Between centers, independent work times, and group lessons, students stay busy in my special education classroom! But what to do with ALL of that finished work? Read on to see how I manage finished work and task boxes in my classroom!
Independent Work in Special Ed Classrooms
My students complete a variety of independent work in the classroom each day. Some types of work they do include:
Morning Binders
Part of my classroom arrival routine is to have students complete morning work in a binder. This give students a focused activity to work on while waiting for the school day to start, and it helps them to review essential skills!
Task Boxes and File Folders
Task boxes and file folders are staples in special education classrooms! They can cover a variety of topics from matching, to letters and numbers, to more advanced activities, too. These activities are great for reinforcing skills, fine motor development, and introducing real-life work tasks.
Worksheets
Worksheets, such as these basic skills worksheets are a simple way to provide independent work for students. They also help to maintain learned skills throughout the year. Bonus, they require basically no prep — just print and go!
Collecting Finished Work
Each of those types of work produce a great deal of finished pieces that need to be dealt with. There are a few different ways that you can corral finished work, depending on what type it is.
For worksheets or notebooks, I use a turn-in bin. This clearly labeled area lets students know exactly where to put their papers. When I am ready to look through student work, I know exactly where to find it. As a bonus, it helps curb messy desk problems!
For task boxes, I use an independent work system that is housed on a bookshelf in my room. With this system, students get a schedule of tasks to complete by themselves. When they finish an activity, there are two options. One option is to have students take apart the activity they finished and replace it on the shelf. The other option is to have a return bin for tasks. When students complete their activities, they place them in the bin to be cleaned up and put away later on.
Teaching Systems
It is important to be intentional about teaching students the routines you want them to use. You cannot just expect students to know what you want them to do with their finished work! At the beginning of the school year, take time to show students how to complete the routine you want them to do. For example, if you want students to put their finished papers in a certain location, start by modeling putting a paper there yourself. Then, have students take a paper to that area to demonstrate. And then practice, practice, practice! Repeating the routine will help it stick! Adding visual cues or labels will also help reinforce your routines.
Jobs for Fast Finishers
There are always some students who complete their work very quickly. What to do with these fast finishers? One solution is to give students some of these management jobs to complete! For example, students can collect and sort worksheets. The papers can be sorted by student name and placed in piles. Or, if you use a mailbix system, students can deliver the classroom mail.
Another task for fast finishers is to “undo” and return work tasks and morning binders. That means doing things like taking off the pieces from file folders, untying lacing cards, and taking apart puzzles. Then, the students can put these activities back where they belong so that they are ready to use next time. Having students do these management jobs helps you out AND gives students a chance to practice doing vocational work.
These are just some of the ways I tackle the problem of managing student materials! How do you take care of finished work in your classroom? Share your tips with us in a comment!
Want to learn more about how to run centers in your classroom? Check out the Simple Centers System!
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