I am a planner. I like to know what is happening next or what is happening on what date. And this entire situation is so unsettling and difficult for planners like me.
Do you feel the same?
Since we are all unsettled and looking for good resources for our students and their families, the best thing I can do right now is share everything I find that looks promising.
But first, a pep talk. These are the same things I keep telling myself every day.
*Accept the uncertainty. Do what you can do and try to let go of what is outside of your control. (Easier said than done. Maybe singing or just saying “Let it Go” will help!)
*Don’t try to be perfect. Give yourself some grace. All of us have been thrown into this situation with zero preparation and we are doing our absolute best. Do what you can do.
*Take care of yourself first. Make sure you are eating healthy-ish, drinking water, getting enough sleep, and moving your body in some way every day.
*Take care of your family. Many of us are home with our own children. While we may also be required to work from home on school tasks, we also have our own children to reassure. Keeping to a routine will help.
*Check on the people you love. Even when you can’t physically check on them, a quick phone call, email, or text reminds them that you’re there and you love them.
*Understand that it is next to impossible to transfer all your content to an online course in a day or a week. You can’t be expected to do that. So focus on review and providing some extension work, but don’t worry about teaching new content as effectively as you would be able to do in your own classroom.
*Remember that your students and their families are stressed. So don’t knock yourself out to create a bunch of stuff that they may or may not be able to pay attention to or even access. It’s better to do a little bit, even if it’s imperfect.
*Encourage your students to use this time for actually reading. Not doing activities about reading or answering questions about reading. Just reading. Provide some interesting articles or stories to read and chances to talk about reading if you want to do that, but don’t try to go too far beyond that.
*Don’t worry about grades or due dates. Allow everything to be open book or open note. Encourage your students to communicate and collaborate with you and with other students. Show compassion for yourself AND for your students.
*Set up a schedule for yourself, but don’t be too rigid. I am trying to follow a 90 minutes of work/30 minutes of a break schedule. I’ll let you know how it goes!
*Within your schedule, consider setting up “office hours” for when you will respond to students’ or parents’ emails or when you will be available online to answer questions. You may not need this, depending on your own teaching situation.
Now, for more free resources! These resources are for teachers planning for distance learning or resources to be shared with parents.
If you prefer a downloadable PDF of these resources, here ya go!
*Ask your students to write a daily journal & document what is going on right now. Depending on students’ ages, they could do some research on COVID-19 and include that in their own account of what is happening, how we are responding, and how our worlds have changed.
That’s all for now. As I keep researching resources for my own students, I’ll keep a list and write another post. Subscribe to be sure you see the next round of resources!
If you think it’s helpful, please share this post!
Last thing — here is the updated PDF of resources from both of my blog posts, in case you want to download!
Take care of yourself. This is a very stressful time and you are doing such important work. Be well and be safe.
My school and district have officially been closed for three weeks, due to COVID-19 and the need for social distancing. Nothing like being told “this could happen” on a Wednesday, and then being told “it’s happening – now create two weeks’ worth of work for your students to take home tomorrow” on a Thursday. At 5 p.m.
This entire situation is so surreal and so scary. On my last day with my students, there was no joy in getting out of school, as there would be before a scheduled break. Instead, everyone had lots of questions and I had very few answers.
There is much controversy right now about whether teachers who have not been trained in distance learning should be required to figure out how to do this practically overnight.
There is controversy about providing online resources when some families do not have digital access. Some teachers feel as if creating a lot of resources is just going to be a waste of time when families are stressed and may not even access the resources.
Everyone is worried about our students getting what they need the most right now — comfort, reassurance, reminders that they are loved and cared for, healthy meals, access to counseling and possibly a school nurse.
With all of this in mind, I am providing a gigantic list of resources that you could share with your students or their families. Feel free to share this post with them if you like, or just pick and choose a few resources to share. There are so many resources available, which can be overwhelming. So just choose a few to explore and share with families. I’ve also created a PDF of the resources which you can download.
Keep in mind that everyone is stressed. So as you provide resources for families, try to think about “less is more” and not be too strict about your requirements. Try to see this as learning opportunities for students and support for families.
In addition, I’ll give you some general advice tips that I have received from teachers who are already “in the trenches” of school closings.
And during all of this turmoil — remember to take care of yourself. Take a break and do some things that are just for you. Watch the news but when you start feeling stressed about it, step away and breathe. Spend time with your family. Take a walk and get some fresh air. Watch everything you’ve been meaning to watch on Netflix and Disney Plus and other streaming services. Eat healthy food and drink lots of water. And, as always, wash your hands!
