So, I got this fantastic idea for Pinterest as a way to end the endless question of, “I’m done….what do I do now?” that you get as a teacher. The teacher who I got the idea from had an “I’m Done” jar, but since I teach first grade and have an accident prone class, a glass mason jar didn’t seem like the best idea. I got my craft sticks, jewels, and stickers from JoAnn’s and I found some great plastic tumbler cups from Target. For this project, I wrote activities for the kids to do once completed with their work on the stick. Now, when kids finish they know they can go to the “I’m Done Cup” and pick out an activity to work on.
I have had this in my classroom for about a month now and I love it! The kids are so much more independent and it’s great too because there doing different activities each time. I used to say, “oh, just go and read a book” which got boring to them after a while, but now they have multiple things that they can do. Below are some examples of the activities they can choose from.
“I’m Done” Cup Activities
- read a book from the classroom library
- read from my book bag
- read the decodable books
- write a letter
- write a story
- write a list
- practice math flashcards
- practice reading flashcards
- file papers
- practice spelling words
- make a sound/spelling circle map
- make a number of the day circle map
I know this may seem like a lot of activities, but the variety of the choices actually helps with management. Before I’d have all of the kids in one area trying to get books and it typically turned into an issue. Now, they are doing a variety of tasks in different areas of the room so it gets rid of the congestion. I also decided to have two cups. Both cups have the same items in them, but this way the kids aren’t all waiting to grab their stick from just one cup.
See pictures below…
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learningmyself
July 4, 2012 at 4:06 pmL love love love this!!!! Glittery and fun for the kids! thanks for sharing!! ๐
~DeAnne~
July 4, 2012 at 6:51 pmWhat a neat idea. I found you through pinterest. I'm now a follower! ๐
แฆDeAnne
First Grade and Fabulous
Jordan
July 4, 2012 at 7:21 pmYou're welcome! Thanks for the positive comment. The kids have loved using them and I plan to use them again next year in the classroom.
Jordan
July 4, 2012 at 7:22 pmThanks DeAnne and thank you for following my blog!
Jordan
July 4, 2012 at 7:23 pmI'm following you now too :)!
Anonymous
July 9, 2012 at 7:03 pmI have triplets and I use this for chores, that way its different everyday, they pick out until all is gone from the cup, then we set timer for one hour, as they get done they put back in the cup!!
Anita
August 9, 2012 at 9:01 pmI'm a homeschool mom, and I am going to use this for my 2nd grader as she finishes up her work. Thanks for sharing the great idea!
Ms. Rylands
August 15, 2012 at 12:33 amI teach 7th grade and can totally use this in my classroom as well! Thanks for the idea and have a great opening of school.
Jordan
August 22, 2012 at 4:07 amThanks for the comment! It definitely could work for any grade level. Hope back to school goes well for you!
Jordan
August 22, 2012 at 4:35 amGreat idea to also use it for chores!
Miss Kindergarten
November 16, 2013 at 6:46 amIt's so fun to see other teachers using my ideas! Glad I could inspire you ๐
Anonymous
April 4, 2014 at 12:51 amThis will be a great tool over the summer… during the day they will have things to pick from the cup to do over the course of the day. (from chores to projects) nice idea!
Anonymous
April 18, 2014 at 2:47 amWhat a great idea. Going to try this in my classroom!
Anonymous
May 21, 2014 at 3:07 amLove it! I'm curious, what do the kids FILE in first grade?
Jordan
June 4, 2014 at 4:23 amI have them file graded work. I use hanging file folders in a black Target college crate and each child's name is on a folder. Students can help file graded work in the appropriate kid's folder!
Jordan
Team V's Second Grade Fun
Jordan
June 4, 2014 at 4:23 amGreat idea to use it over the summer too! Thanks for stopping by!
Jordan
Team V's Second Grade Fun
Jordan
June 4, 2014 at 4:24 amAwesome! Glad you find it useful!
Jordan
Team V's Second Grade Fun
Heather
June 9, 2014 at 1:36 amI think this is a great idea, but I have a few questions. Do you have the students do the activity on the first popsicle stick they choose? Or, are they allowed to pick again if they don't feel like doing that particular activity? What have you found works best?
Jordan
July 1, 2014 at 10:47 pmSorry Heather for the slow response.
I normally have them do the first they choose. Often times they only have an extra few minutes so even if it's not their favorite task it isn't too bad. I also tried to pick activities that would be extra practice in different academic areas – flashcards, spelling words, etc.
Thanks!
Jordan
Team V's Second Grade Fun
TLT
August 2, 2014 at 4:37 pmThank you for sharing! Do you have students to turn in their work that they have completed?
Jordan
August 2, 2014 at 7:35 pmThanks for stopping by. For the I'm Done cups most of the work is worksheet free like the flashcards, the reading, etc. For the writing activities – the poem, letter, story, I would have them add them to their Writing Workshop folder when time was up or when they were done. I'd have them write their spelling words on their mini white boards so there wasn't a paper trail there. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Jordan
Team V's Second Grade Fun
Unknown
January 29, 2016 at 11:47 amA great idea for extension task for the 'high ceiling'students. Thanks for sharing.
Unknown
August 15, 2017 at 1:15 pmWhat are sound/spelling circle map & a number of the day circle map?