Closing Activities

This summer I had the privilege of listening to Rick Morris speak about classroom management.  He has so many amazing ideas about how to effectively manage a classroom.  I was overwhelmed by all of the changes I wanted to make, but I decided to calm down and implement my 3-5 favorite ideas (this is my new rule when I attend professional development workshops).  By choosing my favorite 3-5 favorite things to implement I keep myself from being overwhelmed, I limit the amount of new routines I am introducing to the students, and my classroom will slowly but steadily improve.  One implementation that has worked wonderfully is using daily closing activities.  Rick Morris says, "Research indicates that three minutes of effective closure can enhance retention by 50%."  Wow!  With this in mind I compiled a list of engaging closing activities, and I have been using them in my classroom every day this year!  The students especially love the snowball fight, and I do think that their retention has improved.