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Name of Activity: Hot Hands
Purpose of Activity: "Hot Hands" is a incentive program to encourage students' desire
to learn by rewarding them for appropriate behavior and active participation.
Suggested Grade Level: 6-8
Materials Needed: Large sheets of construction paper (preferably orange) to create a basketball - one for each class about 2 feet in diameter.
Large magic marker: To trace hands on the basketball. At least one hand for each child in the class. Make them small so that if you have large classes many will fit. Also, use the marker to indicate the class section or name (homeroom teacher).
Pen or small marker for the students to write their name on their hand. I recommend that you laminate the "Hot Hand" basketballs and have the students use overhead pens so that they can be used from year to year.
Description of Idea It is the goal of each student to claim a "Hot Hand" as his/her own, and then aim to fill in every finger, the thumb and the palm of the hand with his/her name. Students claim a hand when they are recognized for "Hot Hand Behavior" by writing their name anywhere on a blank hand. "Hot Hand Behavior" includes cooperation, sportsmanship, respect, answering questions, practicing a skill correctly, and by demonstrating effort. The students responded with a lot of excitement. It enabled them to monitor their behavior by observing how often their name was signed on their hand. At the end of the unit, the "Hot Hand" basketballs were returned to each class for display. These elements helped to make the studentss more accountable for their bahavior. Increase the longetivy of your "Hot Hand" basketballs by stringing them up daily like clothes on a washline. I tied a rope acrosse the bleacher and attached the "Hot Hand" basketballs with clips. This limited the possiblity of their destruction during the unit from groups using the gym after school or in the evening - had they been taped to the wall. Finally, increase the versatility of the "Hot Hand" basketballs. Use the opposite side of the construction paper to trace the outline of feet for a "Fancy Feet or Quick Feet" motivational program for other units such as soccer.
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