23 Activites for the Fast Finishers in Your Upper Elementary Classroom

You’ve planned your first day and first week of school activities. You have made copies and collected supplies. You’re observing your students work on the activities, talking to each other, and enjoying every moment in your classroom.

Then you hear the dreaded words: “I’m finished! What do I do now?”

Welcome to the world of “fast finishers” in upper elementary grades.

The trick is to be prepared for these students by having expectations for their work quality and appropriate “go-to” activities for them to do when they are truly finished.

Here are three ways to do that.

1 – Establish the expectation of “must do – may do” activities. You might even need to be ready for this in upper elementary grades on the first day of school.

This involves making a list (on the board or on the screen or a slide) that includes what all students MUST do. This is generally the independent work assignment. Then, beside that list, you also include a list of what students MAY do when they are finished.

You will need to explain this procedure, including how to evaluate their work for being “finished” before they move on to the “may do” activities.

2 – Establish your expectations for what “finished” looks like in your class.

Here are some expectations you might set (and post on a chart):

*did you write your name?
*did you answer all of the questions (or solve all of the problems)?
*is your work and handwriting neat and easy to read?
*did you do your best?
*did you turn it in the correct place?
*did you clean up your work space and put away materials?

3 – Now for some activities. In general, I expect students to work on literacy activities during the literacy block, math activities during the math block, etc. But you can switch this up in whatever way works for you.

You can post these options on chart paper or add them to a slide for display on your board. Some of the activities require some prep to get them organized, but then you’re set to go for the year. Others require zero prep (and are best to start out with on the first days of school).

On to the fast finisher activities!

Literacy activities

1 – Free (independent) reading (always a first option). (Prep: none, other than having a classroom library)

2 – Free writing (always a first option) or writing in your journal. (Prep: provide journals for students; post writing prompts on your online platform or on a slide or chart).

Some possible writing prompts from We Are Teachers website:

Third grade prompts

Fourth grade prompts

Fifth grade prompts

Here is how I used dialogue journals in my classroom. This is always a good writing option as well.

3 – Select new books from class library (or school library, depending on your school policies). (Prep: none.)

4 – Write a letter. (Prep: provide writing paper – anything is fine – and possibly a list of suggested folks to write letters to. This could be family members and/or school personnel.)

5 – Write a thank-you note to someone (same prep as letter writing: provide writing paper and possibly a list of suggested folks to write letters to. This could be family members, school personnel, or classmates.)

6 – Write a book recommendation for the class. There are more elaborate ways to do this. But a simple way is to have a wall display of blank paper – on a bulletin board or just blank paper with a border – and keep a stash of post-it notes like these handy. Students can write the title and author of the book on the note along with anything they want to say about why they are recommending the book (why it was good, why they liked it, etc.) and include their name if a classmate wants to ask them about it. (Prep: wall display, directions, and post-it notes)

7 – Read poetry books or write your own poems! (Prep: poetry books from your school library in a crate for students to access and read; examples of different poems to write. This website is a good resource.)

8 – Read a magazine. (Prep: purchase or borrow copies of magazines your students might enjoy. Another option is to ask for donations of gently used magazines. Some popular magazines for upper elementary students include: National Geographic Kids, Ranger Rick, Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated Kids, Zoo Books, Cricket, Scholastic News, Owl Magazine).

9 – Create a Quizlet of vocabulary terms from any subject and post the links on your online platform. (Prep: creating the Quizlets and posting the links)

Math activities

10 – Practice math facts – online games or practice with flash cards (watch for my upcoming post about practicing facts with flash cards.) One of my favorite sites is Mathigon’s Multiplication by Heart, which is now part of Amplify. Here’s the link. (Prep: establishing fact practice as a routine; posting links on your online platform; creating flash cards, if you choose to use those.)

11 – Math puzzles! Here’s a good site for those. (Prep: posting links in your online platform and/or making copies of puzzles and storing them in folders for students to access.)

12 – Math games! Our North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction has some great options.

Third grade games
Fourth grade games
Fifth grade games
(Prep: printing and laminating the game boards; storing the games in folders; providing manipulatives to use for the games)

13 – Math challenge problems. Math Superstars are an oldie but goody. You can find links to each grade level’s problem sets HERE. (Prep: printing the problem sets and storing in folders for student access.)

14 – Math choice boards from Jennifer Findley. (Prep: printing and storing in folders or posting links on your online platform.)

