Random fact for ya...did you know that Tuesdays boasts the label of LEAST likely to schedule services or appointments in the United States? That's right, Tuesday is the least popular day to go to the doctor, have Home Depot come measure your flooring, have your teeth cleaned, or get your therapy on. I know it's the least likely day for me to do it because Tuesdays are faculty meetings at my school!
Anyway, moving on. Today, as I worked to label my remediation station folders, I thought about how my remediation block went last year. Specifically, I tried to think of any "Wishes" or "Suggestions" that showed up on my informal evaluations for that time period. Academically, it went swimmingly. The only thing I can remember my administrators saying is that they thought that my students were finishing too early and that meant my stations weren't rigorous enough. Now, mind you, I work with some of the higher students in the building, so I could give some of them Algebra I or Moby Dick to read, and they'd still be done before 30 minutes was up! Needless to say, however, I needed a fix for this.
I put that set of thoughts on the back burner for a few minutes while I attempted to organize some math materials on an extra set of shelves I have over by my desktops. They were dusty from lack of use. I was standing there thinking to myself how VALUABLE these resources are, but sometimes I just feel like I have SO MANY resources, it's impossible to use them all, and I constantly am forgetting about these because they're not able to fit in with the rest of the resources in my large cabinet.
BAM!
It hit me.
Clearly what I needed was a fast finishers area. I know a couple people in my school have some QuickWrites or flashcards for fast finishers, but I wanted something more substantial. These extra math resources were the answer I had been waiting for! I hardly ever use them during ACTUAL math, and there are such a variety of options, the kids would be able to choose a different activity every day of the week if they finished early all five days.
Here's what I decided to offer...
This first shelf has a variety of math games in that magazine rack on the left that can be played by one to two players. The next set of folders to the right of it are resources I got from Lakeshore. Here is an example of one of the folders.
The last thing on that shelf is Math Literature. I am a firm believer in Real Life Math and that students needs to be exposed to math in more ways that just solving problems. Math Lit. helps this and the kids really enjoy it. This is where I keep all of my Sir Cumference books, etc., for those of you that use them. I actually recently added Math Literature as one of my Guided MAATH Rotations. You can check that product out HERE. It's one of my best sellers!
On the second shelf for Fast Finishers we have....
On the left, I have several games that were designed as take-home games for students who need continued work in a skill. They come with a two-sided gameboard, pieces, die, question cards, and a letter to the parents explaining why they are receiving the game, how/when to return it, and the instructions for how to play. This particular kit is Level D, which equates to grade 4 (which is what I taught when I purchased it). I cannot TELL you how valuable this kit has been to me even though I have NEVER sent it home with a child. It's excellent for building math stations stamina where children are learning how to control volume during math stations, not to mention just the skill review it offers. Games like this are 2-4 players. If you don't like to have noise, then these are probably not for you. Onto the next!!
These are AWESOME, one-player, all inclusive file folders (also from Lakeshore). I have one for Fractions/Decimals, Number Sense, Measurement, Geometry, and this one for Data and probability. It comes with ten individual folders with the title and skill covered on the top tab. Inside each folder it comes with cards and coverall pieces as well as a self-checking answer key for the kids. They LOVE these. I have actually used these as Fast Finishers before for my math stations. They can just come over, pick a topic they like and play!
I forgot to take a picture of the third shelf up close but here are some of the games I have one it. All for individuals.
Caps Off!
I forget where I read about this, but several years ago I decided to try it in partners and it worked really well, but collecting, cleaning and labeling like ten sets of bottle caps (let alone keeping track of them) was frustrating and time consuming. So I combined them all together and let the kids dump them all out in the circle, face them the right way and then begin collecting. For ever one they pick up and get right, they get to keep like points. Anyone can join in and begin collecting at any time. I would say no more than five players though.
Grocery Shopping
Oh Snap!
I also forget where this one came from because I have been using it so long! Let me know if it's yours!
This is basically like the game War except the winner is not the higher card, the winner is the person who can add, subtract, or multiply the fastest. The only thing the kids need to know other than that is that all face cards are 10 and aces are 11. They can also use three "Checks" where they make their partner prove it. I have even made this a little higher in the past by requiring partners who have been CHECKED to create a pictorial or written explanation of why their answer is correct. Partners can also use Checks when they thing their opponent is wrong.
Time's Up!
This one is also an easy setup. All you need are flashcards and a timer. This is designed to help students master their math fluency. Students take ten cards at a time and time themselves adding them up. Then they take the same ten cards and flip them over trying the other side, recording their times on a sheet of paper. Then they do a second round with each side to see if they can beat it. They are so proud of their scores when they improve!! If you are into math fluency, you should check out WBT's site and see their game SuperSpeed Math. It is also a great Fast Finisher that I have used in the past. The only thing I have have a hard time with is that for each student to track their own progress, they really need their own binder with it and that can become cumbersome!
Okay, so there you have it. Tons of Fast Finisher Options! Some of them cost a little more than other (Thank you DonorsChoose), but some are easy to throw together at the last minute that aren't the "same old thing."
How do you handle your fast finishers?
Brianna
