love the idea of using character traits and making them a game as well. As chapter 11 suggests I would use the Virtueboard separately and only on the smiley side. “Because we want our kids to be virtuous, to develop strong, moral characters, you might have the Virtueboard entirely separate, on the other side of the whiteboard from the regular Scoreboard.” I will implement this variation towards the end of the year, after spring break. During this time students have been together a while and seem to become less kind and/or tolerant of their peers. Highlighting a different trait will help them remember and practice the correct behaviors.
Sara,
DeleteYou've chosen some great variations of the Scoreboard! Here are your 25 certification points!
Chapter 11:
ReplyDeletePatrick Brûlé
I will start the school year with the traditional scoreboard in the first three days of school to give students a general idea. Next, I will set the “tone” with the Boombox scoreboard. I used music in the past in my classes so it will help with the transition to using a scoreboard as part of the classroom routine. The boombox will be used periodically throughout the year. This year, students will earn their music time through their participation efforts during practice time. I will start the activity with the music off. When I see all students participating, I will turn the music on. If at anytime during the lesson, I see three or more students not giving their 100%, I will turn the music off. There won’t be a scoreboard with points on it, but it will introduce the concept of receiving a reward for expected behaviors.
In an effort to introduce sportsmanship, encouraging others and giving 100% effort, 100% of the time early in the school year, I will introduce the Gridboard. This will set the expectations early in the school year and let students know that a good competitive game is not limited to skills, but also sportsmanship, effort and encouragement. As the year progresses, I might reintroduce this scoreboard if I see their sportsmanship diminish.
After about six to eight weeks, I have students perform fitness tests. At that time, I will use Beat the Clock to motivate students to do well on their fitness tests as I will combine all the times and compare to the set standards. The difference in their times to the standards will determine how much play time they get on “Fun Friday”. Then, I will use the Beat the Clock scoreboard in a more traditional way by setting an amount of minutes students need to be following expectations (introduced with Gridboard) during class. This scoreboard might be introduced early in the year if I notice students are taking too long to change into their PE uniforms.
Eight to nine weeks later, I will introduce the Team Scoreboard. By then, I will know my students pretty well and purposefully combine students who change quickly in their PE uniforms and follow all expectations with students who don’t. This will allow for peer leadership to emerge.
My last scoreboard will be Pirates. By the end of the school year, expectations are clear but students are sick of hearing me saying it. What a wonderful time to have them all gang up on me and earn rewards. For that scoreboard, I might let the score go more then three points one way or the other (I can hear a MIGHT GROAN from the WBT community!) but will have “double check” for five minutes shortly after this happens so I or my students can get within two or three points.
Just in writing this post, I thought of different variations I could use and am sure I will modify accordingly as I progress through my first year of WBT.
Patrick,
ReplyDeleteGood job thinking through your plan for the scoreboard! You are right that you may end up revisiting the different variations throughout the year. Variety is the spice of life! I did hear the mighty groan from the WBT community about your point system with the Pirate board though! The WBT techniques have been tested over long periods of time with thousands of students. Consider seriously deviating from that point system. Be careful in future posts about the use of "than" and "then". Here are 20 certification points.
As a substitute I will have to decide when each class needs to move to a new variation but I know I will start using the scoreboard at the very beginning of the day when I introduce the 5 rules. I will use the scoreboard to encourage the class to learn the rules, use gestures and follow the rules. I will also introduce the Mighty Oh Ya and the Might Goan at this time. As the students and I get to know each other the variations will help me keep them involved and interested in learning. I just want to be careful not to overwhelm them with too many variations too soon.
ReplyDeleteI would use the following 5 variations of the Scoreboard throughout the school year and include here an explanation why I picked them.
1.Ping Pong: I would start with the Ping Pong so that students would get used to the idea of gaining and losing points. This would also help them understand that making me happy gets them points. This lets me reward good behavior and point out unacceptable behavior without having to single out any one student.
2. Scoreboard rewards: As soon as the students have practiced the scoreboard, Mighty Oh Ya and Mighty Groan, I will introduce the Scoreboard rewards. I will them know what the reward will be, such as mind soccer, or another favorite class activity that can be played in 5 minutes or less. To be prepared for mind soccer, as a substitute, I will have grade level Brain Quest games or other trivia games handy to pull questions from. ( I have an app for that.)
3. Drum Roll: After lunch students may be sluggish or losing concentration. I would call out “Drum Roll” and start to drum on my desk. I would then tell them that when I say drum roll you give me a drum roll on your desk until I make a mark on the scoreboard then you give me a Mighty Oh Ya!! Then we’d practice the 5 rules using Drum Roll.
4. Team Scoreboard: I would use the Team Scoreboard when students get their reward game time. I would use boys against the girls if the class had about equal amounts of each. The winning team would get to line up first to go home at the end of the day.
5. Pirates: I would use Pirates for classes that I have been to many times when they need something to perk up the scoreboard. I can see me putting on an eye patch for Yo ho! Ho! and Arrrrggg.
It’s good to know there are 15 variations, if I need them, in the WBT Scoreboard bag of tricks. As years go by I may have the opportunity of use them all.
