Loken's Tokens

As students in Wendy Loken’s First Grade class get compliments from other staff and get caught doing the right thing during their school day, they earn a “Loken Token.” One by one the students have filled up the jar this school year, which means the whole class earns a reward. Loken turned this event into a learning opportunity by first having the students vote on choices for their reward. The students came up with ideas like an extra recess, no homework for a day, show and tell, or to bring in a stuffed animal for a day. The class created a secret ballot and using tally marks voted on the winning choice, which was to bring in a stuffed animal on Friday, January 13, 2012.

Loken wanted this reward to be more than just the students bringing in a stuffed animal. So during Writer’s Workshop time on Friday, students wrote five facts about their animal. Then students practiced reading their facts to get ready for a special introduction for the class. Each student then had to read their writing and introduce their animal to the class. Here are a few of the facts shared by some of the first graders. Ashleigh Spruiell wrote “My bear’s name is Alley. It is a girl. She is pink. I got her from build-a-bear workshop. She has brown eyes. In my mind she is a fashionista. She is my first build-a-bear ever. She has sparkles in her fur.” Another student, Lainie Ross, wrote “My favorite animal is Winnie the Pooh. I love him because I got him with my own money!” Nate Viele, another student, wrote “My stuffed animal is red. I sleep with him. He is a good dog. He eats my bad dreams. He is good. He is five years old.”

From counting tally marks to writing and reading facts, Loken turned a class reward into a learning experience her students will always remember.

A Holiday Surprise from Belgium

Early in the school year, Tracy Vargas, a second-grade teacher at Poplin Elementary, realized the students in her class had personal connections to many different countries throughout the world.