Classroom Management Inventing Your Own "Do NOW" Activities

Are you wondering what to do at the beginningthem copied on to transparencies. Why use
of your school day? You need to use the amazingtransparencies:
power of DO NOWS. These are activities that- they are cheap to use'
teachers use in the morning when their students- they can be used year after year
first enter the classroom.- you can write on them
Do you know that DO NOW's are important- students can use them because they are low
classroom management tools that help you totech
establish yourself as a Proactive teacher? These- they can be printed in color or black and white
activities help you prepare your students for the- teacher assistant can make copies for you
days work. One of the easiest methods of- you save on copy paper and trees
getting your DO NOW's ready is to find aYou should have DO NOW's for all the subjects
workbook that is a grade level or two below thethat you teach. It is an easy way to transition
grade that you are teaching.from one subject to another. They are also a
Using this book find twenty or more pages ofgood strategy to use when your high achievers
activity the your students can do by themselves.have finished their work and are waiting for the
These activities are time fillers or review materialrest of class to finish. Remember when children
that will not be graded. You can use this materialhave nothing to-do they get themselves and
for a quick review or a quick recall of somethingother students into behavior problems. Always be
taught months past. These activities should beprepared and think ahead. Establish your
material that has already been taught theclassroom as one where students come to work,
previous year or during this school year. Younot goof off and waste time. Remember
should take five or ten minutes to review thestudents are aways checking you to see if you
material. So students know that they are beingare a Proactive teacher. Don't be one of those
held accountable for the DO NOW.teachers whose class is for goofing off. Set the
When I use DO NOW's I use them to reviewtone of your class as one where students learn
material that I taught the day before. I also useand achieve their goals. Be prepared and Proactive
them as review for our state standardize testin your classroom management.
that students need to take every year. Once youHappy teaching from the educationfairy.
have decided on the material to be used have