Being back in the junior grades, I remember just how wide the gap can be between my strongest and most struggling students. Even with solid differentiation happening in my classroom, there are times when my students have completed the assigned work early and are looking to me to know what to do next. Here’s how I make expectations for early finishers clear.
I don’t think my solution will surprise anyone, and it certainly isn’t a new idea, but the way I make my expectations for what my early finishers should do clear is by…
WRITING THEM DOWN!
Post them! Leave no room for questions or uncertainty. Allow no interruptions to small-group lessons.
And as I say in my classroom, “Doing nothing is never an appropriate choice.”
I have posters in a prominent communication area in my classroom that indicate what my students MUST do daily when the assigned work is complete, the activities they MAY do, and any reminders about things to CATCH UP on.
And food makes everything a little more fun, doesn’t it?!
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If you’re stuck for early finisher activities, here are my picks for primary and junior classrooms:
I have more ideas for your early finishers in these blog posts:
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