Third grade choice boards
Fourth grade choice boards
Fifth grade choice boards

Content area activities

15 – Explore Social Studies/Science websites. Here’s a link to some resources I’ve collected.
(Prep: finding the particular resources you want to use for your content subjects; posting links on your online platform.)

16 – Create a Quizlet of vocabulary terms from your subject areas and post the links on your online platform. (Prep: creating the Quizlets and posting the links.)

Other activities

17 – Finish any unfinished work! (Prep: none)

18 – Study for any upcoming tests. (Prep: teaching students what you mean by “study.” Should they read their notes? Quiz themselves on terms or topics? Review vocabulary words?)

19 – Use approved websites to read or play games. Two of my favorites are Wonderopolis and Free Rice. And don’t forget any sites your district offers. (Prep: posting links on your online platform)

20 – Work on an independent project. Some teachers call these “passion projects,” or they implement Genius Hour. Basically, this involves students working on their own research or creative project that interests them. (Prep: teaching the routines and procedures you expect.)

21 – Organize desk or binder or cubby (Prep: none! Although you might want to demonstrate how to organize these areas.)

22 – Keep a list of helping tasks for students to do for you or for the classroom. (Prep: keeping the list; training students to do the tasks themselves)

23 – Build with Knex, Legos, etc. (Prep: Purchase or borrow materials and provide a space for building and storing the supplies; teaching the routines and procedures you expect.)

I hope these ideas will help you engage your fast finishers and keep them learning!

All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!

40 Best Tips for Teaching Upper Elementary Grades

I have over 30 years experience teaching and instructional coaching in upper elementary grades. Clearly, I love it or I would not have lasted this long!

Here are 40 of my best tips for teaching upper elementary grades.

Student Relationships

1 – Building relationships with every single student is job #1. Every day. Even the students you don’t think are very likable. (Especially those students.)

If you try, you will find something to love in every student. Spending just a few minutes talking with students (rotate different students to focus on every day), asking them about their interests, genuinely smiling at them, and seeking to find something good will pay off every single time.

Read some of my true confessions about students HERE.

Here are some more tips for developing relationships with students who are difficult for you.

It’s a great idea to begin learning about your students from day one of school. Here are some questions that I like to use.

2 – Greet students at the door (or near the door) as they enter your classroom. That helps you make a quick connection first thing and “take the temperature” of how the student is doing.

3 – Contact every family within the first month of school to tell them something good about their child.

(I have a no-fail script for this in “Plan Your First Day and Week” module of my Get Started Teaching in Upper Elementary Grades course.)

4 – Ask families to tell you about their child. I have never met a family who did not welcome this opportunity. (Some prefer to verbally tell you rather than do that in writing, but here is a writing option to send home to families.

5 – The old saying “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is 100% true.

6 – Never embarrass students in front of their peers. You will lose respect and trust from all of your students.

7 – Be consistent! If you make a deal with one student, ensure it’s a deal you’re willing to make with every student.

8 – Be willing to laugh with your students. (Obviously – not laugh AT them). But enjoying the funny things they say or the funny moments that happen in your class is part of the joy of the job.

9 – The quieter you speak, the better they listen.

10 – Share the good stuff with your students’ families. It makes such an incredible difference.

11 – Give yourself time to cool down before responding to student misbehavior. It is okay to tell a student that you are upset and will talk with them later. (That often makes them worry more than if you addressed it immediately!) Then, reflect on how you want to handle the situation, get help from a colleague if needed, and follow up with the student.

12 – The above advice works for angry parent emails too. 🙂

13 – Speaking of parent emails – communicate with parents/caregivers frequently. Tell them what students are learning, make suggestions for how they can help at home, remind them of important dates.

If you notice a change in student academic work or behavior, get in touch with the parents. Let them know that you care about their child and solicit their help and input. Keep a copy of the email or document the date and time you left a voice mail. If anyone questions why you didn’t let them know, you’ll have the necessary proof.

14 – A student’s behavior is always telling you something. Be willing to look deeper and ask qeustions to learn about what is really going on.

15 – Give every student a clean slate. Every day. Every new year.

16 – I got this advice from a veteran teacher when I was new, and it has served me well. Find a picture of yourself at the same age of your students. Ask yourself the following questions: what kind of teacher did I need in this grade? What did my teacher do that helped me? What fears did I have at this age?

