Home

Topics: classroom management

student discussing an object
Blog Post
Make Learning a Moving Experience
So you want to reduce the amount of time that your students are required to sit and to give them more chances to move. Could you build more movement into your lessons?Here's one idea. Let's say you'...
Students lined up
Blog Post
Lining Up
"Mr. Anderson! Kelsey cut in line!" calls out Nicole."No I didn't! I was here a second ago. I just had to get my lunch ticket!" Kelsey retorts.The fourth grade girls glare at each other and then look...
girl reading
Blog Post
Downtime
By mid-July, my two children had finally settled into summer. I knew when I got downstairs one morning and saw my nine-year-old son, Ethan, coming through the back door in his bathrobe with...
Blog Post
Starting Over at Mid-Year
Last week on Facebook we asked, "What's your advice for someone who's taking over for another teacher in the middle of the year?" and you shared so many great ideas! Several people mentioned that the...
Blog Post
Getting Invested in Routines
One key to success with routines is helping students understand that by following routines, they make their classroom and school a better place to be. When students understand this, they're more...
class with a teacher
Blog Post
Keeping Routines Crisp
(This is one of a series of posts about  reteaching everyday classroom routines, such as lining up or responding to the quiet signal.)Once you and your students have gotten classroom routines...
Kids at lunch
Blog Post
Reteaching Routines
It’s never too late to revisit or reteach any classroom routine. In fact, here’s a story from the Responsive Classroom newsletter by a teacher who started her whole year over in November!While...
Students lined up
Blog Post
Why Wait?
Oddly enough, I have been thinking a lot about New Year's resolutions lately. Specifically, I think about how I can't wait for January so I can start getting back into a healthful eating and...
Students discussing their books
Blog Post
Seeing It All Come Together
While reading Mike Anderson's series of posts about strategies for keeping students active and engaged, I kept thinking about a second grade classroom I visited recently. I was lucky enough to watch...
Teacher showing something to a student
Blog Post
Letting Go of "But"
Have you ever had a friend (or relative) who couldn’t seem to give a full compliment? I have one (she shall go unnamed) who can’t help but qualify every kind thing she says to me. “Your hair looks...
Blog Post
A Comfortable Way to Work
I remember one third grader who really struggled with sitting still. If I’d required him to sit while he worked, it would have been really hard for him to get anything done. This child needed to move...
Student packing up supplies
Blog Post
Move Around the Room
What are strategies for helping students be more physically active during the day, and how do we keep control of the group if they're sitting less and moving more?Try having lessons take place in one...
discussion
Blog Post
Lecture Less
So we know students need to sit still to accomplish some school tasks, but we don't want to keep them sitting for too long. How can we minimize the amount of time we require children to sit still?One...
Blog Post
Sitting Too Much?
“My students have such a hard time sitting still! They call out all the time! They’re constantly out of their seats!” After hearing this refrain over and over again from teachers, I decided to do a...
Blog Post
Could This Be Your Classroom?
"... the first six weeks were rich with modeling, practicing and defining our class community and expectations.  Children rose to the challenges and pulled together to be their best. We proudly...
Blog Post
Ask the Author: Margaret Berry Wilson
Questions for Margaret Berry Wilson, author of three books in the What Every Teacher Needs to Know series, including What Every 2nd Grade Teacher Needs to Know About Setting Up and Running A...
Blog Post
Ask the Author: Mike Anderson
Questions for Mike Anderson, author of three books in the What Every Teacher Needs to Know series, including What Every 4th Grade Teacher Needs to Know About Setting Up and Running A Classroom:Which...
Blog Post
Read-Alouds for Rule Creation
Classroom rules work best when students understand why rules exist and how rules will help them, as individuals and as a group. I have found several children's books over the years that help inspire...
Blog Post
Every Teacher Tips: Who Goes First?
I often hear teachers tell students, "Don't worry about who's first—we're all going to the same place (or "going to do the same thing"), so it doesn't matter who's first." This reasoning wouldn't...
Blog Post
Every Teacher Tips: Success with Signals
Simple signals for attention—whether visual (a raised hand) or auditory (a chime, rain stick, or other pleasant-sounding instrument)—are an essential classroom management tool. When I was student...
Syndicate content