Vivian Shepardson
Vivian,
ReplyDeleteGood application of the scoreboard variations for your position. Just a few thoughts - For the team scoreboard, you could use this throughout the day as well as during game time. Usually, WBT game time is very short. This will give you more "bang for your buck" from team scoreboard. Watch out for those writing errors. (I will also introduce the Mighty Oh Ya and the Might Goan at this time.)(As years go by I may have the opportunity of use them all.) Here are 10 certification points.
Last year, I made a scoreboard that was part of my daily whiteboard that included our schedule. It had a smiling and frowning potato head. When I had a guest teacher or a technology glitch, I used a laminated paper copy and a dry erase marker to make the tally marks. Both the students and I became habituated to it and that definitely decreased the fun!
ReplyDeleteThis year, I’m excited to try some new variations on the scoreboard to keep the fun fresh all year long! Three of my four grade levels have experienced the scoreboard, therefore I will begin with the Gridboard for them. I expect this to be new for the students, but also to be a great reinforcement of rule #1! I will use this for the month of September, I see these students approximately two times each week, so I will shift the focus to other virtues like the turn, use of gestures, or energy level, weekly.
For the months of October, November, and December, I will use Pirates. I like this version because I can change it frequently. I can also use it to reinforce what we are learning in Spanish. I anticipate changing this weekly. Some ideas I have for these scoreboards are: animals (students would make the Spanish animal sound for the smilie and a groan for the frownie), adjectives (students would say a positive Spanish adjective for the positive and groan for the negative), food (students would say “delicioso/a” for the smilie and groan for the frownie).
January and February are the perfect months to bring in something new and I’m planning on using the Ping Pong. This is the time of year when the weather often results in indoor recess and keeping my energy level high is a must! I will keep my scoreboards fresh with seasonal smilies and frownies (snowballs, hearts, mittens). I may find students request previous scoreboards that they enjoyed and will recycle those as well.
The team scoreboard is perfect for March, April, and the beginning of May. My students often ask if they can play boys vs. girls. I usually discourage this, but I really like the idea of teaming up on the scoring! Because I have several classes at each grade level, I can vary the teams to best fit the strengths of each group. At this point in the year I expect that my students will request favorite scoreboards or suggest new ones. I look forward to incorporating their ideas!
I will use the Doubler from the middle of May through June. This should be about 10 class periods for each group. This is the time of year when we are all excited about the upcoming vacation. Having an option that adds excitement seems like a logical choice. I will be monitoring student reaction. If it doesn’t seem like the students are excited I’ll try the Vertical Morphin’ Scoreboard. The end of the school year is often a time that I’m reminding students that they are almost _____ graders. The Vertical Morphin’ Scoreboard will be a great visual reminder!
It wasn’t until I wrote the last sentence that I realized the value of the scoreboard as a visual reinforcement for students! I’m giving myself a mighty “Oh, yeah”!
Heidi Keith
Great post, Heidi! Your extra effort to detail the Scoreboard choices has earned you 25 points and a 5 point bous!
DeleteI have been using the smiley and frowny face scoreboard for 2 months now and it has been a wonderful tool. As a teacher of Kindergarten this is easily relatable to the children and it is a great motivator. After a few months and I see boredom start to rise, I will move on to motivate them by using the gridboard.
ReplyDeleteGridboard: This should allow me to refocus those that are slow to be energetic and adding some fun and a different twist to the game. I will use this strategy for about 3 weeks and find fun ideas to add along the way.
Virtueboard: This will help my kinders learn about kindness of the heart and giving to others. This could be my favorite, as it gives me many opportunities for teaching. I may keep this one around for a while and I may even keep it separate from the smiley/frowny scoreboard. Teaching them these values will be life-long lessons. I can’t wait to try it.
Team Scoreboard: I may do this one on Fridays, for the last half of the day for a few weeks. Children love games and competition, so this should motivate them to really dig in and work as a team to gain points. Boys against the girls, Oh ya! The children will gain a strong idea of learning what it means to have teams and leaders. I will switch the leaders around so everyone can see how it feels to lead a group. This will also build self-confidence in my quiet students as well.
Boombox: My kids are going to love this one. At this age music is an important part of learning and gaining an appreciation for different types. I am looking forward to the reaction they will have when they realize the reward is music. Even a minute or two will make them very excited to do this exercise. I will do this one for about 2 weeks, that way when I come back to it, they will be excited to do it again.
Ultimately, I will go back to the smiley/frowny points. I own a school that teaches year round, so we will be changing things up soon and trying something new. I love that there are so many ways to change the scoreboard around and keep it fresh.
Julie,
ReplyDeleteNice post with detailed Scoreboard ideas.The Boombox really grabs their attention! Here are 25 points for you!
I've been using the Scoreboard Game for several years now, and it is one of my absolute favorite tools! I have to admit though, I am not very good at using a lot of variety, and without it, the kids lose interest. Thanks to this post, this year I have a tentative plan!!!
ReplyDeleteThe original scoreboard should last about 6 weeks, through August and September.
1. My first variation of choice will be Girls vs. Boys. In third grade, 8-year-old students enjoy being competitive between the sexes. Using Girls vs. Boys will reinvigorate the Scoreboard when interest first wanes for about another month to 6 weeks, taking my class thought October and into November. I've used Girls vs. Boys in the past and have GREAT success with it in third grade!