17 – Try very hard to be the teacher you would want your own children to have.

18 – Continuously teach your students to be the class that you want. If you don’t want them to make unkind comments to each other, work on improving that behavior. If you want them to feel some urgency around getting their assignments done well, work on teaching them what that looks like. Saying something like, “That is not acceptable/that is not okay/we are not going to do that in OUR classroom” in a kind but firm way really helps.

Starting the Year Off Right

19 – Think about your classroom routines and procedures and plan for those before worrying about having the world’s cutest classroom. You can always start with a minimalist style and add on later. But starting the year by teaching your students what you want them to do and how you want them to do it is very important.

From the moment students enter your classroom on the first day, have an assignment for them to do, give them an assigned seat, and be kind but firm about “what we do in our classroom” and “what is not okay in our classroom.” They want you to be in charge!

20 – Gradually introduce classroom routines, rules, and procedures in the first week of school (but not all on the first day). Then spend time reviewing and practicing throughout the first six weeks of school and after every school break as needed.

21 – Speaking of rules – limit them to three or four.

22 – Any time you question yourself about what you should do, ask yourself, “What is best for the kids? What do the kids need?” Those questions will always steer you in the right direction.

Upper Elementary Teaching Tips

23 – Observe teachers you admire. Ask them first, of course, and arrange whatever coverage you’ll need. When you go to their classroom, take notes on what you see them do. Incorporate it into your style.

24 – Overplan. Always have some “sponge” activities (that sponge up the extra time) available. Reading aloud always works if you can’t think of anything else.

25 – Some lessons or activities will either go wrong or not be as effective as you wanted. That’s okay. Everyone will survive. Go back and do better tomorrow.

26 – Focus on improving only ONE thing at a time. If you’re working on a new math instructional strategy, just stick to that until you’ve got it down. Then you can switch to something else.

27 – Read to your students! Both of you will love it.

28 – TBWA – teach by walking around. Circulate, monitor, be aware of what is happening in your classroom.

29 – It’s never too late to reset your classroom. Here are some ways to do that.

30 – Get students moving and out of their seats as much as possible during lessons. Everyone needs brain breaks occasionally! I have tips for that HERE and HERE.

Taking Care of Yourself and Remaining Positive

31 – The best thing you can do for your students is to take care of yourself. Seriously. Get some exercise. Spend time with your family and friends, and spend time by yourself. Read something for you. Journal. Pray and meditate. Go to therapy. Do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself.

32 – Avoid whiners and complainers. Find your marigold. Jennifer Gonzalez talked about this on a post on her Cult of Pedagogy blog. You can read the full post HERE.

If you plant a marigold beside most any garden vegetable, that vegetable will grow big and strong and healthy, protected and encouraged by its marigold.

Marigolds exist in our schools as well – encouraging, supporting and nurturing growing teachers on their way to maturity. If you can find at least one marigold in your school and stay close to them, you will grow. Find more than one and you will positively thrive.

33 – Keep a “happy file” of notes from students and families that make you happy. On bad days, look through your file. (I also keep a digital folder for nice emails.)

34 – Be open to change and innovation. Every year, there is a new initiative. You can hate that and complain about it or seek to learn something new from everything that comes along. You’ll be much happier if you can seek to learn.

35 – Wear comfortable shoes.

36 – Celebrate and set goals each week. Keep a journal and do some reflecting each week. Here are three reflections prompts:

Celebrate: What did I do well this week?
Analyze: What do I want to improve?
Target: What is one specific goal for next week?

Time strategies

37 – Develop routines for your before school and after school time. Here are some tips for doing that.

I have a short course on developing these routines. Take a look at it here!

38 – You don’t have to do everything. Seriously. Teachers have so much on their plates, and sometimes we hurt ourselves by adding unnecessary things.

Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed, take a step back (and a deep breath), and ask yourself what you can let go for now. Maybe you can return to that task later, but look for what you can eliminate or simplify for now.

39 – Ask your students to do as many classroom organization and clean-up tasks as possible. One of my mottos is: Never do what a student could do for you.

Try “find it and fix it.” I learned this tip from Jodi at Clutter-Free Classroom. You gamify the classroom clean-up process. Whenever you’re cleaning up (but especially at the end of the day), tell students that you’ve picked one thing that is out of place in the classroom. It could be a pencil on the floor, some paper that is out of place, a book that needs to be put away, or a chair that’s not straight. Students need to “find it and fix it.” The game ends when the room is spotless (not when the mystery item is found).

