End of the Day Routine

    

           This afternoon my students came back to homeroom between  2:45 and 2:50.  The bus riders leave at 3:02 and the rest of the kiddos leave a few minutes after that.  My kids know that they have a good ten or more minutes to work on home and get themselves organized to go home.  
      It is great to see ten and eleven year olds working quietly and intently on homework.
      I asked who had used their time wisely?  One boy said, with a big smile, that he had.  He added that he really likes the time at the end of the day.  He doesn't have to rush to pack his backpack and organized his thoughts.  
    Other students had time to ask questions about homework assignments.  There is always a child that might have been out of the room and missed something.  We have students that go Speech during regular class for a few minutes.  Children are always leaving the room to use the bathroom, go to the office, or a resource room of some sort.  Clarification is a full time job of any teacher, especially at the end of the day.  
    My teaching partners and myself have our students write in their planners each day. This is the  first thing they do at the beginning of each class.  I walk around my room to check their planners.  At the beginning of he year, some students balk at writing in their planner.  Some kiddos think if they don't write an assignment, they don't have to do the work.   They might even pretend that their is no homework or try to convince their parents of this. 
 WRONG!  All assignments are completed on time!
      This is a huge learning curve for some.  Our 5th graders learn this lesson very quickly.  When our kiddos learn to write in their planner effectively, their grades go up, WAY UP!
      This is a wonderful example of a 5th grader's planner.   Of course the various colors of highlighter helps the student see each different class.  Each box has a little square highlighted.  When the student completes the assignment, they check it off. 

        These kids are well on their way to awesome study skills!

    Try to tweek your schedule to have some time at the end of the day so your students can get organized and breathe before the run out the door. 

    Please leave a comment if you have  a few minutes.  I'd love to read your thoughts or ideas.