Sparking Student Motivation: Baseball Review Game

Linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Joanne at Head Over Heels for Teaching, for Spark Student Motivation Saturday.

Planning lessons to engage and motivate my kiddos is one of my favorite things to do. Seriously! Research shows that they are more likely to learn when they are engaged- we all know that. Beyond that, I just enjoy my day a lot more when we get to have fun! If the kids are happy, they are more likely to participate and listen. Motivation is especially important on test review day. Fifth grade is the first year of middle school in my district, so the kids are getting used to a higher level of independence. A great motivational and engaging review day activity is just what they need. Higher engagement and interest means better recall, which means better test scores. Win for everyone! So, what do I do? We play baseball!

To start, I project this image on my whiteboard. The kids are broken up into random groups, and each group is given a different color dry erase marker.  I have a practice test, a bucket of numbers, and a bucket of "runs." This will make sense soon, I promise.

Each group comes up and chooses a number from the bucket. Whatever number they get is the problem we will be working on from the practice test.

The group works together to get an answer. Everyone has to talk with their group, even if they are unsure. This lets the kids that really understand the topic help those who don't understand as well. While they are working, all the other groups are trying to solve it, too. If the group that is "up to bat" gets it wrong, it goes to the next group with no additional time to work. You have to be ready with your answer when the question comes to you! This keeps them all working and on task because they never know when they will have the opportunity to score another point. Once everyone is ready, the group answers. If they get it right, they get to choose from the "run" bucket.

 The choices are:

• Single - move one base
• Double - move two bases
• Triple- move three bases
• Homerun- score!
• Steal- steal the next base if you are already on base. If you were out last time, you can't steal!
• Out - your player is off the diamond and back to the dugout. 

 Here's where the diamond comes in. The designated hitter from the group draws their player on the correct base, depending on what they choose. This is totally their favorite part.

Since there are so many teams playing, it can look like the bases are loaded pretty easily. My kids that LOVE sports debated this with me for a while, because they thought they should get 3 points if they got a homerun. However, if the bases are loaded with other teams, I don't think that counts. :)

Every time a player reaches home, the scorekeeper records one point in the scoreboard. The game gets really exciting near the end, because depending on what a group draws they could win it all or lose it all in just one turn. 

So, there it is! Test review with baseball. This game is a great way to help kids work collaboratively, ensure engagement, and practice for an upcoming test. I'm a big fan! What do you do to spark student motivation?

Lazy Sunday

I think the best part about Sunday is lazy Sunday mornings. The hubby and I sleep late, eat pancakes in our pajamas, and catch up on TV shows we missed during the week. It's silly and simple, but these lazy mornings are the best part of my week.

So I'm a day late on this one, but I love the new link up that Joanne at Head Over Heels for Teaching is hosting!

The idea is easy- just post something you do to help keep your students motivated. So, here it goes!

In my classroom, we use a classroom currency called "Hoot Loot" to go along with my owl theme. My students earn hoot loot by turning in all assignments for a month, getting 15 class dojo points in a week, having a clean desk, or for a random act of kindness. I even give paychecks out on Friday to students who completed their class jobs that week. Once a quarter, we have a class auction for school supplies and little toys that I picked up from the dollar store or the Target dollar bins. The kids love the prizes, and saving up all quarter helps them stay motivated. What's your student motivation tip?

This week I had an out of body experience. I was teaching science before lunch, and we were learning about the universe and our galaxy. The kids were really into it, asking questions about other parts of the galaxy and planets in our solar system. When the bell rang for recess, I told them to get ready to line up. No one moved... which was odd. One student raised his hand, and said "Mrs. B, can we have more science time instead of recess today?"  My jaw DROPPED! I was so impressed that they were so into the science that they wanted to give up recess. Of course, I sent them out to burn off energy anyway, but I had a big smile on my face as I did.What a great moment- I won't forget that any time soon!

I'm creeping up near 100 followers... wahoo! I am planning a giveaway for when I reach 100. I'm thinking a gift card? This is the time of year that everyone can always use a little extra cash. Speaking of freebies, there are some great giveaways this week- check them out!

Pencil Sharpener Giveaway @ Wild Rumpus