40 – Clean out your classroom every winter break and every summer break. I got this advice from my mentor teacher my first year of teaching and I have (mostly) followed that advice every year.

What is your best piece of teaching advice? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Teacher Time Blocking & Batching Tasks – Get it All Done & Go Home!

Teachers have many demands on their time. One of the most critical parts of the job is planning and preparing for teaching.

Unfortunately, sometimes that time dwindles as you work on completing all the other tasks that come up and seem more urgent.

This post will give you some quick tips for blocking out time for the necessary planning and prep while also blocking out time to complete the other required tasks.

First, we’ll use time blocking to structure your weekly to-do lists.

Time Blocking in 4 Steps

1 – To do this, start by reviewing your weekly and daily schedule and identifying the blocks of time you have to complete prep and planning work.

Here’s this might look for me. (The navy blue blocks are times when tasks could be completed.)

2 – Create a giant brain dump list of everything you need to do every week, and when I say everything, I mean every little part of the task.

For example, lesson planning for ELA involves lots of smaller parts. It might include planning your whole group lessons, choosing whole group text, prepping that text for each day’s lessons (what you will do, what your students will do, what questions you will ask), and planning the students’ independent assignment.

It might also involve planning for several different small group lessons differentiated for your students’ needs. That may also involve selecting texts, prepping that text for the day’s lessons, and planning assignments.

You will also need to list locating the texts if those are not provided for you.

Then you will need to list the assessments you will do along with time to grade the assessments and possibly upload grades to an online platform.

Whew! And that’s just one subject! This may sound tedious (and it is), but it helps identify the different tasks so that you can plan to do certain tasks at one time in your day or week and other tasks at other times.

3 – Put time estimates next to each task. If you’re not sure, err on the generous side and estimate more time than you think you will need.

4 – Indicate how often you want to do the tasks. Daily, weekly, twice a week, monthly?

Now, let’s batch those tasks and plan when to finish them.

Task Batching in 2 Steps

Task batching organizes our to-do lists by grouping similar tasks and completing them in identified time blocks.

There are many ways that task batching helps make you more productive. Every time we switch tasks, our brains have to reset, which takes time and energy. When we batch our tasks, we group tasks that have the same “cognitive load” or the same demands on our working memory.

Doing all the same types of tasks at a designated time cuts down on distractions and helps make us more efficient.

Here are some examples of cognitive load categories: creative, decision-making, logistics, and quick tasks.

Creative tasks might include lesson planning and writing (report card comments, newsletters, parent emails).

Decision-making tasks might include grading and analyzing assessments.

Logistics might include making copies, completing paperwork, and changing anchor charts on the board or wall.

Quick tasks are anything that doesn’t require brainpower and can be completed in 15 minutes or less. (These might even be good tasks to get your students to do for you or turn them over to parent volunteers or teacher assistants.)

Now – back to that giant brain dump of tasks.

1 – You’ve got your task list, time estimates, and how frequently the tasks should be completed. Now identify what kind of cognitive load the tasks need.

If it’s a creative task that requires your thoughts and full attention, put a “C” beside it.

If the task needs your focus for decision-making, put a “D” beside it.

Logistics tasks get an “L.”

Quick tasks get a “Q.”

2 – Go back to your daily/weekly schedule with the identified blocks of time to work.

Plug your creative tasks into blocks of time when you have more time (15 minutes is probably not enough) and when you have the energy to focus on them.

Decision-making tasks can be plugged into smaller chunks of time, but still need a time of day when you can focus.

The logistics tasks and quick tasks can be plugged into the remaining time. (And remember – the quick tasks might be tasks you can delegate so you won’t have to do them!)

Now let’s look at how we can structure a weekly schedule.

Weekly Schedule

This can be structured according to your best work times, but here are some principles.

*Plan your lessons earlier in the week (Monday and Tuesday), then reserve Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the logistical details related to those lesson plans (collecting resources or making copies, for example).

*Speaking of resources and copies – it’s helpful to have storage drawers for keeping all materials organized for the days when you will need them.

*Do your decision-making grading work on one day, then enter grades online on another day.

*Some teachers keep their faculty meeting days open for logistical and quick tasks.

*Consider keeping one day unscheduled so you can complete anything that was not completed on its scheduled day.