2. The Fake is a strategy I will employ this year, most likely beginning in November. I will be leaving for 6 weeks of maternity leave at this time, so this will be the first variation I leave for my substitute.
3. In addition to the Fake, I will leave for my sub Santa and Elves (taken from the Pirates variation) to use through December to help regain focus and motivation through the winter holidays, when students become easily distracted.
4. When I return in January, I will try using the original again for at least a week or two, to reacclimate the students to my "authority" before introducing the Doubler. The Doubler should carry my class into late February or early March.
5. As standardized testing approaches and students begin to feel spring fever, I will introduce Boombox using the class iPod which should take me through the testing phase in almost to the end of the year.
I've used Beat the Clock before, and mentioned it in a previous post about the classroom rules. As necessary, I will employ it intermittently as specific rules need to be rehearsed.
Ahhhh... I can see Teacher Heaven in my future!
Addie,
ReplyDeleteYou have laid out some great variations for the Scoreboard! Here are 25 points! Best wishes for you and your new baby!
I have found the scoreboard to be one of the most effective tools in WBT. I will start the scoreboard off with Students versus Mrs. Powers. (Students equals smiley faces, Mrs. Powers equals frownies) For the first couple of weeks (as long as I can) the only reward will be a 10 finger woo from me on the way out the door at the end of each period. The students will give me a 10 finger woo if I have the most tally marks on the scoreboard. Along with this I will be using the ping -pong feature. The ping-pong is a great way to pump up the excitement in class. I used this last year and it really enhanced the funtricity in class. As time goes on in the school year, I will incorporate the fake. I believe this will add a level of fun even middle school will love. As September moves into October, I will start to keep a running tally each week of the points on the scoreboard. On Friday, if students have reached the goal I’ll set for them, the students will earn a 3-5 minute fun time. Some of those rewards will be: quick indoor games, mind soccer, you tube video (previewed by me), dance music, or a trip to our break-room vending machines. This motivation can last all year with the changing of the reward on Friday. With the onset of the winter months comes boredom, when this happens I will add beat the clock. I have found that middle school students love to compete against the clock and other classes. I will post the class records on the board where my other classes can see it. My different classes will love to beat their schoolmates. Two other methods I will love using are the drum roll and mystery road. The key to the success of the scoreboard is variety and when one cow dries up I will switch to another fun-filled cow.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteKeep milking those cows!! Here are 25 certification points!
Ping Pong is the first variation of the Scoreboard I would use. I would start using it after a few weeks of using the Scoreboard when the initial excitement has begun to wane. The Ping-Pong variation would keep the score tight and interest in the game high. This subtle enhancement could be used throughout the year. I envision using it intermittently right after lunch (after making sure the score is even) when students need a little extra incentive to stay focused.
ReplyDeleteBeat the Clock is a strategy I would definitely use. Second grade is a year when students are able to make great strides in self-control. Second-graders love playing games and competing, so Beat the Clock would put students on a fast-track for increasing self-control. I would begin this strategy early in the year after just a few weeks of using the Scoreboard. I would return to it periodically to help students maintain and develop stamina in meeting specific classroom expectations.
The Virtue Board is a variation that I could use throughout the year in conjunction with our “Character Counts” curriculum. Each month the whole school focuses on one character value. The Virtue Board would allow me to highlight specific examples of these character values in action. Students are encouraged to cite examples of other students showing the Character Value for the month. This is something I could support with the Virtue Board. I would keep this component going all year long.
I love the Leaderboard variation because students nominate their peers. I would use a written ballot and have students tell why they nominated their candidate(s). This would give me insight into what the students think is important and who they believe is meeting leadership expectations. I would not use this one until November or December allowing time for the students to get to know each other very well and to fully understand the expectations. I might use it earlier for a more challenging class especially one that is under the influence of negative class role models and would benefit from the high visibility of positive role models. I would definitely include the leaders’ names on the Scoreboard. After introducing it, I would use it intermittently for a few days for the remainder of the year.
Pirate is a variation I would begin in January. After the semester break, the winter blues invariably set in. A little extra funtricity would definitely spark students’ motivation and energy. I would use the Pirate variation for one grading period (six weeks). I would replace it with a spring baseball theme. Players (Smilies) versus the Ump (Frownies). Smilies would get a “Boo-Yah!” Frownies would get a “Steee-rike!” Again, I would use this for one grading period. I might end the year with a “Surfers versus the Wave” theme. Surfer points get a “Rad!” cheer; wave points get a “Bogus!” outcry.
Diane Strickland
Diane,
DeleteGood job thinking through your plan for the Scoreboard! Here are 25 certification points.
In my current school, each class has a 100 square as their motivational tool in the class. If the children ‘have been good’ during a whole morning or afternoon, they earn a tick on their hundred square. When all 100 ticks have been earned, they receive a class treat for an hour.
ReplyDeleteI am going to start introducing the scoreboard game to my class from day one, as I know this will provide them with a more instant gratification. The use of the Mighty Oh Yeah and the Mighty Groan should get them excited from the start! To begin with, their reward will be to earn a tick on their hundred square if they are one smiley in front by the end of the session. If they are two smilies ahead, then two ticks will be placed up. This should mean that the process of giving out ticks becomes a lot fairer, and a lot more regular, than it has before. If the frowny side wins, then no ticks for that session.
