Fast Finishers

Action Research Project

Katie Hile

Grand Valley State University

Spring 2018
Description of Situation and Summary of Problem

My student teaching placement has been in a very academically diverse environment. I

am in a Kindergarten/First Grade split where seven students are considered English Language

Learners, one has down syndrome, and another has a significant cognitive disability. Students

scoring beyond the end of grade level in math and reading also make up the class. With both

Kindergarten and First Grade students in the class, children range in age from young five-year

olds to seven-year old’s causing developmental differences as well. The diversity of the class is

an asset and creates a rich learning environment for all students. However, there are also a few

problems that come along with any academic differences in a classroom. I am also in a unique

situation in that there are four adults in the classroom every day which has caused some

dependency within the students.

The focus of my Action Research Project is centered around one of those problems, fast

finishers. I noticed this problem in the beginning of the year but I also expected it then since

younger students are just becoming acclimated to even being in school and some of the work

was a major review for a couple of the first-grade students. As the year went on larger gaps

were being seen between students and the situation continued to be a problem. Students

complete both independent and whole group tasks at different times and when there is nothing

for them to work on they can cause disruptions in the class by walking around the room and

talking to friends that are not finished. When this happens, distractions rise and productivity

drops. Students also tend to gather around the adults in the room showing them their finished

work, saying “I’m done!” and “What do I do next?”. This takes teacher attention away from any

whole and small group instruction that may be going on. I have also noticed the problem during

centers.

Starting in the beginning of the year, students that finished their work early had the

option to read books from the classroom library quietly on the rug. This lasted until more

students finished and the rug would become a place to socialize. As students learned to write
letters and numbers they were given the option to write either on the back of their paper. Many

students enjoy this activity but they tend to gather at the number chart and socialize. Not only

does this problem cause classroom disruptions but it also makes lesson wrap ups and

transitions more complicated. Students have finished their work and move on which makes it

hard for the teacher to regroup and close the lesson.

The students that finished the fastest were consistently producing quality work and those

that were not were given direction to make corrections. It was not often that a student finished

his work quickly just to move on to another activity or to talk with a friend. In that case the

student was not producing completed work.

Research Plan and Action Taken

There are two students, first graders, that are consistently the first ones done with their

work. They are best friends, sit next to each other, and tend to race each other. One of them is

an English Language Learner and the other has been exhibiting behavior of ADHD with

significant side effects of medication. Both students produce quality work. They want the

teacher to look their work over for accuracy as soon as they are finished and often want to begin

working on whatever is next. This becomes a disruption when the teacher is working with other

students and gets interrupted or when she must stop what she is doing to explain the next thing

to them even though she might explain it whole class shortly. These two students were the main

inspiration for my action research but I felt my ideas would benefit most of the students.

I began observing how many students would approach a teacher after finishing their

work and found that nine out of 27 students consistently approached a teacher regardless of if

the teacher was available. There were 3-5 who would walk around trying to help their peers and

2 who would walk around the room creating disruptions due to lack of structure.

When directed to the rug to read students would look at books independently or with a

partner. As expected, noise volume would significantly increase when three or more people
wanted to look at the same book. Overall the ideal number of students reading on the rug as a

finisher activity was about ⅓ of the class.

I also observed several students during math and literacy centers. During rotations there

are two teacher led small groups, one independent work center, and activity such as puzzles,

and a center with technology (iPads or Chromebooks). Students are grouped by academic

likeness so teacher led instruction can be productive and purposeful. I noticed I had more fast

finishers in my higher groups so I planned different activities to cut down on the non-work time

during centers. There were a few students from different groups that would find a teacher after

finishing their work at the independent center. Three of them, two English Language Learners,

would bring their work to me and interrupt my small group instruction on a regular basis.

I decided to create a small bin of activities students could choose from in addition to the

already implemented process we had in place. When selecting activities, I had to keep in mind

the students that were completing their work quickly, they had to be slightly more challenging. I

also wanted all activities to have a purpose and be academic. I noticed my students were

having difficulty skip counting by 5’s so I included some hundred charts where they could write

in the missing numbers and use special markers to make it more exciting. In math we were

putting more of a focus on fact fluency so I included a game that could be played independently

or quietly with peers. The game was a fun way to practice addition fact fluency to meet the

standards and challenge them to add larger numbers, some even two digits without regrouping.