*Instead of taking time to put materials away, you might use a dishpan or crate to hold all those materials. Then spend one day’s logistical task time to return the materials.

*Check email at designated times, preferably only two times a day.

*Any time you complete all your tasks for one day, get started on the next day’s tasks! (It might not happen often, but it’s awesome when it does happen.)

*Once you have a weekly task list system that works for you, consider making a daily checklist. Then, you can check off the work as you complete it.

For more tips on creating a schedule for your before and after school work times, check out my course, The Teacher’s Guide to Using Before and After School Time Effectively! I’ll walk you through setting up your task schedule step by step.

15 Quick Tips to Make Your Life Easier in an Upper Elementary Classroom

Six things you can do or plan before the school year

1 – Plan routines and procedures ahead of time. Some think upper elementary students shouldn’t need this review/practice, but they do. Go ahead and plan for that. Here’s a free resource for reviewing classroom procedures.

2—Consider creating a digital “hub” for your yearly scope and sequence and weekly plans. This will help you map out the curriculum for each quarter and include links to digital resources. Google Sheets works well for this. This is one of those tasks that takes a bit of time to set up the way you like it but will have time payoffs throughout the year and for future years.

3 – Another option is to create a document with links to various resources, organized by unit and by standard.

4 – Think about how you want students to keep their “stuff” organized. Will they use binders or folders? Where will these be kept? Will they have supplies at their seats? If so, what supplies and how are they expected to clean up or replenish when needed?

5 – Figure out a pencil system that works for you! Here is a great one!

6 – Make/keep a list of “sponge” activities that are good for soaking up a few minutes of extra time when you have it. Read aloud is always a good option. Other options might be whole-class math games or quick review questions about a content area.

If you want more guidance on using your limited before and after school time more effectively, check out my course HERE!

I am creating several more courses, specifically for upper elementary teachers. If you want to be notified when the course is published, sign up for my waiting list!

Nine things you can do or plan during the school year

1 – Create a “new student” bag and list of stuff you give out/use for everyone at the beginning of the year. This way, whenever you receive notification of a new student coming to your class the next day, you’ll be semi-prepared!

What to include?
*anything that will include their name
*any notebooks/folders that you give to all students at the beginning of the year
*a few pencils
*any parent/caregiver information that is provided at the beginning of the year (school supply list, information about you and/or your classroom, any back-to-school night information, etc.)

2 – Create a spreadsheet of student information. Type student names vertically. Then create columns for whatever information you need to keep for each student. This might include parent/caregiver phone numbers/email, allergy or health issues, IEP/504 or any other academic need information, any student interests you learn about during back-to-school community-building activities, etc.

3 – Communicate with parents/families often! Send brief class newsletters with any classroom/school updates.

It’s effective if you choose a few students weekly and send something personal by email, phone, or text. Focus on something you appreciate about the student. Parents/families love hearing positive news. (And it makes giving negative news easier because they’ve already heard positives from you.)

4 – If you teach math, complete the math practice you are assigning before giving it to students. That will prepare you for any questions or misconceptions they might have.

5 -If you teach ELA (or read aloud to students in any subject), read the books in advance. There might be difficult topics in the book, and you want to be prepared to stop and discuss if necessary. (Or to choose another book if something is problematic for your students or school.)

6 – Create a checklist of names and make multiple copies. These checklists will come in handy over and over throughout the year. You can use them to check off student classwork, homework, permission slips, other school forms, etc.

You might also use them for formative assessment of student classwork.

7 – Color code everything! ELA materials, notebooks, etc., could be one color, and math materials could be another color, etc.

8 – Consider assigning numbers to every student. Then, you can label cubbies, mailboxes, journals, clipboards, and whatever supplies you use with numbers instead of names. If you do this, you might also make a large chart paper poster of each number beside each student’s name and post it. Then you and others can reference the poster at any time to remember a student’s number. Students learn their numbers very quickly and find this system easy to manage.

9 – Think about how you might want to organize classroom jobs. There are many great ideas on Teachers Pay Teachers. Here are some jobs I find helpful to have in upper elementary grades:

*Someone to change the date & write announcements/reminders on the board
*Someone to change the lunch board choices
*Pencil sharpeners;
*Class librarians who keep the class library organized (you need a few of these!)
*Tech support (makes sure that any technology is plugged in and charging)
*Recess equipment manager (takes recess equipment outside and collects it to bring back inside each day)
*Mail sorters (puts school fliers and other info into student mailboxes to take home)
*Electrician (turns lights on or off, so you don’t have 20 kids hopping up to do that job every time you suggest turning off the lights)
*Paper passers (pass out papers or other supplies)
*Paper sorters (organize papers for you to check or grade. I usually have them put them in number order for me.)

