Quick Tip: End of the Day Routine

I know that for many of us, the end of the day routine can be a time that causes anxiety and worry. Sometimes, no matter how much we intend to get away from it,  this time of day can be completely chaotic.  I was one who definitely felt the chaos for many years until I set in place a routine that cut down on that running around like a chicken with his head cut off energy and have us end with calm.  Here is what I do.

I start about 25 minutes before the dismissal bell rings.  I begin by announcing that I am "looking for people who are ready to go home."  This is students' cue to sit down, clear off their desk space, and look at me.  Then, we have our 60-second clean up (I wrote in detail about that here), our 15-second cubby clean out, and our 15-second furniture straighten.  Yes, you read that right.  My students clean the room, clean their shared cubby space (that is just a little box on their desk) AND straighten their furniture in less than 2 minutes.

This is an old picture.  Homework has changed a bit.

Then, I ask the kids to take out their planner and we go over the homework.  I have the assignment written on the board, and used to just have them copy it down, but I have found that if I *also* say it aloud, the kids have a higher rate of writing it in their planner and not missing any homework assignments.   So I orally go over the assignments.



Next, while some students are still writing in their planners, I have the kids who have classroom jobs begin.  Now here is where it gets a *teeny* bit chaotic.  Librarians are straightening up the library, while custodians are sweeping the floors or wiping off the whiteboard.  Distributors and Table Captains are passing out homework, and President and VP are stamping the planners with the signature stamp.  Most are organizing their stuff to go home (putting names on new homework sheets, getting things in backpack, etc...)

When the kids finish getting ready and have a clear desk, they join me on the rug and wait for the majority of the class.  We then begin our read aloud.  We read the story until the bell rings.

What I LOVE about this is that there is a built-in incentive to get ready for the day quickly:  the read aloud.  My students can not wait to hear the story and they want as much time as possible to be able to listen.  So they clean up their personal items FAST!  And since we are reading, it is calm, cool, and collected in my room at the end of the day.

What is your end-of-the-day routine?  How do you combat the chaos? Looking for even more ideas for back to school time??