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Teaching Secrets: How to Use Leftover Class Time Wisely

By Larry Ferlazzo

One of the first lessons I learned when I began teaching was to “overplan.” Assume that your lesson is going to be done early and have a related activity ready to go.

However, like many important lessons—exercise daily, don’t eat sweets in abundance, practice patience—it’s not something I always manage to make a priority.

But I do have the next best thing—a list of constructive learning activities that I can use anytime I finish my lesson early and have a few minutes in need of wise investment. To beef up my list, I also asked readers of my blog to share...