Great advice tips from some teachers:
*Do your best but don’t try to be superhuman.
*Set your priorities. You don’t need everything on this list. Think about what you really want your students to do. Read every day? Write something every day? Solve some math problems? Create something? You might also want them to be active in some way or to do things to help out at home. Think about what really matters to you.
*Try to communicate with your students and their families daily. This can be in whatever way works for you. I do think it’s most helpful if you can do some kind of video of yourself talking to your kids and share that with them frequently. Somehow “seeing” you, even virtually, will be reassuring for your students.
My fifth graders also love to see pictures of my dog and my daughter’s dog. So one of my goals is to share a new picture with them daily.
*Use a google form as a check-in for your students and/or their families. This emotional check-in and mindfulness journal can give you some ideas to start as will this google form check-in on Surviving the Middle. Just make a copy and adapt it for your own needs.
*Ask your students to develop their own schedule for their time at home. You may have seen images of schedules on social media, which might be useful to families as a starting point. But I think it’s even more powerful when students create their own schedules.
*Consider sharing the “best of . . . “ lists from Common Sense Media as a guide for movies, games and books for families.
*Think about what your students can do that does not involve a screen. They could play board games, create some kind of art, create a new dance or workout, use a meditation app for kids, play math games with a deck of cards (here’s a list of games for grades 3-5).
*If you are sharing resources listed below, think about sharing ONE math resource per day, ONE reading resource per day, etc.
*Join the Facebook group Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning. There are tons of great resources but, more importantly, it’s a great source of support for all of us during this unprecedented crisis.
All of the resources listed below are either free, have a free resources section on their site, or are offering free access during the COVID-19 closures.
You can download a printable PDF of the resources HERE.
Here we go!
Resources for Reading
*Think about providing some way for students to communicate with you (and possibly with the whole class) about their reading. This could be on a google form, a Padlet wall that you create and share with them, a shared google doc, or use this journal (make a copy and adapt for your own needs). Could they create a Flipgrid video of a book commercial or book review, complete with props? Create a google slides presentation about books they’re reading? You might even try asking your kids to share their own ideas!
*No Red Ink – writing lessons – NoRedInk is a free online curriculum that builds better writers. It includes diagnostic tools and assessments, targeted skills practice, a writing platform that guides students through the drafting and revision process, and instructional resources for teachers. It is used in more than 50% of US districts.
*This next resource is not free but is definitely worth purchasing for yourself or sharing with families. Be a Better Writer by Steve Peha is an invaluable resource. Here is Amazon’s description:
One Book for All Kinds of Writers and All Kinds of Writing
Whether you’re writing essays for school or fiction for fun, this book helps you be a better writer.
For School…
Improve your grades with techniques like the What-Why-How and Content-Purpose-Audience strategies that clarify your thinking and strengthen logical arguments on tests, in essays, and on research reports. Use Sentence Patterns and the Plain English for Handy Analysis approach to improve your grammar without having to learn grammar rules. Get your work done faster, develop more confidence, bring home better report cards, and score higher on state tests.
For Fun…
Improve your creative writing by using The Five Facts of Fiction to dream up compelling characters and powerful plot lines that keep your readers reading from beginning to end. Produce rich description with the Tell-Show strategy. Render your ideas in well-chosen words and smooth-sounding sentences. Find your voice and translate your passion to the page so your readers feel it, too.
For Anyone…
You have a voice the world wants to hear. You have stories to tell, real and imagined, that readers can’t wait to read. You have things to say that will change the way people think and feel, and that will shape the way they look at life after seeing it through your eyes. Don’t keep your readers waiting; give them things to read. Don’t wait for someone to discover you; discover yourself. Don’t wait to be a better writer; be a better writer now!
If you want the PDF of these resources, click HERE!
I hope that these resources will be helpful to you as we all navigate this surreal experience. I’d love to hear what works for you and what resources you have tried and found helpful!
Have you read The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler? This is a great read for both teachers and parents which talks about the state of our public education system. In the book, Ms. Wexler makes the case that our public education system is “broken” (in terms of what is taught). But instead of just talking about how things are “broken”, Ms. Wexler gives actionable ideas for what to do instead.
Literacy Instruction
One major topic deals with some of the issues surrounding literacy instruction, specifically the whole language movement and the balanced literacy framework.
Even if you don’t agree with everything Ms. Wexler says, she does make many good points that teachers of grades 4- 12 students will recognize.
Specifically: students who have not been taught explicit phonics in early elementary grades will have a very difficult time decoding multi-syllabic words in upper elementary grades (and beyond).
