It was last year that I blogged about Promoting Performance, and I adopted Shelby County School’s ice cream metaphor throughout the year to talk about  performance and proficiency with my students. My phrase to students on assessments or just to encourage them in class was to “SCOOP IT UP!” I even had a back and forth call with my students where I would yell “Get a scoop of what?” and they would respond “ice cream” “What?!” “Ice cream!”. It was really silly, but the kids enjoyed it.

With the start of the school year, it is fun to see how everybody is showcasing the performance levels in their classroom. I’ve seen some great pictures of bulletin boards, posters, signs, and more that help students on their path to proficiency.

In continuing with the ice cream theme this year, I’ve made the following posters. (I am SO lucky my school has a poster maker!) Check them out….

Download the posters (FREE)

To go a bit further with this analogy, think of a baby eating ice cream. At the novice level, he may be spoonfed by a parent. He can’t do much on his own and is reliant on his parents putting the ice cream in his mouth (memorized words). He may move from getting a spoonful, to taking a bite of a popsicle, to licking a cone as the parents holds the item.

At the Intermediate stage, the child is able to hold his own ice cream. However, this stage is very messy as the student is just beginning to create with the language. He may end up getting his face covered in ice cream or it dripping down his hand. However, the child is still satisfied because a majority of the ice cream ends up in his mouth/belly.

An Advanced stage ice cream eater might be someone who is able to fully eat the ice cream without creating a big mess (although it still may drip) and add numerous toppings and flavors. He is not content with just the single chocolate scoop.

A Superior stage ice cream eater might be someone who enters ice-cream eating contests and wears a bid even though they rarely spill. They can eat a huge amount of ice cream without getting an ice-cream headache or upset stomach.

And to go along with Proficiency, we are please to announce our new line of stamps from SpanishTeacherShop and FrenchTeacherShop. Mark your students’ paper according to their performance level. We have a set featuring the ice cream scoops, as well as a set featuring cultural places throughout Latin America, and a checklist of proficiency levels.