pictures in circles

Getting students to be independent in the morning normally kicks in much quicker for my students than our getting our folders ready to go home procedures. I'm often wondering if its because they are s.p.e.n.t by the time the afternoon rolls around, or if the multi-step process really just does take that much more focus.

I'm sure its the latter, but with lots of patience, it pays off over the entire year when they are getting folders packed, coloring their choices and collecting their belongings without much assistance from me at all. Anyway, I am trying to incorporate more simplistic visuals than I have in the past to cue students as to what comes next in the multi-step times such as these. Here is what I have come up with...

We have three pictures up for our morning routine and have shortly added the fourth {sharpening pencils} the third week of school.

They check to see if their parents included any mail in their folders, and put it in my mailbox. Then they put their folders away, while carrying their backpacks and then take them to the closet. They make their lunch choice and sharpen pencils if needed.

And we have four steps in getting ready to go home.

Students get their folders, get all papers to go home {put them in the appropriate category}, color their level of choices and then get their folder checked. I am training my folder checkers right now and that helps make the process go much quicker for all of us! We are also getting our things ready before our last activity of the day, so that way we can end on the more calm notes of the sweet music we call the school day. {As opposed to the hectic, "Whose lunch box is this?" that could normally be the last thing a student hears before leaving our classroom door each day.}

{Bulletin Board Icons}

More Responsibility

> Download icons for free

> Where can I find student behavior calendars like pictured above?

> More on re.spon.si.bil.it.y

So, these are my pictures in circles. What do you like to use to help your packing up procedures go smoothly?
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- Leslie

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