5 easy to implement solutions to help your sweet, but slow finishers, get their work done! The reasons behind not finishing are many : some kids are still weak in the skills that they need in order to finish, some kids don’t care about finishing, some kids don’t want to do the next task so the dawdle , some enjoy the constant pushing and encouragement to finish. #1 Let’s start with those who lack in skills needed. Offer to help on 1 problem and let them know that you want to hear them think through the next problem. (This gives some accountability for them to listen to you while you are helping.) When it is their turn to do a problem out loud ( the think through it) don’t jump in and offer assistance too fast. Praise their thinking and willingness to work hard. Fill in gaps in the understanding This is great modeling for the potential peer tutors who are seated near you and are probably listening in. These steps show the other children at the table how to help this struggler should the struggle continue. #2 Buddy Helpers and the GREEN Pen of Greatness Give those fast finishers something meaningful to do. Allow them to assist a friend using the 4 steps above and this poster below. If you give your peer tutors a green pen you can watch this “helping bug” spread like the flu… just kidding spread like wildfire. Maybe your slower finishers just need to motivation to get done so they can get their hands on a green pen! Green Pen The idea for the green pen comes from Amy Green. Brilliant idea! Teacher roams around with some green pens. Completed work gets a green star. In my class we do hearts. Author of completed and accurate work can go on to other things of interest or take another green pen and go help/ look over the work of other friends in class!!! (((purchase a box of green pens from Office Max {here})))) #3 Helping Reluctant Finishers Get it Done: Using Motivational 1/4 sheet and Visual Timers Now what do you do with a child that just does not want to finish? They have the skills, but finishing is not something that they care about. Or they don’t want to do the next assignment, so they are making a “meal” of this one! If this is habitual, call home. It can be a quick call just letting mom, dad, auntie, or other family member know that it’s becoming a habit for the child to not finish even though s/he has the skills to do so. Offer the child a little help. Mention that you have noticed they are not getting their work done. This just isn’t how we do things. Remind them they can ALWAYS ask for help, but you have noticed they KNOW how, but just are moving slower than they should. Give them a 1/4 sheet of paper to help them keep track of finishing on time. Most kids love having the teacher “notice” this change of effort. You can place a sticker over each child. Kids love the dot marker. For some reason that perfectly shaped blob makes everyone happy. Or just make it simple and put a heart over every finished assignment. Utilize a visual timer so they can tell if they are running out of time. I love the classroom timers site!!! Your students will be able to pace themselves better as they watch the fuse burn. The fireworks show is awesome at the end. Have something they miss out on if not done. I will say I have kept a child in for 5 minutes of recess occasionally. Don’t throw things at me. Listen, I think the “don’t take their recess away” movement is right! Seriously don’t throw things at me. But missing 5 minutes of recess really sends a message too. Staying in for 5 minutes in the course of an entire school year can yield a harder worker! #4 Decide if not finishing is OK: Modified Work Some of the kiddos in my room are struggling on every little thing all the time. This is because their age is not matching their academic age. For example, I have a 1st grade 6 year old who is precious, but is at a mid kinder level. Isn’t it OK for him to finish half of the work and tap out? This is modifying. Seriously, if he can do 4 problems (even with help) wouldn’t that indicate that he could eventually finish them all? But the eventual part is the struggle. We don’t have “eventually” in the school day. A phone call home or parent meeting should happen first before work modification begins. All parties need to agree on this. Once you all agree, have the child complete a given amount and then store the unfinished work. #5 Have a Spot to Store Unfinished work: I store mine in this Pacon paper sorter! In December I went back to work after the break and brought in the Pacon Paper sorter. I called it the work in progress condo. I can keep projects we are in the middle of in there and my students can keep their own work in progress there too! I adore Pacon as a company and this paper sorter is the best. Let me tell you why. It was inexpensive. It was so easy to put together, and I am ALL thumbs. It can be painted or covered in contact paper to customize. It easily stores the unfinished work of my slower finishers and the “in progress” work from my week-long intervention groups!!! This product is sturdy and isn’t too big! It fits perfectly under an easel or stands up tall along a bookshelf. It also sits beautifully on a counter top. You can also set it on it’s back to be accessed from the top. LOVE THIS PRODUCT. You must order one NOW. OK but get this… my class is a little “willful” this year. Out of 30 kids I have 14 only children and 1st born kids who “just” got their 1st sibling. This year has been a struggle to keep them engaged in work vs. pretending school is one big playdate. So, look at the brilliant idea I came up with to keep the talking down a bit!!! Lord have mercy, just that little bit of space between desk groups has really cut down on the talking and has improved work completion too!!! Can I get an Amen? I am giving myself a high five right now!!!! You can also stand the sorter up on it’s end. I am going to buy another one and put it in my guided reading area to hold the awesome materials I keep on hand there. Unfinished work and Parent Communication: What do I do with this unfinished work? I send it home on Friday. I attach a note that says something like this: “This is work that your child was not able to finish in class. We discussed work modification, but I wanted you to have this at home in case you can have an older brother or sister or tutor help your child continue to practice the skills we are doing in class.” Grab this parent letter and other freebies below. Remember: high expectations- I expect you to do what I ask and try hard (even if that means doing 1/2 page I asked of you) meaningful relationships - The green pen and helpers Kelley Dolling of the Teacher Idea Factory says you have to “sell the sizzle” in order to get things done. I hope the sizzle of the green pen and the posters and freebies motivate your little stars to rock this out. Download all the freebies from my store on Teacher’s Pay Teachers by clicking the button below: Make a teacher friend’s day! Share this post with them. Pass on great info and freebies so we can all help our slow finishers.
