The first rule of a successful classroom is to have seamless transitions. When students have too much down time in between activities, they have time to start throwing paper airplanes or pull Timmy’s chair out from under him when he tries to sit back down. (You know, after he’s wandered from the pencil sharpener, to the tissues, to the hand sanitizer, over to his friend, and finally back to his seat.)
The term “too much down time” often constitutes about 1.72 seconds as the teacher glances at the lesson plan book to see what comes next. No matter how great that lesson plan is, now it takes some regrouping to get everyone back on track. (And aren’t there enough of those regrouping moments already?)
RELATED: HOW INCORPORATING LABS ACTUALLY SAVE TIME
Here’s an easy fix. Create a slideshow with every single thing that needs to get accomplished during the day. A typical slideshow might look something like this:
Slide 1: (displayed as students arrive) Bellringer
Slide 2: Reminders, turn in homework, etc
Slide 3: Science Buzz review game
Slides 4 – 8: Guided notes
Slide 9: Vocabulary review
Slide 10: Exit ticket
A few notes:
- For upper grades teachers who cover the same material with multiple student groups, this strategy is priceless. It keeps your classes on track and covering the same material. And most importantly, keeps you from wondering what order you covered all this in the first time around.
- Follow the slideshow, but be willing to incorporate brain breaks when you notice their attention dwindling.
- These slideshows can be saved and reused each year.
- Have an absent student? Print it and help them get caught up. Organization at it’s finest!
RELATED: 10 COOL REVIEW STRATEGIES
This slideshow strategy can transform the way you teach because it frees up your brain to be present in the moment, rather than constantly trying to figure out what’s coming next.
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LearnEd Notebooks provides teachers and students with an innovative notebooking solution. We specialize in providing educators with a unique curriculum that allows you to break free from conventional methods of instruction and spend more time on labs and inquiry-based science. We provide the framework of an interactive notebook with the flexibility of teaching strategies that seamlessly integrate with each teacher’s own methods of instruction. Our complete programs include printed student notebooks, digital presentations, and access to teacher resources — each focusing on diverse learning styles and engaging instructional strategies.
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