I use a prize incentive program to keep my students motivated to practice. For every 15 minute plus practice session, the student receives one point toward a prize of their choice. 5 points for a piece of gum, 25 for a stuffed animal, 100 for a hardback book, etc. Nothing new, my piano instructors did the same type of thing. Usually either the student (me) or teacher (well, this is me know and folks not much has changed) would lose track of the points and both parties would end up frustrated.
Enter the easy wipe-off bar graph.
I took an old picture frame and stuck in a customizable bar graph. Cleaned the glass, and grabbed the dry erase markers. That's it.
I love this. You can put anything in the frame and switch it out as needed. I see a lot of potential in the bar graph alone: Practice Log, Growth Chart, Distance Chart, Chore Log, and so on.
It takes 30 seconds at the beginning of lessons to write in their progress. No one forgets what was earned. After they redeem their points, I just wipe the slate clean. As an added bonus, the kids get to review some of their simple math skills.
I know it's not rocket science (took me 15 minutes including looking up the graph online), but I thought it was worth sharing. Hope the girls like their new chart tomorrow when the come for lessons :)
You can find the template for this chart here. I also recommend looking the whole Mathwire website over - it has tons of great lesson ideas, template, and more.
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