Sparking Student Motivation {A Little Late} and two Monday Motivation Linkies!

Well, I am a little late for Spark Student Motivation Saturdays with Head Over Heels for Teaching--but I have been wanting to link up for a few weeks now. Better late than never, right?

Also, just found out about two Monday linkies--Motivation Monday with Principal's Principles and Motivate Me Monday with First Grade Buddies--SO I am linking up with three bloggers today!! 

Classroom Motivation: Muppet Style!

My classroom theme each year is "Moving Right Along TOGETHER!" (with the Muppets).  One of the greatest motivators for my students is the use of Muppet Bucks.  We start the year with Fozzy Bucks and continue throughout the year with additional bucks that are donned with a Muppet.  Muppet Bucks are simply printed on colored paper, cut apart, and stored in a little tub on our computer table. Bucks are given to students at random for various things--participating, helping a classmate, sharing something especially thoughtful, putting forth exceptional effort, following directions, working well with a partner, and so on... I also use bucks at times when I am looking for a specific behavior to improve or to encourage participation.  These are times when I might say, "For a Fozzy Buck, who can...?".  At times, I will pass out bucks to the whole class when they work together--for example using the restroom quietly with no reminders, everyone bringing back home practice, or when I receive a positive report about the class from another staff  member. A very versatile system!

Muppet Bucks are introduced the second day of school, and students are given a pouch to keep them in.  In past years, I always gave each student a clear pouch with a reclosabe seal at the top, but this year I gave students little handled bags from the dollar store (even though they did not close). I didn't think I had enough of the clear pouches left, BUT I just found some more this weekend in a tub of math workstation items--SO we will be using the clear pouches again! Surely none of you have ever realized you had something when you thought you didn't... :0)

We also have a wonderful new collaborative special education teacher in our building this year who came up with the great idea of giving kids a slip of paper to tally their bucks as they earn them so they do not have to continuously count them.  I made slips on card stock that slide right into a little labeling pouch on the outside of each student's pouch.  

The first goal of the year is to earn 50 Fozzy Bucks.  This will gain each student entry into the showing of The Muppet Movie with popcorn and a drink.  I do this every year, and every year all students have earned this privilege that takes place right after school. Throughout the year students can earn other special privileges or honors--not material things.  They work hard all year for recognition and ultimately take pride in their accomplishments!  This has been the most effective motivational system that I have used in all of my 20 years!

We will be back in the future to share more ways we motivate our students...

Thanks so much to the wonderful ladies who host these motivational linkies!  Fly on over to their blogs to check out the great things that are happening with kids...

ALSO---we would love for you to link up with us for Traits Tuesday or Fabulous Finds Friday, the two new linkies we are hosting.  Click on each button below to learn more!

 Smiles!