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 students to practice. Instead of passing out a sheet of problems and having everyone sit at their desks, post chart papers around the room with a couple of problems on each chart. Students move from chart to chart with clipboards, solving the problems and recording their work.

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 and productive!

It’s spring, and end-of-the-year-testing looms. The children are stressed.You’re stressed. You need to ease the tension—but how?

I read quite a few blogs written by elementary teachers, and Organized Chaos: A think tank focused on creative solutions for future problem solvers is one I particularly enjoy. The author, a special educator in a diverse and rapidly-growing public elementary school outside of Washington, DC, tells classroom stories that often make me chuckle and sometimes bring tears to my eyes.

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 attention."

I remember this behavior from my own classrooms, and I found it frustrating, too. However, if you have a chatty class, I'd like to challenge you to reconsider your responses.

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.