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
We want students to be comfortable in our classrooms. We want them to feel welcomed and inspired. Classroom decoration can play a role in creating that environment. Below are some simple ways to …
Once upon a time a child decided to tell something to the teacher about another child. Some lovely school marm many, many moons ago decided ...
5 easy to implement solutions to help your sweet, but slow finishers, get their work done! The reasons behind not finishing are many : some kids are still weak in the skills that they need in order to finish, some kids don’t care about finishing, some kids don’t want to do the next task so the dawdle , some enjoy the constant pushing and encouragement to finish. #1 Let’s start with those who lack in skills needed. Offer to help on 1 problem and let them know that you want to hear them think through the next problem. (This gives some accountability for them to listen to you while you are helping.) When it is their turn to do a problem out loud ( the think through it) don’t jump in and offer assistance too fast. Praise their thinking and willingness to work hard. Fill in gaps in the understanding This is great modeling for the potential peer tutors who are seated near you and are probably listening in. These steps show the other children at the table how to help this struggler should the struggle continue. #2 Buddy Helpers and the GREEN Pen of Greatness Give those fast finishers something meaningful to do. Allow them to assist a friend using the 4 steps above and this poster below. If you give your peer tutors a green pen you can watch this “helping bug” spread like the flu… just kidding spread like wildfire. Maybe your slower finishers just need to motivation to get done so they can get their hands on a green pen! Green Pen The idea for the green pen comes from Amy Green. Brilliant idea! Teacher roams around with some green pens. Completed work gets a green star. In my class we do hearts. Author of completed and accurate work can go on to other things of interest or take another green pen and go help/ look over the work of other friends in class!!! (((purchase a box of green pens from Office Max {here})))) #3 Helping Reluctant Finishers Get it Done: Using Motivational 1/4 sheet and Visual Timers Now what do you do with a child that just does not want to finish? They have the skills, but finishing is not something that they care about. Or they don’t want to do the next assignment, so they are making a “meal” of this one! If this is habitual, call home. It can be a quick call just letting mom, dad, auntie, or other family member know that it’s becoming a habit for the child to not finish even though s/he has the skills to do so. Offer the child a little help. Mention that you have noticed they are not getting their work done. This just isn’t how we do things. Remind them they can ALWAYS ask for help, but you have noticed they KNOW how, but just are moving slower than they should. Give them a 1/4 sheet of paper to help them keep track of finishing on time. Most kids love having the teacher “notice” this change of effort. You can place a sticker over each child. Kids love the dot marker. For some reason that perfectly shaped blob makes everyone happy. Or just make it simple and put a heart over every finished assignment. Utilize a visual timer so they can tell if they are running out of time. I love the classroom timers site!!! Your students will be able to pace themselves better as they watch the fuse burn. The fireworks show is awesome at the end. Have something they miss out on if not done. I will say I have kept a child in for 5 minutes of recess occasionally. Don’t throw things at me. Listen, I think the “don’t take their recess away” movement is right! Seriously don’t throw things at me. But missing 5 minutes of recess really sends a message too. Staying in for 5 minutes in the course of an entire school year can yield a harder worker! #4 Decide if not finishing is OK: Modified Work Some of the kiddos in my room