Class Appreciations

Class Appreciations

Use these to allow your class to show appreciation for 1 student.

• Entire class says the student's name as they do the appreciation:

Teacher says: Let's give Ian applause. Then teacher and class performs the applause.

• Sometimes allow students to choose which applause they want to receive :)
  • Silent Cheer – Sign Language applause
  • Rollercoaster - Hands begin at the waist and slowly move up like a roller coaster until it gets to the top. As hands go up, students make a "choo choo" sound. Once the hands reach the top, hands go down in a rolling "U" motion as students say "woo woo"
  • Rockstar - Say the student's name as you play the air guitar.
  • Fireworks - Say the student's name, clap, and release hands like fireworks and say "piiishhhh" (firework sound...LOL)
  • Ketchup - Say the student's name, then one hand claps over a fist...as if you are trying to get ketchup out of a bottle.
  • "Cool" Snaps- Everyone snaps their fingers like after a great poem at a poetry slam ;)
  • Woosh Clap - Say the student's name, clap, and then say "Woosh" as hands move in one sweeping motion from left to right. (I stole this idea from our awesome Physical Education educator, Stephanie Roth. This looks and sounds awesome during a whole school event)

Resources: You'll need a poster with all of the options. You only need the word and simple clipart. (Keisa Williams)

Mrs. Ludlow's 3 Claps

One of my favorite teachers, soon to retire, has her students do "3 claps." Just what it says...slow, solid claps all together. We do this whenever a student says something brilliant. I will say, "Let's give ...name of student...Mrs. Ludlow's Three Claps" and we do this together. Everyone ends up looking at the student so he/she feels like the star he/she is. Dee Ludlow learned this technique from former Ben Davis (Indianapolis) High School football coach Dick Dullaghan. (Catherine Trinkle)

Library Challenges

When a class comes into the library I give them challenges such as reading quietly after checking out their books, following directions, teamwork skills, pushing chairs in, cleaning up their table, using shelf-markers, being good listeners during story-time, etc. I then choose one student in the class to be the judge. This student at the end of the class announces to the class if their class completed the challenges or not. I also let the students pick their own challenges, once we've done this a few times. You can also have a poster with all of the classes and award the class in each grade that got the most challenges for that month. (Jessica Munich)