As I mentioned in a recent post, student downtime can create a classroom management nightmare for teachers.

It is inevitable that some students will finish an activity before other students. So what types of activities should teachers have prepared for when this happens?

I suggest having a number of “cool-down” activities that are ready to go on a moments notice.

What’s a “cool-down” activity?

It is similar to a “warm-up” activity, but since it is on the back end I call it a “cool-down” activity instead.

Cool-downs are usually short tasks (only a few minutes) that the students can accomplish on their own without the need of teacher assistance.

Teachers can use these cool-down activities over and over again regardless of what chapter, concepts, or vocabulary they are currently teaching.

Here are some examples of cool-down activities:
1. Write down three questions about ______________.
2. Brainstorm and create a list on everything you know about _____________ .
3. Look up the word ______. Write the definition in your own words.
4. Scan chapter _____ for all terms in bold print. Put the terms into two columns…terms you know and terms you do not know.
5. Describe at least one way that learning about ___________ can help you in the future.

Of course, a teacher’s cool-down activities would have to be adjusted depending on grade level. Younger grades may simply have students put selected words in alphabetical order, or create specific counting patterns, while older grades may get much more in depth by having students answer critical thinking questions.

Regardless of grade level, I suggest having a number of different cool-down activities permanently written on a transparency so each one can be easily displayed on a moments notice.

A teacher may even want to keep a few up on the board and let the students choose which one they want to do.

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What do you do when you are faced with student downtime?
Come discuss this at the Teaching Tips Machine Forum @
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