Students are already looking forward to spring break. Some teachers are too! Who can blame them? With Covid, it has been a long and tough school year so far. Distraction and moments of straying off-task comes with the anticipation of spring break. While everyone is excited, students still need to learn. There are quite a few ways that you can keep your students on-task in the days leading up to spring break.
Reestablish Ground Rules
Ground rules tend to get forgotten when something exciting is coming up! Gently remind your students what the rules are for class and that you expect them to still get their work done.
Make Lessons Collaborative
No one likes to just sit and get lectured. Making lessons collaborative will help keep your students focused and paying attention. Encourage them to speak up, ask questions, and be part of a discussion.
Give Your Students Options
We all know that lessons have to be planned out but giving your students some amount of choice during the lesson will make it easier to keep them paying attention. An example would be giving them different prompts to respond to.
Connect School Work to the Real World
Sometimes students can’t see how schoolwork relates to the real world. They think that they are doing something that they won’t need in the future. If you show them how the work they are doing connects to the real world, they are more likely to pay attention to what you are teaching.
Turn Lessons into Games
Students love games and so do adults! An easy way to make sure that your students are having fun and that you are having fun is to turn part of the lesson into a game! You can do things like trivia and Family Feud
Take Breaks
If you have long classes, make sure that you give your students breaks during the day. Let them grab water, stretch their legs, and use the restroom. Even just a few minutes gives students a chance to reset.
Push Out Links
If you have classroom management software, you most likely have the tool to push out links to your students. If you want your students on a certain website during class time, push out that link to them and lock them on the website.
Web Filters
Web filters are an awesome way to keep your students on-track. Simply upload the list of websites you want your students on or upload a list of websites you don’t want your students on.
Fun Friday
Who doesn’t love Fun Friday? An awesome way to keep students motivated the week before spring break is to let them know you have a Fun Friday planned for them. It gives them something to look forward to.
Want to learn more about classroom management? Check out What Does Classroom Management Look Like in Distance Learning?
