Saturday, December 7, 2013

Minions for Motivation...Spark Student Motivation Saturday

It's Saturday, time to link up with my very sweet & special friend, Joanne, from Head Over Heels for Teaching for Spark Student Motivation Saturday.


What's my idea for motivatin' my students this week? 
Minions.
I had NEVER seen Despicable Me.
My students couldn't believe it.
All of my bloggy buddies were bloggin' all about them.
I was jealous.
I admit it.
I decided I needed to see it too...with my lil' rockstars.
How did I make it happen without feelin' guilty about takin' up class time?
I used it as a reward for hard work.
I LOVED IT!
Want to know what made it even better?
The students' excitement.
If I even turned my head for one second they were tellin' me to 
"WATCH THIS PART!"
I'm glad I took the time to enjoy this with them.
Somethin' as simple as stoppin' what I was doin'(teacher work) 
and payin' attentionto somethin' the kids love, 
helped me continue to build meaningful
relationships with them and motivate them all at the same time.
After the movie, I froze some pictures of minions on the SMARTboard 
and let them design their own minions.  
Then they got to use my friend, Matt's, Minion Makers.
The world didn't end because we did somethin' out of our routine.
Their test scores are not goin' to plummet because we did somethin' fun.
Their smiles expanded though and so did my heart.
You can also use this tutorial from Art for Kids on How to Draw 
These guys are hangin' in our hallway at our front door.  
They make me happy when I look at them.
We did them on large pieces of white construction paper.




Have you checked out the Winter Planning Giveaway Scavenger Hunt 
hosted by I'm Lovin' Lit?
Go now...EVERYONE wins!
It ends this Sunday, December 8th.

Don't forget to check out what everyone else chose 
for their student motivation 
this week at Joanne's blog.
I'm stop C-4.  

11 comments :

  1. I love that you took the time to watch this with your kids. Such a fun movie, and what a great way for them to be rewarded. I am planning on using minion makers as an activity right before Christmas break. Glad you enjoyed the movie with your students.

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  2. It is tempting, even with my own kids at home, to zone out during a movie or try and get a few things done - but they love it so much more when you sit and watch it with them. I am sure this was a truly valuable experience for all of you. Hope you are having a great weekend.

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  3. Wow! Those minions are great! When I saw the pic, I was thinking, "Where did she buy those minion cut-outs?" Great movie, huh? I own it, and am so excited for DM 2 to come out soon. Great job!! And welcome to the "I love minions" club. ; )

    Ali
    Teaching Powered by Caffeine

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  4. The minions turned out so cute! I have to admit that I haven't seen the movie, but the hubby and I keep saying we need to!

    Rissa
    Keep Calm and Hoot On

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  5. Your minions are precious, I love that you took the time to watch with them. They were tezching you things, that is teaching! I love minions, the movies, my son cannot wait until #2 comes out this week. I bet your kids will be just as excited and will be chatting it up to you.

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  6. My students love this movie too, and it is one of those movies that even adults can enjoy! (And we could all use a break from the craziness this time of year, right???) I'm looking forward to Despicable Me 2 on DVD. Love your minions!

    Jennifer
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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  7. AWESOME!!! I love that you took the time to watch the movie with your kids. Pretty soon the other one will be on DVD too (that one is even more minion-centric) plus there are purple ones (spoiler!).

    So cool!
    matt

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  8. Thank you for sharing! I love minions, and so does my class. I'm going to work these into my plans this week. Even if it is a homeroom project.. I mean who can resist a minion! Thank you for sharing!
    Michele

    Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans

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  9. OMG OMG OMG OMG. These minions are ADORBS!!!!!!!
    Jivey

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  10. Soooo motivating Alison! I love that you took some time to reward your students and YOU for hard work! These are the moments they will remember! Their minions turned out awesome! I may have to steal this! :) Thanks for sharing and linking up my friend!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

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  11. I love your minions! I watched it for the first time this summer!
    A Tall Drink of Water

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