Why should you be using morning tubs in your second-grade, third-grade, or fourth-grade classrooms?
That is a GREAT question!
Many early elementary teachers use morning tubs in their classrooms, but many teachers after kindergarten or first grade think that they do not work in higher grades. I'm here to tell you that there is nothing further from the truth!
I created these morning tubs to give teachers and students an alternative to morning work that consists of just another boring worksheet.
Maybe you've not tried them simply because you don't know the answers to your questions, or maybe you don't even realize that you have questions!
I'm here today to answer some frequently asked questions about the morning tubs I've created.
If you want to try out a few morning tub activities for absolutely
FREE, just click here! These are more on a second-grade level for the math activities, but the other activities will work great for third or fourth grades, as well.
Now, let's continue on to learn more about these morning tubs.
Q: What are morning tubs?
A: Morning tubs are fun activities to begin your day. They are most commonly placed in small baskets or tubs (hence the name). They are hands-on and engaging activities that will have students excited about coming to school each morning. They are independent activities students can use to practice needed skills without completing boring worksheets.
Q: What grade(s) are these morning tub units designed for?
A: I have created three different grade levels of morning tubs.
You can find the second-grade units here.
You can see my third-grade units here.
Find my fourth-grade units here.
**Please note - The ONLY activities that change from grade level to grade level are the math activities.
Q: Are these units aligned with any state standards?
A: No, these units are not aligned with any state standards or curriculum. The units are designed to cover the skills most commonly taught in the listed grade, so most teachers find these units helpful.
Q: Is there an answer key included?
A: There is not an answer key.
Q: How long does it take to complete these activities?
A: Some activities might take a little longer than other activities, but most can be completed within 30 minutes (or less), which is a perfect amount of time for bell work.
Q: Will students have work to turn in after using these morning tub activities?
A: No, these activities are meant to be stress-free for the teacher. Once the prep work is done upfront when preparing the units, you will be able to use these over and over. There are no additional worksheets to grade, as these are fun and meaningful practice activities.
Q: How do I store these units? Will they take up a lot of space?
A: I store these units in pocket folders for full pages. I place the individual activity pieces into Ziploc baggies. I place these in clear shoeboxes I purchased at Dollar Tree. I use the provided labels in the unit to place them on the pocket folders and the shoeboxes. They take up very little space on my shelf.
Q: What other supplies do I need for these units?
A: Items commonly found in your classroom will be used, such as clothespins, magnets, playdough, paper clips, cubes, small blocks, etc. A suggested supply list is included for each month. Of course, you can use what you already have on hand or what works best in your classroom.
Q: What about printing options?
A: Most of the items use color ink for printing. However, some of the activities are available in black and white in addition to the color pages for more options. Bring the color to these black and white options by printing on colored paper or colored cardstock.
Q: Will each activity only be used for one month?
A: While skills will progress from month to month, many of the activities found in each monthly unit can be used at any point during the school year. Many items will have monthly themes, while others do not. Students find it a real treat to play a Halloween game in March, so use these whenever you need a review of a skill or concept.
Q: Can these activities be used at other times during the day?
A: Absolutely! Keep these activities within easy reach on a shelf. Students can use these for math centers, literacy centers, early finishers, indoor recess, and more. They are also perfect for you, the teacher, to use during intervention or enrichment when working with small groups.
Q: How will these morning tubs help ME?
A: Using morning tubs to begin your day will give you time to greet your students, complete necessary morning chores, and see what activities interest individual students. Best of all...there are NO worksheets to copy, store, and then lug home to grade! Easy setup means that you are out the door quicker each afternoon!
Have you used morning tubs before, or are you interested in using them? I would love to hear your experience and/or questions in the comments below. Let's chat about them!
If you would like to see the morning tubs in my classroom, click below.
Second Grade Morning Tubs
Third Grade Morning Tubs
Fourth Grade Morning Tubs
Answering your questions and having meaningful conversations is just...
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