Every student takes a different amount of time to finish an assignment. The tricky part for teachers is to maintain a learning environment for the students who are still finishing. Many teachers have a box/tote of activities for students to do while they wait for other students to finish. Here are some examples:

I used to have a “Dessert Box.” I had a box of fun, yet educational puzzles, worksheets, that focused on problem solving skills. The students knew they could do a page to earn a ticket (part of my classroom management system).

During the literacy block

She puts a few copies of a fun (yet literacy based) worksheet in a folder for each day of the week. Certain students (high achievers or low students) have their own folders. This helps the kids who finish early to know what to do, and keeps them focusing on literacy skills during the literacy block. She also includes holiday games or other seasonal literacy activities during the weeks of holidays. So Smart!

Send photos of your “done early” activities to squareheadteachers at gmail dot com.