What to Do When Students Won’t Do Their Work in Class (Grades 4–8)

As a teacher, you spend countless hours planning lessons and preparing work that will guide students along the path to understanding. This makes it especially frustrating when students won’t do their work.

You can see the clear connection between this worksheet or that assignment and the larger understanding that your students will achieve.

When students won’t do their work, the issue is usually not laziness.

In grades 4-8, students typically avoid work because they can’t do it yet, won’t do it due to a power struggle, can’t focus long enough to finish, or because teachers are unintentionally carrying all the responsibility for completion.

The following strategies will help your students complete their assignments…without putting more tasks on your plate.

Students Don’t Complete the Work Because They Can’t (They Don’t Know How to Work Yet)

I want to be very clear: This section is not intended to give students a pass or a “get out of work free” card. But sometimes, the truth is that students won’t do their work because they don’t know how.

This isn’t even talking about a lack of background knowledge or a difficult strategy or concept. This is talking about students who struggle with the ability to sit down, focus, and get ‘er done.

Strategy 1: Teach Students How to Work Efficiently (So “I Don’t Know Where to Start” Stops Being the Block)

When did you first figure out how to work efficiently? Maybe you were one of the high-achievers who figured this out in middle school…or maybe it took you until college or even later before you figured it out.

Your students who are refusing to work might not be doing it out of defiance; they might truly not know how. 

In this case, it’s not fair to hold your students to the expectations of adult work habits.

Try this instead:

• Pick several short assignments. Ideally, each task should be able to be done in 10 minutes or less.
• Explain to students that you’re going to practice getting work done quickly. Tell them that this is important because a big part of growing up is learning to manage and keep track of deadlines.
• Give students the first assignment and make sure they understand the directions. 
• Set a visible timer on the board or reference the room clock. Give students 10 minutes to get the work done – no more!
• As students work, walk around the room and notice their behaviors.
  • Not starting? Pause the timer and remind students that the goal is focused effort, not perfection.
  • Talking? Pause the timer, restate the deadline, and adjust seating so students face the same direction.
  • Frozen or staring into space? Pause briefly and clarify the directions again.
  • Actively working? Say nothing and let the timer run.

When the time is done, debrief with students. Tell them what you noticed that they did well and what you’d like to see them do differently next time.

Then give them the next task.

Pro Tip: This type of activity works well at the beginning of the year or in January after returning from winter break. These are times when students are more invested in meeting your expectations and doing well in your class.

Strategy 2: Redefine “Done” in Clear, Concrete Criteria (So Students Know Exactly What They Need to Do)

If a student is not completing work, they might benefit from frequent stopping points. For some students, sustaining focus for an entire worksheet is a real challenge.

Try this:

• Draw a line on the student’s paper to represent the amount of work you believe they can realistically complete within the given work time.
• Tell the student that you expect their work to be done correctly up to that line. 
• Optionally give the student a small timer on their desk to remind them to stay focused.
• Gradually increase the number of problems the student is required to complete.

Pro Tip: To prevent students from taking advantage of this strategy, tell them that if a certain number of questions are wrong, they will be required to finish the rest of the work.

Students Won’t Do Their Work Because They Want a Power Struggle (Avoidance, Control, or Defiance)

In older grades (especially middle school), some students start looking for ways to grab power from their teachers. 

Some students have realized, depending on the school and consequence rules, that there’s very little the teacher can do to “make” them do the work. If the student is committed enough, there is nothing the teacher can do because the student just doesn’t care about the consequences.

While there’s little you can do to force the student to work, there are strategies that can encourage the student to complete the work on their own.

Strategy 3: Let Natural Consequences Take Their Toll

If students receive letter grades for their work, then let the grade show what the student has actually accomplished (or not) in your class.

Two quick tips to avoid angry parents and administrators:

• Don’t give up on reminding the student about their incomplete or missing work and its deadline. Give the student opportunities to finish the work during free time, lunch, or at home. This isn’t to say it’s all on you to chase down students with missing work, but do make sure you’ve provided chances for the student to choose to complete their work…or not.
• And on that note, document everything! Make a note of when the assignment was given, when it was due, and the times when you provided opportunities for the student to complete their work. This is a great time to contact the student’s family with an update and gentle reminder so they’re not surprised when report cards come out.

