System and method for encouraging student attendance

Abstract

Students are rewarded on a regular basis with collectible cards or other collectible items for satisfactory school attendance. In addition to the characteristics that make the items collectible, they can bear additional information for entertaining and educating students, such as motivational messages and puzzle clues.

1 . A method for motivating children to attend school, comprising:
 identifying each child having a record of attendance exceeding a predetermined minimum attendance level; and   giving a collectible item to each identified child, the collectible item belonging to a predetermined set of a plurality of collectible items.   
   
   
       2 . The method claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identifying and giving steps are performed weekly. 
   
   
       3 . The method claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined minimum attendance level consists of attending every day of class during a predetermined time period. 
   
   
       4 . The method claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined time period is one week. 
   
   
       5 . The method claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising, following a predetermined plurality of times of performing the identifying and giving steps, conducting a contest based upon information contained in the collectible items given to the children. 
   
   
       6 . The method claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the information contained in the collectible items given to the children comprise clues to a puzzle, and the step of conducting a contest comprises receiving proposed solutions to the puzzle from the children. 
   
   
       7 . The method claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the set of collectible items comprises a set of cards. 
   
   
       8 . The method claimed in  claim 7 , wherein each card in the set includes an image. 
   
   
       9 . The method claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each card in the set includes an entertaining fact about what is depicted in the image. 
   
   
       10 . The method claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each card in the set includes a image of an animal. 
   
   
       11 . The method claimed in  claim 7 , wherein each card in the set includes a unique number corresponding to a week of class. 
   
   
       12 . The method claimed in  claim 7 , wherein each card in the set bears unique indicia, and the indicia of all cards in the set collectively express an idea when arranged adjacent to one another. 
   
   
       13 . The method claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the idea comprises an image. 
   
   
       14 . The method claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the image is of a group of animals. 
   
   
       15 . The method claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the idea comprises a textual message. 
   
   
       16 . The method claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the textual message encourages children to attend school. 
   
   
       17 . The method claimed in  claim 7 , wherein each card in the set bears a clue to a puzzle. 
   
   
       18 . A system for motivating children to attend school, comprising:
 a student attendance indicator having indicia for indicating attendance of each of a plurality of students in a class during each of a plurality of attendance periods; and   a predetermined set of a plurality of collectible items corresponding in number to the attendance periods.   
   
   
       19 . The system claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of attendance periods consists of about 36 weeks, and the plurality of collectible items consists of about 36 collectible items. 
   
   
       20 . The system claimed in  claim 18 , wherein information contained in the collectible items comprises clues to a puzzle. 
   
   
       21 . The system claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the set of collectible items comprises a set of cards. 
   
   
       22 . The system claimed in  claim 21 , wherein each card in the set includes an image. 
   
   
       23 . The system claimed in  claim 22 , wherein each card in the set includes an entertaining fact about what is depicted in the image. 
   
   
       24 . The system claimed in  claim 22 , wherein each card in the set includes an image of an animal. 
   
   
       25 . The system claimed in  claim 21 , wherein each card in the set includes a unique number corresponding to a week of class. 
   
   
       26 . The system claimed in  claim 21 , wherein each card in the set bears unique indicia, and the indicia of all cards in the set collectively express an idea when arranged adjacent to one another. 
   
   
       27 . The system claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the idea comprises an image. 
   
   
       28 . The system claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the image is of a group of animals. 
   
   
       29 . The system claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the idea comprises a textual message. 
   
   
       30 . The system claimed in  claim 29 , wherein the textual message encourages children to attend school. 
   
   
       31 . The system claimed in  claim 21 , wherein each card in the set bears a clue to a puzzle. 
   
   
       32 . A set of cards for motivating children to attend school, comprising:
 a plurality of cards corresponding in number to a number of weeks in a school term, each card in the set including a unique number corresponding to a week of class in the term; and   wherein each card in the set includes an image of an animal.   
   
   
       33 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 32 , wherein information contained in each card comprises a clue to a puzzle. 
   
   
       34 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the number of weeks in the term is about  9 , and the plurality of cards consists of about  9  cards. 
   
   
       35 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the number of weeks in the term is about  18 , and the plurality of cards consists of about  18  cards. 
   
   
       36 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the number of weeks in the term is about 36, and the plurality of cards consists of about 36 cards. 
   
   
       37 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 32 , wherein each card in the set has an obverse side and a reverse side, the obverse side of each card bears the image of an animal, the reverse side of each card bears a portion of a collective image, and the indicia of all cards in the set collectively define the collective image when arranged adjacent to one another. 
   
   
       38 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the collective image comprises a group of animals. 
   
   
       39 . The set of cards claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the collective image further comprises a textual message encouraging children to attend school.