After a few weeks I will start introducing extra rewards. For instance, in addition to the ticks (as that is school policy and cannot be changed) if they are three smilies ahead they will earn three minutes of free time, music or a dance video to copy, such as Sid’s Shuffle from Ice Age. This should keep their attention and get them working even harder!
As we head towards Christmas I will change the scoreboard chart to Santa and Scrooge - with a Mighty Ho Ho Ho or a Mighty Bah Humbug. Hopefully that will keep us jolly throughout the festive season!
In the Spring term I would like to try ‘Beat the Clock’ as, before encountering Whole Brain Teaching, I found that the children’s behaviour was worse during the January - March time period. I think that this game would give them a welcome extra challenge, especially as this is also the time that I would revisit the rules and see of anything needs changing or adding. We could use the revision time to choose which rule to particularly focus on to ‘Beat the Clock’.
Finally, in Summer term I would try the Drum Roll game. By that point I am hoping that, from charting mine and my children’s behaviour, I would have seen a marked increase in their co-operation and behaviour so that they would be ready for this exciting twist!
The scoreboard game is so versatile that I would like to try out so many variations! However, I know that, although it is good to change to avoid habituation, children respond well to routine. These variations should provide a solid progression through the year, and help the children to stay on task.
Laura Ward
Laura,
DeleteGood thinking about a plan for your Scoreboard. You might even find that you can implement Beat the Clock earlier as this is a great way to get kids to transition quickly. Here are 25 certification points!
1. At the beginning of the school year, I will start with smiley and frowny faces. I plan to use this scoreboard for as long as my students are excited and motivated. Last year this lasted until the middle of November for my class. For the first few weeks the goal is to simply earn more smilies than frownies each day. When I sense the children are ready for added excitement, I introduce a reward. Every day that ends with a 3-point or greater lead on the smiley side will earn the class a one minute reward. Initially I will write a few ideas on popsicle sticks and a child will randomly choose one. Ideas include having a one minute dance party, one minute game of Simon Says, one minute of extra recess...etc. I will add popsicle sticks with ideas from the students after a few weeks.
ReplyDelete2. Around November I will introduce the “Pirates” strategy. I know my second graders will think this is so silly and fun! I will bring in props to build excitement and add energy! I love the idea of the kids throwing their arms up to cheer, "Yo, ho, ho!" when they earn a positive tally and holding their hands out in a hook and groaning, "Arrrrggg!" when they receive a negative tally. As a class, we can brainstorm different ideas to use in December.
3. Once we come back from Winter Break, I will introduce the “Drum Roll” strategy. It's active and flexible. My students can either drum roll on their desks or legs. I can throw in pinkie drum roll, slow drum roll, hard as you can drum roll...etc. I will use this for as long as I can before the kids are begging for us to adopt their new self-created ideas.
4. The next scoreboard I plan to introduce is the “Team Scoreboard.” I anticipate this may roll out around Spring Break time. I like the idea of lining up first as the prize. Once we have used this scoreboard for a few weeks, I will change it so that the teams were scoring points for the class as a whole. This would encourage and recognize teamwork even further. When both teams have a total of three more positives than negatives, they will earn extra recess or extra Fun Friday time.
5. Double marks on the scoreboard equal double the excitement! I will keep this variation in my back pocket for later on in the year when the scoreboard needs some extra energy and enthusiasm. Oh yeah! Oh yeah!
Depending on the class, I have another extra special idea that I have used in the past when my students needed a change. I replace the one minute rewards with earning a class party based on our tally marks. At the end of the first day of this new reward, we will subtract the number of smiley faces from the number of frowny faces. I will write this number on the board. Once our class earns 50 points we will vote on a class party to have during our weekly twenty-minutes of "Fun Friday" time. At the end of each day we either add if they had more smilies or subtract if they had more frownies to the ongoing collective total. My kids were always very motivated to earn a simple twenty minute party! Party ideas included: read to your favorite stuffed animal, board game time, popcorn party...etc.
I was so excited to recently learn about the Scoreboard App and plan to download it on our classroom iPad. I look forward to the additional variations this app can offer!
-Shelley Nizynski Reese
Shelley,
DeleteGreat plan for your scoreboard! I would encourage you to add some academic games to your reward toolbox. Kids get excited about any game and if it is academic, you are actually maximizing your instruction time. I'd also you think about this for the "fun Friday" time. 20 minutes a week for an average 35 week school year equates to almost 12 hours of instruction. Wow! Here are 25 certification points for you!
As with most teachers I will begin the year with the ‘standard’ scoreboard and SMILEY/FROWNY faces. The simplicity of this scoreboard allows the teacher to really focus on letting the students figure out how the scoreboard works and to practice the classroom rules and procedures. This initial format will be used for as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteWhat will change first is allowing the students to choose a response for when I put up a mark on the “smiley” side. The class usually votes on the response they’d prefer, thus allowing more buy in. I usually choose the response for the “frowny” side. (As it is “my” point). As holidays approach I will usually switch to the ‘PIRATE’ method and have both responses go together.
