Over the summer I shared this picture of my Class Cash rewards poster as part of a Monday Made It and then promised a post about how I would use it in the classroom.
I didn't have a chance to share before now but I am kind of glad because now I can talk about how it is working in my classroom.... I LOVE it! And best of all, my students LOVE it too! So here is how it works:
As you can see, Persevere and Ready to Learn are worth two points. At the beginning of the year, the class decided that to be the best readers and writers it was important for us to be at school every day and to keep trying even if something is really hard so I made those two behaviors worth more than our regular school rules of safe, respectful, and responsible. Throughout the week, any time that I see students making good choices, I add a point to their Dojo score. Students also earn 1 responsible point for each piece of homework that they turn in on time.
Then on Friday afternoons (more like Monday morning) I look at students Dojo score and pay them in Class Cash.
Students can hold on to their class cash or they can purchase prizes from our class cash rewards. The most popular prize so far - Bring a reading buddy from home. My kiddos love bringing in a stuffed animal and then reading with him during Read to Self. Many of my students suffer from a need for instant gratification and spend their money right away but I have a few who are holding on to their money tightly.
Students are highly motivated to make good choices in class and perk up when they hear the positive ding that signals someone just earned a Dojo point.
What do you do to recognize individual students in your classroom?