She talks about our heavy emphasis on teaching reading comprehension strategies (how to make an inference, how to find the main idea, etc.) and why that isn’t working.
In Amazon’s description of the book:
It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country’s frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn’t one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum’s intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension “skills” at the expense of actual knowledge. . . rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.
I have to admit, as someone who has taught a balanced literacy framework for many years, she described many of the same frustrations I have experienced in upper elementary grades. So it was a little sobering for me to realize that doubling down on balanced literacy has only made the problems with students’ reading comprehension worse.
Currently, there is a strong emphasis on changing reading instruction to align with the Science of Reading. That is a good thing.
My only worry is that many people are thinking that “Science of Reading” just means adding a systematic, explicit phonics curriculum and then our kids will magically learn to read. I agree that phonics should not be optional.
Adding a phonics curriculum, if it is currently missing from your school or district instruction, is a good first step to align instruction with the Science of Reading.
But when you look at Hollis Scarborough’s The Reading Rope (below), you will notice that Word Recognition (which includes decoding and phonics) is only one part of that rope. Another equally important part is Language Comprehension (which includes background knowledge and vocabulary). So aligning reading instruction with the Science of Reading must include BOTH phonics instruction AND background knowledge and vocabulary.
This comes straight from the scientific research, which shows that reading comprehension is the product of two things. First, a child needs to be able to sound out a word. Second, the child needs to know the meaning of the word she just sounded out. So, in a first-grade classroom that’s following the research, you will see explicit phonics instruction and also lessons that build oral vocabulary and background knowledge. And you will see kids practicing what they’ve been taught.
If you would like to read more about these issues and what you can do differently in your own classroom, here are some helpful books.
If you’re into podcasts, there are a lot of good ones devoted to the Science of Reading. One of my favorites is Melissa & Lori Love Literacy.
Social Studies & Science Instruction
Another major topic in the book is the lack of content-area instruction, leading to a lack of “world knowledge” and leaving students unprepared for rigorous courses in high school. Ms. Wexler describes how students are so much more engaged when they are learning about topics related to history and science.
I agree that I have also seen the excitement that students show when they are learning “real” content about the world, primarily through science and social studies. You may have noticed the same thing.
Ever since the advent of No Child Left Behind in 2002 (here is some background information from Education Week ), schools have focused on reading comprehension skills instruction and math instruction to the detriment of teaching science and social studies. This is because reading and math were tested subjects while science and social studies were not.
Some states implemented science testing in certain grades, but social studies continued to take a “back seat”. If it was taught at all, social studies got 30 minutes, often at the end of the day. This was also a time when students who needed “extra intervention” were pulled out of class.
Another factor in the lack of world knowledge is that social studies standards have evolved over the years to teach about things like “my family” and “my community” in the earliest grades, rather than teaching students about topics they would not already know.
In the book, Ms. Wexler describes observing in classrooms and contrasts the classrooms in which the teachers are focusing on those reading comprehension skills versus the classrooms where the teachers are teaching content knowledge.
She is careful not to criticize the teachers themselves. You can tell from her descriptions that these are talented teachers who are intent on doing what is best for their students.
But if all you have been given to teach is the same stuff that has not been working, you tend to think there is something wrong with you or with how you are teaching when the reality is that maybe there is something wrong with the “content” you are being asked to teach.
Reading several texts on a single topic is like activating Velcro in students’ brains, to which more knowledge can be added and from which references can be drawn for future use in different settings. Building such repositories of knowledge enables students to make relevant inferences while reading, accelerate their vocabulary learning, and integrate new knowledge with existing knowledge.
Ms. Wexler describes some curriculum frameworks that are making a difference in students’ content knowledge. The following are free!
So — what to do? Most teachers are not in the position to make changes in curriculum policy. Plus, teachers are mandated to teach the state’s curriculum standards, whether they like them or not. But there are ways to add more content knowledge to your curriculum, even in small ways. And doing something small is better than doing nothing at all.
But if your state or district are not using one of these knowledge-building curriculum frameworks, here are some tips for implementing more content knowledge in your classroom this week.
*Incorporate more nonfiction in your curriculum. In Reading Reconsidered, Doug Lemov suggests “layering” nonfiction text selections in a study of a fiction book.
If you are reading a fiction book to your class or using fiction in whole mini-lessons or using fiction texts in guided reading, look for more nonfiction that would give students background knowledge about something happening in the book.
For example, earlier in the year my class and I were reading Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate together. This book is about a fictional character who is a refugee from Sudan. So I found some short nonfiction articles about the difference between immigrants and refugees and about refugee resettlement agencies, both key features in the book. Reading these articles helped my students develop a deeper understanding.
