Motivation: Scoreboard

The Classroom Motivator

The Scoreboard is your class motivator, a team game that advances your kids to higher and higher levels of academic and social behavior.  Stop redirecting ... start Scoreboarding!

Award positive Hawk marks for positive behavior...negative Turtle marks for negative behavior.

When your class is engaged, following classroom rules, treating each other with respect, performing transitions quickly, staying focused on tasks, mark a positive tally. Kids clap their hands, a One Second Party, and exclaim, “Oh, yeah!” When students are disengaged, off task, behaving rudely, breaking class rules, mark a negative tally. Your students quickly rub the corner of their eye and say "Wah!"

This Scoreboard ties directly to Super Improver®  Whenever you want to increase student engagement, set a timer for five minutes.  Mark positive and negative Scoreboard points. When the timer sounds if the Hawks are ahead, everyone wins a Super improver point and a bonus dice roll (a roll of 1-3 scores a bonus point for all players.  On 4-5, the class exclaims, “We’ve got Grit!  We don’t Quit!”  A 6 is a re-roll.)

How do I create my Scoreboard display?

To turn every second of your class into a living video game, put the Turtle/Hawk Scoreboard on your whiteboard - the larger the display, the more hypnotic.

At the start of the year, the Scoreboard game is played Turtle versus Hawk in lower grades, and Scrub versus Varsity in upper grades,  connecting it directly to the Levels in Super Improver.

Scoreboard
Upper grade scoreboard

Don't have enough board space? Play it digitally! Access a copy of the digital Scoreboard in the WBT 5.0 download. 

Digital Scorebaord
Scoreboard display

How do I award points on the Scoreboard?

At any time during the day when you want to increase engagement, set a timer, as mentioned, for five minutes.

Award positive Hawk marks for on-task behavior ... negative Turtle marks for off-task behavior.

A critical component of the Scoreboard is to state the behavior when you award the point. For example, "I see all eyes on me, that's Hawk, give me a Mighty Oh Yeah!", or, "Those gestures weren't big enough, that's Turtle, give me a Wah!" Award points to reteach your expectations, increase engagement, and add excitement to every lesson.

Never, ever point out individuals for Turtle points. You don't want to light a Beloved Rascal’s fuse. For negative behavior, make your comments forceful, but vague. Say, “I think we could have more effort! Turtle Point! Wah!” “Too many of my friends aren’t looking at me! That’s Turtle! Wah!” “Lots of Turtles … and the Hawks aren’t pushing them to improve! Wah!”

Scoreboard with points

To make the game excitingly close, always keep the difference between Turtle and Hawk scores within 3 points.

At the end of the five minutes, if there are more Hawk points than Turtle, the class wins a Super Improver point and a dice roll (see above).

Play Scoreboard all year long, anytime you want to increase engagement and reteach expectations.

Don’t be nice.  Don’t be mean.  Be unpredictable. If the class is off task you can nonetheless record a Hawk point, “Lot’s of Turtles … but Jack your focus scores everyone a Hawk point.”  Or, if kids are doing well but you want to keep them on edge, say, “You’re doing very pretty good.  But you can do better!  Turtle point!  Wah!”  In Teaching Heaven, you control the game, the game does not control you.

Join our Super Improver Facebook group to watch an amazing Facebook Group Live, Scoreboard with Platinum Trainer Joanna Willis