Building independence and saving my sanity.

I CAN sheets have been a blessing.  Most of kinders can look at these by now and know exactly what the expectations of the activity are because they are familiar activities (some routine centers/stations are an absolute must when you have 9 of them going on at one time).  For instance, even though we do I-Spy centers all the time, you can easily see that this one is for letter sounds and they know how to complete it.  You know I was actually beginning to think that no one was using these but me when I got a request from some readers to keep adding them to my letter/sound I-spys.  So I put them back in. (I guess I’m not the only one, huh?)

I also have found that by putting my answer keys in one location on a hook, students, when finished with an activity, can check their answers themselves.  We have some basic rules.  You can’t go look unless your activity is completed and you need to go with a friend (if possible) to have them help you check.  If you have some areas that aren’t correct.  You need to go back and redo it.  You can’t just change your answers.  It’s worked pretty well and everyone knows, in the wise words of Junie B Jones, there is no ‘sneaky peaky spying.’

And then of course, there are those self correcting activities!  I will use any and all I can find or make.  It took some training and a couple of trips to Walmart for clothes pins, but by being able to complete a task and checking it themselves, they are getting immediate feedback.  In the past, immediate feedback was them poking me and saying, ‘Mrs. McGuire…(poke poke poke) Mrs. McGuire (poke, poke, poke) but these kinds of activities have really saved me this year. I am a fan of all clothes pins, plain and fancy, that have allowed me to provide my kinders with self correcting activities. 

So I’m sane for the time being anyway.  But please tell me, what are you’re secrets for moving for students towards more independent learning?  I need a full arsenal and would love to hear all your secrets.