*CNN 10 is a free resource that discusses current events for kids. Depending on the topic, you might want to preview segments in advance.
*BrainPop is a subscription service. But if you can get your school or district to subscribe, it is a great resource.
The videos are short, entertaining, and informative. They also include quizzes after the videos which can be done as a whole class or assigned to individual students.
Other resources are: challenge activities, making a map, making a movie, coding activities, related reading activities, worksheets, graphic organizers, and games. There is a ton of stuff and it is well worth it!
*Flocabulary is another subscription service. It combines information in fun, hip-hop songs that help kids remember the content. It also includes vocabulary activities, texts for reading and responding to questions, quizzes, and a “lyric lab” activity in which students use the vocabulary words from the video to write their own lyrics.
*Wonderopolis is a free site for lots of nonfiction topics. You can use the “Daily Wonder” or search for specific topics. Each wonder includes a passage to be read as a class or assigned to individuals. There is also a video, a list of “wonder words” (vocabulary), a quiz to test your knowledge, and some related activities.
*Similar to Wonderopolis, Mystery Science has great videos on a variety of topics. (This is also a subscription service, but the free trial is great for trying it out.)
*Discovery Education is another subscription service with tons of resources. There are videos, images, and a review segment at the end of each video.
*EdPuzzle is a favorite (and free) resource. You can create your own videos or use one of many videos online.
One of my favorite EdPuzzle features is the ability to pause the video along the way and insert questions for your students to answer before they continue with the video.
Another awesome feature is that EdPuzzle stops if students click on another tab or leave the site. This keeps them from skipping the video you want them to watch!
*Nearpod is a new resource to me, but one which looks promising. It includes resources for interactive lessons on a variety of topics.
*If you are teaching anything related to the American Revolution, Liberty’s Kids videos on YouTube are a must. Students love these and they are super informative. If you want to take this a step further, here is a resource on Teachers Pay Teachers with quizzes and reflection questions for each video!
*Sheppard Software is a free resource with lots of online games for kids. I have not used this resource as much in content areas, but it looks promising.
While you would still need to incorporate content from other resources, this would be a great resource for review and reinforcement of learning.
*I cannot say enough good things about ReadWorks, a free resource with so many great content reading passages. They also include audio versions of their passages, vocabulary activities, and question sets for their passages.
*NewsELA is another (mostly) free resource for good reading passages. Some of their resources are available only by subscription, but even the free resources are outstanding.
*iCivics is a free resource for teaching civics lessons.
It’s March! Spring break is on the horizon but you may still be dealing with snow in your part of the country. March can still feel like winter, but at least spring is in sight. Daylight savings time is this weekend, but that still means losing an hour of sleep. March can feel like a long month with no holidays to break it up. We have to be intentional about taking breaks for ourselves and doing things that give us extra energy.
Here are some ideas.
At School
*Do some spring cleaning of your classroom. You don’t have to do this all by yourself. Enlist your students to do some cleaning and organizing. Everyone can start with their own work space and storage space, by cleaning out binders, folders, cubbies, desks, or table organizers.
Could students organize or rearrange your classroom library? Maybe they could create some book displays to generate interest in some of the books in your classroom library. Somehow displaying books with the covers facing outward is a great way to build excitement about books (even old titles) and to get kids to take a look.
If you’re looking for some new ways to display classroom library books, here are some display stands on Amazon:
*Clean off your boards and consider changing what is posted on the board. While there are some things that probably need to be posted all the time (your schedule, today’s learning objectives), could you add other fun elements like fun facts about notable women? Good quotes or precepts to discuss? My students love posting a daily precept from 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Precepts by R. J. Palacio.
*Consider starting a new routine such as #classroombookaday. See my post about that HERE. Just choose some of your favorite picture books and keep them in a stack near your teaching area. Try to find a consistent time of day to read a picture book to your class. But even if you don’t have one consistent time, try to fit in the reading of a picture book during small moments of the day. Don’t worry about it if you are unable to read the entire book in a day (some picture books are longer than others). It’s the consistency that counts. Your kids will love it!
*Take a break from chapter books during independent reading by introducing books of poetry or magazines to your students. This can be a fun way to reinvigorate the reading habit.
Here are some of my favorite poetry books for kids.
And here are some of my favorite magazines for kids.
*Focus on what is positive about your students. By this time, you have been together for about six months. Even with the most aggravating students, you can probably think of several positive qualities if you sit down and think about it. Here’s how:
Make a list of your kids. Just list their names as they come to you. When you have everyone’s name written down, go down the list and write whatever pops into your head (even if it’s not positive). Then go down the list again and think some more. If you wrote something that might not be a positive trait, is there some positive quality in there? If so, write it down. Here’s an example: for a student who argues about every little thing, the positive there is that they care about fairness. Try to think of two or three positive qualities about every single student.
Now — what to do with this information? During the next week, look for opportunities to share those positive thoughts with your students. You might do it as part of a whole-class discussion, as part of a lesson, within a small group, or individually. Just look for opportunities to share those positive qualities.
*Add a bird feeder to your home or outside your classroom window. Or force some bulbs to bloom in a pot on your classroom windowsill. Anything to add a little touch of spring to your classroom.
*Take your class outside when possible. Even if it’s just for a brisk, ten-minute walk, it changes up the routine, gives everyone a fresh perspective and a “brain break”, and helps keep you focused on all the positive aspects of springtime.
At Home
*Do some spring cleaning at home. This is a great time of year to declutter and to do some deeper cleaning. Stocking up on favorite cleaning products can help get you motivated. Playing some fun music or listening to podcasts while you’re cleaning also work for keeping you moving. Knowing that you’re burning some calories helps too!
*Plan a spring break trip or activities to do during spring break. With the current coronavirus threat, traveling by plane may not be advised. But even if you can’t afford a trip right now, there are probably lots of good day trip places and state parks near where you live. Take some time to do some research and plan some fun outings over your spring break.
One of my self-care “rules” is to always have something to anticipate and look forward to doing. It doesn’t have to be something big, but it should be something that makes you happy when you think about it. Planning a trip or making plans to do something out of the ordinary (especially if you do it with someone you enjoy) makes you happier in the here and now.
*Buy flowers. Even adding a plant to your home or workspace is a mood lifter!
*Try a different workout. If you like to stream workouts at home, try something new or try visiting a gym, a barre studio, or a yoga studio. If you’re a gym-goer, try streaming a new workout at home. Changing up your routine keeps your body guessing and lifts your outlook as well!
*Freshen up your spring wardrobe with one or two new pieces. It’s amazing what a new top or cardigan or scarf can do to make everything feel new.
If you haven’t tried Stitch Fix, here’s a link to get started. Stitch Fix is a great service that you can personalize with your own budget and style preferences. Your stylist works with your needs and preferences to send you a curated box once a month. The box usually contains about five items for you to try. You simply return the unwanted items in the enclosed postage-paid shipping envelope. It makes shopping quick and easy!
Happy spring! What are your favorite spring self-care tips? I’d love to hear them!
Do you want more guidance with resetting your classroom? I’m creating a mini-course with more step-by-step tips. Sign up for the waiting list HERE and I will notify you when it’s ready! (Signing up does not obligate you in any way.)
Teachers work hard. We spend endless hours planning, thinking about planning, looking for resources, thinking about our individual students and what might work best for them, and reflecting on our teaching. Most of the time our effort pays off. But what about when we feel as if we are working and working and the students for whom we are working are just going through the motions or, worse, just passively sitting there and doing nothing? No bueno.
We need to think about what we’re doing. As hard as we’re working, we need to motivate our students to work even harder than we’re working.
Here are some ways to do that.
Build Relationships
*Like almost everything else, it all starts with relationships. When you have strong relationships with your students, they will work harder for you than they will for anyone else. As you are getting to know your students, it’s important to smile a lot, to be positive, to be firm about your behavior expectations, to emphasize that you want the very best for your students. Communicate to them that you have high expectations for them and that you will help them to reach those high expectations. See my posts about building relationships HERE.
*As you are building those strong relationships, begin promoting the idea of having a growth mindset. Promote effort and taking baby steps of progress towards a goal. Talk about your own goals and relate your students’ classroom effort and challenges to your own effort and challenges. Keep the emphasis on consistently moving forward and building good work habits towards success. Many of the following tips will also help build this growth mindset.
Give Specific Feedback
*Make your student feedback as targeted and specific as possible. I realize that doing this takes a lot of time. You might choose to focus your feedback on one specific academic task or one specific behavior. Then choose something else for specific feedback the next time. You will never be able to give everyone specific feedback on every single aspect of their work every single time, so don’t try. Decide what will make the biggest difference in your students’ progress at this point in time and give feedback on that one task.
*As you are reading this, you might be thinking, “I don’t even have time to do that for all my students!” Then try it with one or two “target” students.
For example: even if a student got a math problem wrong, point out what they did that was positive. You might say: “You got the problem wrong, but let’s look at all the good things you did. You drew a diagram. You must have read the problem twice because your diagram shows that you know what the problem is asking. You set up the multiplication correctly. But look — is this fact correct? No? Start here and see if you can fix your error.”
What if they work on it again and still get it wrong? Praise the fact that they went back and tried it again. Assure them that you will keep working on these kinds of problems. Give them a suggestion for practicing multiplication facts so they won’t make the same kind of errors.
When you feel that they are showing better work habits and more motivation, “target” some different students and do the same with them.
*Much quicker forms of specific feedback can be given as you monitor student work during independent work times. Keep a class list on a clipboard with you as you walk around the room and check off students’ names when you stop to give them specific feedback.
If a student is on track, point out to them what you notice that they are doing “right”.
“I see that you are reading the question carefully.”
“Great job of labeling your circulatory system diagram neatly.”
“Your first paragraph has great details that got my attention and made me want to read more.”
If they are off track somewhere, point out a quick fix for them to get back on track.
Set Clear Objectives
*Set the objectives. It’s important to let your students know, “This is what we will be learning today” and post the learning objective. But what about the behavioral objectives, or the HOW we will be learning this?
For example: to determine the theme of a story (the learning objective), you might also give students some simple objectives for HOW to do this. Such as: reread, think about one word that the writer is emphasizing, then think about what message the writer is saying about that word.
You could also set behavior objectives for your math block like this:
*read the problem three times
*draw a diagram or solve the problem on paper (not in your head)
*be sure your solution matches the question
Behavior objectives for your independent reading block might look like this:
*have your book(s) ready
*get into a comfortable space or position
*when you get distracted, get back on track by rereading
Use Novelty & Choice
*Remember that the brain loves novelty! So change things up from time to time. Have a game day in math one day (using online tools like Kahoot or Quizizz), read outside or take your class lesson outside, use art or drama to teach a new concept.
*Offer different options for learning throughout the day. Have some time for quiet, independent work time, and other times for group work and hands-on projects. This allows all of your students to experience at least one of their preferred learning methods.
*”Gamify” your classroom when you can. Anything that seems more like a game and less like test pressure helps relieve students’ stress. Emphasize positive competition and working together to achieve a goal.
*Give students some control. Let them choose three out of five problems to solve or make a choice of which book to read. Notice that it’s not a choice to NOT do anything! But allow them to have some choices within the scope of what you want them to do.
*Give students opportunities to be responsible. Maybe they can organize center supplies or your classroom library. Can they put papers in alphabetical order for you to grade? Asking a student, especially one who often feels unsuccessful, to help you in some way allows the student to feel more connected to you and will boost their learning.
*Allow students to work as partners or in groups whenever you can. You will need to closely monitor to be sure that no one is getting “stuck” with doing all the work while other students just talk and watch them work. Set goals or challenges for groups to meet to help ensure collaboration.
*Make things fun as much as you can. This goes along with “gamifying” your classroom. Look for ways to make ordinary practice more fun and engaging. Changing where you read, for instance, can be fun and motivating. The brain loves novelty so look for ways to make something fun and different.
That being said, not everything is going to be fun. That is just a reality. But looking for ways to change things up occasionally keeps school fun and interesting for your students.
Use Praise & Positive Reinforcement
*Use as much positive reinforcement as possible. While there are times that you have to impose consequences for different behaviors, focusing on the good that students are doing is very important. Reinforce good learning behaviors and remind students of the successes they have achieved before. When appropriate, have some sort of celebration for achieving a goal.
*Thank students publicly or praise them publicly when possible and appropriate. You don’t want to offer empty praise, but calling attention to the positive work that students are doing and thanking them for it is incredibly motivating.
*Encourage self-reflection. You can create a form for this or just ask some simple questions. Ask your students to think about whether or not they did their best work. If they say that they did, what helped them to do their best work? If they say that they didn’t, what could they do differently next time that would help them improve?
*Be enthusiastic about everything you are teaching. Fake it if you have to! Act as if what you are teaching them to do is really fun and will be rewarding to learn. They will pick up on your enthusiasm and will be more motivated to learn.
*Get to know your students and their interests. Have conversations and check-ins with them frequently, even brief ones. Students work harder for teachers who know them and show that they care about them.
*Point out your students’ successes whenever possible. This may be whole class praise or it can be praise of individual students. Find out how your students want to be acknowledged. Some students thrive on being singled out in front of their classmates, but others cringe at the very thought. Praise your students in ways that work for them.
Build Intrinsic Motivation
*Help them build intrinsic motivation. While this is easier said than done, there are ways you can do this. Ask them to think about their goals for the future and then help them break those goals down into what they need to be doing now to help them reach their goals. “Do well in school” or “try my best” are great goals, but what does that mean for them, specifically? How can they “do well” or “try” in class today?
Here’s an example. I have two girls who struggle with math. They hate it because they feel “dumb” when they don’t understand something as quickly as other students in the class.
First, I explained to them (in a private conference) WHY other kids “get it”. The first reason is that they have either seen it or learned it before (from parents or older siblings). So seeing it again in class is just another opportunity to continue practicing with something they already know how to do.
Second, we identified, together, some of the “success habits” that they see other students use. Successful students listen during the lesson, they practice when it’s time to practice, they ask questions, they ask for feedback, they correct questions that they missed, they solve the problem on paper instead of trying to solve it in their heads.
Third, we set one or two small goals for them to work on today. One girl’s goal was to write down the solution to the problem (instead of trying to do it in her head). The other girl’s goal was to get started with our weekly homework on Monday, instead of procrastinating until Wednesday or Thursday. This will allow her to ask questions if she is confused by something.
Last, we set up a regular time to meet together. They were more excited about that than anything else. Just knowing that we will get back together and discuss how well their strategies worked and to get some extra help was motivating to them because they weren’t being sent off to “just do it”. They have a safety net, but they are still expected to do one small thing towards the goal of understanding one concept at a time.
Keep Your Students Informed of Their Progress
*Along a similar line, keep your students informed about their progress toward different academic goals or standards. We do this for parents but we don’t always keep students in the loop.
Some teachers worry that students will lose motivation if they find out how poorly they are doing. I understand that concern, but I believe it’s all in how you frame it.
Instead of saying something like, “you are failing math”, you can point out which standards (if any) where they are doing well and which standards are causing them problems. (If there are a lot of standards that they are failing, just choose one or two.) If there are not any standards they are passing, then choose some math behaviors or habits that they are doing well.
Then suggest some things that the student could do to help them learn and practice the difficult standards. Let them choose one thing to do today. When that is “mastered”, have them choose another.
Taking baby steps toward a big goal is the key. It will feel like slow progress to you, but daily consistency is more important than a once a week “cram” session that will not stick.
*What about students who are working at the higher levels of understanding? They need to set goals too! Every one of our students needs to be making progress and moving forward in their learning. Maybe they need to work on standards at the next grade level. For math, Khan Academy is a great resource for individualized practice. In reading, I suggest using goals from The Continuum of Literacy Learning by Irene Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell for pushing your students’ level of thinking, writing, and discussion about books.
*Teach your students to track their own progress. This can take a variety of forms and you will want to start with only one or two things to track.
Tracking progress helps students stay motivated and keep moving forward because “passing” or “getting an A on a test” does not always come easily or quickly. But — thinking about how they are moving forward and continuing to work on the areas that will get them to that goal is very much under a student’s control.
Possible data to track: time spent practicing on an individualized math website (Reflex Math, iReady, Khan Academy); number of books read; using certain “math behaviors” (such as rereading questions, using paper to solve every single problem, asking questions or clarifying something that was confusing); using certain “reading behaviors” (staying focused on reading, getting back on track when you get distracted, stopping to think about what is happening in the text after each section/paragraph/page).
When Needed, Give a Motivational Speech!
*Give a “motivational speech” when necessary. I love Michael Linsin’s website Smart Classroom Management. Here is a link to his post about making a motivational speech.
The quick steps for the speech are:
1 – tell them what you are seeing that you don’t like. Don’t single anyone out. Just name the behaviors.
2 – tell them why it’s wrong and why it will ultimately hurt them.
3 – tell them what you want. Model it if necessary. Be specific.
4 – ask them to tell you now if they believe that they cannot do whatever it is you are asking them to do. Tell them you want to know now and you don’t want to wait until you see the same old behavior again.
5 – challenge everyone to stand up if they are committed to doing what you are asking them to do. If they’re not committed, they should stay seated. (They probably won’t stay seated. Peer pressure is on your side here.) Have everyone put their hands in the center of the group and challenge them to prove to you that they can do whatever it is you are asking them to do. Then do some kind of “cheer” like “one-two-three-BE YOUR BEST” or something similar.
Nothing works for every student all the time. Hopefully, this list of tips can be your “go-to” list when something isn’t working in your classroom. I’d love to hear how these tips work for you!
This has to be one of THE most frustrating classroom challenges. You give directions, you ask if there are any questions, you tell your students to get started, and . . . they don’t. They fool around, they passive-aggressively take their time, they ask you what they’re supposed to do, etc.
