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Fun and Engaging Activities for the Week Before Holiday Break

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Do you have fun and engaging activities planned for the week before holiday break?

During the week before a school vacation student energy often runs high. Just when the students are excited for the holidays and sometimes unable to contain their enthusiasm, you are probably feeling exhausted and ready for your own well -deserved break. How can you possibly hope to engage students in meaningful activities?

You can make the most of a fun and exciting time of year without sacrificing classroom management or giving up on learning goals. Here are some things to consider:

Remind students of classroom rules and behavior expectations.

You’ve worked hard to establish a classroom where all students can learn. This is NOT the time to ignore your classroom procedures and rules.

Teachers often make one of two mistakes during times of high student energy such as before holidays and vacations, during special weeks such as homecoming, or before special school events.

One mistake is to suddenly clamp down, and become a dictator. Teachers who resort to this method often demand silence. They try to contain student energy by giving lots of work- often in the form of unengaging worksheets. They tighten up on management, giving an increased number of time-outs, detentions, checkmarks or red lights. These teachers try to maintain order through control.  Unfortunately, it often sucks the life blood out of both the teacher and the students.

Another mistake is to go to the other extreme and lighten up on rules and procedures. It is often easier to look the other way, and relax expectations rather than challenge unwanted behaviors. This can quickly lead to an out of control and unproductive classroom.

Fortunately, there is a happy medium.

Remind students of the rules and expectations. Explain that you understand that they are excited and you are excited too. You want to be able to do some special and fun activities with them. You know they will enjoy the activities and learn a lot too, but you are going to need their cooperation. Go ahead and ask them for their cooperation in exchange for some fun and engaging activities.

Plan Fun and Engaging Activities

This is the time to pull out all the stops and use your best, most fun and engaging activities. You can easily teach standards and engage students with activities such as the following:

Have students choose a country from anywhere in the world, and research holiday traditions in that country. Have them prepare a book, poster, video or oral presentation. Connect to standards in reading, writing, research and oral presentation skills as well as understanding different cultures.

Another activity connecting to those same standards is to ask students about their favorite holiday traditions. Create a list. Ask students to select one holiday tradition and research its origins. Where did Candy Canes come from? Why do we hang stockings by the fire? Why is the dreidel a classic holiday game? During another class period, have students share what they learned.

Read a classic holiday poem, story or song such as The 12 Days of Christmas or O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. Have students rewrite the song or story with a modern twist. What would replace a partridge in a pear tree in the modern version? You can put students in virtual break out rooms in Zoom or have them work together in small socially distanced groups.

Students can also work in break out rooms or in small groups to practice and present Readers Theatre presentations of holiday poems. Another idea is to use a script of a classic holiday story. The Christmas Truce  tells the story of a true historical event that happened during the first world war.  It is available as a free Readers Theatre script for grades  4-8. Many other scripts are available on line.

Have students create original math problems using the content you have been working on and infusing the problems with holiday words, themes or stories. Collect them and make a math review activity using the students’ math problems.

Look for fun, short activities for math and do one each day. There is a great list of activities at Scholastic, which you can find here. 

Go on a virtual field trip. Find some great links and suggestions here. 

Try out a new online game.  Here are some good sources:  Adventure Academy Camp Wonderopolis    ABCYA  

Continue to build classroom community.

Ask a holiday related question such as “what is your favorite holiday food?” as you take attendance.

As a class, work together to create cards and/or gifts for others. This might include parents and siblings, school workers and bus drivers, nursing home residents or a local homeless shelter.

If you are meeting in person, make a project of creating a special class celebration. Allow students to work in “committees” to create invitations, musical playlists, decorations, and games for your celebration.  Student presentations, such as sharing projects, poems or readers theater presentations can make excellent entertainment. Spice it up by adding a microphone and sound system.

Create a tree of learning. Build a large tree out of craft paper and attach it to a bulletin board or use an artificial Christmas tree. Have students create ornaments out of construction paper. Each ornament is labeled with key ideas they have learned this year. Students could also do this activity at home.

You likely have fond memories of special activities and celebrations you had in your years of school.  Now, as teachers, you have a chance to create these special memories for the students you teach. The week before a vacation can be a fun and productive week if you take your curriculum, add a bit of spice and offer students fun and engaging activities.

Good luck!

