Ahhh…the first 20 min. of school after you have happily greeted all of your darling cherubs. We want them to be busy, independent, learning, and calm. I want my morning work activities to help set the tone for the day.
I don’t know how you feel, but as a teacher, I really don’t want morning work to be something that I have to later grade, so I have a few fun morning work activities(or bell ringer work) that doesn’t involve worksheets or a whole lot of planning! This post is the first in a 2 part series. Today are ideas 1-4!
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Morning Work Activities or Bell Ringers are things that the kiddos in my class do after they are finished with their A.M. Business.
My kiddos have a procedure that they follow when they come into my room every day. They turn in any notes for me, make sure that they have 2 sharp pencils, choose a partner, use the restroom and get a drink, then start on their morning work! Here are some things that I like to do in my classroom during the first 20 min of class when I am trying to sort through notes, take attendance, and get ready to start our day.
1. My Favorite Morning Work Activity: Read!
I love using that time in the morning when the kiddos come in to have them read to themselves or with a partner. My kiddos can read out of their book boxes, choose new books, or read from our “theme” bookshelf. They can choose a fun spot in the room to read and share books. This is also one of my student’s favorite morning work activities. Sometimes I pair it with:
2. Book Shopping
I have a few kiddos who would spend all of Reading Workshop shopping for books if that was a choice, so having the kiddos bookshop when they first come into the class is another activity that my students really enjoy! This also makes sure that they have books to read during Reading Workshop. They love to shop with a buddy as well, which gets them talking about books!
Book Shopping Challenges!
I occasionally love to do Book Shopping Challenges as well! Sometimes when the kiddos come in, I have a book shopping challenge on the board! They love showing me something new that they discovered in our classroom library!
3. My Students Favorite Morning Work: Morning Missions
4. Math Games (Work Places)