Once students have been working with one another for a bit of time I would like to use the ‘TEAM SCOREBOARD’. The Team Scoreboard will allow students to continue bonding in their own learning. It is recommended not to switch from method to method too quickly allowing the teacher to create many teams, thus giving the students opportunities to be successful with many different peers.
In the last half of the year students tend to lose a bit of focus. These last two techniques will hopefully help re-focus them. The first strategy implemented will be the ‘MARKER MOVE’ strategy. Students tend to get ‘lazy’ with their following through with classroom procedures. The marker move will allow me to urge them to follow through without having to give them a smiley or frowny mark each time.
One of the last strategies I will be using is the ‘VERTICAL MORHPIN’ SCOREBOARD’. My students are 8th graders and will be moving to high school the next year. They are rightly excited about this prospect. The Vertical Morphin’ Scoreboard is a great way to take advantage of that excitement. They want to succeed and I want to show them that they can!!
Over the years I have really come to appreciate a saying, that “the best teachers prepare, prepare, prepare, and then wing it!”. The 15+ variations of the scoreboard gives teachers enough options to do both!
Jason McKinney
Jason,
DeleteAs a middle school teacher myself, I continuously vary the Scoreboard game. We know that even having students for a brief time each day, their motivation constantly needs a recharge! These 15+ variations gives us the deep back pocket to pull from all year long! Here are 25 certification points!
Scoreboard is one of the tools that I am most excited about, yet a little afraid of. One of my biggest challenges in the classroom is consistency. Consistency is what I am going to be working on all year. This tool, if used correctly is going to be the most beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI plan on starting the school year using the traditional smile face and frown, working on teaching the students the “Oh Yeah!” and “Oh No! ”, the mighty groan. The first of the year is so overwhelming for kindergartners, there is so much they need to remember, so while we are going over the rules and they are still in the “Honeymoon Stage,” I will use the basic scoreboard with extra recess as the motivation. I am really struggling with ideas for motivation, because my kindergarteners only get one recess. I hate to take any minutes away for the short amount of time they are getting. I am going to work towards coming up with a computer lab time.
Once I feel the students understand Scoreboard, anticipating the beginning of October. I will introduce the Boom Box approach. My previous students liked watching little clips off of YouTube, which were entertaining yet educational at the same time. Instead of using the Boom Box, I will come up with music and dance encouraging them to work towards minutes of dance time. They will be willing to work very hard, to earn dance points, so that they might watch and listen to some educational music at the end of the day.
Around Christmas my little kiddos get very anxious, there is so much anticipation for the big guy to show up. Around this time of year I would like to spice the score board by using the Beat the Clock approach. This approach looks like it will be very effective for the students who are struggling with following the rules and may need more practice. I also think this strategy will increase the student’s awareness of how often they might be breaking a rule, and I am sure no-one wants to be the one to break a rule first.
Once my students come back from Christmas break I will introduce a new scoreboard. The scoreboard I am anticipating using is Ping-Pong. I have my students broke up into 4 groups. I will have a mystery envelope that they will not know what the reward is until the end of the week. Inside the envelope I will have extra recess, no homework, or extra computer lab. This approach allows my students to witness good behavior and what is negative behavior. At this point in the year, I think they will be ready for the group competiveness. This approach allows the students to witness what is considered both good and bad behavior.
After a month or two and until the end of the year I am planning on using the Mystery Road approach. It will be very important in my classroom to keep things entertaining yet keeping my students on task. As a teacher, as the end of the year winds down, I have to spend so much time testing my students one-on-one. I will use Mystery Road to motivate my students to make the best choices. This time of the year the students get to stay in their centers a little longer, which they love. I will create a poster that maps a road to extra math center or literacy center, I will also add on the map the option to go to the center of their choice. Oh man, they will think they have conquered the world, for Kindergartners that is like a dream come true. The best part is that, without them knowing it, I will offer extra center time as a reward, which they were most likely going to get anyway.
Being my first year using Whole Brain Teaching, this is only a plan. I am fully aware that each class is different I may need to use different approaches changing them more often or I may get lucky enough that I will not need to change the approaches as often.
Lori Wessing
Lori,
DeleteGood plan for the scoreboard! If recess doesn't work for your reward system, try putting a few minutes of activity at the end of the day. For my students, we play educational games if they earn them at dismissal time since our recess is in the middle of the day. Even though the games are educational, the kids see it as "free time". Watch out for writing errors in your 3rd and 6th paragraphs. Here are 10 certification points.
This year, for motivation, I will “lose my marbles” and replace them with the scoreboard. It should be much easier to manage. I will be teaching writing to primary students (k-3) and I will only see each class for an hour every 6 days. So I’m thinking that routines will stay fresh longer. At first, the reward will just be bragging rights. However, eventually the scoreboard reward will be Mind Soccer. It will have to be daily, and only a few minutes. If the class is “in the hole” they will tidy up the room for a minute or so. On day one, I’ll start with regular smilies and frownies. Simple smilies and frownies should last several months and I should even be able to return to them after a few weeks of variation.
ReplyDeleteThe first variation I would add is the labels of one or two grade levels lower and higher. This, again, will be a little more work since I will have a new grade level every hour. But hey, it's a long year. I can handle it for 3 or 4 weeks. And the kids will probably carry the label of "pre-k" etc. in their memories when the scoreboard returns to the original smilies and frownies.
