Works Like a Charm!

A few posts ago I wrote about using a Grab Bag activity to help my students prepare for their EOC that they will be taking in a week. Well, when I initially wrote about it, I was still in the planning stages of the activity but two days ago I actually did it and IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!!

It worked so well that when the kids left they said they liked the activity and there was NO sarcasm in their voices!

But, to give a little props to myself, I think it was my presentation of the "prizes" that was the kicker. As mentioned before, I cut up a 24 questions, randomly placed four colored stickers on 4 of the problems and labeled one a freebie, folded the problems, and put them in a brown paper bag. 

Then, as the students began working through their grab bag they would pull out the stickered questions and wonder what the sticker was for. Once they completed the question they got their prize. But I didn't just give them the prize, I cheesed it up with a silly little phrase and they got so into it they couldn't wait for me to say the phrase to them!

        Red = Smartees  = "Ya'll are such smartees!"
        Blue = Dum Dums  = "Ya'll ain't no dum dums!"
        Yellow = Bathroom pass = "Get out of here... enjoy a bathroom break!"
        Green = 5 mins of cell phone time = "I know ya'll are itching to play with those cell phones of yours!"

Now, it may just have been that they all lacked sleep that day or there was a new moon or something. But whatever it was, I was extraordinarily pleased with the way the Grab Bag Activity worked!

So here's to a new, fun way to do a worksheet! Sure it took ages to cut and fold all of those little papers, but for one day of an all-star activity it was soooooooo worth it :)