Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/action-research-the-clean-up-project/5017049/
Setting the sceneI dim the lights in my classroom and sing, “Stop, look, and listen please. Kindergartners, five more minutes until clean up time.” The lights are turned up, and children continue to chat, draw, and build. Five minutes pass, and I again dim the lights. I shake the tambourine and announce, “It is now time to clean up. Please clean up where you’re working. Then go help a friend.” After the room brightens, I watch as children remain engaged in their activities. As I scan the classroom, I hear myself saying, “You need to put those scissors away . . . . It is not time to take out more blocks . . . . Please go help a friend.” I notice that some children are busy wiping tables, sweeping, and putting toys away while other children wander aimlessly, play tag with a friend, or simply find a seat in the meeting area as they wait for everyone to join them. And once again the same three kindergartners are the last ones cleaning.
This scene does not describe an isolated incident, but, rather, it is a scene that happened several times daily in my kindergarten classroom. Clearly, clean up time had ...