are struggling on every little thing all the time. This is because their age is not matching their academic age. For example, I have a 1st grade 6 year old who is precious, but is at a mid kinder level. Isn’t it OK for him to finish half of the work and tap out? This is modifying. Seriously, if he can do 4 problems (even with help) wouldn’t that indicate that he could eventually finish them all? But the eventual part is the struggle. We don’t have “eventually” in the school day. A phone call home or parent meeting should happen first before work modification begins. All parties need to agree on this. Once you all agree, have the child complete a given amount and then store the unfinished work. #5 Have a Spot to Store Unfinished work: I store mine in this Pacon paper sorter! In December I went back to work after the break and brought in the Pacon Paper sorter. I called it the work in progress condo. I can keep projects we are in the middle of in there and my students can keep their own work in progress there too! I adore Pacon as a company and this paper sorter is the best. Let me tell you why. It was inexpensive. It was so easy to put together, and I am ALL thumbs. It can be painted or covered in contact paper to customize. It easily stores the unfinished work of my slower finishers and the “in progress” work from my week-long intervention groups!!! This product is sturdy and isn’t too big! It fits perfectly under an easel or stands up tall along a bookshelf. It also sits beautifully on a counter top. You can also set it on it’s back to be accessed from the top. LOVE THIS PRODUCT. You must order one NOW. OK but get this… my class is a little “willful” this year. Out of 30 kids I have 14 only children and 1st born kids who “just” got their 1st sibling. This year has been a struggle to keep them engaged in work vs. pretending school is one big playdate. So, look at the brilliant idea I came up with to keep the talking down a bit!!! Lord have mercy, just that little bit of space between desk groups has really cut down on the talking and has improved work completion too!!! Can I get an Amen? I am giving myself a high five right now!!!! You can also stand the sorter up on it’s end. I am going to buy another one and put it in my guided reading area to hold the awesome materials I keep on hand there. Unfinished work and Parent Communication: What do I do with this unfinished work? I send it home on Friday. I attach a note that says something like this: “This is work that your child was not able to finish in class. We discussed work modification, but I wanted you to have this at home in case you can have an older brother or sister or tutor help your child continue to practice the skills we are doing in class.” Grab this parent letter and other freebies below. Remember: high expectations- I expect you to do what I ask and try hard (even if that means doing 1/2 page I asked of you) meaningful relationships - The green pen and helpers Kelley Dolling of the Teacher Idea Factory says you have to “sell the sizzle” in order to get things done. I hope the sizzle of the green pen and the posters and freebies motivate your little stars to rock this out. Download all the freebies from my store on Teacher’s Pay Teachers by clicking the button below: Make a teacher friend’s day! Share this post with them. Pass on great info and freebies so we can all help our slow finishers.
It's time to revamp your strategies for behavior management! This post shares highly effective behavior management resources for...
With this infographic, Katie Novak, covers the basics of UDL, including the goals and guidelines, and provides some quick-start implementation tips for
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We are the GATORS at my school! I made this freebie poster set to hang in my classroom! Click here for the free download! Now includes posters for BEARS, EAGLES, HAWKS, TIGERS, SHARKS, and WILDCA…
Corkboard Connections is a blog written by Laura Candler who enjoys connecting terrific teachers with amazing resources!
