BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a set of collectible cards for motivating children to attend school, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates the reverse sides of a number of the cards of FIG. 1 arranged in a manner that reveals an image and motivational message.
FIG. 3 illustrates a class attendance chart in accordance with the exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for motivating children to attend school using the cards of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, in an exemplary embodiment of the invention a set of collectible cards 10, similar in size and shape to baseball cards or other collectible sports cards, consists of 36 cards 10 because in the exemplary embodiment the school year correspondingly consists of 36 weeks. A 36-week school year, divided into quarters, semesters, or trimesters, is typical in the United States and some other countries. As the length of a “standard” school year may nevertheless be one or two weeks longer than 36 weeks in some school districts or in some special cases and one or two weeks shorter than 36 weeks in other school districts or in other special cases, it is useful for purposes of this patent specification (“herein”) to refer to a school year as consisting of “about” 36 weeks, and the card set as consisting of “about” 36 cards 10. (It should be noted that the term “consisting” is used herein as a closed-ended term meaning no more and no less, except as otherwise provided, while the term “comprising” is used herein as an open-ended term meaning at least but in some cases more.) Although in the exemplary embodiment of the invention there are 36 unique cards 10 in each set, i.e., each card is different from the other cards in the set, in other embodiments of the invention the set can consist of any other suitable number of cards that corresponds to the number of attendance periods that school personnel monitor. Also, the term “set” is not limited to the set of cards 10 corresponding to the entire school year (term) but can alternatively refer to the set of cards 10 corresponding to a quarter, semester or other term of the school year. For example, a set of nine cards 10 can be provided that corresponds to an academic quarter.
Each card 10 in the set bears a unique image 12, i.e., an image different from that of the other cards 10 in the set, of a theme that is typically of interest to children of elementary school age, such as an animal theme. Thus, for example, each card 10 can bear an image 12 of a different animal. Image 12 thus defines at least part of what makes cards 10 collectible or desirable to school-age children, as such students will be interested in collecting a complete set of animals. Each card 10 can also bear an educational and entertaining fact 14 about the animal or other thing depicted in image 12. For example, a card 10 bearing an image of a cheetah can also bear the sentence: “Cheetahs are the fastest mammal in the world.”
As described below, the time period during which the students collect cards 10 can be the entire school year or, alternatively or in addition, a suitable subset or portion such as a quarter or semester, and the methods described below can be performed on the basis of whatever portion of the school year that personnel choose to have the children collect cards 10. For example, the methods described below can be performed once per quarter or four times per school year, using a set of cards 10 each quarter.
Each card 10 in the set also bears a unique number 14, corresponding to the week or other attendance period in which the card 10 is to be given to students, as described below. Although cards 10 are shown for purposes of clarity in FIG. 1 as numbered “1”-“36” to correspond to a complete 36-week school year, in other embodiments they can be numbered to correspond to only a subset or portion of a school year. For example, a set of cards 10 numbered “1”-“9” can be used once per quarter. A set numbered “1”-“9” may be preferred over a set numbered “1”-“36” because it may be easier for students and teachers to use a collection of nine cards than 36 cards, as described in further detail below with regard to the exemplary methods. Again, it should be noted that in embodiments of the invention to be used in school districts or other jurisdictions in which the school year or relevant portion thereof consists of a number of weeks or other attendance periods other than 36 weeks (or relevant portion thereof), the number of cards 10 and numbering of cards 10 will correspond accordingly.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, while the obverse sides or faces of cards 10 can bear the indicia and other information described above, the reverse sides or faces of cards 10 can bear portions of an overall or collective image, such as a group of animals. In other words, each card 10 in the set bears a unique portion of this collective image, and the image portions of all cards 10 in the set collectively define the overall image when arranged adjacent to one another. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, nine cards 10 (e.g., a complete set of cards 10 collected over the course of an academic quarter) are arranged in a 3×3 array, such that their image portions fit together in a puzzle-like manner to reveal the overall or collective image, which in the example shown in FIG. 2 depicts a school of fish. The image also includes the motivational phrase: “Stay in school!” Although a rectangular array is shown for purposes of illustration, in other embodiments adjacent cards 10 can fit together in any other suitable arrangement, such as a jigsaw puzzle-like arrangement in which cards 10 have an irregular shape.
