Help with Fast Finishers

[E Jean]

I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas of things my fast finishers could do while the rest of the class is still completing the work. By "fast finishers" I mean those select few children who finish all of their work at the speed of lightening and then get in trouble because they are bored. Any ideas?

 

[1gr81ntheus]

I Understand. . .

the problem. I let my students complete Accelerated Reader quizzes while they wait. That means they are reading to take a quiz if they haven't already and are reading again. When I was in school, the teacher would have us to go and choose a comprehension card to read, answer the questions and put our answers in a box to be graded later. Or we could choose a worksheet to complete.

 

[hescollin]

Petunia

AR is excellent. Sometimes dot to dot numbers and ABC pictures. You can buy cheap activity books at Dollar stores for examples. Give every student a sheet as they finish the project, they take the extra home sheet to finish.

 

[ily]

I let mine do what I call reading, writing literacy activity, which means they can read a book, use scrappaper to draw or write or get an activity off the literacy shelf, file games, puzzles, ect...

 

[bamateach]

lesson

At the beginning of the school year I do a mini lesson and make a poster which I hang in the room called I'm Done What Now? We talk about the fact that some will finish faster than others and they need to stay busy so as to not get into trouble. I ask them to get with a friend and think about things that they could do when they have completed an assignment. After a few minutes I call them back together and we make a list. Here are some examples:
1. Read a book.
2. Take an AR test.
3. Draw a picture and write a story about it.
4. Draw a picture and label its parts.
5. Read the room.
6. Get out poetry folder and read for fluency.
7. Make up math problems and solve them.
8. Write a letter to someone.
9. Read a book and write about your favorite part.
10. Practice your spelling words.

I also have some take it to your seat centers. I mostly use those during center time. I do let them get out the math ones on occassion though.

 

[K/1 Teacher]

same subject...

I strongly feel that students should do something in the same subject area that we're working on. So, if we're doing a math activity and they finish early, they should choose an activity from the math center. If we're doing writing workshop and they finish (which they don't because it's a workshop aproach, and they're always cycling through new projects), but if they did they shoud do other writing. Same goes for reading, science, etc. So in the perfect world, there would always be something related to the activity for them to do when they finish. Of course that doesn't always happen, so in my room when need be they can always read/look at books when they finish their work.

 

[nin]

Finished

For fast finishers we have 1) "The Red Shelf" which has games, puzzles etc that are easy to pack up ( A favourite is a box of magnets and metallic bits like washers and springs and keys to make things with. Also popular is a set of Russian dolls, and a box of marble eggs and plastic egg cups) 2) the busy box which is full of left over sheets from previous lessons
3) Each child has a "Star book' which is a plain exercise book in which they can draw, write, whatever - they only ever draw, but then this years kids are very artistic.
4) I use them as Assistant teachers - to help other children, to hand out stickers for eg neat colouring or finishing an activity, marking work. If they mark work they must initial the tick (these are 5 to 7 year olds)
5) they can also read. Sometimes the good readers organize a group of kids to be read to - or they get a pile of flashcards and hear the others. I've never told them to do this just just do it.

 

[E Jean]

thanks

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I have tried several of them and they are working!! Kudos to you all!