Hello to all teachers that find my teaching tips, blog.
I taught 6th grade for 33 1/2 years and continue to maintain a website for teachers/young people where I post materials that you might find helpful to use in your classrooms. Materials include webquests/kid friendly resources(such as a newly posted Summer Olympics, London 2012), plays on famous people, lots of geography activities, short reads of interest, in the news stories, career exploration and lots more. Give it a visit and drop me a line if you think my materials are helpful too you. http://www.gailhennessey.com

Here's a teaching idea I found to be helpful in my classroom:

Offering incentives in the classroom is a topic of discussion.I think just like adults appreciate being recognized for their efforts, it helps to have some type of incentive program in the classroom.

I used "Golden Tickets" which seemed to work well in my classroom.Student participation rose dramatically when they knew that I was holding "golden tickets" to pass out for adding to the discussion. Students received 10 golden tickets for 90 above on quiz/tests), they received 3-5 golden ticket points for class participation ,3-5... points for for helping another student(chapter notebooks, study buddy, etc.).I also awarded golden tickets for Jeopardy winners or other games as well as golden tickets for best cooperation during group work.Students who watched Jeopardy 3 times a week or the evening news 3 times a week could also receive golden ticket points. Every 5 weeks, I also awarded 50 points to the highest average, 35 for the second highest and 25 for the third highest average in my social studies class. I also did the same for those students who showed the most improved average for 5 weeks.Students used the tickets to "buy" candy treats, to "buy" less homework questions, to add points on chapter notebook grades/tests,to purchase a free book,etc.

What kind of incentives do you use in your classroom?
Gail