SOL19...Incentive Day

Incentive Days

     With PARCC testing last week and this week, we wanted to give students a way to prepare for it, while also giving them some sort of reward for the preparation. Hence, the Incentive Day. Students were asked to compete in a sort of challenge where they could win prizes for earning Bronze, Silver, or Gold. While students are not required to participate, it was a good way to prep them for different topics they would encounter on the test, so we encouraged it. Any spare time in class was used to work toward the challenge. 

     The challenge included 16 IXL activities as well as 12 NewsELA articles. 28 assignments in total, if you weren't keeping count. Students were required to "master" all of the topics, meaning they had to get 100% on every activity or quiz. It was hard, I won't lie. It was a lot of work, and it was hard. The questions ranged from prefix and suffix to tone and author's purpose. The NewsELA articles addressed a variety of different topics, with quiz questions again focusing on main idea, author's purpose, or key words. The students who work diligently on them, who took time at home or during free classes to work on them, earned an Incentive Day.

     Today was that day. As the kids filed in, I quickly took attendance and checked in books and blogs. I happily and proudly then called out all of my Block 1 students who had earned the incentive. 13 students! 13 of my Block 1 students had reached either Bronze, Silver, or Gold status for the challenge, four of them being Gold. It was impressive and I was extremely proud of them. As the kids gathered their belongings and left the room, I looked back at my small handful left over. Most of them had work they were missing for class and would spend the majority of class time working on that, a few wanted to do independent reading, and a few more wanted to catch up on blog posts. The only actual assignment we would work on together would be a Reader's Theater about halfway through class. 

     I glanced around as the handful of students left turned on their iPads. I'd already given them the daily agenda and let them know what they should be working on, so there wasn't much talking. I slowly walked around the room, glancing at iPads as I passed...Blogger was pulled up, an essay was pulled up on another, NoRedInk was pulled up on a third, and one student who'd moved to the rug was independently reading. The room was quiet and peaceful. As much as I hated missing more than half my class, I liked the small group atmosphere. I noticed a few boys whispering in the corner and moved closer.

"What blog are you working on right now?"

"I'm doing my Slice of Life, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to finish NoRedInk, can you help me with this question?"

"Yeah, let me see it."

I walked away. I could make a comment about not talking, or working independently, but I wouldn't. I wish all the secret conversations I overheard could be so innocent and positive. I loved hearing students ask each other for help before giving up or coming to me. It showed such independence, such growth. I smiled and made my way over the desk. I glanced once more at the boys who had already answered whatever question was troubling them and gone back to their own iPads. I took in the rest of the room as people continued working independently.

As I sat in my desk to load up emails, I called out real quick, "Maybe about 15 more minutes to finish up any work, and then we'll come together to discuss the movie Wednesday and our Reader's Theater, OK?" I was excited about the Reader's Theater. We didn't get to do them as much as I'd like, and this story was interesting, about crime. I had 15 minutes to wait though before we could start, so I got myself settled and started checking emails from this morning...