I have a couple of cute ideas for making little cute incentive bags for the students before the test--but would like to have one for every day--Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!!
Here is what I have so far:
1. Do your best work NOW...AND LATER you’ll be very proud of your accomplishments!
2. Here are some SMARTIES to energize your brain cells and help you to do your best!
3. No time for SNICKERS yet! You’re almost finished with testing!
4. Give each students a small dixie cup of brain juice. We all recite a special "SMART PLEDGE" and drink all together. The pledge goes something like:
Today I will take a test And I will not be afraid I will certainly do my best Because I am very smart today
The brain juice is a little Mellow Yellow (the caffeine stimulates the brain) and some green food coloring to make it look different. Kids try to guess what it is and some even suggest Mellow Yellow. Very quickly someone in class will announce that it cannot be Mellow Yellow because it is green. They beg me to tell them where I get it from, and I just say that I bought it at a special teacher store.
I looked at the year and that was a while ago I say. Now, I know why I have never seen it. I was teaching 2nd grade and didn't look at testing things then, Oh those were the days!!
Since our tests are called EOG (end of grade) I buy the large plastic Easter Eggs and fill them with the items listed above with a note attached" You're an Egg-ceptional Student" or "You did an egg-ceptional job".
Corny, but kids love it.
Why do you feel the need to give a food reward for taking a test?
How about doing a Brain Break before the test begins. Or giving them a pep talk about how wearing something that they feel they look good in will help them do better. Or making sure that they are well hydrated and have a break for a healthy snack.
Candy gives them a quick burst of energy and then they crash. Not what I'd want to promote.
On the last day after the testing is over, I give each kid a little laffy taffy with a note that says something like The Test Is Over, Enjoy a little joke and I write jokes on the strips and pass them out.
Tootsie Roll: You're on a roll now. (Written on a strip of colored paper)
starburst: You'll be a star; work hard.
Little mints: You are MINT to be successful.
We add quotes.
We make a label for water bottles; SMART WATER
I use the bite size candy and I doubt that a bar that small would give them would cause them to "Get a burst of energy and then crash." It perks up my students, so if it helps one kid because they were happy for the test, so be it.
I think this is a cute idea. My students are not "self motivators" and will love to get these. This is something that they will look forward to. How about "Your scores are soaring to the Milky Way"? or "You're doing a whopper of a good job"?
I see the point about now giving candy to the kids. I promote a lot of healthy eating habits in my class. So I'm also providing a healthy breakfast in the morning (I work in a private school-no cafeteria) Something like fruits and milk
My kids aren't old enough to value intrinsic motivation, satisfaction with a good score.
I work hard - I get a paycheck.
They work hard - They get a treat.
It's really not a big deal and it adds a little fun to the over emphasis and stress of testing.
We are doing a combination of activities to motivate the students. This Friday, we are having a PEP Assembly. The teachers are performing a skit, we have a guest speaker lined up, and the high school cheerleaders are doing some cheers.
The Monday of the first week of testing students get to wear sunglasses, because they are going to "shine on the test".
The Monday of the second week of testing students get to wear crazy socks, because they are going to "sock it to the test".
The Friday of the second week of testing students get to wear a hat, because of "hats off to a job well done".
We have six days of testing and each day the students get a small token.
Cheerios to cheer them on.
Pencil grip to make sure they have a grip on the test.
Lemon head the test is going to be easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.
Twizzler don't let the test twist you up.
Sponge for all of the knowledge that they have soaked up. (stress ball)
An eraser to fix mistakes.
During the Communication Arts testing we are encouraging students and staff to wear shirts with words on them.
During the Math testing we are encouraging students and staff to wear shirts with numbers on them.
I allow the children to chew gum, which they find to be a treat. My real trick, though, is that I raffle off 5 iPods each year. My kids get tickets for being at all the testing days, then they get more tickets for working diligently. I always have perfect attendance, and my scores are always high, so I guess it helps.
love the ideas here we do "smart socks" ... a pair of decorated socks to wear on testing days . We also motivate with star tickets to purchase things from school store after each test day.
my students to actually eat the candy they get during the test. Our PTO provides apples as a snack before and the candy is a treat for after school. Since I never give sugary treats to the kids they know it is something special.
03-20-2012, 09:51 AM
we do "smart socks" ... a pair of decorated socks to wear on testing days . We also motivate with star tickets to purchase things from school store after each test day.
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