Teachers LOVE morning work. Why? Because there are so many tasks special education teachers have to do in the morning to get everything and everyone settled before starting the day. Morning work keeps students working on vital skills while freeing up teachers to necessary tasks for the day.
I created my morning work binder (the Hello Binder!) many years ago with this in mind. I wanted to free up my time to do attendance, get kids from the van, schedule the day with any specialists, do check ins with certain students, and handle all toileting. This 10-15 minute period before our day started is where a lot of behaviors can pop up. If you are experiencing this- your students are probably lacking a predictable routine and solid task that can start their day on the right foot. What I love about the Hello Binder is that the skills included are ones that students NEED to review every day to maintain them and not lose them… and that it can be customized for each student.
As we move towards creating more digital classrooms (and encounter more opportunities for distance learning or at home review) I decided to update the Hello Binder to include a digital version. This will allow teachers to digitally customize a binder for each student (remove options each day and reset to fit the day, pick certain pages for a students and remove others, etc.) and have the student complete it on a device (whether that is at home or at school!)
The benefits of digital morning work not only include the ability to customize quickly, but also that the teacher can view, check answers, and reset if using this out of the classroom.
If using in the classroom, the teacher can display on an interactive white board and have students come up to the board to complete answers for a whole group learning check in before morning meeting.
If 1:1 with devices, students can complete the answers along with the teacher on the board or after to check answers!
We will always have paper resources but sometimes worksheets can feel more like busy work. The Hello Binder print version is very hands on, but the digital version targets the new skill of digital learning in an interactive, independent, and more customized way.
Download the Digital Morning Work here.
To read more about the print version click here.
