Works for Me: Tips for Teachers by Teachers February 20, 2013

Featured Post: Dance Like No One is Watching From May Ryan: Would you do this? Ms. Ryan knows a teacher who rewards her class with a solo dance routine. Of course the kids love it! Click below to read more no-cost rewards to motivate your students.

Question of the Week: Class Competitions From The Worker Bees: Do you challenge your class to compete, battle or race? Against their classmates, their teacher or themselves? What educational competitions do your students enjoy? Send us your “winning” ideas!

Adding Machine Scrolls From Janet Keohane: A fifth- and sixth-grade teacher in Beach, North Dakota: Ms. Keohane's students compete to see who can identify the most instances of words from a weekly list: nouns, adjectives, multi-syllabic words - the list varies. Most interesting is the adding machine tape. Find out how she uses it (hint: displaying the results is a great decorative idea).

Battle of the Books From Sophia Bufis: A REACH Teacher (G/T/Enrichment) at Forrest School in Fair Lawn, New Jersey: This year-long, school-wide competition gets the entire community involved in a fun reading event. Students compete, teachers and principal coach, and parents cheer them all. It includes Olympic fanfare and a torch runner (seriously!).

Best Past President From Sue Kast: A fifth-grade teacher at Vintage Hills School in Pleasanton, California: Ms. Kast and her students plan a mock election and debate over who was the best past U.S. president. Learn how she leads her class through the election process and teaches her students the steps to selecting the best President, all leading to a fun inaugural celebration!