Thread: Ideas for Student Rewards for Big Shakespeare Project

Originally Posted by Leda

Hi everyone! I guess I'm old-fashioned and think students' rewards should be good grades,

Me too.

I think it depends on what you are willing to do. I have only done something like this once and I handed out sodas to the winning group. For fifth graders that was incentive enough.

I've known teachers who supplied lunch, bought pizza etc. Unfortunately I think the students who are not going to care are not going to care no matter what you offer. That is why I have not done something like this since. If it works out tell me what you did to make it successful.

I teach Media Studies. I give out "Oscars" to my students as they complete the internal standards. However I don't give out the traditinoal gold man oscar - I give out Oscar the Grouch stickers. It goes up on the wall and they all can see how they're each doing.

Pizza always seems to be a good prize!

Could you also show a Shakespeare movie picked by the winning team for a class period or two?

Or a winning movie (like "Ten Things I Hate About You" or some other teen movie based off of a Shakespeare play).

don't cave in. I'm a social studies teacher, a field that loves to play movies off of history channel, ect and I refuse to use bribery as motivation. School is about learning and they have to understand that in life, you don't get bribery rewards for doing what's expected and they also need to understand that sometimes, they just have to do something, whether they like it or not, understand the reasoning behind the assignment or not.

I have used token systems, point systems ect before for motivation and none of it works. So now, I just lay out the expectations and work towards meeting those goals. And you know what, my success failure rate is better now than when I used rewards

A positive motivator is always a good idea. When I do that, the "losing" team gets pizza for being good sports (announced after the contest is over). That way even the losing team is motivated to try in the future. At $6 a pizza it's worth it

so basically, win or lose, they get the prize. That should make them try harder next time.

The bad feeling from losing is motivation and you have taken that away since you don't want to hurt any feelings.

One day, when working in the real world, they aren't going to get rewards for failing to meet the job expectations. But they won't understand why since school has coddled them and told them all "it's ok not to meet goals and expectations, here's a reward anyways" :roll:

and the "losers" have no idea they are getting anything. It just softens the blow and they don't have to see their friends eat in front of them. The next time around the losers try harder or at least continue to try.

Always a good strategy.

no they don't, they all realize that no matter what, you give them a reward.

Be good - reward for good behavior

Be bad - reward so they'll try harder

What's the difference, they get a reward in both cases