One key tip to remember: never do anything a kid can do! Give your to-do list a quick scan (often) and look for tasks you can give students to do for you.

I hope you found a couple of tips that will save you time and energy this year!

All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. Making good teaching sustainable – while also having a life outside of teaching – is my goal. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!

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35 Ways to Add Fun & Novelty to Your Upper Elementary Classroom

Summer is a great time to think about changing classroom routines for the following year. While we get caught up in our standards-based teaching during the school year (as we should), we don’t usually have the time (or the bandwidth) to think of ways to change the routine.

I have collected random ideas from teachers I have worked with and social media. Try one, or try them all throughout the year!

General Tips

Think about what would make something fun for YOU. If you are having fun teaching, your students will have fun learning.

1 – Incorporate Whole Brain Teaching! Here is some information about it. And here are ways to start some of the routines.

2 – Incorporate read-alouds!

Here is a list of my favorite upper elementary chapter books.

And here is a list of my favorite upper elementary picture books. These are specifically identified as being great for back-to-school, but they can also be used at any time of year.

Here is a link to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, which includes more read-aloud lists.

3 – Besides all of the assessment and data tracking you do, consider doing some “kidwatching” to look for positives you see in students’ work habits, social skills, and behavior.

This information can be shared with students’ parents/caregivers as a quick email/text/phone call, or you can keep the information together to share as part of conferences, progress reports, or report cards.

Here is a quick way to do this: use five post-it notes per day and put the names of five students on the notes. For that one day, closely “kidwatch” those five students and jot down the positives that you see. (If a day gets extra busy and you don’t get to everyone, just continue the next day.) When you’re done, move on to five more students!

4 – Use Padlet! Here are some suggestions for using Padlet from Matt at Ditch That Textbook.

5 – Speaking of Ditch That Textbook – Matt is a high school teacher, but his site has great tools and ideas that can be incorporated in upper elementary as well. Here is a link to some of his back-to-school tips.

6 – Have you heard of Classroom Transformations? I learned about them in a Facebook group, and it reminded me that I used to do them occasionally but have not done them recently.

Here is a link to Lifetime Learner on Teachers Pay Teachers so that you can get an idea of what these are like. This link is for fourth-grade math class transformations.

7 – Use Kagan’s cooperative learning strategies! This explanation of five strategies will get you started.

Morning meeting/end of day routines/SEL tips:

8 – If you need guidance in starting a morning meeting routine, here you go!

9 – Learn something about the National Day of (whatever)! This website is a great resource for choices.

10 – Make “student sub plans” for when you’ll be out. I also saw this in a Facebook group, but cannot remember who to credit for this idea. (If it was you, or if you know who suggested it, please let me know!)

This is a brief checklist for students that lists what they need to complete at different times of the day. It helps them feel more responsible for their own learning on days you are absent. The list can be posted on your online learning platform, or you could ask your substitute to print and copy for each student.

11 – Celebrate birthdays! We’re not allowed to have food to celebrate birthdays in our district, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do special things.

Create a Padlet for the student called “What We Like About . . . “ and let everyone add something. (You can still preview the Padlet if something is shared that would not be appreciated.) Then you can share them digitally with the student and family, or print it out.

You could also do this on a large piece of construction paper or chart paper and let the student take it home.

12 – Incorporate Classroom Book a Day! Here’s more information about how I use it.

13 – Incorporate dialogue journals to communicate individually with your students. Here’s more information.

14 – Try using “The First Five” as a morning meeting activity! Here’s a link.

15 – Consider using Steve Hartman Kindness 101 in your morning meetings.

16 – Have an end-of-day class meeting with On the Road with Steve Hartman.

17 – End the day with 3 A’s – appreciation (kids can thank someone else or share appreciation with a classmate publicly), apologies (kids can apologize to someone specific or to the class), a-ha moment (kids can share something that they learned or something that made sense to them during the day).

We have also added questions to this mix. Kids can ask you or each other questions. (I always give students the right to decline answering a question by asking, “Are you taking questions right now?” before the question is asked.)

18 – Play quiet instrumental music during independent work times. Here are some suggestions from YouTube.

