A sponge...and no I am not referring to the kind of sponge used to soak up messes and wipe off counters. I am referring to an even greater sponge! Throughout the school day, teachers have to transition students from one class or activity to another. This occurs several times throughout the day. This is where sponges come in. A sponge is a quick, 3-5 minute activity that students can do to practice using a concept or skill they have already learned. This activity should require few, to no materials, and it should be easy to complete anywhere. Sponges allow every minute of a child's day to be full of learning. Atypical school day has about 8-10 transitions. They usually last 3-5 minutes. Let's say there are 9 transitions in a second grade classroom. These transitions typically last 4 minutes. That means there are 36 minutes of transition time throughout the day. If there are 175 days throughout the school year, then that means there are 6,300 minutes of "wasted time." That is 105 hours over the course of the year. That is 16.15 whole school days worth of time! Think of how much learning can take place if we take the time to plan meaningful activities to place into those quick, 3-5 minute transition times! Wow! Turn wasteful time into learning time! Below I attached some sponges that could be used in a first or second grade classroom. Enjoy!
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