"I can write on the table?"

"You sure can!"
I loved the cheers I heard the first time I let my students write on their tables with dry erase markers.  Their motivation to accept and complete their task hit an all time high.  Check out how I "Sparked my students' motivation" with today's link up.

I first saw this idea flying around Pinterest and knew I needed to try it out.  Our first go at it was with one of our book searches/hunts.  My students do book searches regularly, typically while recording into their journals.  After learning a phonics skill or spelling pattern, I send my kiddos off to find those examples throughout their books.  Here is a book search while writing on our tables in action:

Students hunt through all of the books in their bookbags searching for the learned skill.

This activity is automatically differentiated since the books in each student's bookbag are "Just Right."  As students are hunting, I work my way through the class checking-in on findings and taking anecdotal notes.  I love taking a snapshot of a student's word list and discussing it with them during individual conferences or small group time.  

We also write on our desks to practice math skills.

Another time is during small group.  I find this so much easier to manage with the limited space I have.

I bet a bunch of you are wondering how well the marker wipes off.  My kiddos use old (but clean) socks to erase their work.  Then, at the end of the day we do a quick baby wipe or Lysol wipe and the tables are new again!

Do you let students write on their desks?  How do you Spark Motivation?