Part of what students learn in school is how to listen, follow directions, and be independent. And part of a teacher’s job is to teach them how to do those things which takes lots of repetition.
How do you do that without sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher?
1 – First, you need to have a good attention-getting signal. There are a variety of ways to signal for your students’ attention. Here are some favorites:
~call and response (such as “hocus pocus, everybody focus”; “hakuna, matata”; “shark bait, hoo ha ha”; “to infinity, and beyond!”.
~turning the lights off and then back on
~count backward from five
~ring a bell or a chime
~”if you can hear me, clap once” chant
~clap a rhythmic pattern and students copy your pattern
~use a timer
Here are some devices you can buy on Amazon that are great attention-getting signals:
~wireless doorbell
2 – When you are ready to give directions, make it clear that they need to stop and listen (by using your attention-getting signal). And then you do the same. Stop, stand in one place, wait for eye contact from everyone (saying something like “I’m waiting for three more people, etc.” until you have everyone with you), then state your directions in a firm voice.
3 – After you give verbal directions, post them. You can write them on the board, display them under a document camera, type them on Classroom Screen, whatever works for you. Many students do listen to you but are more visually oriented. To help your students be more independent, make it easy for them to remember your directions by posting them visually instead.
Another helpful thing about posting your directions — when students ask you questions about the directions, just point to where they are posted. Don’t read for them, don’t repeat the directions, just point. This helps build independence and self-efficacy.
4 – When you are giving directions that will involve making a transition, train your students to wait until you give them the signal to switch and make that transition. Whether the word is “go” or “macaroni & cheese” or whatever other silly signal words you want to use, train your students to wait until you give the signal.
To train them to wait for your signal, pause and make them wait. If anyone moves before the signal is given, make some kind of noise, snap your fingers, clap, whatever gets their attention. Then signal them to return to their spot (their table, their carpet spot, their desk). And try again! They’ll get it, I promise.
5 – Have students repeat your directions to a partner. This gets everyone involved because everyone is having to talk. This also helps them to correct each other if a direction is misunderstood.
6 – When making a quick transition, count down from some number. For example, “By the time I get to 0, I want you to have your independent reading book out and be settled for reading. Ready? 10-9-8 . . .” etc.
For longer transitions, use a timer. This is especially helpful if you display it on a screen. The countdown timer on the online stopwatch site is useful as is the timer on Classroom Screen. Or you could use the countdown visual timer mentioned earlier.
7 – Give students a specific task to do to show that they’re ready for the next activity. Here are some examples:
*Put your finger on the heading of the article to show you’re ready to read.
*Paper, pencil, clipboard to show you’re ready for math.
*Table cleared, floor cleared, chair stacked, & stand behind your chair to show you’re ready to pack up for the day.
When you give this direction, it’s important to constantly monitor and acknowledge the students that have followed the directions. For some reason, everyone likes to hear their name called in a positive way. Simply saying, “Angela is ready, Mason is ready, Cole is ready”, etc. somehow gets everyone moving because they want to hear their name as well.
8 – Use as few words as possible. Try to really condense your directions to only the most necessary words. Long, rambling sets of directions, interspersed with answering random questions that some students call out (which is a whole different problem!) and redirecting other students, makes everyone tune out until you are “serious” about giving directions. Just like in tip #2 above, stand still, face the class, use a strong voice (not necessarily a loud one), and state the directions with the fewest words possible. Using gestures or holding up fingers (first, do this, second, do this) helps them remember your directions as well.
9 – Ask my favorite question. Any time students are off task with either listening to or following directions, ask my favorite question: “What should you be doing right now?” This question immediately makes the student have to think about what they are currently doing and what they are supposed to be doing instead. It puts them in charge of correcting their behavior without your having to nag and threaten.
10 – Encourage your students to “follow the leader.” By this, I mean that you can encourage them to watch what someone else in the class is doing when they are unsure about what they should be doing. However, it is important that they choose to follow the right leader! You don’t have to name names for this, although you could do that.
I usually give them an example that if I walk into the faculty meeting a couple of minutes late and I am not sure what we should have at our seats or what we should be doing, I look for certain teachers in the room who are almost always doing the right thing. I name the teachers because it makes my story more “real.” I show them that we naturally imitate each other, especially when we’re not sure about what we should be doing. But it’s important to look for someone who is almost always on track.
11 – Allow students to ask other students for help or directions. The rule of “ask three before me” or some similar guideline is helpful. This keeps you from being the only one in the room who can help or who can repeat the directions!
Try some of these tips and let me know how it goes!
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
