This weekend has gone by way to quickly! I wanted to share with you something that I started using halfway through last year, and it worked so well that I am using it again this year!
It’s our Homework Club!
Basically, how it works is at the beginning of every month, everyone starts off in the homework club. If they turn all their homework in on time, then they get to stay in the club! If they don’t then they are out of the club. Students who turn all their homework in for the entire month get to come to our monthly homework club lunch. I pick a Friday (since that’s one of the days I don’t have duty!) and we eat in the classroom, turn up the music, and eat, talk, and laugh until it is time for them to go out and play! They love it! I even let them eat up on the front carpet, as long as they are careful not to spill anything and clean up their mess! At the end of the month, everyone’s pictures go back up on our homework club board, and it begins again!
There is another special part to our homework club, and that is the “yearly” homework club. That is for the people who turn their homework in on time every day for the entire year! At the end of the year, I throw a pizza and movie party in the classroom for those students. We have it during the lunch/recess block, and last year we had a great time!
Last year I had two rectangular pans that I spray painted, one for the monthly homework club, and one for the yearly homework club. This year I decided to combine them onto one bigger circle pan. I am going to make a little something to attach to the pictures of my students who are in the yearly homework club this year instead of having a whole separate board. This way it will take up less space! I’ll make sure to take another picture after I finish those!
The magnetic turquoise/circle-designed container to the left of our homework club is what the students put their picture in when they are out of the homework club. I got it at The Container Store last year, and it is the perfect size!
I have had a lot of success with students turning in homework using the homework club, and I am excited to be using it again this year!
I love your Homework Club. What an amazing idea. I bet you have lots of kids turning their homework in each week so they can stay in the club!
Liliris
Fourth Grade Garden
Such a cute idea! We have something similar that we do weekly… those who turn in their homework every day for the week get extra recess at the end of the day on Fridays. It's a great motivator because homework is not used for a grade at our school.
-Caitlyn
Fourth Grade Lemonade
Very cute idea!!
❤Teri
A Cupcake for the Teacher
I love the homework club idea! So great!
Where did you get the "It's okay not to know" sign? Super cute, great message, and matches my classroom colors!
-Dani
A Place to Thrive
Hi Dani,
You can find the sign here: http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com/p/school-signs.html#.VXIvXEZggg5
Enjoy! I so love this site and have downloaded tons of these signs. Many are very motivational.
Thanks for following my pinterest! I followed your pinterest as well! I was talking with my coworkers a couple weeks ago.. before pinterest we thought the things we did were cute… but now there's a whole new standard of cuteness in a classroom!!
-Caitlyn
Fourth Grade Lemonade
Love it!!!
Adorable idea! Pinning it for possible use later in the year!
Meg
Third Grade in the First State
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Kelly
Teaching Fourth
I LOVE this idea! Thanks for sharing! I have been looking for a way to motivate my students to turn their homework in without buying or giving rewards…this one seems perfect!
Thanks for sharing! What a cute idea! Thanks for the freebie!
Krista
stellar-students
So cute- I do something VERY similar
Thanks for sharing your idea!!
Kimberly
The Learning Tree
500 Follower Giveaway {Click Here}
Great Homework Club idea! We have our homework due weekly, which has really helped with students turning their homework in on time. But there's always room for another incentive!
Erin
http://adventuresinthirdgrade-brown.blogspot.com/
Love this idea, may have to borrow this one!!
This is such a great idea
Elizabeth
I used your homework club this month and I've never had so many kids turn in their homework!!!!!! We had a great time eating lunch and listening to music, AND we got to blow bubbles in the classroom! Thanks for the great idea!!!!!
Love this idea! What a quick visual reminder for both teacher and student.
What a fantastic idea! thanks!
This is a great idea to motivate students to turn in homework! I love your blog, I'm your newest follower
Stephanie
Grooving Through Fourth Grade
I've been doing a HW club since 2006 and it's been a HUGE motivator every year! It always amazes me that, in the past 7 years of teaching, it has never lost its appeal!
Christina
*Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge*
Just came across your blog! What a great idea! I'm going to try it out this year!
Nesli
Stop by my blog when you have a chance!
Second Grade With The Teacher Wears Prada
I love this idea and the design of your board! I've tried to make one myself but am having trouble attaching the ribbon on the back. What did you use to keep the ribbon on your circle? Thanks for the amazing tip!
I was thinking the same thing, I used hot glue and it seems to be holding just fine
How did you get the ribbon to stick onto the pan?
I have used this the past couple years and love it. However, I have struggled with how to organize it because I teach 5th and I don’t have the same kids all day since we switch. I have always done my homeroom class but then I have to check in with other teachers about homework and it gets to be tough making it fair for everyone. Do you have any recommendations?
Hi Laura! Last year we changed our Homework Club to a Leadership League! I did a whole blog post about it here: http://lessonswithlaughter.com/from-homework-club-to-leadership-league/. Maybe that will allow you to do it based on their behavior when they are in your class? I’m sure seeing different kids every day makes it a lot trickier! But if you did something like a Leadership League, you could have different Leadership boards for all your different classes! Plus you wouldn’t have to constantly be checking in with other teachers!