English Passport Point Cards
Saturday, September 04, 2021Continuing with my Teacher Christiiney series, I've decided to add another section: Class Tools.
Aside from class activities, I make a lot of non-lesson related materials. I put a lot of time and effort into these, and it's kind of a shame that only people in school and I see my work. So I figured, why not share it with others?
When I was working in Shiga, I worked with some amazing senka teachers (elementary school teachers who have specialized training in teaching English). They had so many cool ideas and I learned so much from them.
Here in my Aichi location, there aren't any senka teachers. Instead I am working with the homeroom teachers. The English teaching experience varies greatly between the teachers. I'm expected to be the one to bring in the new ideas for activities and class in general.
When I noticed that a few of my classes were lacking in participation, I found myself looking back to my Shiga times. One of the tools that the senka teachers used was a point card. When students did a certain thing, they would get points. For every 15 points, they would get a sticker. Some of the things that students could get points for were volunteering, judging how much English they used in class, and if they did any English research outside of class.
I had classes where participation levels were very low as well as classes that were really disengaged in class. Only the same few students were participating or no one was participating at all. I though maybe a rewards system would encourage more student engagement. So I made my English Passports. They work the same way as point cards. Students can get points for the following things:
1) Presenting in class (ex: asking/answering questions, sharing their ideas)
1pt -- 1 to 3 times
2pts -- more than 3 times
2) Volunteering (for demonstrations, presentations) -- 1pt
3) During speaking activities
1pt -- Used as much English as they could
2pts -- Used only English
4) Talking to both boys and girls during speaking activities -- 2pts
5) Challenging themselves -- 2pts
6) Doing reactions throughout class -- 2pts
Students can get a maximum of 11 points on any day. (1) and (2) are the easiest way for students to get points. I have seen a really big increase in raised hands since introducing the passports. Even my most uninterested students have been more interactive and outspoken in class. (6) has also been a popular one. Students have enjoyed adding reactions to their conversations. Some of them even react to the videos/listening from the textbook. (5) is a bit ambiguous, but it's a bit of a chance for students to get some free points. It's really open-ended. If students felt that they challenged themselves or they really worked hard on a specific topic, they can give themselves the points.
20pts -- small sticker
100pts -- special stickers
The small stickers are mostly stickers from Trend Enterprises. They're the perfect size and there's such a big variety that I don't have to worry about repeating stickers. I bought a bunch of the set packs from Amazon. I wanted to give students stickers that aren't common here in Japan. Teacher stickers from the U.S. seemed like a good choice.
The special stickers are bigger, character stickers. Students can choose a prize from the following categories:
1) Sailor Moon / 2) Kakao Friends / 3) Girls / 4) Artwork
5) Pengsoo / 6) Sneakers / 7) Star Wars / 8) BT21
I have a crazy sticker collection and I figured that I'd put it to good use. Though I won't deny that I got excited and bought a whole bunch more in preparation for this.
I decided to add an element of surprise to the prizes. I placed each sticker prize in envelopes. Students can choose the category, but their actual prize is random. I figured that this would clear me from blame if students happen to get something that they don't like.
I introduced the passports to two 5th grade classes and one 6th grade class as one of my schools. I introduced the idea to a 5th grade teacher at another school and she seemed to be interested in using them.
Since I implemented the passports in June, the reactions have been pretty positive! It has been really helpful in increasing participation. It has been especially helpful in the 6th grade class. Most of the students were really uninterested in class, but after the passports, they've been really engaged! I know it's mainly because they want to get the stickers rather than actually being interested in English class, but it's better than nothing!
Since the students are still a little ways off from the special prizes, I've only had to bring my teacher stickers to school. As students get closer to the 100pt mark, I have to think about how I'm going to bring all the special stickers to school. I already bring so much stuff...but I might need to start bringing another bag or maybe have an "English basket" to lug around to each class.
Anyway, please feel free to use my passport: ❤
The special sticker category section has been left blank for you to adjust to match the prizes you will be giving.
If you use my template or you have a point system of your own, please share your experiences! I'd love to hear about the type of things you do in your classes to increase student engagement!
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