As a VIPKID teacher, choosing the perfect reward system for the next day can be daunting. You print and gather and soon have a messy classroom and feel no more prepared for the next day of class. It’s OK – we all started in the same place! After 3 years teaching ESL online I now have a full year of reward systems planned and ready to go. Today I’ll share my planning approach and share a free printable so that you can get organized for December.
SEASONAL BACKGROUND
To get ready for December, the first step for my classroom is a seasonal background. I use an oil drip pan like this one. I sprayed it with matte spray paint to avoid glare from my classroom lighting. I attached it to the wall using heavy duty velcro command strips. About once a year I touch up the paint but it has been a game changer.
The whiteboard, teacher name, and feedback sign stay in place all year. I add these easy seasonal letters to keep my background seasonal and I change them once a month. They can work as flashcards and props while keeping my classroom organized and seasonal.
Print your full-year set today. Cut, laminate, add magnets on the back and never be scrambling for a seasonal classroom decor solution again. I would love to see a picture of these letters in your classroom – tag me on Instagram@cookfamilyresources.
SEASONAL
Next, I choose a seasonal reward for each week of the month.
WEEK 1
I love hiding stars behind presents or even small pictures of gifts. Sometimes I use small pictures of yucky food items and that makes students laugh and talk about what they were hoping they would get as a gift. Some students prefer to simply collect gifts. You can show students two gift boxes and let them choose which one to add under their tree or start with all of the gifts in place and have students describe which one they want to open (revealing a mystery item behind it). This simple reward system is easy for me to adapt for students of all levels and it offers a natural extension for them to share their holiday excitement.
WEEK 2
My students love to learn about the tradition of making Christmas cookies and leaving them out for Santa Claus. I add a cookie to the table each time they earn a star or gem and we talk about which cookie looks the most delicious. Build-A-Scene reward systems help me share the excitement of the season while keeping the conversation topics varied week after week.
WEEK 3
During week three, we add ornaments to the Christmas tree, which also gives us a chance to review the names of the shapes. It is really important to me to use all 25 minutes wisely so I always look for ways to include vocabulary practice in our reward system time. Many students will take me on a tour to show me their tree and ornaments and I often bring a picture of mine to share as well.
WEEK 4
Maybe this looks like a January reward system to you, but I use this reward in the final week of December to share the tradition of my new year celebration. This Build A Scene Reward System includes many options for the year so that you can use it in your online classroom for many years. I stack the numbers on top of each other and remove them one at a time while we count down together. Then I show them how the big ball of lights drops and the year lights up. We say Happy New Year together. Upper-level students may also be able to compare and contrast with the Chinese New Year traditions. I receive a lot of positive parent feedback during the week that I use this reward system. Give it a try!
STAPLES
After I prepare a seasonal reward for each week, I choose a staple reward for each week. These are tried and true reward systems that work for all ages and genders. I can them to use expand upon our conversation about them easily for the students who need that and I can add them to my whiteboard quickly for students who need to keep moving through the content slides.
WEEK 1
During the month of December, I love to incorporate toys into my classroom. Many students will bring a robot from their room to share. We can have interactive choice since there are plenty of robots in this set to choose from. If they don’t have a robot to share, we can still act like a robot and make our sight word and spelling practice extra fun for the class.
WEEK 2
So many of my students bring favorite cars and trucks to class that I know this favorite magnet set will have something that is similar to their toy every time. Students love choosing their next magnet and building a collection of their favorites.
WEEK 3
While some of my students love to build the tallest hamburger they can, for other students I will add in pieces of other reward systems to make a funny hamburger. It is not unusual to see an animal or car in the middle of a hamburger in my classroom. It is great practice for students to tell the teacher “No, that isn’t right” and explain WHY.
WEEK 4
Sometimes I think I have too many lego figurines but my students all fall in love with different ones so I never regret having a large collection. Many of my students build before class begins and they are always excited to bring their latest creation to the camera to share with me. When I have unfocused students who need frequent rewards, I am grateful to have these in my December box.
STRETCH
Finally, I add a type of reward system that I’ve never used before. Maybe I saw a great idea on Facebook or Instagram. I’m nervous, not knowing if it will work well in my classroom. Every month I choose one to try. Maybe I can practice it with a regular student who is ready for a twist or with an upper-level student who I know has enough English language that we can work through any bumps in the road with a bit of extra incidental language. Although using a stretch reward is harder for my mind as a teacher during class, sometimes it pays off and I find a new favorite to add to my rotation.
This month I’m using Roll-A-Snowman. Every 5 minutes when we stop for a built-in reward I also roll the giant die. We look at the chart together and add that part to the snowman. By the end of class our snowman sometimes has too many arms or no nose at all and it ends class with a smile. Although my whiteboard gets a little dirtier than usual, it is an easy reward to keep on my chair and use for many days with students of all ages. Some teachers have shared that they use a dice rolling app on their phone. This FREE printable comes from ComeTogetherKids.com but if you find you enjoy this type of reward I encourage you to look on Pinterest because there are many variations.
I keep my December decor and rewards all in one box. Each week on my desk you will see my trial props and rewards (I never put them away), a seasonal reward, a staple reward, and a stretch reward. At the end of the weekend, I can put 3 rewards back into the box and take out the next 3.
Print out your FREE December organizer and fill in your favorite rewards. Laminate the chart and write on it with a wet-erase marker so that you can change your plan over the years as needed. If you take 10 minutes once a month to make these boxes, your future self will thank you next year when you don’t have to print anything new or think what you will use for class tomorrow.
