Help Needed Signs

 

HELP!!!

Don't you just love it when your students are working on essays? I mean, you're walking around the room, monitoring and offering help when needed. Everything is so calm and peaceful. Right? WRONG!!

I don't know about you, but it never failed. Practically every student would be sitting at his/her desk with a hand up needing my help. And none of them are working. They're just sitting there. Waiting. Wasting time. (Really wanting to have me tell them what to write, but that's another blog post. lol!)

A friend introduced me to the HELP NEEDED signs, and it was a life saver. Students can make them themselves out of plain paper, or you can print them up. Here's a link to the freebie I offer on my TPT page: HELP NEEDED SIGN

On one side, the sign says HELP NEEDED. On the other side it says KEEP WORKING. You fold the paper into a rough triangle so that the blank side sits on the table/desk top. Students who need help simply place the sign with the HELP NEEDED facing the front of the room (or wherever the teacher directs them). The KEEP WORKING side faces the student. Students know that while they wait for help, they need to continue working on their essays. Once the teacher has helped the student, the sign is folded and put under the desk or into their notebook out of the way. 

I tell my students they can only use the sign 2 times per writing session. This makes them understand that there are some things they are going to have to figure out on their own or else they'll have to come by after school for more help.

I can't tell you how much easier this made my life. 😎