Articles

Endings can be difficult for both children and adults. As the last days of school approach, the children in my first grade classroom and I will be feeling a range of emotions, including sadness at saying goodbye to friends, anticipation of new adventures, and anxiety about the coming transitions. The…

A step-by-step example of how it might look and sound for a teacher of younger students to use Interactive Modeling. 1. Describe a positive behavior you will model "When we walk in line, it's important for us to get where we're going safely and quietly, so other people in our…

A step-by-step example of how it might look and sound for a teacher of older students to use interactive modeling. 1. Describe a positive behavior you will model "Sometimes when we're having conversations or working on something in the circle, I'll need you to stop, look, and listen to me…

From Chapter 1: Getting to know Sammy It's the morning of the second day of school. My new third grade students sit in a circle on the floor, shining with that beginning-of-school look. I bring out a "magic shawl," beneath which is hidden the learning material I'm about to introduce.…

What routines do you use in your classroom? Which are going well? Which still need some work? Reinforcing and celebrating success For routines that are going well, think about how you can share or celebrate those positives in a meaningful way with students. You might make a list on a…

Students are often a bit out of the routine of the classroom after a vacation, making this a good time to do activities that reaffirm the group's sense of community. Plan post-vacation activities with three main goals in mind: Give children a chance to catch up and share. For instance,…

Tips on using Morning Meeting Messages and the last part of Morning Meeting, reading the message together, to set a positive tone during the build-up to winter holidays and vacation. Winter themes. As with sharing, you might include timely questions/themes in your morning messages at this time of year. Just…

Even if your school forgoes Halloween celebrations or costumes, I know from my own classroom experience that many children come to school on Halloween (and the days before Halloween) keyed up and counting down the minutes until they "trick or treat." With some careful planning, you and your class can…

I hear a lot from teachers who are feeling frustrated by students' "chattiness." They say things like "Mike, they're not bad kids, they just won't stop talking to each other. As soon as I stop talking, they start," and "The constant chatter is interfering with their learning. They're not paying…

A few weeks ago, on the RC discussion board on Facebook, Aimee Casale asked for suggestions for introducing Take a Break (also called Positive Time-Out) to students in the upper elementary grades. I answered her there, and I wanted to share what I said to her with you, as well:…

Q: What's the most important thing to focus on during the last weeks of school? A: Showcasing students' learning and celebrating the community you've built together should be the focus at the end of the year.  It's a prime time for doing deeply engaging work, such as a culminating project,…

"Teacher, he won't play with me." "Teacher, she cut in line." "Teacher, he took my book." Such classroom conflicts are familiar in elementary school life. For years, resolving such conflicts for children filled my days. I lost valuable teaching time, and the children learned nothing about resolving their own conflicts—or…

As a new teacher years ago, I knew by instinct and training that students would learn more, and with more joy, if adults from their home lives shared in their school lives. I wanted to welcome families into our first grade classroom in ways that would engage them and allow…

A: With kindergartners, I do a lot of quick check-ins during class time, but when a longer conversation is needed, I use the quiet corner in our classroom. It's a small space set up with soft, comforting things (bean bag chair, stuffed animals)—specifically meant for children who need to calm…

What's something you've done to make better use of space in your classroom? A: I let go of my teacher desk. It was hard to do. Even though I rarely sat there, that piece of furniture signified that I was The Teacher. However, the desk took up a ton of space,…

As each school year ends, I look for ways to highlight for my students all they’ve learned during our time together. Last year, I found a quick, fun way to do this during Morning Meeting, while also giving the children a bit more practice in observing and classifying—important skills in…

In many classrooms, it's during transition times that things get a little chaotic, possibly resulting in behavior problems that frustrate in the moment and spill over into the rest of the day. Many teachers resign themselves to the chaos. For years I did that myself. Then one year, I decided…

The school year is drawing to a close. It’s been a year filled with many learning experiences for the children and for you. Though learning doesn’t end just because school does, it’s good to help children bring a sense of closure to the year of classroom learning. This article highlights…

Week two of third grade has just begun. The children are sitting in a circle on the rug next to the taped-off bookshelves of the classroom library. Since school started a week ago, the library has been “closed,” and the children have been glancing longingly at the bins of books…

Question: What's something you do with students to end the year on a positive note? A: A few years ago I decided to make sure my class would have time for saying goodbye on the last day of school. To help them prepare, the night before I gave them “thinking…

In many classrooms, after the children and teacher create classroom rules during the first weeks of school, they revisit the rules at various points during the year. When do you do this with your students, and what's your purpose and process? A: In addition to calling attention to our rules…

When used calmly, consistently, and respectfully, Responsive Classroom time-out can be a valuable strategy for helping students develop self-control while keeping the classroom calm, safe, and orderly. Santiago is at the interactive whiteboard, showing the class his solution to a math problem the teacher challenged them with. Everyone is paying…

Scholastic published this article on the Responsive Classroom approach to rules and logical consequences for the August 2003 issue of Instructor magazine. It was reprinted with permission on the Responsive Classroom website, September 2003. Kathryn Brady, Mary Beth Forton, Deborah Porter, and Chip Wood are the authors of Rules in…

School rules. The mere mention of these words can elicit heavy sighs and moans from children and adults alike. Rules order us around. Rules constrict us. "No running, no hitting, no pushing, no cutting in line, don't interrupt . . ." As one young child put it, "You want to…

Alison, a young five-year-old I taught recently, struggled with separation anxiety at the beginning of the year. She had a hard time saying goodbye to her dad when he dropped her off in the mornings. On one particularly difficult day, she went through all the usual routines—blowing a kiss, waving…

A classroom filled with the work of children is a delight to be in and sends a message to students that their work and their learning are important. Although early in the school year, the teacher might do much of the display planning and caretaking, as the year progresses, students…