As further illustrated in FIG. 2, each card 10 in the set bears a clue to a puzzle. In the exemplary embodiment the clue consists of a single letter or word. As shown, one card 10 bears a letter “D”, another card 10 bears a letter “F”, another card 10 bears the word “THE,” etc. In this example, these letters and words on cards 10 as arranged form an anagram of still another clue: “FIND THE STAR.” As described below in further detail, this clue may inform the student who collected this set of cards 10 to look for a card bearing a star. Referring back to FIG. 1, note that the obverse side of the card 10 numbered “2” bears a star 18. If the student finds the card bearing the star, the student has solved the puzzle. In view of this example, myriad other such puzzles in which clues to their solutions are contained in information on the cards will occur readily to persons of skill in the art to which the invention relates. In other embodiments of the invention, the puzzle clues can be included in the information on the card in any other suitable manner, such as by camouflaging or hiding clues in the animal image itself or by associating clues with colors, shapes, patterns, images, or other information in cards 10.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, an attendance chart 20 or other indicator of student attendance can be provided to use as part of a system for encouraging attendance, in conjunction with the set of cards 10. The exemplary attendance chart 20 includes spaces in which a teacher can list each student's name and spaces in which the teacher can indicate (for example, by marking with a star sticker, a check mark, etc.) whether the student had a satisfactory attendance record in each week or other monitored attendance period of the period in which the students are collecting cards 10. A student who receives a card 10 as a reward for satisfactory attendance also receives a corresponding mark or other indication of satisfactory attendance on attendance chart 20. Attendance chart 20 or other attendance indicator can be posted in the classroom so that students receive a constant visual reminder of their attendance progress throughout the school year or portion thereof.
An exemplary method for motivating children to attend school using the above-described set of cards 10 is illustrated in FIG. 4. As a preliminary step, a teacher is provided with one set of cards 10 for each participating student in the class. Thus, a teacher having a class of N students participating in the attendance reward program receives, for example, N cards 10 bearing the number “1” and an image of a giraffe, N cards 10 bearing the number “2” and an image of a cheetah, etc. At step 22, the teacher identifies students in the class whose attendance was satisfactory during the preceding week or other monitored attendance period. As described above, satisfactory attendance refers to a record of attendance exceeding a predetermined minimum attendance level, such as attending class on time each day of the preceding week. At step 24, the teacher gives each such identified student one of cards 10 from the set. In the exemplary embodiment, each identified student receives an identical card 10. For example, in the first week of the school year, each student identified as having had satisfactory attendance receives the card 10 numbered “1” bearing the giraffe image. Steps 22 and 24 are repeated weekly or once per other monitored attendance period.
As indicated by step 26, after performing steps 22 and 24 for a number of weeks corresponding to the number of weeks in the term (e.g., nine weeks in a nine-week quarter) or number of cards 10 in the set, a student who has collected all cards 10 in the set (e.g., nine cards 10), can arrange them as described above with regard to FIG. 2 and view the resulting image, textual message or other idea that the arrayed cards 10 collectively convey, as well as any puzzle clues contained in the information in cards 10, and the motivational phrase.
As indicated by step 28, a contest can be conducted by collecting students' solutions to the puzzle that they have formulated based upon clues gleaned from the set of cards 10 they have collected. If, for example, a student guesses that the puzzle clues suggest finding a star among cards 10, and the student finds the card 10 bearing such a star, the teacher can provide the student with a suitable additional reward, as indicated by step 30. The additional reward can be in the form of, for example, a plush animal toy, or entering the students who guessed correctly in a random drawing to win such a toy. In other embodiments of the invention, the additional reward need not be a material item but rather simply can be in the form of additional recognition.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to this invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided that they come within the scope of any claims and their equivalents. With regard to the claims, no claim is intended to invoke the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. Section 112 unless it includes the term “means for” followed by a participle.
Patent Application
20080012230