Primary Teaching Ideas and Resources
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I spend an inordinate amount of time making copies. I despair over the trees to whose demise I contribute. I weep for the amount of time I spend clearing
A Byron Katie Worksheet is a few short questionnaires on a specific topic. A worksheet can there will be any subject. Topic may well be a complete lesson
This post was written as a guest post for Teachers Love Amazon. Visit their blog here. Hi! I'm Becca from The Teacher's Passport and I'm a 2nd grade teacher and yoga teacher in Asheville, North Carolina. I am very passionate about spreading the message that yoga is for everybody. Today I'm excited to share one of my favorite topics---yoga in the classroom. When I first became a classroom teacher, I relied heavily on my yoga practice to manage stress, anxiety, and overall health and wellness. As we all know we have one of the toughest jobs in the world and when we put our whole heart into this profession, we need to make sure we're filling our heart back up with self-care. The practice of self-care is something that is far too often put on the back burner in our fast-paced society. Yoga has completely transformed my life and I love sharing the gift of yoga with kids. In addition to teaching our students the core content, it's just as important to teach them the importance of self-care. Yoga in the classroom is an excellent way to model this life skill while giving kids a tool to help with their own emotions and experiences throughout the school day and at home. One of the greatest things about yoga is that it can be practiced anywhere (mats aren't necessary--just optional) and it's free! I've seen the incredible benefits it provides and the difference it can make in a child's life and I hope that you'll consider bringing it into your classroom, too. Why yoga? eases anxiety and tension enhances focus, attention, concentration, comprehension and memory supports social and emotional learning has a positive influence on overall academic performance (#teachergoals) Whether practiced once or practiced regularly, the benefits of classroom yoga make it well worth the time. Although we may not always have 10-20 minutes for a yoga break, poses are perfect for transitions throughout the day or brief brain breaks, even if you only have one minute. When I first introduced yoga to my kids, I started with a few basic poses. As long as you're making sure your students are safe, you don't need to have an extensive background in yoga to bring it to your classroom! Yoga teacher trainings are wonderful but definitely an investment of time and money. If you're not quite sure where to begin when teaching yoga to your kiddos, here are some fun and simple teaching tools that you can use in your classroom:' Yoga Pretzels Yoga Pretzels is an awesome kid's card deck with yoga poses, breathing techniques, and games. It includes individual poses with kid-friendly instructions, partner poses, and whole-group games. Pick one or two cards during morning meeting and focus on those individual poses. Once kids are familiar with poses, you can put them into a sequence for a morning, mid-day or afternoon flow. You can also pull cards as brain breaks throughout the day, or assign a "Yoga Instructor" as a classroom job and have the instructor lead the poses for that day/week/etc. The kids get super excited about that! In yoga, it's all about the breath. Gentle, mindlful inhales and exhales. Encourage students to breathe mindfully (listening to the sound of and feeling the movement of their breath) while practicing each pose. They can stay in each pose as long or short as you'd like, but I'd recommend at least 5 breath cycles in each pose. Picture Books There are several great books to introduce and share yoga with your students. One of my favorites is I Am Yoga by the one and only Peter H. Reynolds. This creative story shares how yoga transforms the main character's life through imagination, mindfulness and strength. My favorite line from the book is: When I feel small in a world so big, I calm my mind, my body, my breath. I can create and imagine. I am yoga. Another favorite is Good Morning Yoga by Mariam Gates. It walks students through an entire flow with rich language and beautiful illustrations. I read this to my kids the first week of school, and when we reread it I choose student leaders to read to the class. Yoga Mats One of the most important things to know when bringing yoga to your classroom is that mats are NOT necessary--they are optional. A whole class set of mats can be pricey which is why I recommend applying for grants or creating a project on Donor's Choose. I applied for a grant to receive a class set. You can also reach out to classroom families and community members to see if anyone is willing to donate mats. From Amazon, I recommend these mats from YogaAccessories but there are some great options on wholesale yoga sites as well. No mats? No problem. Kids can do yoga on carpet or floors. They can even practice in chairs. Another great option is to practice outside! That also provides additional grounding and connection to nature. :) Yoga in the classroom will look different in different places but there's no right or wrong way to do it. As long as the kids are SAFE, able to focus on their practice, and spend time bringing attention to their body and breath---that's yoga. Calm Cards for Positive Affirmations Throughout our yoga flow or brain breaks, I like to integrate positive affirmations with my students. I'll state a positive affirmation and they echo or a student will lead the affirmation. I always make sure to include a time during our yoga practice where they hug themselves! It sounds like something so small but it makes a big difference. Positive self-talk is important for kids of all ages--and adults, too! You can grab a free sample set of my Calm Cards at my TpT shop, or purchase the full set for your classroom. 15 Day Classroom Yoga Challenge To help bring yoga to classrooms around the world, I’m so excited to officially announce the 15-day #ClassroomYogaChallenge! Each school day I’ll post a new pose and include the traditional pose, variations of the pose, benefits of the pose, and easy ways to teach it to your students. My goal is to bring the gift of yoga to as many classrooms as possible. It’s free, healthy, and valuable–something that our students can use for the rest of their lives. Each new pose will be posted on my IG feed the night before, at 8pm EST. The challenge officially starts onMonday, May 1 but the first pose will be announced on Sunday, April 30. These poses can be integrated into a morning meeting, or taught during a brain break–whatever works best for your classroom. Yoga mats are NOT necessary. All you need is a flat surface where students can stand/bend/stretch safely. Are you up for this fun and meaningful challenge? If you’re in, head over to @theteacherspassport on Instagram and be on the lookout for the first pose Grab these FREE Yoga Cards! Mindfulness Along with incorporating yoga, you may also be interested in bringing mindfulness to your classroom. For resources and suggestions on getting started, visit my blog or browse my Instagram feed for a peek on how I incorporate mindfulness with my kids. If you choose to bring yoga in your classroom, please let me know! You can tag me on Instagram @theteacherspassport! I can't wait to see :) And of course, feel free to reach out with any questions.
