Students are divided into teams. Being on a classroom team is a privilege.  It is designed for students who are willing to put effort in their work. Students who are on the team are the ones who complete homework every day and put effort in their class work.Teams also teach students to help each other, and if someone needs help with completing work and staying on task, his team members will certainly help him.

Team Selection

In September the teams are selected by the teacher. During the course of the year students will choose their own teams. The idea of classroom teams teaches concepts that I believe will be important for the students in the future:

• One must win or lose with grace, dignity, and a dose of humility;
• Collective responsibility is vital to our existence;
• Human beings do not exist alone or in a vacuum, we are all just one giant team!
• Work in a group is a positive experience for the students. They learn that they need to help each other in order to win. Overall, it is an exercise in teamwork, something they will need to do in school, college, and their place of work in the future.

Team Points

Teams get homework and class points for

• Completion of their homework
• Overall effort in the classroom
• Competing work in class on time
• Helping each other

Teams usually get “Unlucky” points, the points that will be subtracted from their total later on, if their team members

• Are late to class
• Do not complete their homework
• Fail to work together

At the end of the month the points are counted and the winning team receives prizes, Homework Passes, and sometimes a surprise. A surprise may be an outing to the movies or a bowling alley,  a lunch with the teacher, or something completely different…