Closing Circle

A productive, purposeful hum fills Ms. Vincent's fourth grade classroom as the school day draws to a close and students complete their end-of-day jobs. Ten minutes before dismissal, when everyone is packed…
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Closing Circles K-6

Bringing the school day to a peaceful end enhances learning and reaffirms classroom community.
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Closing Circle Idea: Maître d’

Closing Circle is a positive, structured way to bring closure to the school day. It takes just a few minutes and is a time for students to reflect and celebrate Read More…
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Closing Circle Idea: Good-bye Cadence

The end of the school day can be a hectic time in the classroom. With children heading out in different directions, it’s common for teachers to feel overwhelmed and frustrated Read More…
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Meaningful Closings

Educators spend the school year establishing and then nurturing classroom environments in which students feel a genuine sense of belonging. The exceptional challenges of this particular year introduced greater opportunities Read More…
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Closing Meeting

It's 3:23 and my class has just finished a science experiment. I look at the clock and realize we have seven minutes to clean up from science and do everything else we…
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Choices Choices

When I look around my classroom, I see students making choices. The first graders I teach make choices all through the day, from the time they arrive until Closing Circle.
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Finding Time before Dismissal

"How do I make the time for a Closing Circle at the end of the school day?" That is definitely the question I hear most from people who want to start using…
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Midyear Child Development Review: Adapting to Students

At the start of the school year, as new classroom communities are forming, teachers begin planning ways to connect and form relationships with new students. By the middle of the Read More…
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Singing with Children: Tips for Teachers

I remember singing along with friends in my elementary school days. Teachers and students together began each day with singing. We learned about music from our music teacher, but we sang everywhere,…
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Northeast College Prep K-8: Cultivating Strong Relationships

  Location: Minneapolis, MN Type of school: Public charter school Grade levels: K–8 Number of students: 373 A Responsive Classroom school since: 2014 Northeast College Prep is a tuition-free public Read More…
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St. Joseph the Worker PK-8: Increasing Collaboration and Kindness

Location: Brooklyn, NY Type of school: Private Catholic school Grade levels: Pre-K–8 Number of students: 282 A Responsive Classroom school since: 2019 A few years ago, Saint Joseph the Worker Read More…
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How to Support a Guest Teacher During a Teacher’s Absence

Throughout the school year, there will be times when you will be absent. Whether your absence is planned or unexpected, prepare for these instances at the beginning of the school Read More…
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How to Create Community with Classroom Rules

It’s that time of year again! You’re in a classroom with a whole new group of students. In all the excitement and commotion, you might be eager to create a Read More…
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Activities for Celebrating at the End of the School Year

Every member of your learning community—from students to educators to families—deserves recognition for the effort they put into this school year. Celebrating them (and yourself!) is a powerful way to Read More…
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Revisiting Your Professional Goals and Setting New Ones

As the end of the school year approaches, I hope you find yourself admiring the growth your students and classroom community have made since the fall. I hope, too, that Read More…
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Teaching C.A.R.E.S. in an Elementary School Classroom

In addition to identifying a set of academic competencies, the core belief of Responsive Classroom lays out a set of social and emotional competencies that students need in order to Read More…
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How To Address Group Conflicts Using Class Meetings

As educators, we are accustomed to dealing with limit testing, challenging behaviors, and even, at times, outward defiance. While it is never easy to manage these moments of upheaval, we Read More…
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Six Tips for a Successful Midyear Check-In With Students!

Long breaks away from school offer students opportunities to relax and spend time with family and friends, but they can also make returning to school challenging. After winter break is Read More…
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Ensuring a Smooth End to the School Day

The end of the school day can be a challenging, hectic time. As the day’s final lesson or period concludes, students must pack up their belongings and often organize homework Read More…
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Five Ways to End the School Year With Joy!

The end of the school year is approaching, and with it comes a flood of thoughts and emotions, from relief to reflection to anticipation of summer’s promise of rest. One Read More…
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Teaching Diversity Beyond Black History Month

Growing up, I always looked forward to Black History Month at my public school in New York City. My teachers taught lessons about Black people who made notable contributions to Read More…
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Welcoming All Voices in the Classroom

  Welcoming All Voices in the Classroom How can we encourage all our students to communicate and participate in school each day? How can we be culturally responsive with the Read More…
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Meaningful Learning Through the Natural Learning Cycle

  A new book from CRS Publishing, Make Learning Meaningful: How to Leverage the Brain’s Natural Learning Cycle in K–8 Classrooms, offers a brain-based approach to sustaining student engagement and Read More…
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Make Learning Meaningful This School Year

Description & Goals: Join us for a book launch party for Make Learning Meaningful: How to Leverage the Brain’s Natural Learning Cycle in K–8 Classrooms, a new resource from CRS Read More…
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Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership

Description & Goals: Join us for a book launch party to learn about a new resource from CRS Publishing, Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership. Author Jane Cofie will be joined by Read More…
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Empowering Educators: Proactively Prepare for a New School Year

Description & Goals: Join us for a book launch party! Hear from authors of the new Empowering Educators series from CRS Publishing. This series of resources features books for three Read More…
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