As I sit writing this post, thinking of information I have obtained the last two days during Professional Development workshops, I want to offer words of encouragement as we begin the next semester: We CAN teach our students how to be intelligent... we just have to discover what TYPE of intelligences they have. If you have found that your students express their intelligences through writing, I hope you take a look at the above table. This is an easy-to-read formula of the popular Jane Schaffer Writing Method. I use her method with all of my students, which include English students from 6th grade to 12th grade. Using this worksheet as a guide will help your students organize their writing so that their language is clear and concise; and hopefully, their writing intelligences with shine throughout the year. Yours Truly, Katie
As secondary teachers, when it comes to decorating we often don’t know where to start. Sometimes, we just don’t have the time or energy to devote to another long project with possible m…
Time to get APPy friends! Today I am sharing a technology tool that is not quite an app. However, you can press the sharrow and add to home screen to create an app for it. The tool of choice is called, PADLET. Think of an online bulletin board. Instead of students posting sticky notes on a wall, they can post on a virtual wall. At this time, my students are writing expository pieces. I wanted to make sure the kids truly understood what an expository piece was. The class was asked to post what they wanted their topic to be, and after the OK from me, they could begin. This was great for the kids that didn’t understand because it allowed me to provide a refresher for them. This Padlet asked a STAAR-based question from a former STAAR passage. Kids input their responses as if it were an open-ended question. We then analyzed our answers with the answer choices provided. Teaching grammar? Grammar lessons can tie in very nicely with a Padlet. You could integrate this into a KWL chart for not just grammar, but famous people in social studies, science concepts, and much more. We recently ended out geometry unit, and this […]
Whether you teach children or adults, teaching ESL grammar and vocabulary in a fun and effective way can be so tough sometimes, can't it? Lesson planning for grammar concepts can definitely be a challenge. Well, today's post is about how to deal with exactly that! I'm going to share my top 5 ways to use games in the ESL classroom. If you've met me (over at The Teaching Cove), you know I LOVE using games to spice up learning.
Broadcast journalism is a real-life career that we can share right in our classroom - AND it's a fun and exciting way to multiple standards together!
I've been teaching sociology for three years, now, and almost immediately, I stumbled upon Introsocsite. It's a fantastic resource for any sociology teacher.
What reading strategies do students need to know? Find out here and keep track with a free chart!
There are so many amazing things we can do with Google Forms. One of my favorite features allows us to differentiate a form for students, meaning we can send students to different questions and pages of information based on how they answer each question.
"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship..." ~Dr. James Comer These words are my mantra. Building a strong rapport with students is vital to maximizing academic growth. Here are some of the ways I do this with my fabulous first graders.
Check out this list of over 85 Apps that Integrate with Google Classroom! Did you know that Google Classroom plays well with others? Yep! Google is known for making their applications open to working with third-party applications, and Google Classroom is no exception.
These 5 geometry projects for middle or high school are a great alternative assessment for your student. Project-based learning is so important to...
Hi teacher friends, Some of my favorite memories in elementary school were centered around reading novels in the classroom! I’ll always remember making a glittery web with glue and black paper while reading Charlotte’s Web in third grade. (I also remember our teacher scolding us for the giant glittery mess on the
The question-answer relationship (QAR) comprehension strategy teaches students how to ask key questions about their reading, and then how to find the answers to their questions — whether it means locating a specific fact, drawing an inference, or connecting the reading to their own experience.
What does it mean to have asthma? How do healthy lungs function compared to sick lungs? These are the questions my 8-year-old wanted to investigate today. This STEM Respiratory System Investigation was a great discovery of what can stop our lungs from working properly. We compared lungs with asthma to healthy lungs and talked about some other lung infections and how they can affect our bodies.