Strategy 4: Offer Class Experiences Tied to Work Completion (Motivate Students to Get Their Work Done)

Set up a recurring whole-class experience like Fun Friday, but make it contingent on getting work finished.

For example, if your Fun Friday is tied to earning points (as in my CLASS Points System), students who earn all their points but have missing work will not be invited to participate until their work is completed.

Even offering free time for students who are all caught up with their work can be motivating.

Pro Tip: Think about what your students are always asking for, but that you often say “no” to. Do they ask for extra recess? Free time on their Chromebooks? Kickball? Flexible seating? Pick one thing and make it available only to students who have their work completed.

Strategy 5: Privately Check in With Students (Without Calling Attention to Them)

Some students are reluctant to display ignorance in front of their peers. They’d rather be seen as defiant than clueless.

If you suspect this is the case, wait until the class is working, then talk with the student quietly. 

• Going to the student’s desk prevents any unwanted attention from being drawn to them
• Pulling the student to a side table in the classroom keeps the conversation away from nosy listeners
• Not recommended locations: your desk or the hallway. These often draw more attention to the already-defiant student, which can make the entire strategy backfire

Start by asking the student where they’re stuck. It’s possible they’ll answer you honestly and identify a gap in their understanding that you can address quickly.

However, if the student says they don’t know where they’re stuck, don’t ask them “What don’t you understand” or “Where are you confused?” (Students will claim they don’t understand anything and are confused about all of it.)

Instead, have them tell you one thing they do understand. (Make it clear that this is not a test; it’s a conversation to help them get started.)

Pro Tip: If the student says they don’t understand anything, guide them to increasingly simplistic things they do know. For example, ask, “What are you supposed to put at the top of your paper?” When they answer, “My name,” praise that! This gives them a positive feeling associated with answering your question. They’ll usually be more willing to answer your questions and work with you after that.

Students Don’t Finish Their Work Because They’re Too Distracted (Peers, Movement, Environment)

Sometimes students are distracted from their work because they’re too busy talking with their classmates. Other times they might be focusing on the hallway outside your classroom or the P.E. class taking place outside the window.

Fortunately, once you determine that a student is not completing work because they’re distracted, this becomes one of the easiest adjustments to make.

Strategy 6: Change Seating Strategically (Not Reactively)

Although it’s easy to say “change where the student sits,” this strategy relies on being deliberate and intentional in the seat change.

Consider who the student’s friends are. Then don’t just seat the student on the opposite side of the classroom; have the student and their friends facing the same direction in the classroom. This prevents them from making eye contact across the room and distracting each other anyway.

If your entire class is chatty, try to arrange the desks so that all students are facing the same direction. 

You might also allow a sleepy student to finish their work standing at the side counter or at a standing desk.

Students who need a movement break might walk around the room with a clipboard to complete the assignment.

Not all seating changes need to be permanent. You might try an alternate seat for a student for one day, then move them back; or you might seat them at a side table for the work time, then give them the chance to earn their old seat back.

Pro Tip: Giving students a chance to “earn back” their old seat can be highly motivating. Give concrete requirements for the student to return to their former seat such as “finish the whole worksheet by the end of class” or “receive no more than 3 redirections.” If they meet the criteria, let them return. Otherwise, they stay put.

Strategy 7: Remove the Peer Audience 

Some students are motivated by the attention of their classmates. This happened to me in a fourth-grade class I taught.

Important Note: This strategy works best when used calmly and consistently, not as a public punishment, but as a way to remove the audience that’s fueling the behavior.

