As the bustle of the after-school and after-work hours wound down for the night, I found my eight-year-old daughter in tears in her bedroom. She was hunched over her sketch pad. Colored pencils and multiple versions of self-portraits were spread all over the desk. When I asked her what was going on, she replied, “I’m Read More »
Continue Reading
MAR
22
2018
It’s Time to Reconnect
Helping students build relationships with each other is a key to creating an optimal learning environment. Stronger bonds mean students will be less likely to be unkind, to exclude others, to call…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
NOV
14
2017
What is Responsive Advisory Meeting?
Responsive Advisory Meeting serves as an anchor for adolescents, a predictable routine that students need more than ever as they undergo rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual changes. Just as Morning Meeting helps…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
12
2017
Academic Engagement in the Home Stretch
You’ve made it to the last few months of the academic year! From spring fever to state testing, there are lots of reasons why students might need a nudge to stay engaged…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
15
2017
Helping Students Give Effective Compliments
Telling students what they’re doing right is one of the most powerful tools we have for helping them solidify and build on their positive behaviors and skills—and teachers aren’t the only ones…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
DEC
06
2016
Engaging Middle Schoolers During the Holiday Season
With interrupted classroom schedules, school vacations, and increased disruptive student behaviors, managing the classroom can feel like a daunting task during the winter holiday season. With a little strategizing, you can help…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
06
2016
Time for a Brain Break!
Middle schoolers are at an age when they need frequent opportunities to pause, move, and interact with each other to recharge themselves and refocus their energies for more productive learning. Teachers can…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAY
09
2016
Reinforcing Language: Giving Middle Schoolers Supportive Feedback
Teacher language—the words, tone, and pace we use when we talk to students—may be the most powerful of all our teaching tools. After all, language permeates nearly every interaction we have with…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
19
2016
Middle School Motivators
As middle schoolers begin the transition into young adulthood, they have a strong developmental need for learning that’s both active (hands-on, experiential) and interactive (social, collaborative). When we meet that need, students…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
17
2015
The Fervent Fourteens
Fourteen-year-olds seem to have mostly gotten used to the idea of being teenagers. Their moods are not as mercurial as at thirteen. They are somewhat more comfortable in their own skin and…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
17
2015
The Thriving Thirteens
The thirteen-year-old has lots of positive attributes to help navigate the first of these teen years. At the forefront are a keen sense of humor and a sense of silliness that makes…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
09
2015
The Building Blocks of Collaboration: Partner and Small-Group Chats (Grades 5–6)
Children learn a great deal, academically and socially, by collaborating—working together toward common goals. A good way to help students begin developing collaboration skills is by teaching them how to exchange ideas,…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
OCT
24
2011
The Twixt Twelve-Year-Old
Closer to teenagers than to middle childhood, twelves are tweens. They have enormous positive energy for independent and group endeavors, whether at school, in sports, or in after-school activities.
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
20
2011
The Electric Eleven-Year-Old
Powerful advocates and strong believers, elevens are passionate about their ideas and opinions, allegiances and sense of justice. They’re devoted to classmates and peer groups, and the social negotiations surrounding cliques (which…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
Current Category
Other Categories
Building Classroom Community
Building Schoolwide Community
Bullying
Challenging Behaviors
Classroom Organization
Classroom Rules
Conversation Skills
Engaging Academics
Family Connections
Language Arts
Last Weeks of School
Misbehavior
Movement
Professional Community
Reinforcing Language
Sharing
Special Areas
Working with Families