The next variation I would work in would be the boys vs. girls. If the class is playing for minutes of Mind Soccer, whoever has more points, girls or boys, will get to go first. No need for the "toss up" to begin the game. This would last about 4 weeks.
After that, I will use the Doubles and Horizontal Morphin Scoreboard variations. Again, they’re on the simple side. It's not a big reward like the Boom Box. But I think simple will work better for me because I will be able to keep the pace snappy. This would, likewise, go for about 4 weeks.
As the year winds down, Beat the Clock would kick in. This worked well last year. I used it to revitalize procedures at the end of the year. It worked especially well for lining up and getting through the lunch line quickly. Now, I just have to make up that list of 5 million Mind Soccer questions.
Andy Park
Andy,
DeleteGreat plan for your situation! So sad that you've lost your marbles. :( When you finish those Mind Soccer questions do share with the rest of us! Here are 25 certification points.
The scoreboard is an amazing motivator for classroom behavior. I plan on introducing the Smiley and Frowny faces the first hour of school. Students will be rewarded with less or more recess to start the year. When Mind Soccer is introduced, we will then start building time up to play it on Friday.
ReplyDeleteMy next step for the scoreboard will be to implement Ping-Pong. I hope to start this around the second nine weeks. I used Ping-Pong last year and I loved how it woke the classroom up and students became engaged.
Around Christmas I plan on playing Pirates. The students will love the variation of the, “Oh, yeah!” turning into, “Yo, ho! Ho!” and the Mighty Groan becoming, ”Arrrrgggg!” I could also change to a Christmas theme with Santa vs. Elves.
One scoreboard variation I know my third graders will love will be Mystery Road. I plan to start this during those long winter months. I love the idea of labeling the prize, like music time, and keeping the students on their toes with which direction I draw the line toward the prize. You could keep the funtricity in the classroom going for a long time.
As the year goes on, students tend to slow down their speed for following directions quickly. I would like to use the Gridboard. Under the Frownies I would write slow and under the Smilies write fast. I can’t wait to watch my students pick up their pace with this scoreboard variation.
One thing I have learned is that I need to make sure the students stay excited and engaged with the scoreboard. By varying the rewards and the Scoreboard labels I will prevent habituation from setting in. I can’t wait to see the magic the Scoreboard produces in my classroom this year.
Marty,
ReplyDeleteGreat plan for your upcoming year with the Scoreboard! Here are 25 certification points!
July 29, 2013
ReplyDeleteI used the scoreboard briefly at the end of school last year. I found the students were excited to make verbal responses for either side! This year I will be implementing the scoreboard from day one. I will begin the year using just the smiley/frowny face with a quick oh yeah or a mighty groan. I will milk this for as long as I can changing the tops to holiday themes, if needed.
When I see students have become habituated or bored and it’s time to change it up, I will implement the Ping Pong strategy. I like the idea of the “tease” as to which one I am going to mark, then following it up with the opposite side to keep the students enticed. I believe we can always find a positive or negative to counteract our tallies.
When change is needed again, I will implement the Beat the Clock scoreboard. 1st graders are extremely competitive and I believe they will be very excited to beat their time. I will choose an area where we need to show growth. It might be following directions, getting out materials or even lining up appropriately.
For the next change I believe the students will enjoy the Pirate Scoreboard. I can see how introducing funny responses will keep the students engaged. After all, what student doesn’t like acting like a pirate?!
I will save the drumroll for the end of the year. I wish I had known about this last year as last year’s class would have loved this.
It is probably a good thing that I am located in a portable and I won’t have to worry about interrupting other classes, as I foresee this year being a little loud! As I was reading the chapter on the Scoreboard, I can see that there is so many variations to implement to keep students engaged. As I use and implement the scoreboard, it is important to me not to use rewards too soon at the beginning of the year, as Coach B says it is a long year, I don’t want to use all my tricks too early!
Terri,
DeleteYou have picked some of the most popular uses of the Scoreboard! Your kids will enjoy them. Tell us more about the Drum Roll and why you chose it. Just as you vary how you say class-yes and how you use the scoreboard, vary the level of volume. Sometimes the kids can be loud but also have them do responses quietly. Variety is the spice of life! Here are 20 certification points.
The type of the scoreboard I will use is the Smiley/Frownie scoreboard. At the beginning of the year, when I introduce the scoreboard, there will essentially be no reward. I chose this first because it is the least work of all the scoreboards, and I would rather add a reward later than have to take it away. I plan to use this scoreboard for about one month, but if the students are responding well to it, I will keep it as long as I can (it’s a long year). To heighten engagement in this “no reward” scoreboard, I will have students give an “Extra Mighty Cheer” or an “Extra Mighty Groan” at the end of the day. If they win, I will choose a Dr. Jean cheer from a basket and lead them in it. If they lose, they will give a bit more pronounced groan than usual, and say, “Aw, we’ll do better tomorrow!”
