👹 Tame the “I Need a Pencil!” Monster in a Flash

Do you feel overwhelmed with the way pencils are managed in your classroom? Do you find yourself constantly searching for lost pencils at the end of the day? Perhaps there’s a mischievous little creature that likes to snack on your students’ pencils in the afternoon? Whatever the case, it’s time to take a step back and develop a pencil management plan that will make your life easier and keeps you from having to buy more pencils! That’s where we come in!

✏️The Pencil Challenge? The Pencil Game? Pencil Management Strategy

We’re excited to introduce you to the Pencil Challenge! This challenge is designed to encourage your students to be more responsible for their materials by incentivizing them to be responsible and organized. To prepare this resource for use in the classroom, you will need to:

1. To start, provide each student with 5 sharpened pencils. 
2. At the end of each week, complete a pencil check and award students with all 5 pencils with a “pencil perfect” award (use the award provided or give a small prize). 
3. If an entire group/table of students receives a pencil award, the group receives a pencil point on their pencil challenge group chart. 
4. Any small group that receives a point every week of the month earns the reward displayed on the poster.

These are suggested rules for implementing the pencil challenge but feel free to modify them for your classroom needs. This resource is fully editable, and you can easily customize it for your students. To do so, you must download the Google Slides resource file.

🖨️ Easily Prepare the 5-Pencil Challenge

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF version or the editable Google Slides version of this resource. The editable version allows you to include your own group names and specific activities and rewards

This Pencil Management kit includes:

• The Pencil Challenge Display Header and Poster
• Incentive Tags
• Table/Group Tracking Charts
• Printable Award Certifications
• Color and BW Versions of pencil tags, etc.

Print on heavy paper for added durability and longevity. Whenever you are ready to change out your board, place all of the pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access and re-use next school year.

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator.