Whether you are a December-loving or December-dreading teacher, this is a hard month! You’re trying to enjoy the last few weeks with your students while teaching something. Still, the constant schedule interruptions, special events, and students’ high energy level make it feel like a lost cause.
Here are 15 survival tips!
1 – Take a deep breath. And keep reminding yourself to do that. I keep a Post-it note on my laptop that says, “breathe.” (It’s a shame that I have to be reminded to do that, but when I’m stressed or tired or both, I need that reminder.)
2 – Be flexible. Have expectations for yourself and what can be completed in December, but hold those expectations loosely. Some things will go differently than planned due to changes in the schedule, students who may be more hyped-up than usual, and your lack of energy. Be okay with letting some things go.
3 – Along with being flexible, make your peace with the fact that December will not be your most productive teaching month. It just won’t. (And if it turns out to be more productive than you were expecting – congratulations!). Your most productive teaching months will be January to spring break.
5 – Speaking of low-stress activities, use as many independent activities as possible. You need a break, and your students need some quiet time to complete tasks.
6 – If you like to write thank-you notes for holiday gifts you receive from students, keep an ongoing list and write at least one or two notes per day. You can use inexpensive thank-you notes or cut out some holiday shapes on bright paper for stationery.
7 – December can get crazy with schedule interruptions, assemblies, and testing. Knowing that, try to keep the procedures, routines, and schedules you can control as “normal” as possible. This helps keep the chaos to a minimum.
8 – Review your expectations as often as needed. That could be multiple times a day. Consider creating anchor charts to remind students of routines and expectations, and refer to the charts. This helps eliminate the constant verbal reminders and questions like, “What are you supposed to be doing?”
9 – Less is more. Cut down on the teacher talk.
Say, “It’s time to get ready for lunch,” instead of “Can we all get ready for lunch now?”
Say, “Time to listen. Eyes on me,” instead of “Okay, let’s all settle down and get ready to listen. Focus on me, please.”
10 – Consider some kind of goal or reward challenge for the month. Challenge your class to earn points toward some kind of reward (pajama day, a cozy reading day with blankets and stuffies, crafts, games – whatever motivates your class). Set goals based on whatever your class needs to work on (quick transitions, not blurting/interrupting, quiet hallway behavior, etc.).
11 – Plan some activities that are fun for you. Crafts, holiday math activities, reading good books together, creating and writing holiday cards for patients at local hospitals, doing some fun activity with your younger reading buddies – whatever helps you to relax and enjoy this time with your students.
Here are some fun crafts from We Are Teachers. (Good ones for upper elementary students are 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 20, 26, 27, 32, 33, and 38.)
12 – While your students are occupied with independent tasks or activities that don’t require your close supervision, use those moments for planning and prep for January.
13 – Plan some fun January activities for when you come back to school. Include some activities that allow time for reviewing routines and expectations, as they always need a solid review after a break. Find some good books to read. Think about activities that will allow your students to set some goals for themselves for the second half of the school year.
14 – Get as much of your January prep done as possible. Plan your lessons, choose your assignments, make your copies, and plan homework. Try to have your first week fully planned and prepped before leaving for break.
15 – The last few days before the break are also a good time for a good cleaning and/or organizing blitz! Make a list of what needs to be cleaned or organized. Allow students to sign up for tasks and set aside time for the blitz.
All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!
Here is something they didn’t teach you in teacher school: how to deal with the parents or caregivers of your students.
(To simplify this post, I will refer to a student’s grownups as “parents.”)
While many parents are lovely and will be great partners with you in their child’s education, others might be more . . . difficult to deal with.
In this post, I’ll tell you how to build good relationships, and then I’ll share some email and phone call templates that will help you respond to specific issues.
First of all, here are some ways to build good relationships from the start.
START WITH POSITIVE COMMUNICATION
Here are some ways to do that.
~Sending a brief note at back-to-school time in which you introduce yourself, tell a little bit about yourself (including your credentials such as degrees and licensures), and end with a comment about how you are looking forward to a great year together.
~Consider contacting one or two students’ parents each day for the first two or three weeks of school. This could be by text, email, or voice mail. Just say something about how you are enjoying getting to know their child and something positive that their child did at school (or some quality you appreciate in their child). Then encourage them to contact you if needed and say that you are looking forward to a great year together. Simple, and it goes a long way to build a positive relationship.
KEEP THE COMMUNICATION GOING ALL YEAR
This positive contact is so helpful that I would encourage you to do it every quarter.
~Send a newsletter every week or every couple of weeks. Yes, it’s frustrating when you put effort into this, and you find that parents don’t read it. But it’s better to send the information than to have parents say that you didn’t let them know about something happening at school or in your classroom.
Here are some tips for the newsletter:
*include updates about what students are learning with some possible suggestions for how to support that learning at home (even a simple suggestion like “ask your child to explain . . .” works for this).
*include student quotes in your newsletter. Have your students help explain what is happening in your class and include their quote and name. (This helps more parents actually read the newsletter.)
*include upcoming dates of interest as reminders (picture day, pajama day, school breaks, etc.)
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
~Find some way to celebrate your students’ birthdays. Some teachers give the birthday student a special pencil; some display a “Happy Birthday” sign; others have students create a birthday card or keepsake.
~Attend your students’ extracurricular events, if possible. Even if you can’t stay the entire time, making the effort to show up sends positive messages to your students and their families.
SET EMAIL & PHONE CALL BOUNDARIES
~Find out your district’s expectations for returning emails or phone calls. (It’s usually 24 hours, but some districts might say 48 hours.) Only send emails or make phone calls during “working” hours. It’s also okay to compose an email at some time that works for you, but then use the “schedule send” feature to send it during “working” hours.
~Do not respond immediately if you receive a hostile email or voicemail. If necessary, get input from a trusted colleague, mentor, or administrator. Once you are calm and have a measured response in mind, hold your reply until the last possible hour to respond. (If you respond immediately, they’ll expect instant communication from you every time.)
CREATE SOME EMAIL AND PHONE CALL TEMPLATES
~If you have to make a phone call about some undesirable behavior, here is a template you can use (adapt it to fit your style).
This is ________, your child __________’s teacher. No emergency, but I need to inform you about something that happened today.
Describe the behavior.
I know how much you care about ________’s work effort/respectful behavior, so I knew you would want to know right away.
This is what I am doing to help them learn from this experience.
Describe the consequence, focusing on it being a learning experience, not a punishment.
Do you have any questions or suggestions for me?
Thank you for your support. _________ is such a good student/person, and I am confident this will not be a problem again.
~If the parent asks about another student (since other students are often involved in “undesirable behavior”), let them know you cannot discuss other students with them. Still, make sure you assure them that you are dealing with anyone else involved in the behavior.
This article from We Are Teachers is a great one for creating “templates” for parent emails.
I’ve pulled some of the templates I think are most relevant for upper elementary teachers.
~First, some general tips for responding to parent emails:
*Thank them for their email or thank them for reaching out in your very first sentence. (Even if you’re not all that grateful, thank them for contacting you.)
*Validate their concerns. (Saying something simple like, “I can understand you’re upset about this” can help immensely.)
*Don’t agree to anything that feels “over the top” somehow. Check with other teachers or an administrator first.
~How to respond to the “I didn’t know about this test/event/field trip, etc.” email:
I’m sorry you were unaware of (test/event/field trip). I just checked to confirm that it was listed in (newsletter/email/website/school communication). Let me know if you have had access issues. I understand how that happens sometimes.
~How to respond to the “I don’t know why my child got this grade” email:
I’m happy to share more feedback with you on (student’s) areas for improvement. Let me know if today or tomorrow works better for me to call.
~How to respond to the “My child needs more homework” email:
It’s important to me that homework is meaningful and that each student is challenged appropriately. Here are some online resources and links to good workbooks I’ve gathered to extend learning at home . . .
Some suggestions to give parents:
*links to any online resources your district provides (for supplemental reading or math practice, math facts practice, etc.)
*a list of workbooks that are easily found on Amazon, in case they want to purchase something for their child.
~How to respond to the “My child has too much homework/homework takes too long” email:
It’s important to me that homework is meaningful, not stressful. Thank you for letting me know. I have some ideas for your child. Let me know whether today or tomorrow works better for me to call.
~How to respond to the “My child told me about a negative interaction” email:
Thank you for letting me know about this. I’m sorry to hear that (their child’s name) was feeling (whatever emotion) about what happened today.
I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page as soon as possible. Let me know a good time to call you today.
~How to respond to the “We’re going on vacation. Will my child miss anything?” email:
This one annoys me the most. Sigh. But here’s a possible response:
I’m glad to hear that you have a fun family trip planned! Yes, your child will miss some learning opportunities as we will be finishing up our units on _________ and ________/reviewing _________/taking some assessments in (whatever subject).
You might suggest what they could take on their trip to help them review (if you can provide some worksheets, a science notebook to study their notes, etc.). You might also tell them when their child can make up any assessments (either before or after the trip).
~How to respond to the “We’re going on vacation. Can you send the classwork my child will miss?” email:
This one annoys me the second most. Sigh. Here we go:
I’m glad to hear that you have a fun family trip planned! It will be a great learning experience for your child. There will always be some learning opportunities missed at school, and most of them cannot be covered in a worksheet. Here’s what I suggest . . .
You could suggest things they could do independently to practice or review (multiplication facts, science notebook).
You could also suggest daily independent reading and journaling about their trip. Anything that doesn’t require work from you!
Many times, even when packets are sent home, they return to school largely incomplete. So don’t make this harder on yourself than it needs to be.
If they miss assessments, let the parents know what they will miss and when they can make it up (either before or after the trip).
And finally – I have a great book recommendation for you. How to Handle Difficult Parents by Suzanne Capek Tingley is an excellent (and funny) resource for handling difficult conversations.
As I mentioned before, many parents/caregivers will be great sources of support and your interactions will be pleasant. These suggestions are for the few parents who might be more challenging.
But for either kind of parent, keep in mind that, in general, they love their child and want only the best for them. Sometimes their comments to you are coming from their fear or concern about their child. Keep that in mind as you think about how to respond. Keep calm, keep the focus on helping the child, apologize when necessary, and carry on.
I’d love to hear how you used these suggestions! Email me at stillteachingstilllearning@gmail.com.
All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!
I have been a classroom teacher or instructional coach in upper elementary grades for over 30 years.
I get asked for advice or “words of wisdom” all the time. (This happens when you become one of the “elders” at your school!)
So, I’ve been collecting some thoughts that are tried and true. Pick and choose what works for you and what you want to try. Let me know what works for you and what you would add to this list! Even if you’re in your first year of teaching, you will likely learn some valuable strategies. Please share with the rest of us! We’re all better together.
With your students
1 – Greet your students at the door. This gives you a chance to say hello to every student, smile and welcome them, and get a quick “temperature check” on their feelings as they begin their day or class with you.
2 – Teach the importance of productive struggle. Talk about things you might have struggled to learn or master and what you did to get past it.
3 – If students have a minor conflict, tell them you’ll be happy to help them work it out during recess. If it’s genuinely minor, they’ll let it go. If they still want to talk with you, it’s worth helping them resolve it.
4 – When you’re wondering what to do about a situation, put yourself in your students’ place. What would you want your teacher to say or do?
5 – Emphasize that every day is a fresh start – for you and your students.
6 – Keep a pack of thank-you notes in your desk drawer. A quick note to a student for even the smallest gift makes a big impression on them.
7 – Randomly distribute post-it notes of pep talks or praise to individual students. Keep a list to know who has received a note and who still needs to.
8 – Take your students outside whenever possible. Fresh air and a bit of movement helps everyone get a fresh perspective.
9 – Occasionally, build in catch-up work time. This will allow you and your students to catch your breath and finish unfinished assignments. Some teachers call this “K & R” for ketchup and relish. Students can “ketchup” on any missing assignments, or they can “relish” their free time.
10 – Use attendance questions for students to respond to instead of saying “here” or “present.” This is a fun way to start the day.
14 – Be firm, clear, consistent, and kind. And remember that being clear is being kind.
15 – Don’t grade everything! Your students should be doing much more work (practice) than you do.
16 – Make every class think they are your favorite class.
17 – Kindness over curriculum. Relationships first, learning second.
18 – Admit when you have made a mistake and apologize. This is a powerful model for your students.
19 – When you want students to lower their voices, try lowering yours. This works most of the time!
20 – Instead of clapping to get students’ attention, try incorporating mindful breathing by saying, “If you can hear me, take a deep breath.” Repeat that until everyone is quiet and breathing deeply. Instant calm.
21 – Never be afraid to say “from now on.” You can reset your classroom environment or expectations at any time.
22 – Pick your battles. Not everything is worth it.
23 – Always have a plan, but be flexible.
24 – Form your own opinion of each student. Get to know them yourself at the beginning of the year before seeking past teachers’ opinions.
25 – If you notice sudden changes in a student’s appearance, academic performance, or behavior, alert your school guidance counselor or school nurse to check in on the student. Reach out to the family or caregivers as well.
26 – When kids tell you something that does not need your assistance (just sharing a story, for instance), say, “Thank you for telling me.” Sometimes, kids just want someone to listen to them.
27 – Find what is unique and special about every student and talk to them about it.
28 – Never miss an opportunity to laugh with your students.
29 – When you want students to get quiet and listen to directions, try typing the directions (to appear on your screen) or writing the directions on the board. Kids get curious and start paying attention to what you are writing.
30 – A sense of humor helps break tension in a classroom and is a great motivator.
31 – Wet paper towels and Band-aids can cure almost anything.
32 – Plan your classroom management. Some behaviors are predictable, so plan how you will respond.
33 – Teach your classroom rules, routines, and expectations explicitly from the first day of school and review frequently. You will never regret the time you invest in that.
34 – Brain breaks are needed for all ages – dance breaks, music, outside time, deep breathing, reading aloud, jokes, funny stories, funny or inspiring videos. This helps everyone relax and bond.
35 – Calm is contagious. When the stress level is rising in your classroom, bring the calm.
36 – Try out new technology with kids. YOU don’t have to be an expert- the kids will help you figure it out! Plus, it models your willingness to learn and be a beginner.
37 – Always buy a yearbook! Kids will come back to visit during your career, and sometimes it is hard to recognize them when they’re not ten years old anymore. Looking at their picture in the yearbook will bring back lots of memories.
38 – Relationships with your students are the most essential part of the work. If you have positive relationships, it will keep you going when things get hard and you want to quit. If you have positive relationships with your kids, they will learn! So, spend as much time as possible at the beginning and throughout the year getting to know everything about them and their families.
39 – Always ask why. Whether it’s to find the reason behind misbehavior or a missing assignment, it’s important to ask why. You will learn much from listening to your students instead of immediately rushing to judgment.
40 – If a student is asleep, gently wake them. Don’t try to embarrass them. You have no idea what they are going through at home. (It’s a good idea to alert their grownups and your school guidance counselor or social worker if it is a persistent problem.)
41 – Things in education change constantly and cycle back and forth. What remains the same: kids need us! And they need to feel welcome, confident, connected, and that it’s okay to make mistakes.
42 – Enjoy your students as people. Go to their activities outside of school and show interest in their lives. Take time in class to get to know them – don’t just focus on content.
43 – Default to compassion – for students, colleagues, and yourself.
For yourself
44 – Keep nail clippers, a nail file, hair care products, and deodorant in your teacher bag or desk.
45 – Stock up on your favorite pens.
46 – Invest in whatever makes your work environment more pleasant for you. Do you need a kettle to make tea? An individual Keurig coffeemaker? A supply of snacks? Pictures of loved ones on your desk? A cute planner? Whatever makes you happy, invest in that!
47 – The bottom line on bloodborne pathogens training: if it’s wet and it doesn’t belong to you, don’t touch it! Latex gloves for the win.
48 – Consider using a cleaning service for your house.
49 – Plan a low-key take-out dinner for Friday nights.
50 – Focus on what you can control.
51 – Take care of yourself first. Eat right, sleep well, and get some exercise and fresh air daily.
52 – Stay home when you’re sick. Yes, sub plans are a pain, but taking care of yourself is more important.
53 – Speaking of sub plans, prepare a substitute folder filled with basic activities that can be done at any time of the year. Include your schedule, class lists (with pics if possible), pull-out schedules, and emergency procedures.
54 – When you need a mental health day – take it!
55 – Don’t compare yourself to others. We’re all just doing our best.
56 – Set your working times after school and get as much done as possible. Try to avoid taking work home.
57 – Get out of your classroom occasionally. Eat lunch with other teachers and discuss different things besides students and school.
58 – Find virtual teacher groups for your grade level and share ideas.
59 – Make time for your health appointments and take time off for those appointments if needed.
60 – Start saving or investing for retirement as soon as you can.
61 – Plan for your future career. Will you need a master’s degree or another certification? You may want to leave the classroom at some point. Consider what you want to do and what qualifications you need for other positions.
62 – Keep a “happy file” (electronic and hard copy). There will be tough days, and being able to go back and see messages, cards, etc., from students and families who appreciate you will go a long way toward reminding you that you are making a positive difference every day.
63 – Set boundaries for yourself and your time. Say no when you can’t take on one more thing. The world will not end if you don’t get to the end of your to-do list.
64 – Laugh. Have fun. Enjoy the funny little moments in your classroom.
65 – Make a self-care plan. Whatever works for you – massages, taking a walk at lunch, meditation, a mani-pedi, Netflix. No one wins an award for staying at school late.
66 – Create a back-to-school list at the end of each school year. This allows you to start the school year with your ideas organized.
67 – Make sure you’re ready for the next day (or at least for your first block of teaching time) before you leave school every day. This allows you to relax and enjoy your time at home.
68 – Along with that advice – set an alarm for the end of the day and go home! You will never be completely “caught up” until the last workday of the school year (if then). You need to leave and take care of yourself and any significant others.
69 – Build a support system, surround yourself with people who want to grow, ask for help, and teach in a way that works for YOU.
In your classroom
70 – Use lamps in your classroom instead of the harsh fluorescent lights, if possible.
71 – Get a good pencil sharpener!
72 – Keep a low-maintenance plant in your classroom.
73 – Be considerate of the custodians, the cafeteria staff, and the front office staff.
74 – Make your teaching space work for you. Add whatever personal touches you need to make the space more pleasant.
To make your teaching life easier:
75 – Develop a procedure for everything.
76 – Less is more. There will always be more than you can absorb with standards and curriculum.
77 – Look at the assessments in advance. Look at the standards your students are expected to master. Intentionally plan for mastery of the standard, learning any necessary vocabulary, and completing the assessment.
78 – Develop a way to organize your resources. You will come across many awesome ideas from books, blogs (like this one!), and social media. Start a Google document or Padlet to collect resources. Label with the subject and skill. You will thank yourself later.
79 – Pee every chance you get.
80 – Go slow to go fast. Take the time to teach your routines and procedures, review directions, explain academic vocabulary, build background knowledge, and check for understanding.
81 – Model kindness. Especially to yourself. A rested and happy teacher is the best gift you can give your students. Reserve time every week to do what you love. Choose at least one day a week to leave earlier and leave some tasks undone. You deserve a break!
82 – The best PD is the teachers down the hall. Visit other classrooms during your planning time. Observe experienced teachers. Take notes about what you want to incorporate into your classroom. Ask questions. Then, be that guide for less experienced teachers in future years.
83 – Reflect on what is working and what is not working. Learn from what is going well and what is not going well.
84 – It’s okay not to know the answer to every question asked. That’s human. Now, be the teacher and turn it back to them with a response like, “That is a great question, and I don’t know the answer. Why don’t we research it together?”
85 – When your to-do list gets too long, your lesson flops, or you just had a bad day: stop. Take a deep breath. Remember that as long as your students felt safe and cared for in your classroom that day, you did enough. You can fix that lesson tomorrow! Focus on your connections with kids, and everything else will fall into place.
86 – Never ask a question at the end of a faculty meeting. (Email it instead!)
87 – Always have a backup plan
88 – Set boundaries and time limits for what you will complete and how long you will work on tasks.
89 – Remember that you can do anything but can’t do everything. Do what is most important for you and your students.
90 – Tomorrow is a new day.
Need more guidance with your upper elementary classroom? Take a look at my course on Thrive Cart!
All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!
The good thing about a very chatty class is that they are social and love to talk to each other! The bad thing about a very chatty class is that they can be a bit too social.
The trick is to channel that chatter in positive, engaging ways. Here are 15 tips.
1 – Teach and practice your attention-getting signal. Whether you use a bell, a chime, a doorbell, or a raised hand – whatever your signal is, teach your students that when you use the signal, their job is to stop talking, stop moving, and look at you for further directions. Model this. Then practice, practice, practice by having them talk and be noisy until they see or hear your signal. Watch to make sure that everyone is quiet and attentive. Expect 100% compliance. Praise them when they get it “right.”
Make this a very clear expectation. This video is a great model.
2 – Another tried-and-true strategy: count down from five. (Or any other number you want to use.) A good signal is to say, “Everyone will be quiet and ready to listen when I get to one.”
3 – A great way to ask for silence and incorporate mindful breathing is to say, “If you can hear me, take a deep breath.” Do this a couple of times if needed.
4 – Simon Says works too! “If you can hear me, touch your ear. If you can hear me, touch your nose.” Make your voice progressively softer each time.
5 – Make your expectations clear about noise level expectations, such as when it is appropriate to talk and when it is not. You will also want to explain appropriate voice levels for different work times. This anchor chart is a great example.
6 – If you choose to use a warning system (such as one warning about talking before you will have to change seats), teach that explicitly as well.
It’s important to follow through and be consistent every single time. Be calm and fair. Over time, your students will see that you say what you mean and mean what you say. When they see that you will always do what you said you will do, they will (eventually) hop on board.
7 – Use a timer for “practicing” being quiet or silent at certain times. This helps build stamina for quiet work time.
9 – Sometimes, students end up talking because their friends start talking to them, and they don’t want to be rude. Talk about this and how it happens to everyone! But then talk about ways to use hand gestures to signal to your friend that you can’t talk right now.
10 – Schedule “talking time” (preferably with movement opportunities) into your lesson plans. I think of it the same way I introduce a math manipulative and allow students to “play” with it for a while before we use it for the math lesson.
11 – Incorporate engagement strategies into your lessons. These opportunities allow students to talk and give some purpose to their conversations. If you want some suggestions, download my list of engagement strategies HERE!
12 – Along with engagement strategies, keep your direct instruction lessons short and to the point. Writing down bullet points of what I need to communicate in a lesson works best for me. Aaron Burr’s advice to Alexander Hamilton – “Talk less, smile more” – from the musical “Hamilton” is worth keeping in mind.
13 – Use calming and mindfulness strategies before starting lessons, especially if a lesson comes after a transition (such as returning from specials, lunch, or recess).
14 – When you are ready to transition or give directions, stand still, smile, and state the direction.
15 – Refuse to talk over your students.
You’ll feel like you’re waiting all day, but if you continue to talk over them, they will continue to talk and ignore you.
This is tough because if you have a class that is talking non-stop, you might feel like you are wasting a lot of time waiting for them to quiet down before you speak. But, the more you continue to talk over them, the more they will continue to talk over you.
I have learned that the best way to handle this is to make it into a competition. Record the time it took for them to get quiet. Then, challenge them to beat their time the next time you ask for their attention. Give them back the time they “saved” by giving them free time to talk at the end of the lesson or the end of the day. Another option is to offer that time in the form of extra recess.
A chatty class can be channeled in a positive direction! Be calm, be consistent, talk less, and smile more. Let me know how these strategies work for you!
All of my content is intended to save teachers time and energy. My goal is to make good teaching sustainable while having a life outside of teaching. Let me know how I can help YOU with this quick form!
Talking about behavior, rules, and consequences on the first day might seem harsh.
But think about how your students are feeling. They might be nervous on the first day. They might wonder how nice you are or how strict you will be. They might wonder how or if they will fit in with their classmates.
“The word discipline is derived from the Latin root disciplina, meaning learning. It needs to be associated with positive acts and feats of learning, rather than negatively associated with punishing. Teaching discipline requires two fundamental elements: empathy and structure. Empathy helps us “know” the child, to perceive her needs, to hear what she is tryihng to say. Structure allows us to set guidelines and provide necessary limits. Effective, caring discipline requires both empathy and structure.”
Teaching your plan right away helps your students feel safe and know that you can be trusted to say what you mean and mean what you say. Being clear about what you expect is showing kindness.
It’s okay to start your first day with a couple of fun, get-acquainted activities. But after that, it’s time to begin teaching your classroom expectations and discipline plan.
Here’s how to do that.
1 – From the very first moment, set yourself and your students up for a successful year by explaining to students what behaviors you expect. The time it takes to explain, model, and review these routines is invested well because you will get that time back in having a calm, predictable, and orderly classroom.
Let your students know that respect, kindness, and learning are the ultimate goals and that rules and expectations in your classroom protect everyone’s right to learn and feel safe.
Students want to rise to high standards but must know what we expect. Even in upper elementary grades, when we might assume that they have heard these expectations every year, they still need (and deserve) to know what standards you will expect.
Rules give students the “lane lines” for the highway of your classroom, giving them a sense of security.
2 – You might start by talking about your hopes and goals for the school year and ask them to share some of their own. This could be done as a partnership, then whole group sharing/discussion, or you might have students write about their hopes and goals.
A great read-aloud to use for this discussion is Collaboration Station by Shannon Olsen.
In that context, you can then discuss classroom rules to help everyone’s hopes and goals become a reality.
As a class, develop three to five general rules that will guide how we treat each other and learn in our classroom.
Some teachers like to keep it simple by creating a one-rule classroom. Here’s an example of one rule: If what you are doing interferes with learning, hurts someone’s heart, or prevents you from being your best self, you should not be doing it.
3 – After creating the rules (or agreeing to one rule), make a chart or poster that displays the rule(s) and have everyone (teachers, instructional assistants, and students) sign the chart.
4 – Now, what should you do when your students break the rules? For one thing, expect it to happen. They will forget, they will lose self-control at times, and they might test limits.
Be ready to respond with logical consequences. Logical consequences help fix problems that result from breaking the rules. The consequence should be respectful of the child and fit the situation.
~You break it, you fix it. Students can clean up messes or do their best to repair something broken. They can write a note of apology if they have hurt feelings.
~Temporary loss of privilege helps students remember to use privileges responsibly the next time.
~”Take a break” helps students learn self-control by removing themselves (or being reminded to remove themselves) from a situation where they make poor choices, regain self-control, and rejoin the group.
5 – Some teachers like to role-play scenarios of students not following the rules and then model what they, as the teacher, will do as a consequence. You can make this funny (as you model the student part), but be quite serious as you model the teacher’s reaction.
To create these scenarios, think about some typical misbehaviors or challenges to the rules you have seen in the past.
In this article, Linsin suggests listing the five most disruptive and annoying misbehaviors you experienced last school year.
Model for your students how NOT to behave, then ask them to explain how and why this behavior is a problem for the class.
Explain what you will do in response to the behavior. When possible, make the consequences as logical and natural as possible.
Is a student talking to their tablemates and not getting work done? You will move them to a different seat where they will work alone.
Is the class talking and being rowdy as they travel through the hallways? You will have them practice hallway walking during the first two minutes of recess.
What if a student says something disrespectful to another student? Depending on the severity of what they said (some comments might require an administrator), you will have them take some time alone to calm down and reflect on what happened, and then they will write a letter of apology. In some cases, their parents/caregivers will be notified.
6 – Especially in the first days of school, continually remind your students that you will protect everyone’s right to learn and feel safe in your classroom.
7 – Now for the hard part – you must be consistent and persistent.
For example, if your policy is to give one reminder to lower voice levels during independent work time, and you have given that one reminder, you must follow through with your consequence of imposing silent independent
work time. If you don’t do what you said you would do, you are teaching your students that what you say doesn’t matter.
You will do lots of reinforcing during the first six weeks of school. When students don’t follow a procedure or expectation correctly, simply say, “That wasn’t our best. Let’s try that again.” Be brief and clear. (Remember: clear is kind.)
You don’t have to be mean, but you do need to mean what you say.
Here’s to a great year ahead!
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Once upon a time, when I was student teaching, we used Madeline Hunter’s seven-step lesson plan. It has held up over time and remains a great model for direct instruction. (I found a PDF online, the same document we used at UNC-Chapel Hill back then.)
While she is known for her lesson plan format, another valuable thing I learned from Madeline Hunter was the idea of “sponge activities.” These are “learning activities that soak up precious time that would otherwise be lost.”
These activities should be quick, fun, and engaging, with a slight focus on academics but that doesn’t feel too intense. These are perfect for using bits of time for more learning!
What’s the difference between sponge activities and brain breaks? Brain breaks are short mental breaks designed to help students stay focused and attentive. They might help energize or relax students (depending on the need). Sponge activities are learning activities. They both serve a purpose.
Every teacher can come up with their own versions of great sponge activities, depending on the needs of their class and their curriculum. Here are 20 ideas to get you started!
ELA
1 – Read aloud – this will always be my first choice. Keep a stack of picture books and a chapter book read-aloud handy at all times (even if you only teach math or science or social studies).
2 – Stellar Literacy is a favorite resource of mine, and I especially love their sentence writing routine. Here’s a link to a free resource. Try it out and see what you think! This is a great way to use a few extra minutes and students love it.
3 – Make up stories with Story Cubes. These are fun to use with small groups or the whole class together. Roll a cube to get started. One student starts a story using that cube and writes for one minute (or whatever amount of time you want to use). When the timer goes off, they pass the paper to the next student, you roll another cube and the next student continues the story. Continue for as much time as you have and then read the fun results!
4 – Mad Libs. These are always fun and a great reinforcement for parts of speech.
The teacher gives clues one at a time providing appropriate wait time in between for students to think (or write down their word guesses).
Examples:
Clue 1: I’m thinking of a word on our spelling patterns list.
Clue 2: It has one syllable.
Clue 3: It is a homophone.
Clue 4: It rhymes with could.
Clue 1: I’m thinking of a word on the vocabulary list.
Clue 2: It has 5 letters.
Clue 3: It is a verb.
Clue 4: It belongs in this sentence: Mary will _______ her essay today.
Math
7 – Try some choral counting. As a class, count by twos, fives, tens, or other multiplication facts you want to review.
8 – Another choral counting option is to start with a number such as 225 and count by tens or hundreds forward or backward.
9 – Yet another choral counting option: count by fractions (fourths, for example) or decimal numbers.
10 – Play “I am the Greatest” to have fun with place value. Here’s how to do it:
The teacher needs a deck of cards or a ten-sided die.
Have students draw lines on paper or whiteboards for whatever size number you want to use. (6 lines for numbers up to hundred thousands place, for example, or 4 lines, a decimal point, and then 2 lines for numbers up to the thousands place and decimals to the hundredths place).
The teacher rolls a die or pulls card and calls out the number. Students place that number anywhere on their lines.
Continue until all blanks are filled. (The teacher plays along to ensure that the greatest possible number is being built.)
Students call out “I am the greatest!” if they have the greatest number.
There is an element of strategy to this as students try to place larger digits in the largest place value spaces. But there is the element of luck as well since they can’t predict what numbers will be drawn or rolled!
13 – Would You Rather? questions get kids up and moving. They have to choose one or the other – no fair sticking to the middle! Then randomly call on one or two students to justify their answer by explaining why they would choose that. Minds in Bloom has great suggestions for different times of the year.
18 – Write a ten-word summary. Have kids work in groups to create a ten-word summary of some concept you are studying or a summary of a book or article you are reading. They can omit words like “the”, “a”, etc.
19 – If you have a few extra minutes, try going on a virtual field trip! Here’s my list.
20 – If you have enough time for students to use computers, it’s fun to play Quizlet Live with any Quizlets you have already created. Quizlet Live randomly assigns students to small group teams and they play as a team to review vocabulary terms.
I hope these sponge activities help you get started with collecting your own! Using every minute well (while having fun along the way) is the goal.
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