Stage 1: Rewards & Powers

Stage 1 is the foundation of ClassMana's gamification system. You reward students with experience points for good behavior. Every 1000 experience earned, students level up and gain 1 mana. Students can spend their mana to cast powers - special classroom perks and privileges.

This stage requires no student logins - you control everything from your teacher dashboard, making it perfect for getting started.

Prerequisites:

• Registered account
• Class created with students added

Quick Start Guide

From the class dashboard, you can reward students and help them use powers.

1. Reward Students

Reward students for positive behaviors using the rewards you configured:

• See Giving Rewards for detailed instructions on how to reward individual or multiple students

2. Help Students Use Powers

When students earn enough mana and want to use their powers:

• See Using Powers for detailed instructions on casting powers for students

Understanding the System

Experience & Leveling

**Experience points ** are the primary currency students earn:

• Students gain Experience by receiving rewards from you
• Every 1000 Experience earned = 1 level up
• Level 1 → Level 2 requires 1000 Experience total
• Level 2 → Level 3 requires 2000 Experience total
• Level 3 → Level 4 requires 3000 Experience total
• And so on...

Leveling up is exciting for students and provides immediate feedback on their progress.

Mana System

Mana is the special currency students use to cast powers:

• Students earn 1 mana each time they level up
• Maximum mana capacity: 5 mana
• Excess mana from leveling up when at max capacity is lost
• Students "spend" mana to activate powers

Example: A power that costs 2 mana can be used twice by a student with 5 mana, leaving them with 1 mana remaining.

Customizing Your Configuration

You can customize rewards, powers, and mana distribution anytime to match your teaching style and classroom needs.

Customizing Rewards

You can adjust your rewards whenever needed:

1. Navigate to Class Settings → Rewards
2. Edit existing rewards:
   • Click in the description field to change the text
   • Adjust point values (Experience, Mana, Health, Gold)
3. Add new rewards:
   • Use the empty row at the bottom
   • Type a description and set point values
   • Click "Save Rewards"
4. Delete rewards:
   • Click the delete icon next to any reward

Customizing Powers

You can enable/disable and customize powers to match what works in your classroom:

To customize:

1. Navigate to Class Settings → Powers
2. Enable/disable powers:
   • Toggle the checkbox next to each power
   • Only enabled powers appear in the power panel
3. Set mana costs:
   • Adjust the mana cost (1-5) for each power
   • Higher costs = more valuable/rare powers
4. Customize names:
   • Click the power name to edit it
   • Make names descriptive and exciting for your students
5. Click "Save Powers"

Power pricing guidelines:

• 1 mana - Daily perks (Choose seat, Listen to music, Use fidget toy)
• 2 mana - Weekly perks (Homework pass, Extra recess time, Use notes on quiz)
• 3 mana - Special privileges (Sit with friend, Class job, Pick activity)
• 4-5 mana - Premium rewards (Bonus test points, Skip hardest question, Choose class movie)

Setting Up Weekly Mana Schedule

Beyond leveling up, you can set up automatic mana distribution to keep all students engaged:

1. Navigate to Class Settings → Class (the main configuration panel)
2. Scroll to the "Weekly Mana Schedule" section
3. Select which days to distribute mana (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
4. Set the amount per distribution (typically 1 mana)
5. Enable the schedule with the toggle
6. Click "Save Class Settings"

This ensures all students receive regular mana, not just those who are leveling up frequently. It keeps the engagement high across your entire class.

Best Practices

Getting Started

1. Start simple - Begin with 3-5 rewards and 3-5 powers
2. Explain the system - Make sure students understand how Experience, levels, and mana work
3. Be consistent - Reward frequently and fairly
4. Celebrate milestones - Announce level-ups to build excitement
5. Honor powers immediately - When a student uses a power, fulfill it right away

Maintaining Engagement

• Small, frequent rewards work better than rare large ones
• Public recognition of level-ups motivates the entire class
• Adjust power costs if needed - make sure they're appropriately valued
• Add new powers periodically to keep things fresh
• Track power usage to see what students value most

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Don't forget to honor powers - Students will lose trust if you don't follow through
• Don't price all powers the same - Create variety with different costs
• Don't make rewards too rare - Students should level up regularly
• Don't let mana accumulate - Weekly distribution keeps everyone engaged

Next Steps

Once your class is comfortable with Stage 1, consider expanding:

• Stage 2: Student Accounts - Give students their own logins and 3D avatars
• Stage 3: Health System - Add consequences for misbehavior with health points
• Stage 4: Gold & Shop - Create a classroom economy with gold currency

For detailed usage instructions:

• Giving Rewards - Complete guide to rewarding students
• Using Powers - Complete guide to casting powers

Also check out Best Practices for more tips on keeping students engaged throughout the year.