One challenge that educators face is what to do when some students are finished while others are still working. In my class the students have a few different options to choose from whenever they say, "I'm finished!" Fittingly, we call them "I'm Finished Choices." These choices change depending on what's been going on in class. "Independent Study" is always a choice, but it has a couple of different meanings. One meaning is to finish any unfinished work or work that needs correcting. This work is kept in their "independent study folders." The other meaning is that we have an independent study table, with materials and activities for the students to explore on their own. As we get into our conceptual units, the independent study table will have materials that expand or go deeper into our concept. At this point in the year, the table has books about rabbits (Can you guess why?). Students can go here to learn about rabbits and post their new knowledge for others to share. We also have a collaborative puzzle table, where two students at a time can work together to make some progress. Currently, they are working on a vibrant 1000 piece puzzle of a candy shop! Once the puzzle is complete, I frame it and save it to sell at our class market later in the year. It's interesting for me to observe which students gravitate towards which type of choice. This year, many students asked if I could add "Geoboards" to the I'm Finished list -- so I did! This popular choice may seem frivolous, but exploring the geoboard builds conceptual understanding of polygon relationships! As you can see, there is never a dull moment in 3rd grade!
2 Comments
Shirley Alkobi
8/20/2018 11:37:04 am
You are an amazing teacher! I love the way you work with our students, and give them opportunities to choose, and be more involved, work independently and be a thinkers!! Love your ideas! I’m sure it’s going to be a fabulous year!
Reply
Mrs. Skillman
8/20/2018 11:51:02 am
Thank you for noticing! I love the way they think.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
3rd GradeLittle people, big minds. Archives
May 2019
Categories |