19 – Try using two minutes of quiet mindfulness time after recess.

20 – Include Daily Fun Facts from this site.

21 – Go on virtual field trips! I created this list during COVID, but it’s still a fun thing to do!

ELA tips:
22 – Hopefully, you are incorporating the Science of Reading research in your classroom in some form.

I am creating a list of resources for upper elementary teachers. Sign up here if you want to be notified when I publish it! (It will be free.)

23 – Incorporate Reader’s Theater! This is a great way to incorporate fluency practice and content area instruction.

Here are some links to free scripts:
~Readers’ Theater Scripts & Plays
~The Best Class scripts
~Weebly scripts
~Readers’ Theater All Year
~T. P. Jagger scripts
~scripts on Education.com
~scripts on Just Two Teachers website

24 – Have an occasional Beach Day or Camping Day to add novelty to independent reading! Allow students to bring blankets/towels (for a “beach towel” or “campsite”), stuffies, and possibly flashlights (for Camping Day). Put a campfire video or beach video on your interactive whiteboard, allow students to set up their reading spot, and read! Super easy and fun.

25 – Use Free Rice as a fun way to learn vocabulary words.

26 – Create flashcards in Quizlet for any book or content area. Allow students to study the flashcards, then play Quizlet Live!

Math tips:

27 – Use Steve Wyborney’s Esti-Mysteries.

28 – Incorporate math stations to give you more time for small group instruction.
A typical model is the MATH system:
M – meet with teacher
A – apply it (independent practice of concept)
T – technology (facts practice or some other math website assignment)
H – hands-on (an activity or game)

29 – If you’re not ready for math stations, here’s another way to give small group instruction time.

Post a list of “must do/may do” activities, then pull small groups as needed.

Content area tips:

30 – Participate in a postcard exchange as a way to learn about different states! Join a Facebook group for your grade level and search “postcard” to find ways to incorporate this activity.

31 – Explore the Wonderopolis Wonder of the Day. You could choose something related to your current content area of study or just select wonders you and your students are interested in.

32 – Try a Socratic seminar! Here are some tips from Janis at Lodge’s Learning.

33 – Incorporate Reader’s Theater about content topics. See tip #23 above.

34 – Go on a virtual field trip! See tip #21 above.

35—Try EduProtocols! I have not used this, but it looks interesting. Here is a link for more information. Let me know if you use this and tell me how you incorporate it! I’d love to credit you and share your ideas.

There you have it! 35 tips for adding fun and novelty to your upper elementary classroom next year.

Which tip will you try first? Do you have suggestions to add? Comment below or email me at stillteachingstilllearning@gmail.com.

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Wrapping Up a School Year – 6 Tips for Success

We’ve reached the end of another school year. Chances are, you are exhausted and ready for a break.

You might also be thinking about what you want to do better or differently in your classroom next year.

So this post will give you five tips for wrapping up the school year, but I’m also giving you two levels of suggestions.

Level one will be for the “I’m ready to think about this!” folks.

Level two will be for the “I’m at low capacity right now” folks.

Please know I am not suggesting you do any school work or planning over the summer. Summer is a mini-sabbatical for teachers, a time to rest and rejuvenate. But sometimes, even as we rest and rejuvenate, we still get great ideas for next year. That is fine too! Creating materials or anything that will help make your teaching life easier in the fall is also fine to do, as long as it gives you energy.

The bottom line is that your summer should be spent doing what works for you.

Tip #1 – Clean and organize

I’m ready to think about this!

As you clean up and pack up your classroom, resist the urge to cram everything in the cabinets or closet and race out the door. (I know it’s a strong urge!)

Think about “future you” and what will make you happy or ease your stress when you see those cabinets or closets in August.

If possible, use this time to toss, recycle, or give away every paper or resource that you have not used (and probably never will).

Some good places to start: your classroom library (weeding out the ratty books or books that nobody ever reads anyway), centers or game resources, teacher resources or files.

I don’t have the capacity right now.

If you can’t go through everything, just choose one part of your classroom to clean out/organize and save other areas for back to school time.

Tip #2 – Prepare for next year’s first week of school

I’m ready to think about this!

What can you prep for next year’s first week of school? Are there activities or resources that you enjoyed using this year? Could you go ahead and make those copies or prep those resources in some way?

Consider creating a “first day back” box. Put the supplies you will need to set up your classroom in this box. Then you don’t have to hunt through several boxes to find your stapler.