Paula and Michele

 

 

Do you want more fun and engaging engaging activities?  Check out our post 4 Great Active Learning Strategies for All Content Areas.

 

 

 6 Ways to Strengthen Teacher Well-being

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person with warm drink reading a book, 6 ways to Strengthen Teacher Well-beingTeacher well-being is a critical component to teacher success, not just at school, but in the rest of their lives as well.

It is no secret that teachers are suffering high rates of exhaustion, overwhelm, stress, and burn-out. According to the National Center for School Mental Health, 50% of teachers have seriously considered leaving the profession. Teacher stress is linked with lower engagement and lower achievement for students. It is also costly, teacher turnover costs the United States up to 2.2 billion dollars annually.

Many of the issues that cause stress and overwhelm are out of the immediate control of teachers. School organization, leadership, climate and culture, lack of resources and staff, high demands and lack of support are among the issues that lead to today’s stressful educational environment. The result is lower feelings of personal fulfillment, happiness and life-satisfaction.

We all know its a problem, but what can we do about it?

This week we spent two days at the Iowa BEST Summit, where leading psychologists and researchers from around the country focused on strengthening mental wellness supports for educators and students.

This conference validated our belief that while we can’t control everything, we can learn to put our time and energy on the things we can control. We can take step to improve our personal fulfillment and happiness which can lead to higher life satisfaction.

Our country, including legislators and our school districts, must address organization factors that negatively affect teachers. Many of those things are not in our immediate control. However, according to extensive research, there are things teachers CAN control that move the needle towards higher levels of life satisfaction.

The ideas we share below at not “toxic positivity.” This is NOT about masking your feelings and pretending that everything is okay. It is about understanding that things are NOT okay, and then doing what we can to successful move forward and do what we need to do. It is about taking care of our own mental health, to the extent that we can, rather than giving up hope or waiting for the world to fix all of our challenges.

To that end, here are 6 things teachers can do to increase their teacher well-being:

Shift Your Mindset.

Positive emotions are often under our control and have an impact on our well-being. Focus your time and energy on things you can control and let go of the rest. You can control your own emotions, attention, physiology, motivation and personal behavior.

There are many ways to shift your mindset. Mindsets are contagious, so be careful who you spend your time with. Find something every day to be grateful for. When you have a challenge, ask yourself, “What advice would I give a friend?”  Develop self-compassion and let go of the need to be perfect. Holding unrealistic expectations for yourself will always lead to dissatisfaction.

Find meaning to find motivation.

Personal motivation requires understanding our purpose. Why did you go into this profession? Look for the higher calling. Think of a time when you know you made a difference in the life of a student. Remember the times when you felt empowered and loved your work. Take a look at your personal skills and strengths. What do you have to offer the world? When you are using your gifts, you are likely to be highly motivated. Consider how you can bring your personal gifts and talents to your work in new ways.

Recognize your accomplishments.

When your to-do list is long, it is easy to beat yourself up for all the things you didn’t finish. This is a recipe for self-negativity. Instead, try to focus on all of the things you did accomplish each day. Teachers do hundreds of things each day and then berate themselves for what didn’t get done. When you add up your daily accomplishments, you are likely to be astounded!

Negativity bias often causes our brains to focus or even obsess over things that don’t go well. We can counteract negativity bias by focusing on the things that went well. You will gradually be able to train your brain to see the positive rather than the negative.

You can also recognize small steps towards a larger goal. You’ll be surprised at how many little things there are to celebrate!

Bring the joy.

Joy is connected to feelings of well-being as well as increased learning and even physical changes in our bodies.

What brings you joy? Focus on the joy in your life. Plan something fun with friends. Take time to work on a hobby. Watch a funny movie.

Plan at least one small thing that brings you joy each day.

Write it in your planner.

Bring joy into your classroom too. If you don’t bring the joy into your classroom, who will? If you are tired and grumpy and bored, you can bet your students will be as well.

We can never expect students to bring more to the room than we bring. What do you want? Engagement? Motivation? Energy? We set the tone in our classrooms. What we bring is what students get.

Find ways to bring in playfulness and fun into your classroom and watch things change for the better. For more ideas read our #1 most downloaded post 8 Simple Ways to Bring Joy to Your Classroom.

Prioritize self-care.