ReplyDeleteOnce interest in a “no reward” scoreboard has waned, I will introduce the reward scoreboard. Since I cannot add time to any recess at my school, I will use a few minutes on Friday afternoon as reward time. I will tell students that every smiley mark will add 15 seconds of game time on Friday, while every frownie mark will take away 15 seconds of game time. This extra time will be added to the minutes we earn from homework completion. These low times will ensure that I add no more than 1-2 minutes during an average week. We will play a game such as mind soccer. I chose this variation second, because by the time we have spent a month in school, we will have a lot that we could review on Friday, and I wanted to avoid students’ feeling like the scoreboard does not really matter. I anticipate using this scoreboard for about two months; my goal is to use it until Thanksgiving.
At Christmas time, students need an extra push in the right direction, so I will use the “Beat the Clock” variation of the scoreboard. On extremely challenging days, I can use this to help students focus on following rules for short periods of time (upward spiral), instead of zinging them for breaking rules (downward spiral). I will use this variation for about 2 months. This way, I can use it to reinforce correct behavior both before and after the winter break. Of course, we will still be working toward our class reward from the previous level at the end of the week. But at this point, if I need to extend the scoreboard for longer, I will also add a team component to the scoreboard like, “right side, left side” and allow a small reward to the winners at each break time, like lining up 15 seconds early.
The next scoreboard I will use is the Leader board. I chose this scoreboard next because when I implement it, it will be about February. That time of year will be a great year to emphasize the leaders that I have been developing during the course of the year. As spring is usually a time when the rowdy kids in my class get rowdier, using a Leader board in addition to my scoreboard will help to emphasize and reward those who exhibit positive behavior. It will also help to motivate those fence-sitters to stay on the smiley side, instead of switching to the dark side. I plan on using this leader board for about a month.
Finally, I will use a vertical morphing scoreboard beginning in early to mid-March. At this point, I can emphasize that they can choose to show “2nd grade behavior” now. I will add categories to this based on student needs. The categories will include things like gestures, full body turns, enthusiastic answers to class and teach, and eye contact while I am teaching. If needed, I will also introduce the virtue board at this point, as this tends to be the time of year I have the most problem with tattling and unkind behavior, I think the virtue board would help to minimize those challenges. I anticipate using this variation until the end of the school year.
Signed, Jeni Anderson
Jeni,
DeleteGood thoughts about your scoreboard plan! It will take you right through that "long year". One suggestion about the rewards for the scoreboard. I would try to give the kids something each day they "win". My kids love to play academic games even just for a minute or two at the end of the day while we are waiting for dismissal. Could you squeeze something like that in? Since it is more immediate than waiting for Friday, it keeps the motivation from waning. Here are 25 certification points!
Kate, thank you for the advice. I am planning to continue the daily cheers even after I introduce the weekly rewards, so that may help with the daily reinforcement of the scoreboard. Squeezing in game time daily would be difficult, but perhaps I will implement the ability to listen to 1-2 minutes of music during clean-up time if they win, as I could do that without truly interrupting clean-up time. I will continue to consider how else I might reward daily, as I can see that I had some problems with waning interest using the scoreboard this past year. Thank you for helping me think through another aspect more clearly.
DeleteThis is my first year as a WBT teacher and I am so excited about the scoreboard! I loved this chapter. I am teaching kindergarten and see how this one tool alone can save the day in my classroom management.
ReplyDeleteFor the first three weeks I will introduce and use the basic smiley/frowny scoreboard. KISS it right? I anticipate having to find out what will be the best reward for them, so I may change the rewards often at first. I was going to ask them, "Do you wanna know what we are playing for this week (day)?" I am just not sure recess will be the best motivator at my school. Our playground is not very nice and it has been 110 degree heat index around here. So for the first three weeks I might agree to teach them how to play certain games I have for center time, or True Story for reward.
Next I will switch it up by adding the girls/boys or team by table points! I have found that children are really motivated to be the best! If I did it by table points, the winning table by lunch-time could line up first, the wining table at recess could line up first and the winning table at the end of the day could pack up first and enjoy a table activity while everyone else got their things together. The young ones LOVE to be FIRST in line! After fining out what rewards really seem to motive exceptional behavior, especially from my behaviorally challenged students, I will stick to that reward for some time, or as long as it's working. It can be fun to change the rewards, or even have a mystery reward!
As we head into the holiday season kinder-kids begin to get restless and excited! I think the Ping-Pong will be very effective with the kiddos at this time. Just to keep them in check and remind them that we are still in school until Winter Break! I will take Ping-Pong to the end of the semester...But this might be a great time to change the "Mighty Oh yeah, into a "Ho Ho HO" or "Bah Humbug"! I'm looking forward to that!
When we come back from break I am going to hit them head on with The Gridboard, reinforcing my expectations of all the rules! We will ramp this up for all transitions and lining up procedures as well, setting the timer for how long it should take to complete the transition! We will practice the first couple of days back in school transitioning efficiently and within the "time" set on the timer or on the clock. This will also line up nicely as we being to teach telling time. As they master time, we can move on to other areas that need improvement.
I also want to incorporate my Super Improvers with the scoreboard by allowing those at the top levels to be able to choose the reward. I thought it might me cool to have them write their choice in the writing center in a complete sentence, and write why they chose that reward, then draw a picture of the class enjoying the reward.
