5 Ways to Use Write the Room Cards In Your Classroom

Have you ever used "write the room" activities? They're among my favorites for firsties for so many reasons. But what if I told you those cards had other uses besides the traditional spin? Around here I am all about making the most of my time and resources. So, today, I'm going to share five super simple and easy ways to reuse those write the room cards! 

What Is Write the Room?

Write the room is a type of center activity that involves placing task cards around your room and having students walk around to find and complete them. This is traditionally done with clipboards as an independent activity. Good old-fashioned write the room has a ton of great benefits. One of my favorites is that they allow students a chance to move. If you work with primary students, you already know they have the tendency to get the wiggles. Help combat this and let them stretch their legs with write the room!

Another benefit is that they offer an engaging way to sneak extra practice in. We all know that plain old worksheets can get boring, but write the room never seems to get old! Plus, there are a ton of great write the room activities out there that cover a variety of subjects and themes, so you'll likely be able to find a set that goes along with just about any lesson you can think of. 

Lastly, though, these versatile cards can be used in so many ways, making them an excellent value for a busy teacher. Buy and prep once and you've got a ton of learning opportunities! Ready to see those 5 "other" ways to use write the room cards in your room? Let's get to it! 

1. Seated Centers 

Alright first, let's start with the most basic idea. Some teachers shy away from write the room because they worry their students aren't quite ready to handle to movement through the classroom. I get it, I promise! At the beginning of the year, my kids usually aren't ready either. This is when you can introduce your task cards and recording sheets as a seated center activity instead. 

This method is also really helpful when students come back after a holiday break and need some boundaries/guardrails in place to help ease them back into the rules and expectations. Instead of sending them off with clipboards and expecting it to go smoothly, have them work at seated centers until they fall back into the routine. 

For example, this New Year's First Grade Math Review Write the Room Set would be absolutely perfect for that purpose! Simply print the cards, laminate them for durability, and place them in a plastic photo box, small bin, or baggie. Make copies of the desired recording sheet you'd like to use (there are 4 options) and place all of these materials on a table in the math center. You can also have students write their answers in a notebook if you prefer to save paper!

Then, as students approach the center, they will take a recording sheet (or their notebook) and a set of task cards and get to work. This is a great, non-stressful way to have students ease back into the routine and practice those center-time rules again! As a bonus, this particular set also comes in a non-themed version that can be used at any time during the year as well! 

2. SCOOT Games

Next up, is a student favorite! If you've never played SCOOT, you're in for a treat. This activity is super simple to prep, includes the whole class at once, and never fails to make my kiddos smile. To play, you'll choose the write the room cards you'd like to use, place 1 card on each student's desk, and give each kiddo a recording sheet. This works best if the desks are set up in a line, or a circle so that students can easily move from one to the next. If you have tables, just make sure that kiddos know where to move after completing each card. You can even set this up on the floor if all else fails! Just place the cards in a circle and give each kid a clipboard to hold their recording sheet. 

To play, you'll set a timer for the amount of time that students have to complete one card. This could vary greatly depending on the skill you are working on. I suggest completing a couple of cards yourself to get a good average and then doubling that time.  You want an amount of time that is challenging for students to complete the task on their card, but not so challenging that it's frustrating. Don't worry if you don't get the timing right, just adjust it as you play.

When you are ready to play, start the timer and the kids get to work answering the task card that is in front of them! They will complete the problem or answer the question on their card and jot it down on the recording sheet. When the timer goes off, you say "SCOOT" and they will scoot over to the next card! The kids love this game, and I really do too because it allows a fun way to practice any skill you can think of. It is a great whole class practice or review activity. 

I like to keep some write-the-room sets on hand that are laminated and ready to go, along with the number of recording sheets I'll need for my whole class to ensure we can play this game at a moment's notice. 

3. Exit Tickets 

Do you ever use exit tickets in your room? They are a favorite activity of mine because it allows me to sneak in some strategic review as we transition between activities. I like to use the write-the-room cards in many of my different sets as a "ticket" to line up, switch centers, or go home for the day. 

I do this by first cutting some lined paper into smaller, square pieces. I do a whole bunch of these at once with the paper cutter and store them in a small bin. Then, I choose the write the room cards with the skill I'd like to target and have my kids line up at my desk. Everyone gets 1 task card, 1 slip of paper, and 1 paperclip. 

They go to their desks, answer the question on their task card, and write it on the slip of paper. Then, they paperclip it together, making sure their name is on the paper, and drop it in a bin to be graded. If you'd prefer to skip the extra grading, try using this technique orally instead. Have students line up and answer a task card face to face with you, a parent helper, or even a friend before being able to "exit". For the oral answer option, I choose cards that are quick and easy to answer like these Possessive and Plural Nouns Write the Room Cards. Students can point and say their answer aloud, making this quick to get through for the whole class.

A huge benefit of this is the ability to discreetly differentiate. Some kids might get grammar tasks, while others get math tasks depending on what they need to work on. I do recommend sticking to only 2 write the room card decks at a time though so you don't lose your marbles trying to put them back in the correct place! Ask me how I know! 

4. Sentence Starters

I am always looking for new ways to expand student vocabulary and make writing activities more fun. One of my favorite ways to do this is to repurpose vocabulary and phonics-based write the room cards in our writing center. I will add a bin filled with task cards that feature vocabulary words like these Summer Word Cards, or cards that feature phonics skills like these CVC Word Cards. 

I encourage the students to look through the bin and find 5 words they can write sentences with. This is great for expanding vocabulary, practicing new phonics sounds, and strengthening sentence writing skills. Plus, the kids really love it! There's something about giving them full control to choose words that appeal to them to use in their sentences that is very exciting to them. Also, this center is super easy to set up since all you need is some blank writing paper and a stack of word cards!

5. Quick, Informal Assessment 

Last on my list of simple ways to reuse those write the room cards in your room is to try using them for quick, informal assessments during your small group sessions. This is especially helpful if you have write the room cards on a tricky topic that you've been working on and want to check in on student understanding. Grammar lessons like contractions are often on my radar for these quick assessments since they can take some time for students to master. 

I like to do this at the end of our session, right before we switch. I do so by giving each student a recording sheet with fewer spaces, or simply a blank sheet of paper. Then, I hand out 3-5 cards for each student and have them complete each one. I have them write the number of their card before each answer so that when I scan through the pages after they leave, I can very easily see how they're doing. 

This also works for verbal assessments as well if you'd prefer to hold up a card and have students answer it. Just be sure to choose something that they can answer orally such as subitizing. This is one of my favorite ways to reuse my write the room cards and also check in with my kiddos quickly and easily! 

Write the Room for the Whole Year 

So what do you think of these 5 ideas for reusing your write the room cards in your classroom? Have you tried any of these before? I hope you found something new and fun to try! If you don't have any write the room cards to try these ideas with, don't worry - I've got you covered! I have over 100 different write the room activities in my TPT store that cover a variety of skills and topics. There's something there for every month of the year to keep your students actively learning in a fun way. Be sure to check them out and remember, these cards can be used for so much more than what they were intended! 

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This post has some of my favorite, creative ways to make the most of your write the room cards. Be sure to pin it on Pinterest so that you can quickly and easily come back to it if you ever need a reminder!