Behaviour incentives - pizza party points September 6, 2007
Posted by Linda in : KS1, KS2, quick display , 2comments 
pizza party points, originally uploaded by quemarropa.
Classroom displays can be a vital part of a behaviour management strategy. Lots of teachers are trying out visual incentives to improve behaviour but it can be hard to keep them positive. This is a fun idea which can easily be adapted to suit your classroom.
each table group is assigned a color, which corresponds to a colored pizza topping. the table group that gets the most points each day (for behavior, responsibility, cooperation, respect, etc) puts their topping on the pizza. once we have 30 toppings total -with each table contributing at least 4- we have a pizza party!
The toppings etc. are stored in the pizza box. I think it’s a lot more fun than traffic lights!
I think you would need to have the criteria for points clearly set out so that pupils knew what to aim for. Sometimes we assume they know what we want and really they don’t. Concepts like respect and responsibility need to be explained. The pupils need to know what that concept looks like, what it sounds like. The ones who really need to won’t catch this stuff by osmosis.
Update: Quemarropa adds:
NOTE: the first week of school, i modeled some of the ways students can get points. sometimes, i’ll do an end-of-day “what did we learn?” quiz and award points to tables. sometimes, the first table that has followed instructions completely gets a point. sometimes, if a table member helps another student with a difficult concept, i’ll give the whole table a point. but i’m quick to point out that i’m looking for a variety of things and not every good act gets a point… because i EXPECT good acts from every table. at this point, they know i’m looking for exceptional behavior and classwork. if i notice one table is slacking, i’ll subtly add tallies to the other tables that are on task and usually the kids pick up on this and get back to work. today i had a meeting and another teacher administered a quiz. my kids were absolutely WONDERFUL… respectful and 100% on-task, so every table added a topping to the pizza for showing exemplary behavior with a guest teacher. it’s working beautifully so far!
Great description of the system in action 
Instant Homework Display August 30, 2007
Posted by Linda in : KS1, KS2, quick display , 3comments 
homeworkopoly, originally uploaded by quemarropa.
Everyone, it seems, is searching Classroom Displays for instant displays and bulletin boards this week. This one looks like a really useful one, combining a display with a visible record of homework returns.
Noreen says:
It’s available for free download. I attached magnetic tape along the back so it could stick to the side of my rolling shelves when students need to play. the rest of the time it hangs from my accordion wall from the book rings at the top
The site suggests:
In order for a student to play the game, he or she must complete their homework from the night before and hand it in to the teacher. This is how the student moves around the game board. If the student does not have their homework finished, they don’t get their chance to shake the die and move for the day (with exceptions, of course). Throughout the year, day by day you keep the game going. By starting at the beginning of the year everyone gets into it and by the end of the year everyone is doing their homework regularly.
Find it free to download and print out with full instructions at TeacherNet
I Spy Science August 22, 2007
Posted by Linda in : KS2, Science , add a comment 
Welcome Back!, originally uploaded by tuckett.
Here’s a really fun way to welcome a class back after a holiday. Every item in the cabinet relates to something they are going to learn in the following term. There are riddles to solve too:
Tucket says:
I used this idea last year because my own son was so into the I Spy books. I try to use some “easy finds” and some challenges in each clue. Easy to switch around, change, update, and connect to current unit throughout the year. Could easily be adapted to a table top box style display if no showcase is available! Children may begin to write their own science riddles as well! Good Luck. Have fun.
So, just for fun, if you’ve a bit of time to spare and an interest in science why not see how many things you can spot? Can you solve the riddles? Answers on the photo in Flickr or below please.
French - an interactive weather display August 15, 2007
Posted by Linda in : French, KS2, quick display , add a comment 
Le Temps, originally uploaded by LindaH.
This display was used daily, right from the start of term with a Year 5 class. A five to ten minute discussion, in French, right after registration. This Year 5 class had some experience of French in Year 4 and were ready to start to move on. A rota was set up so that each day a different child was responsible for the weather forecast session. The child took charge, with TA support, and the class answered set questions to provide the forecast in French.
The activity worked on days of the week, weather volcabulary and simple question and answer sentence structure. It took what could have been a boring drill activity to a higher level. It was particularly powerful because of the high level of interaction and because the children liked standing by the board, pretending to be The Weather Person on TV!
The weather symbols were taken from the BBC web site, printed out, and laminated. They were used in conjunction with the sentences as visual/kinesthetic aids to introduce the volcabulary. The whole display could be easily taken down and stored for further use.
Literacy Word Search July 30, 2007
Posted by Linda in : literacy , add a comment 
Literacy wall word search, originally uploaded by loulrc.
Here’s an interesting idea for a corridor - a word search. This one is in a High School but I could see this working in Primary too. You could adapt this for other purposes as well. How about a series of Sudoku outside a maths room? (Plastic covered means the solutions can be rubbed off )
Lots of people enjoy word and number puzzles and whilst they may not encourage deep learning they do provide interest to a dull waiting area. There is some evidence that using them regularly enhances brain function.
One drawback with plastic covered corridor displays though can be the temptation to pick at them. Lou, who designed this one says:
Trouble with working in a secondary school though…we have to cover everythng with heavy duty plastic, and now the rotters have been picking out staples from that…best thing is to do the display, record it in its glory and send pics to the depts for CPD folders etc and OFSTED…
I wonder if anyone can suggest solutions to this or the reasons for it?