We all know the importance of self-care, but often put it on the back burner. You need to eat, exercise and rest. Sleep deprivation affects almost everything about our day- our energy, our attitude, and our ability to solve problems. If you do nothing else, try to get enough sleep. That alone will increase your sense of well-being.

Self-care doesn’t work when it is prescribed. Self- care is very personal. You need to decide what makes you feel good. Maybe it is green smoothies and yoga, maybe it is a warm shower and a good book. Maybe it is a cup of coffee on your morning drive or a walk in the evening. What relaxes you? What recharges your battery? Doing more of what feels like self-care to you.

Foster positive relationships.

When we feel psychological safety, engage in meaningful collaboration, and feel support from those around us, we do better in all areas of our lives.

Think about how you want to feel in your classroom and in your life. What would it take for that to happen? Then work backwards. Keep moving back a step until you get to things that you can do.

Think about how you want your students to feel in your classroom. Then work backwards. What would it take for that to happen?

Make it a priority to get to know people. Provide acknowledgement. Create opportunities to work with others on something meaningful. Belonging increases our ability to cope with challenges and helps to assure that we will thrive.

Teacher well-being is a complex issue with many elements that need to come together so that teachers feel happy and fulfilled in their life and work. We can’t control everything that needs to occur, but we can influence our own happiness in significant ways.

Our best,

Paula and Michele

Would you like more ways to stregthen your well-being?  We have create a virtual workshop which addresses all of these issues and more.  The workshop is open from Oct. 15 until Dec. 1st and available on-demand, 24/7.

It might be just the shot of support you need to bring energy and happiness back into your life.

Check out our Reignite Your Passion: Renewal and Rejuvenation for Teachers here.

Model Life-Long Learning with These 10 Strategies

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teacher with whiteboard model life-long learningDo you model life-long learning in your classroom? Almost every school district includes developing life-long learners as part of their mission statement. Educators have the unique opportunity to not only teach content and skills, but to teach students how and why learning is important throughout their lives.

One of the best ways to foster life-long learning is is to model life-long learning. You can show students how you learn, what you do when you need to know something, and how you seek out learning opportunities.

As educators, we sometimes think we need to know it all- or at least know more than our students. When you admit that you don’t know something and then proceed to talk about how you will find out, you are demonstrating that learning is a life -long process rather than a body of content knowledge to be consumed.

As a model for life-learning, you open yourself up to vulnerability, but the reward is that students see how you are continually learning. Your role is that of a teacher and that of a learner. You are asking students to do what you, as a life-long learner, do. Rather than “do as I say” you are asking students to “do as I do.”

Here are some  ways you can model life-long learning with students:

1) Make your learning processes evident by thinking out loud.

“I don’t know where the Heilongjiang River is. Let’s go look at a map of China and see if we can find it.” Share your learning struggles, and how you work through them.

2) Read during silent reading time.

Model good reading habits. Laugh, smile, hold your breath at a scary part, groan a little when it is time to stop. Let them see that you enjoy reading. The more students read, the better they will read. Know that if you want to create readers, your actions are more powerful than your words. Grading papers or putting up a bulletin board during silent reading time sends the message of “do as I say, not as I do.”

3) Talk about things you learned while watching television.

Let’s face it, students are going to watch television or videos. When a discussion about animal migration comes up, you can share that you watched a National Geographic special about the great migration in Africa where thousands of animals move across the plains in search of better food and water. Students are going to watch something- you can model some better options.

4) Ask open ended questions.

Life-long learning often involves asking questions. When questions have a right or wrong answer, there is less possibility for dialogue. Ask for students’ opinions and share yours. Ask how they do things. Open yourself up as a learner by being genuinely interested in students’  ideas. Learning requires give and take- don’t just give information to students, seek it from them as well.

5) Be open about your technological challenges.

Technology is an area where everyone has had difficulties. When glitches occur, use it as an opportunity to ask for help. Share the ideas you have for solving the problem and how you will learn for the future. Technology changes rapidly, therefore it is a great place to demonstrate that we never master the content and there is always something to learn.

6) When you attend a conference or training, share a little of that knowledge with students.

Students are often surprised to find out that teachers engage in their own learning. They might like to know that you are learning more strategies to help them with math, or new understandings about the brain that make everyone learn better. Seeing that you are learning will help them to understand that learning doesn’t stop when they leave school, and they will likely continue learning in whatever career they eventually have.

