Fun Middle School Student Incentive Idea
I watched a reel on Instagram a couple of years ago of a teacher who would have the random people who visited her classroom spin a prize wheel. If it landed on a star then everyone in the classroom got a jolly rancher!
Everyone who visited the classroom, from the buttoned-up administrator to the laid back custodian was so excited to spin the wheel!
Of course, that made me want to order my own prize wheel. (I bought this one because it had the highest reviews on Amazon.)
I took her idea and put my own spin on it. (Pun totally intended.)
I used it as an incentive for my classes!
How it works:
Each class starts off with three spins.
I write a Prize of the Day on the whiteboard. Some of the student’s favorites are to sit where you want for a day, ten minutes of free time, and listen to music during independent activity. The prizes are up to you so pick something that is easy for you to manage!
During class, if everyone is on task and working hard, they earn a spin. I would even add spins for groups that were working well together. I would say something like, “Table two is doing a great job discussing the questions. They just earned a spin for the class!”
If the majority of class is off task, I erase a spin.
The last couple of minutes of class, tally their spins and spin the wheel.
If the wheel lands on the star during one of the spins, then the whole class wins the prize. For example, if the prize of the day is ten minutes of free time, then the class will get free time the next class period.
If the wheel does not land on the star during any of their spins, then they do not earn the prize.
All earned spins are erased and they start over the next day with their three spins.
Because this is a daily incentive, run it for a short amount of time. I have found that two weeks is the sweet spot.
I love watching the anticipation on my student’s faces as it spins rapidly and then slowly clicks, clicks, clicks towards the space with the star.
If it actually lands on the star, the eruption of cheers can usually be heard throughout the hall.
Even for the smaller prizes like Jolly Ranchers and stickers! I use these gold star stickers because who doesn’t love getting a gold star?!
Resources to help you!
If you’re looking for more incentives, check out this post with three other ideas I use with my class.
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