Classroom Tested Resources

Hi there!  I'm so excited to tell you a little bit about how I plan for those kiddos who always seem to finish before everyone else! When I taught middle school, I don't really remember worrying about early finishers.  It seems as though we worked from bell to bell, with never a dull moment.  But in 1st grade, I was having a real issue with some kids taking 5 minutes to complete a task, and others taking 30.  What TO DO? What TO DO?

So, I told them to READ! ;) That's what I would want to do if I finished early.  BUT... I had a BIG problem. Our reading stamina was only about 4 minutes, so I had to come up with a different strategy.  I knew that having relevant, engaging, materials for my early finishers needed to be a priority,  so I first tried rotation stations.  But, that didn't work for me.  I wanted to use this time to work in small groups, but my early finishers were needing me just as much.  

THANK GOD for MAKE A TEN!  My students were really struggling with that concept, so I decided to make a ppt to help them.  We did the ppt during fluency, and because it was still up once my students finished their work, I had them sit and do it again.  My final observation was approaching, and my light bulb lit up... I could use this as an early finisher activity.  AND the rest is HISTORY!

So, Here's How it Works!

Once my kiddos finish their problem set and exit ticket, they move to the carpet, get their white board and dry erase marker, and hop into the groove of the ppt on the board.  The ppts are looped, so they can hop in at any time.  They are completely engaged and motivated to get the correct answer.  The powerpoints are self-checking and interactive, and the kids just LOVE them! 

I've since purchased the pocket white boards.  I found them a little flimsy, so I actually put my white boards inside of these so the students can have them on their lap if they choose.

Here's an example of two early finisher ppts.

Click on the picture below to see this in my store!  I have tons of others that we use in our classroom, I just haven't had time to make them TPT "worthy".  ;)  Summer project!

Thanks for stopping by!