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Steamboat Springs — Something is strange in Chris Kramer's third-grade class. The children are quiet, concentrate on the white boards in front of them, manipulate the numbers on a set of five dice, and they are happy.

In fact, they are quiet because they are enraptured with the game presented before them.

They are tasked with turning the numbers on the dice, 6, 5, 3, 3 and 1, into 31 through any operations - addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.

The secret to their zeal lies in the reward they are striving to earn. Throughout the school year, the students have been using the Positive Behavior System to receive class benefits. By exhibiting good behavior, either individually or in groups, the class has earned a series of Paws awards to place on a bingo board. Once the class achieves a "bingo," they are able spin a wheel to get their reward, from an art day to an extra recess.

The program is even bigger than the rewards, though, Soda Creek Elementary School Principal Judy Harris said. The class' project is part of a district-wide emphasis on the system of encouraging acceptable behavior and "catching students being good."

Introduced for the first year at Soda Creek, the system is being used by teachers in a variety of ways, Harris said. The program eventually will be expanded to encompass the whole school so that students may be rewarded by any teacher and redeem the reward in their own classroom.

Using a one-for-all approach creates bonds and encourages students to work hard individually, Kramer said.

"It helped them bond because if Renee earns a Paws (reward), they're happy for Renee and happy for themselves," because they all get the reward, he said.

Raine Fos-Welch, who was selected to roll the dice for her class Wednesday, said the class earns rewards from any type of respectful behavior.

"If somebody drops some white boards and some people come over to help them pick them up," the class gets a reward, she said.

The students have learned they can receive awards through any of the four character traits: respect, kindness, responsibility and safety.

"If we do that a lot and Mr. Kramer sees us, we'll get a reward," said student Alex Eakins.

And after a few minutes of frantic writing, the students figured out 6*5+3-3+1=31. For that, they earned a game day.