This has happened to all teachers about 1,000 times. You send the kids off to complete a task and 10 seconds later someone is “done”. I have some ideas to curb the “I’m done” that I’d like to share with you.
During Writer’s Workshop, I set a timer so the kids know when they can “finish.” We discuss what you can do on a story that is “done” and what other details could be added. I also talk about sharing your story with a friend to see if they have ideas for what I could add. At the beginning of the year, they write for short periods of time, maybe 5 minutes. At the end of the year, I set the timer up to 30 minutes, depending on what skills we are working on. I also let the children know that they are not “done” until the bell rings.
In the Centers I avoid the “I’m done” by placing a basket of books in most centers, so that when they have “finished” with the assigned activity they can read books. This has helped me a lot this year: I am able to keep my guided reading groups longer because the other students are working more independently.
Throughout the day I don’t normally do worksheets, but on the occasion that I do and someone “finishes”, I ask them to go to the reading center and read independently to our reading partners until the other children have finished.
Another strategy I use is “Election Time.” When kids are “done,” they can choose an activity from the “Choice Time” list. The activities I have used in the past were: story writing, book reading, puzzles, computers, and listening center. That way, the kids have an activity to do once they’re “done.”
The key to stopping “I’m done” is to hold your children to high expectations and make it clear what they will do when they’re done. I have seen in many classrooms teachers get upset when a child is “done”. This is because they do not have a plan or procedure set beforehand. Think of something you’re comfortable with, model and implement it and then the “Teacher, I’m done” sounds more like “Teacher, I’m ready for a new challenge!”