"... 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 celebrated…
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APR
29
2010
Classroom Tension Tamers: Three More Ideas to Use Now!
I wrote last week about things you can do to ease classroom stress during testing and other high-anxiety times. Here are three more tips for keeping the atmosphere of your classroom calm…
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APR
01
2010
The Last Days of School
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,…
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OCT
27
2009
Handling Halloween High Spirits
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…
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AUG
01
2009
Balancing Act
It's the beginning of a new school year. You're excited about your incoming class and have all kinds of plans for starting the year off right. Just one thing stands in the…
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APR
01
2009
Keeping in Touch with Families All Year Long
Step out of your teacher shoes for a moment and imagine yourself as the parent of a child you teach. You're at home, and the phone rings. You pick it up and…
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OCT
30
2023
Use Interactive Learning Structures to Strengthen Listening and Speaking Skills
“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 Read More…
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OCT
16
2023
Training Minds One Question at a Time
Albert Einstein once said that the value of education “is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from Read More…
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DEC
13
2019
Stop and Think: Teaching Students to Reflect
As educators, we all want to help our students develop valuable life-long skills, including the ability to think critically about their own work, truly know themselves and their learning styles, Read More…
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Research
Teacher Belief Study Analysis of how effectively teachers acquire and strengthen beliefs aligned with Responsive Classroom practices after attending a four-day Responsive Classroom course. Download the complete analysis here. Responsive Read More…
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Energizers! K-6
A few minutes of playful moving, laughing, chanting, or singing promote more—and more productive—learning.
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APR
05
2011
Morning Routines
What happens in your classroom during arrival time? Those first minutes are so crucial for setting the tone and the pace for the day! The routines you put in place for arrival…
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APR
01
2004
Lively Learning
When I was in elementary school more than fifty years ago, I struggled with geography. I found it very hard to keep all those place names and locations straight. The only thing…
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JAN
31
2002
Restless in Morning Meeting
February 2002Question:I teach first grade. I find that by the end of Morning Meeting, my students tend to be fidgety and restless, so I’ve been taking them out for recess after meeting…
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FEB
01
2001
Ending the Day Right
Question:Many teachers spend a lot of time creating good beginnings to the school day through carefully planned morning meetings. But what about the end of the day? In this newsletter's Teacher to…
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