Mystery Motivator Chart (Page 3 of 4) in pdf

The Savvy Teacher’s Guide: Selected Ideas for Behavioral Intervention

Jim Wright ( )

Substitute Paper Slips for Special Markers. Students find it very motivating to color

in chart blanks to uncover a hidden prize symbol. However, the teacher who does not

have special “invisible ink” markers readily available can substitute envelopes and folded

slips of paper. At the start of the week, the teacher takes five envelopes and writes one of

the days of the week on the back of each. The teacher then takes five slips of paper. For

each day (e.g., 3) that child can earn a reward, the teacher writes the letter “M” on the

slip. The remaining slips are left blank. The teacher then folds all slips in half, randomly

mixes them up, seals them into the envelopes, and stores them securely. Whenever the

student or class meets the behavioral criteria, the teacher retrieves the envelope with the

current day written on it and hands it to a student to open. If the letter “M” appears on

the slip inside, the student or class can choose a reward from the reward menu.

Troubleshooting:

The student attempts to cheat. If you have a student who attempts to cheat on the

Mystery Motivator Chart (e.g., by coloring beyond the borders of a given day’s chart

blank in hopes of revealing whether the next day’s blank contains a magic letter),

consider suspending them from the game for a day as a consequence.

A student attempts to undermine a team’s performance. Occasionally, a student may

misbehave deliberately in order to prevent the class from earning a chance to fill in the

Mystery Motivator Chart. If this happens, you can designate that student to be a “team of

one”. While the student would still have the chance to play the Mystery Motivator game,

he or she would no longer be in a position to sabotage the chances of others to earn

reinforcement.

References:

Moore, L.A., Waguespack, A.M., Wickstrom, K.F., Witt, J.C., & Gaydon, G.R. (1994).

Mystery Motivator: An effective and time efficient intervention. School Psychology

Review, 23, 106-117.

Rhode, G., Jenson, W.R., & Reavis, H.K. (1992). The tough kid book. Longmont, CO:

Sopriswest, Inc.

* You can purchase invisible ink pens (with “revealer” ink) on-line from the S.S.Adams

Company, a manufacturer of novelty gifts. Visit the company’s website at:

http:

Mystery Motivator Chart Page 3