What+is+the+Hungry+Game?

The **Hungry Game** is a competition among all the teams (tables) in Mr. Lawrence's Language Arts classes.

We choose the name Hungry Game because the reward is a pizza party ... ahem, study group session ... for the winning team during their lunch wave one day during EQT week. That, plus the name Hunger Games was already taken. ;-)

This game is a competition between every cooperative group that I teach. Each cooperative group formed a team with a team name and a football helmet designed to represent who they are.

The teams will compete on the basis of grades earned on each assignment. Points are awarded to each member based on his/her performance on assignments and the team's point value awarded to the team as the average of the students' scores. This is done to encourage each team to cooperate and work to the best of their ability.

//**CLARIFICATION:**// The game involves a token economy of "points" based on the students' scores. None of the game impacts a student's grade. The only impact is the team's points in the game's economy.


 * Absenteeism hurts.** If a team member is absent and does not turn assignments in on the day that he or she returns, then they receive a "1" for the assignment that averages into the team average and brings the team down. For this reason, if a student knows an absence is coming, then he or she should plan ahead, check the website, and work proactively to submit the assignments before the absence.

The textbook is. Students can e-mail their assignments to me at dwlawrence@mcpss.com.

Early dismissals are excused since they are usually not pre-planned and can be submitted the following day with no penalty to team scores.


 * Behavior hurts as well.** There are four penalties in play and they are all based on behavior in class.

**Gameplay Penalties:**
First offense is a warning, all consequent offenses are 5 point penalties.
 * 1. Sideline Violation:** a penalty for a table that is too noisy.

5 point penalty per penalized team member.
 * 2. Offsides:** a penalty for team members talking with students outside their cooperative group.

5 point penalty per penalized team member.
 * 3. Illegal Procedure:** a penalty for team members who are not on task.

15 point penalty per penalized team member.
 * 4. Unsportsmanlike Conduct:** a penalty for being rude and inappropriate in class.

=Updates:= There will be weekly Top 25 rankings to remind students of their progress in the game.

October 19, 2017 While most students have bought into the game and are trying their hardest to be number one, there are a few students on a few teams that have not responded favorably to the game. They feel they cannot control their behavior enough to win. Others feel as if it doesn't matter.

Please ask your child about his or her team and how they are doing. A few simple questions from home can produce a winner in the classroom.

As I have told them, it is not so much about winning a game as it is developing a winning attitude and developing the expectation to win. Collectively, we are rejecting the mindset of losing and accepting losses. Some students are not their yet and need your support to achieve their best. Would you help me in this cause? Would you motivate your student to strive to win everyday?