My last scoreboard to close out the year will be the Virtueboard. Of course, I am anticipating that all of my little Critters have the rules mastered and the scoreboard is useless unless I get specific with various virtues! It is a great way to teach those things like kindness, altruism, generosity, being helpful, unselfishness...I love the idea of Virtue Captains and will definitely have my Geniuses on board that ship!
I am anticipating a very fun year and think the scoreboard is vital to effective teaching in any classroom! It is so much better than what I was doing! Thank you Chris Biffle!
Chelsea,
DeleteGreat job! You have incorporated several great variations of the scoreboard! Try to hold off giving rewards as long as possible; the only reward they receive is winning! Work that as long as you can, and then change it up. It's a long year! Be careful of small writing errors (fining/finding). Here are 20 Certification Points for you!
I will begin the year using the traditional, smiley/frowny scoreboard since we will all be new to whole brain teaching. Initially, I will keep scoring simple and minimal. For example I’ll just mark how well students respond to Class-Yes and reciting the rules. I will continue to keep the scoreboard simple for the first few weeks of school, but begin to include more behaviors that I will score, for example mastering the Teach-Ok. I think the next variation I would attempt would be the ‘Pirates’. This is an easy way to begin varying the scoreboard, but it is still relatively simple for both me and my students to follow. I imagine I could continue with this for quite a while because I could simply change from pirates to something else like astronauts and alien!
ReplyDeleteI think the next variation of the scoreboard I would use is the ‘Ping-Pong’ because it is fairly basic, but highly energetic. I imagine we could use this method alternating with ‘Beat the CLock’ for a couple of weeks around winter break when things seem to slide a bit. I would introduce the ‘Beat the Clock’ variation after the Ping-Pong, but use them together or back-to back or alternating periodically between the two because they can serve the same purpose - reinvigorating. I can definitely see myself using the ‘Team Scoreboard’, especially when we have a test coming up. The winning scoreboard team can earn extra credit points on their tests! Finally, I think I would be comfortable using the ‘Gridboard’ variation. In middle school, students can go through slumps on a regular basis. Depending on what area I feel is lacking at any moment, that can be what we work on for the week. So, the Gridboard, like many of the variations can be used weekly and at various times throughout the year.
Katherine Rabaca
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteGood thinking about your Scoreboard plan for the year! Here are 25 certification points!
Ive been reading quite a bit of WBT resources. I wanted to ask you specifically about something that is bothering about one of the strategies specifically. For the scoreboard I read to not "punish" a class with a mark on the negative side if 1 student breaks one of the rules. Should I abide by this? My thoughts were to, especially early on make some marks in the "negative" for individual rule breaking. I think most of the class will get the hint and conform to the rules because they want to the right thing for the class. Yes, I know that there will still be a few individuals that continue to break the rules and I will handle them individually with other stratigies later. What are your thoughts about my feelings?
ReplyDeleteI will begin the year with the traditional scoreboard using a smiley and frowny face. This is a good way to introduce the scoreboard. The students will be able to easily associate whether or not they are winning or losing by looking at the faces. I will use this introductory scoreboard for approximately 2 months. I begin the year by giving the students 30 second of free time to talk at the end of class for every point they win by. For every point I win by I get to keep them for 30 seconds of extra class time after the bell. As we progress through the year I make sure to vary the rewards. I have given extra credit, 1 less homework problem for each point, or one less sentence they have to write for each point.
ReplyDeleteThis next year I want to try the Ping Pong scoreboard. This would be a good variation from the traditional scoreboard to increase student engagement. I want to use this for just a day or two randomly throughout the year when I feel student energy waning. I just want to sprinkle this scoreboard throughout the year to keep it special. I think it would be especially helpful on a review day or as we near state testing. It will amp up the energy in the classroom and encourage students to work even harder.
Around special holidays I want to use the “pirate” scoreboard. However, my variation on the scoreboard will reflect the holidays. Near Thanksgiving we will have turkeys versus hunter. For Christmas my side will be Mrs. Clause and the students will be represented by elves. I also want to reflect science topics we are covering by having protons versus electrons, vertebrates versus invertebrates, or halogens versus noble gases. Once the students understand how the scoreboard works and are comfortable with it, this will be a fun way to add variety. It will also be a fun way to add holiday cheer or add fun to science instruction. When I change the sides to reflect a holiday I also want to change the student cheers as well. So instead of a mighty groan as it nears Christmas they will shout, “Bah Humbug!” I will use this type of scoreboard for one to two weeks before the holiday.
The next scoreboard I want to try is Beat the Clock. I would use this when I start to notice a negative student behavior I want to work on. I can then use this scoreboard to really focus on that behavior and help the students practice. I would use this scoreboard for one to two weeks depending on how long it would take to improve the behavior.
Finally, I want to use the mystery road scoreboard this year because it looks so fun!! This scoreboard really seems like it is a way to add variety and would be highly engaging for the students. The other scoreboards I have discussed above are just slight variations on the standard scoreboard but this offers a completely different visual for the students. Also, they will never know how you are going to change the road next, which will keep them engaged. I want to use this scoreboard towards the end of the year when the students are getting tired and engagement is running low.
Erin,
DeleteGreat thinking about your scoreboard for the upcoming year. Here are 25 certification points!