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App of the Week: Fantasy-themed behavior management

class-craft-app

Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated with help from the editors of Graphite.org [1], a free service from Common Sense Education. Click here [2]to read the full app review.

Classcraft [2]

What’s It Like? Classcraft is a fantasy-themed, game-based classroom behavior management tool. Students choose a class (warrior, healer, or mage) and form teams, then work together to gain experience points through positive classroom behaviors and academic achievements. As students level up, they earn powers with real-world effects (such as the ability to be two minutes late for class). Students can also lose hit points for negative behaviors unless another player intercedes and uses a power on their behalf. If a student loses all of his/her hit points, he/she “falls in battle” and must face the consequences (e.g. copying a portion of a text). As with powers, there are some preset suggestions, but these can be modified.

Price: Free/subscription

Grades: 4-12

Pros: Instant feedback and accountability encourage students to act responsibly.

Cons: Big time investment up front, and if not properly modified and framed it could be more punitive than supportive.

Bottom line: Already a solid product and still being refined, Classcraft is on its way to becoming the top destination for motivating good student behavior in classrooms receptive to the game-based premise.