7) Admit that you don’t know everything.

When you encourage students to ask questions, you will eventually get questions that you can’t answer. When you don’t know something, and don’t have time to address it in the moment, promise that you find out and get back to them. Follow through.

8) Model how you write.

Many students and adults struggle with writing. Don’t just assign writing tasks, model how to write. Use your smart board and write together, demonstrating the process you use and sharing processes they use. One teacher shared how she used sticky notes to jot down important ideas that she wanted to include in her writing. The next day looked up to see students busy writing on sticky notes.

9) Bring in experts.

This shows that not only are you not an expert in some areas, but that you are excited to learn new things. Your community is full of people with expertise you don’t have. Reach out to local experts and invite them in, more often than not they are happy to share their knowledge with students. The energy and enthusiasm will likely be contagious!

10) Be curious.

One of the most joyful things about learning is following where your curiosity takes you. Children are naturally curious and want to explore things that interest them. If you have ever seen a young child intently watching an insect, you have witnessed curiosity in action. Don’t get so wrapped up in all of your responsibilities that you forget to be curious.

As a teacher, you can’t be the expert in everything, but you can be the expert in learning. You can make your classroom a place where everyone enjoys learning together, and that is a fun and rewarding place to spend your days. You can model life-long learning not by adding one more thing to do, but for seeing the opportunities to share your learning processes.

The reward when you model life-long learning is that you are showing students the value of learning.  When students understand the value of learning, they will naturally become life-long learners.

Mission accomplished!

Happy learning,

Paula and Michele

Take Your Student Relationships to the Next Level

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students and teacher laughingYou already know that student relationships are important. Early in the school year you likely devoted time to getting to know students’ names and to learn a little bit about their likes and interests. You have an idea of who their friends are. You also know something about their learning levels and skills.

All of these things help you to be a more effective teacher.

When you have good student relationships, your teaching world is easier. Learning is enhanced when you can relate to your students and give examples that they can connect to. Students are more engaged when they believe their teachers are interested in them. When you know students well, you will experience fewer behavior challenges. And, best of all, when you have good student relationships, teaching is much more fun!

What’s next? How can you take your relationships with students to the next level?

Here are some suggestions:

Give students surveys or interest inventories that ask about their learning.

The following types of questions can give you new insight about your students:

Tell me three things you are really good at.

How did you get to be good at those things?

Tell me three things that are challenging to you.

What do you do when learning is hard for you?

Describe the kind of teacher who could help you learn best.

Let students in on your life.

Students are interested in their teachers’ lives. They don’t need to know everything, but share a little bit of your life outside of the school day. For example, share how you struggled to learn something and what you did to finally learn it. Tell a funny story about the time your dog threw up on you just before you left for school. One teacher recently shared with us that her students were fascinated by her new baby’s name. Now, they always want to know what her baby is doing- crawling, dumping out the contents of drawers and spitting up peas. They love it when she reminds them that they used to do those things, but now they have grown. It is a way to remind the students that like the baby, they are also growing and learning everyday.

Look for opportunities to recognize something special in a student and then comment on it.

Do you remember something special about yourself that a teacher once told you? Michele remembers an elementary school teacher telling her she was a good writer. She never forgot it.

Teachers often notice positive traits or gifts that students have. Students may not even realize these are special or unique things. Students will enjoy hearing that they are a good problem solver, or that they are a very kind and caring person. You have the power to help a student see his or her specialness and in doing so might change their lives forever.

Get feedback from students and incorporate it so they know you take them seriously.

You can do this in a discussion by asking students questions or by giving them an exit slip. What worked well in class this week? Why? What didn’t go so well this week ? Why? What suggestions do you have for a good learning week next week? Listen and take notes and then use the information in your planning.

Make sure students know that you want what is best for them.

Tell them why you give assignments and what skills it will help them to develop or how it will help them in their future. Explain the reasons behind rules. If you need to reprimand students or correct behaviors, explain it not as punishment but in ways that show that you know they are capable of being better and that you want them to be the best version of themselves.

If you yell at me, I may not change my behavior. If you approach me by telling me that you believe I can do better, I will rise to meet your expectation.

Paula once overheard a student tell another student, “Don’t worry, she won’t let you fail.”  That’s when you know students trust you, that you have their best interests at heart, and that you are in their corner!

