Creative Choice
May 01, 2017
Wow - long time no write, huh?
Where has all the time gone?? As I put up our balloons for our ABC Countdown last week it didn't really even feel like the "end" yet. But either way, it is here.
I wanted to quickly highlight one of my favorite routines/activities I have set up in my classroom. Usually, I set this up around October but this year it took me a little longer. Once I finally got to doing it my thought was "Why did I put this off?? Now everything is easier, better for the students - it's just the best!!"
Here's to hoping I remember how wonderful this set up is at the beginning of next year!! ;)
Having plenty of purposeful activities for the students to do is so important in the classroom - they learn, they stay engaged, it's just great! Here is what I have set up for my students who finish their work quickly.
Each of the sticks (in the blue cup) have a student's name written on them (I took this before school started so I hadn't written names yet). When a students finishes his/her work, they can be creative and choose an activity to do: their anything & everything journal, a math tub activity, computer work, a word work activity, ipad work, or work on writing.
When they pick an activity, they can put their name stick in the pocket that corresponds with the activity. There is one rule though: there can only be 4 people at a choice.
The activities on this board are ones that are differentiated & that the students also do during other times of the day. For example: work on writing also happens during literacy stations. This is great because the students can work at their own level & they don't need any instruction because they already know about them.
Typically, I wait until the 4th week or so of school to introduce Creative Choice. Before then, I have the fast finishers work in their anything & everything journals - they can do anything (school appropriate) in these journals: write a story or poem, practice their handwriting, create math problems & solve them.
