Okโฆ so how many of you have โpokey puppiesโ in your room? ย I believe that was everyone who raised their hand! LOL! Iโve had 1 or 2 in the pastโฆyou know the ones who canโt seem to do anything in a quick AND orderly fashion? ย Well this year, it seems like half my class falls into the pokey puppy category! No joke! There was just no sense of urgency with these kiddos and it was starting to eat into our valuable instruction time! I knew I had to tighten up our transitions! Thereโs just soooo much to do, and NEVER enough time to do it! Today, Iโm going to share a little classroom management tip that really helped to speed things along!
Using a Timer
I introduced the use of my timer during our transition timesโฆ
Now, I couldnโt just be a โtime-minderโ and hassle my kiddos about their lack of time awareness, so I set out a challenge. ย Each time I pulled out my timer orstopwatchh, I always started with a challenge.
Challenges:
โDo you think we can clean up and be ready for centers in 2 minutes?โ
โHow long do you think it can take us to walk to P.E. today?โ
โIf you can pack nโ stack in less than 3 minutes, Iโll put a fuzzy in the jarโ
Now that last one is the icing on the cake! Iโve always found you get more bees with honey, so offering a small yet effective reward seems to make the challenge that much sweeter!
So now my line looks like thisโฆ
My afternoon looks like thisโฆ
and my transition to centers looks like thisโฆ
Other suggestions for using a timer:
ย
โWhile playing a game like, โI Have, Who Hasโ
-Finding buddies for a partner activity
-Cleaning up centers
-Cleaning the floor
-Practicing math facts
-Lining up
A Visual Timer
Sign up to snag these!
Receive all these classroom management tools right to your inbox!
Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.
ย
In addition to a handheld timer, I like to use this visual timer from Time Timer! (affiliate link) This big guy is perfect for keeping me and the students on time and moving forward. I love using this baby when weโre completing independent or group work. Those times usually seem to get away from me. If Iโm not helping students Iโm running around getting stuff ready for a future lesson. Setting this timer reminds me and the students with the amount of time we have left to complete an assignment (or prep!) I know itโs low tech, but it keeps me from having to give up use of my computer for a classroom timer!
ย
High Tech Timer
Wanting something a little more high-tech? Or maybe you donโt need to use your computer while your students are working? Online-stopwatch.com has a HUGE variety of timers! From stopwatch style to egg timers, this website literallyย has it all! You can count down or up!
Hopefully this little classroom management trick will help you wrangle in those slow movers and help you take back your instructional time!
The Applicious Teacher is all about creating hands-on and engaging lessons that align with the standards while still having time for your life. This is your place for ideas, tips, and resources for the REAL teacher!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking โAcceptโ, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.