Here’s the strategy that worked for me:

1. Tell the whole class that everyone is working together to learn and focus. If someone can’t focus, they will be removed from the group. (This sets up what you’re about to do.)
2. When the disruptive student starts acting out, pull their desk away from the group.
3. Tell the whole class that when someone is removed from the group, they’re trying really hard to get back into the group. The way the class can help is by ignoring the student who’s out of the group and showing that student how to act appropriately.
4. Inevitably the disruptive student will escalate their behavior to try and get their classmates’ attention. When that happens, turn their desk away from the class. 
5. Remind the class that their job is to model appropriate behavior and ignore whatever the disruptive student says or does. Tell them, “Next time, you might be the one out of the group. You would want your classmates to help you out, right? That’s your job right now.”
6. If the disruptive student continues to escalate, push their desk against the nearest wall. However, if they display appropriate behavior and their disruption stops, allow them to move one position closer to the group. (Turn their desk back facing the group or move their desk back to its original position.)
7. When the student earns back the privilege of being in the group, the class should welcome them back but not address the inappropriate behavior. 

Pro Tip: When a student is out of the group, they still have to complete the same work as everyone else, but they aren’t allowed to get out of their seat without permission. This means that sharpening pencils, getting tissues, turning in work, and any other out-of-seat privileges the rest of the class enjoys are off-limits until the student returns to the group.

You’re Tired of Chasing After Students Who Don’t Do Their Work (Teacher Burnout Is Real)

With everything on your plate, sometimes chasing students for missing work is just one thing too many. Try these strategies to encourage students to do their work without adding more to your already-overstuffed to-do list.

Strategy 8: Hold a Mandatory Working Lunch for Work Completion

This strategy works great if you can’t take away recess.

Start by making a list of students who are missing work. If you don’t have those students in your classroom at lunch time (like if you teach middle school), give students passes or “invitations” to your room during lunchtime.

During lunch, seat students as far away from their classmates as possible. Remind them that they are in your room to work, not socialize.

Once they complete their work, they are allowed to return to the lunchroom.

Pro Tip: If most students purchase school lunch, try to arrange to collect their lunches early or have lunch delivered to your classroom. Time spent waiting for students to get their lunches is time they can’t use to get caught up on their work.

Strategy 9: Give Partial Credit for Effort

If your school assigns letter grades, consider allowing students to submit partially-completed work for partial credit. 

A score of 0 pulls the grade down significantly, but a score of even 50% can significantly boost a student’s overall grade.

This strategy will have the most impact if you show students how partial credit affects their overall grades.

For many students, partial credit turns “why bother” into “something is better than nothing.”

When students can see their grade change, even from an F to a D-, that usually motivates them to get something done, but it has to be concrete, not abstract.

Pro Tip: Pair this strategy with working lunch (strategy 8) for maximum impact!

Strategy 10: Send Unfinished Work Home Strategically (Not Reflexively)

It’s easy for an overworked and burnt-out teacher to chuck every unfinished assignment in a student’s homework folder and tell them, “Finish this at home tonight.”

However, sometimes this makes things worse.

Just like you have things to do after school, so do your students:

• Sports practice
• Family obligations
• Sibling care
• Music lessons
• Chores

This is not an excuse or a case against homework. Rather it’s a gentle suggestion to make home assignments deliberate and meaningful rather than mandatory.

Further, if students struggle with executive functioning and responsibility at school, they likely have those same struggles at home.

Many families are unable or unwilling to monitor older students’ homework habits, and it’s up to the student to sink or swim (and let’s be honest, the usual result is “sink”) on their own.

When you do assign additional homework, try to communicate with the student’s family so they can check in if they’re able.

Also keep in mind that you can’t follow students home, sit on their shoulder, and make them do their homework. Don’t count on the work coming back tomorrow, and have an additional copy of anything you send home.

No Ultimate Fix For Students Not Completing Work

I wish I could wrap up this post by saying that these strategies are magical and guaranteed to work every time. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Rather than magic fixes, think of these strategies as leverage points or starting places. 

Try one tomorrow and see how it goes. Hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised and your students will start doing their work.

But if you’re stuck cycling through strategies and nothing seems to work, it’s possible that there’s something deeper going on. 

It might not be a motivation or knowledge problem at all – it might be a classroom systems problem that keeps putting the responsibility on you instead of the students.

That’s what I help teachers with in my CLASS framework coaching. We look at your expectations, consequences, and routines to find little moments throughout the day when you can hand off responsibility to your students. Learn more about different coaching options here.

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