Help! What do I do with Students who Finish Early with....EVERYTHING?

What to do with students who finish early on EVERY task? Well, we all know the best thing you should be doing is differentiated for that student.  You should be giving them the appropriate level of work.  But, as teachers, we know we need them to prove themselves with their current grade level material before we move onto more challenging work.  So what do you do in this battle?

We all know everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is keeping up with my blog posts like I would like to!!

When I am unable to predict a student is going to finish a task early; I have a back up plan!  I have created these folders to hang on my wall, but if you don't have the space, you can easily put them in a binder or on a shelf.

I created mini-topic sheets that go along with the Common Core Standards (Both Math & English Language Arts).  It works for grades 1-5.  Each topic sheet is correlated with a standard subject such as, Figurative Language or Subtraction.  I normally keep them general, so many different activities can go into those folders.  I do not put out all the subject areas at one time because that tends to be overwhelming or we may have not covered that particular subject yet.  I put out four ELA and four Math folders, and the subjects include ones I am covering that quarter (but this could easily be done monthly or even weekly if you prefer).  Visit my TPT Store for activities and worksheet ideas!

Glue them on the folder or a clear sleeve. Put them in a bin or hang them...the choice is up to you!

I put the covers in a clear plastic binder sheet, and attach it to a regular pocket-folder.  Inside each pocket-folder is a variety of activities, worksheets, resources, etc. that a student could do if he/she finishes early.  I train students early in the year when you can/can't go get "extra work".  This eliminates students getting up saying they are "done" with independent reading. HA!

Now I know what you're thinking...worksheets?! Really? I select these worksheets to be a challenge or great extra practice for students with that particular skill. I am not just throwing out random worksheets as "time killers".  I want students to get better. I mean, that's my job, right?  I look through the internet or my file cabinet to find appropriate activities/worksheets and make a handful of copies. I learned early on to not copy 20+, because it will just be a waste of paper.

Along with the early finishers, I allow students to pick a few worksheets to take home for "extra homework". Before you think I'm crazy, I give students a reward if they do it to the best of their ability and bring it back so I can look it over.  In our school, we use a tally system which leads to bigger prizes, etc. I gave them a tally for each paper they brought back.  If you don't have something like this in your school, you can easily handout coupons to reward them for going Above & Beyond! You could keep track of how many "extra" sheets they do, and they get a reward ever 4-5 times they turn something in (depending on the grade you teach). It may seem little, but these extra minutes of practice are going to help them become successful students, pass those high-stakes exams, and be proud of the fact that they are working harder than they need  to!

Students Tracking Math Fact Data

You may have already read my post about students keeping their own reading level data, but I also have my students track their math fact data.  This allows students to know where they are, and make goals on where they need/want to be. Now, teaching 3rd grade, it is my goal to get them to learn the basics of their multiplication facts. My personal goal for them was to get as far as they can through the multiplication facts...all of them! Crazy, right?!  I tracked their data with my bulletin board outside of my classroom. This was an added bonus on pushing them further to reach mastery of their facts.

Now onto their tracking...

Students were given a folder with multiple sheets to graph their math fact tests (100 problems). They should come into 3rd grade already having mastered addition and subtraction.  Life isn't always so perfect, so I started their data folders with Addition and Subtraction.  The rest of the folder was filled with pages for multiplication. (0-12 & Mixed Multiplication, each having their own page). Update: I've now added Division sheets to this product!

This is great for students to see the progression of that particular level they were on.  The space below the coloring is for the date. I ask students to put the date of each test at the bottom so we can see progression or understand why they had a certain "off week".

I would give 2 math fact tests every other Friday, so it took 10 minutes total (5 min/test).  This allowed students enough time to practice to reach their next goal.  This would also give me time to teach other things as I can't do math fact tests all the time and still get the standards taught.  I would grade ('A' paper allowed them to move on) the tests over the weekend and put the students' tests on their desk with the scores.  After modeling how to graph them they would graph their own on Monday morning.  I would have them draw a line and write the score on top before they were allowed to color. Once it was checked by me, they were able to color. I would also come around to congratulate those people who mastered a level and put a sticker on their data sheet.

It also helped putting a sticker at the bottom or top of the page to help me quickly glance at which page I needed to check or what level they were on. 

Click HERE to get the product in my TPT Store!

Now, keeping track as a teacher on where students were...YIKES! I played around with these for a while, but ended up getting a student chart (just a general chart) I created and would keep checking off when students mastered that number.  I eventually got the hang of it, and I just always had a lot of copies ran to be prepared.
*Note: When copying, you will need to play with the order a little if you are wanting them to be double-sided. This method will all depend on how your copy machine at school runs. My advice is test it before running 30 sets. 

Also, this is a great piece of data to show parents at conferences.  This proved to parents the inconsistencies or even the lack of mastery.  It definitely helped me share my concern, especially with addition and subtraction as they should have been mastered before 3rd grade.  I would highly recommend doing this in your classroom as well. Although it seems like a daunting task, it eventually runs itself.

One thing I love about this is that they take them home at the end of the year. Their parents can see where they ended up and practice before Fourth Grade. Am I right, Fourth Grade Teachers?!

Speaking of Fourth Grade Teachers...

Have no fear! I have adding division tracking sheets onto this product as well. Third grade teachers could benefit from this as well if their students are high achievers! 

Primary Teachers...

Look back soon, I'll add a simpler version for Addition & Subtraction individual sheets.