Last night, I came across this quote and had to share it. Think about each of your kids. How do you inspire them? What is it that motivates them toward progress? How do we show them they are succeeding so that they want to do more? Today’s post is all about motivation and how to build momentum in the classroom. As we gear up for the second half of the year, motivation to grow as readers is more important than ever.
Motivate through Inspiration
As a way to highlight a few ideas I’ve used and found helpful in motivating my kids, I put together a printable poster you can place in your planbook as a reminder when you’re stuck for ideas. Just click the image to the right to download your copy. The focus with all of these ideas is inspiration. I believe kids need lots of opportunities to hear about new book titles and have books placed in their hands. Book clubs, book swaps, book celebrations, and displays all offer us the chance to highlight books we love. Please take a moment to click on the image to enlarge it to explore the ideas further.
Motivate by Modeling What You Want to See
Teachers have an important role in motivation. Everything we do can increase or decrease kids’ motivation to read. [This post on Reading Rockets] talks indepth on the ways we can positively inspire and motivate. I highly recommend at least a scan of it prior to your return.
Today, I am highlighting the last two blogging friends who are contributing materials that motivate. The first is my friend Kim from Mom2Punkerdoo. Kim is currently teaching second grade, and she’s put together a few novel studies for her store. Novel studies are so much fun for students and give our kids an opportunity to be exposed to great literature and most importantly, allow a common discussion thread between students. Kim’s donating a choice item from her store, and I’d highly recommend one of her novel studies as your choice. Her teaching tip for you is related more toward organization, but we all love quick tips regardless of the topic. She says,
Numbering all my students is a life saver in so many ways! I love that I can always easily tell who hasn’t turned something in just by putting the papers in number order.
motivate by Measuring Progress and showing It
My friend, Nicole from Learning Lab has a great motivator to share. Her book report alternatives are so much fun, and kids really get to show their creativity as they share their favorites. We can never have enough ways to spice things up and make learning fun. Games, project based learning, book talks, and such create enthusiasm for learning and therefore, reading.
Motivate with goals that are attainable to show SUCCESS
Nicole clearly aims at keeping things active and fun in her classroom. I love [this post] on Nicole’s blog called, “Student Led Success.” Kids must buy in to learning for intrinsic motivation to make a difference. In my experience, prizes and parties work for the short term, but for long term motivation, kids need to move toward more intrinsic motivation. She says, “One thing I have found is that students work so much harder when they have created their own goal. They put forth even more effort when they are involved in the progress monitoring. And, boy, do they celebrate their success harder when they reach a goal they set for themselves. Feeling that success makes them crave more!”
Kim and Nicole each have freebies they’d like to share with you.
Related Posts You Might Enjoy:
- Motivation: The KEY to Reading Success
- One Teaching Strategy That Every Teacher Should Do
- The Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting with Your Students
Have a happy and safe New Years Eve, and sending you wishes for a happy, safe, healthy, and prosperous 2016.
Love the goal-setting tip. Kids ARE more motivated when they've created their own goals. It's so important to include them in their own learning because that's they only way they'll be lifelong learners. Thanks for sharing!
Buzzing with Ms. B