Another activity I included was a sight word game that could again be played independently or

with a few peers. Also included were a few cards with simple exercises like toe touches so

students could get out some extra energy without being a distraction. I spent some time

introducing the bin and the contents inside to the whole class and showed them how to properly

use the materials. I explained that when work was completed students could choose to read a

book or pick an activity from the bin to play quietly while others finished their work.
Results and Findings

I did not notice any change with the implementation of my action research project. The

same students continued with the same consistent behavior and students still came up to

teachers asking us to check they work and wondering what to do next. Students would then be

directed to the bin as an option. Through the three weeks the bin was implemented only two

students initiated an activity from the bin and one of them was a student from another class who

attended literacy and math interventions in our room. The activities themselves did not add any

problems to the room students were just not using the fast finish bin unless directed.

Related Literature

There was not much literature available when I began researching the topic of fast

finishers. I decided the to complete my personal research in the classroom first and then find

literature to relate to some of the things I found going on.

I found the University of Virginia Curry School of Education to be a valuable starting

point. In one of their documents they refer to activities for fast finishers as “Anchor Activities”

stating that the purpose of such activities is to “provide meaningful work for students when they

finish an assignment or project…” (Curry School of Education). The document also talks about

the ability of Anchor Activities to be cross curricular and that they can be something students

can work on one time or continuously over a period. While in my classroom the activities were

not graded I did observe students informally. In an older grade Anchor Activities could be

assignments and projects submitted for grades. The document included ideas from various

Gifted and Talented programs which mirrored my attempt at differentiation for all students and

not just those considered academically higher. Of course, Anchor Activities cannot be

productive if a classroom management plan is not in place.

My research took a natural turn from anchor activities and fast finishers to differentiation

and how it can be achieved in a lower elementary classroom. Carol Ann Tomlinson is

associated with the University of Virginia and wrote a book about differentiated classrooms and
reaching all learners. She discusses the importance of a healthy classroom environment and

teaching the whole child. In a section on helping students make sense of their own ideas she

explains “Giving back information through a recitation, worksheet, or test seldom produces a

learner who retains and uses ideas and information” (Tomlinson, 2014). I think the idea of

Anchor Activities allows students to show what they know and make sense of their ideas in

ways that work for and interest them. Tomlinson talks about how wonder and discovery help

create that healthy classroom atmosphere. She also talks about the importance of fostering

independence in students which I think can be accomplished when students take ownership

over their own Anchor Activities.

In an article from Science Scope a middle school science teacher talks about how she

implements anchor activities in her science classroom. Not only did she have rules for the

students using the anchor activity center she had criteria for herself when it came to the things

she wanted to accomplish with the center. She mentions that activities “must be educational,

interesting to middle level students, and inclusive to multiple intelligences” (Corlett, 2003). This

way it does not matter which students finish first there are activities that appeal to and be

appropriate for all students.

Another article I found was on inquiry in kindergarten which I felt related to anchor

activities since in the future I would want to research how more of an inquiry approach to anchor

activities would work in the classroom. The article was on music and movement but I felt the

overall idea could translate across the curriculum. While the classroom that is the focus of the

article is a reggio type program putting students in charge of their own learning can also happen

in a typical school setting through inquiry and differentiation. The authors “believe that children

construct their own learning, and that they use many different ways… to communicate their

thinking and understanding” (Pecaski McLennan and Bombardier, 2015). They also believe

children bring their own perspective, experience, and understanding to situations when they can

play and explore on their own.

Suggestions for Further Research

There are many things I would like to research and try in the future since my project did

not have the success I was trying for. I would like to research how to incorporate more inquiry

based activities and see how they could be implemented in a kindergarten classroom with

limited extra time. I would also just like to look at different activities that could be included in the

already existing bin, I would love to find out what students are interested in rather than just

picking things I liked. I would also like to research more about classroom management systems

that are in place in classrooms that implement anchor activities. I think this type of system must

be implemented early in the year so students make it part of their routine right from the start.
 Sources

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). Differentiated classroom : responding to the needs of all learners.

Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Corlett, C. (2003). Anchor activities. Science Scope, 26(6), 40-42.

McLennan, D. P., & Bombardier, J. (2015). Paper shoes aren't for dancing. YC Young Children,
70(3), 70.

Anchor Activities (n.d.) University of Virginia Curry School of Education. Retrieved from
http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/nagc_anchor_activities.pdf