Some suggestions for your “first day back” box: stapler and staples, a paper planner for next year (if you use one), your favorite pens, Expo markers and an eraser, tape, and any back-to-school resources you want to have handy. You get the idea.

Store this box where it will be easy to access quickly, or think about taking it home and storing it there until August.

I don’t have the capacity right now.

If you don’t have the capacity for any of this, just list the activities or resources you might use next year. You might even categorize the list by what needs to be copied, what needs to be prepped, etc. Then leave it alone until you’re ready to look at it again.

Tip #3 – Reflect on last year

I’m ready to think about this!

Grab a notebook or journal and your favorite pens.

Here are some questions to get your thinking started. You don’t have to answer them all!

Jot down whatever comes to mind in list form and know you can always return to this list later and add more detail.

You might want to use a separate page for each question or just answer the questions in any order that works for you. There is no right or wrong way to do this reflection.

*What worked well?

*What are you most proud of?

*What drove you crazy?

*What part of your day annoyed you the most?

*What drained your energy?

*What took up too much of your time?

*What would you like to spend more of your time doing?

*Which classroom procedures worked well?

*Which classroom procedures did NOT work well?

*What is something you would like to try or implement that you did not have the bandwidth for doing this year?

*What teacher professional books or courses or learning would help you for next year?

*What children’s books would you like to read to prep for next year? (These could be for reading groups, book clubs, or read-alouds.)

*What were some good habits that worked for you this year? (These could be personal, work, or healthcare habits.)

*What habits would you like to implement or be more consistent with next year?

I’m at low capacity right now.

Save these questions for later in the summer or when you’re in back-to-school mode.

Tip #4 – Plan your summer

I’m ready to think about this!

Here is a previous post I’ve written about planning your summer!

I’m at low capacity right now.

Enjoy a “Sloth Week,” then do some planning so you’ll have an awesome summer.

Here are my easy directions for “Sloth Week.” Once I get out of school, I will spend the next week (or so) as a sloth. I will do nothing besides family /friend events I want to attend or participate in. No medical appointments. No errands I do not want to run. No reading anything education-related.

Here’s what I will do: spend time outside, spend time alone (or with my very favorite people), sleep more, watch anything on TV or streaming that I want to watch, and read beach-type books. I highly recommend Sloth Week. It helps me recover from a busy and stressful school year and eases me into a relaxing (but somewhat productive) summer.

Tip #5 – Planning for next year

I’m ready to think about this!

If you want to do some planning, here are some areas to prioritize:

*how you’ll organize your literacy block
*how you’ll organize your math block
*changes for content area instruction
*routines & procedures that you want to change or implement differently next year
*spending time with your PLC or grade level team (even just one coffee or drinks date)
*thinking through your pacing guide for the year (literacy, math, content areas)
*a homework plan/policy

Something else to consider for next year – are there any big projects or field trips you would like to implement next year?

Spend some time jotting down some notes about that. What needs to be planned in advance? Who might need to approve the project or field trip?

You don’t have to do any of these things now, but if you break down that big project into smaller steps, you’ll have a to-do list ready for when it’s time to do the big planning.

Another tip for big projects and field trips: consider planning these for January through April. Those are the months when we often get in a funk because we’re tired. Having something fun or unexpected to look forward to during those months will boost everyone’s energy!

I’m at low capacity right now.

Ignore this for now. Come back to it when you’re ready.

Tip #6 – Learn new things!

I’m ready to do this!

Look back at your reflection list. What are the areas where you want to improve or make some changes? What are some topics you would like to learn more about?

If your district or state offers free professional development in the areas you are interested in, consider taking advantage of it.

Other options are to look for free or low-cost professional development sessions online. Google is your friend.

Same with professional books. Does your school or district reimburse you for books you buy for yourself? (Our PTA provides a small amount of teacher discretionary money, for example.)

If not, consider whether buying the book is within your budget. Even if it’s not, you can still learn about topics by reading blog posts or searching for other free content online.

Another option is to join Facebook groups for your grade level or subject area. You can often find great ideas in those teacher groups.

I’m at low capacity right now.

Read or watch content just for fun. You likely did not have enough time for that during the school year anyway, so take this time for yourself and do not feel guilty!

I hope you take some much-needed time to rest and reflect over the summer! If you want a 5-day self-care routine, try my free course!

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