Articles

“Before you speak, listen.”  —William A. Ward   Listening With Purpose As I listen in on the student conversations occurring around the classroom, I notice that my students have a firm grasp on the basics of listening and speaking. They turn their attention toward the speaker and maintain a calm…

An increase in wiggles and whispers or holes torn in papers from too much erasing can be important clues that your students are beginning to reach their individual or developmental limit for focus or endurance. Responsive Classroom teachers are always on the lookout for signs their students may be in…

For so many teachers and students, returning after winter break can feel like the first day of school all over again. The routines, rules, and procedures that were once so familiar are now a distant memory, and it takes a conscious effort to get back into rhythm with them. For…

  As seen in The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd edition!  “Peanut Butter, Grape Jelly” Peanut butter, grape jelly, peanut butter, jam Peanut butter, grape jelly, peanut butter, jam Peanut butter, grape jelly, peanut butter, jam I like peanut butter, yes, yes ma’am [Optional: repeat the lines above, substituting…

It’s March, and in many parts of the country, teachers and students are facing the tail end of a long, gray winter, and cabin fever may be setting in. No matter what the weather is like where you are, it can be challenging for both students and teachers to maintain…

Get Moving! It’s 1:30 in the afternoon, and our class is preparing for language arts block. Recess and lunch seem like hours ago, and we still have an entire content area to teach. As my co-teacher and I begin setting up for the lesson, we notice Jenna rocking in her…

It's 1:30 in the afternoon, and our class is preparing for language arts block. Recess and lunch seem like hours ago, and we still have an entire content area left to teach. As my co-teacher and I begin to set up for the lesson, we notice Jenna rocking in her…

Recently I've been thinking about how enthusiastically the students in my class take on challenges, and how challenging them has helped us build a more positive community and made learning more fun for all of us. How things have changed since the beginning of the year! As I got to…

Scanning around our Morning Meeting circle, I noticed that students' eyes were riveted on the sharer—all except for Justin, a child with a high need for sensory input and physical movement. Justin was ramping up. His eyes were flashing from me to the sharer. His hands were flapping, and he…

“Little fish, little fish, swim out to sea,” I shout from the center of the field to the mass of students poised at one end line. From the center line, I watch as they pretend to swim across the “ocean” (the playing field) to reach the safety of the “shore”…

Q & A with Responsive Classroom consulting teachers Dana Lynn Januszka and Kristen Vincent Here are two of their ideas: Give This Group a Hand Students stand in a circle and chant: We’re gonna give . . . this . . . group a hand. We’re gonna give this group…

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've just taught a lesson on subtraction with regrouping, and now you want…

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 area of the room, and student work take place somewhere else. Bringing students to…

This clapping chant is fun for K–3 students anytime, but especially when they're studying dinosaurs! Called "Dino Dinner Chant," it’s from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser. Dino Dinner Chant Practice saying the chant together before trying it "for real." As you chant,…

Energizers are usually more about giving children quick movement and breathing breaks than they are about academics. Still, it’s possible to work in a little academic practice, as long as the focus remains on fun, refocusing, and relaxation. The "Spelling Stroll" energizer fits that bill very nicely, especially for children…

Children of all ages enjoy "Dum Dum Dah Dah." In this quick movement break,  a leader establishes a pattern and the group chants or sings the words as they echo the leader's actions. (This, and the other energizers in this series, are from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh…

"Interruptions" gets students up and shaking out the cobwebs—while enhancing their listening and literacy skills in a fun way! It's especially good with K–3 students, but older children may also enjoy it. ["Interruptions" is from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser.] Interruptions (Teaching…

Many of us are longing for spring, but it’s still February! It’s a great time to perk up your class with quick energizers sprinkled throughout the day. Here’s one called "Double This Double That"—especially fun for students in grades three through six. It’s taken from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities…

Last week, I encouraged you to work energizers—quick breaks that get children moving, breathing, and having fun together—into your classroom day. Energizers are great ways to get children refreshed and refocused on learning anytime during the school year. They can be especially helpful during the winter months, when many children…

During the long winter months, when children may experience less physical activity and movement, try sprinkling in some energizers—quick breaks that get children moving, breathing, and having fun together—throughout the day. These much-needed physical and mental breaks can increase children's motivation for learning, and can also make their learning more…

When I was a physical education teacher, I was always on the lookout for fun, cooperative games for my youngest students. I learned from experience that five- and six-year-olds need a great deal of physical activity, and they also have limited attention spans, so it was important to find games…

Yesterday somebody who'd read Margaret Wilson's post, "Handling Halloween High Spirits" asked "What's the 'Magic Box' activity she refers to?" I wasn't familiar with that one either. Since Margaret is presenting at one of our one-day workshops today, Babs Freeman-Loftis filled me in: Magic Box Begin by ceremoniously gathering up…

Singing a familiar tune or chant in another language can enliven a Morning Meeting, be a fun energizer, and help meet the needs of the growing number of second language learners in our classrooms. Although they sometimes laughed at my poor accent, the children in my class who were native…

Last spring, an intrepid group of Northeast Foundation for Children staff members, including several Responsive bloggers, volunteered to demonstrate a few of the activities in Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, K–6. Author Susan Roser led the group through the energizers our editors felt were the trickiest…

You know it instinctively, you see it every day in your classroom, and brain research supports it: Children learn better when we give them mental and physical breaks from intensive instruction. Just two or three playful minutes of moving, breathing deeply, laughing together, and singing or chanting relaxes children's bodies…

A: When my students need a change of pace we'll often play a few rounds of "Spelling Around the World." They love this fast-paced game, which reinforces spelling and vocabulary words and encourages paying attention and listening. Here's how it works: First, everyone stands up. Then I say a word…