Call or write home with good news.

Most teachers are very responsible about contacting parents or guardians when students are struggling. Fewer take the time to contact parents or guardians when students do something well.

What would happen if you made a goal to call or write a note to 2-3 parents each week? Just a couple of sentences would go along way to leveling up relationships with both students and parents.

Support from Neuroscience

In case you need additional support for the power of leveling up your student relationships, there is support from the field of neuroscience.

Positive relationships increase our levels of dopamine, a chemical which makes us feel good. Having many positive interactions starts a cycle of feeling good, which increases motivation.

The opposite is also true. Think of students who have many negative interactions throughout the day. How does having more negative interactions than positive ones change how we feel, how we act, and how motivated we are?

Talking and laughing together also increase the levels of the hormone oxytocin, a chemical that helps us bond and feel psychologically safe. The implications of this are many, especially in a time when many students are feeling high levels of anxiety. Maslow taught us that students can’t learn until their basic needs are satisfied. The need to feel safe comes before learning.

When teachers know students well, they can help students grow and strengthen neurological pathways in the brain. Teachers who use students’ interests, stories, and experiences, and help them connect prior learning to new learning, help students make brain connections that increase learning and retention.

The best teachers know that building positive student relationships takes time and intention, but the time and effort pays off in multiple ways.

We know that you are already building relationships with students. We challenge you to take it to the next level by trying one new thing to level up your relationships.

Our best,

Paula and Michele

 

 

 

 

 

Essential Tips for The First Weeks of School

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teacher books and pens: Essential tips for the first weeks of schoolThe first weeks of school can make or break how your school year unfolds. Getting off on the right foot will help you set expectations that will reward you all year long. The time you spend building community will pay off in terms of better relationships with students. Students will be more engaged with you and each other, which will result in fewer classroom management issues.

Here are a some strategies you can use in the first weeks of school that will set you up for a successful school year:  

Get to know students’ names as soon as possible.

Everyone likes to be called by name, and using students’ names when you talk to them is a sign of respect. Ask students how to pronounce unfamiliar names and if they prefer a variation or knick-name. Greet students at the door each morning using their names. Call on students by name. Seating charts and name tag tents on the desks may help in the first few days. Knowing names may seem like an obvious step, but making a real effort here shows students that you care.

Let students know a little about yourself.

Building good relationships with students will go a long way in making your school year run smoothly. Let the students know a bit about yourself. Tell a funny story about your dog. Talk about your favorite sports or activities. Share a read aloud from your favorite book. Students will respond better to someone they know, like and trust. You can share bits of yourself without oversharing or becoming a friend rather than a teacher.

Get to know students as individuals.

Building good relationships with students involves getting to know who your students are as individuals. Ask about their interests, backgrounds, families and favorite activities. Give students interest inventories or have younger students draw pictures of things that are important to them. Look at student records to find out about medical issues such as allergies or any other special concerns.

Get to know students as learners. 

The more you know about students as learners, the better you can help them learn. Give students learning inventories, multiple intelligences surveys or ask them to answer questions such as “How can I help you learn best?”  Other good questions are “Tell me about a time when learning was fun and easy for you,” and “Tell me a time when learning was a struggle for you.”

Be sure to check students’ IEPs and understand the type of accommodations you will need to provide. Ask for clarification if something is not clear.

Spend time building classroom community. 

Students who know, like, and understand each other will work better together. Time spent at the beginning of the year can go a long way towards building a positive classroom community. Use community building activities during the first weeks of school that help students to get to know each other. There many available activities, use your favorites or search for more on line.

Here is one we like:

Get on the Bus!

This activity works for all grade levels and across all content areas. Compile a list of questions that can have two answers. You can use general “getting to know you” questions or questions related to your teaching content.

Have students “Get on the bus” by standing in a straight line directly facing you.  You will ask the question and students will move off the bus either to the right or left.

For example:

“If you prefer pizza step to the right. If you prefer hamburger and fries, step to the left.”

Or a content example based on a novel:

If you think Charlotte will open the door, step to the right. If you think she won’t, step to the left.”

Ask students to get back on the bus and repeat with a different question. This activity doubles as a nice way to build some movement into the day.

Tour the classroom.

Show students where things are in the classroom. Be sure to point out which things they can access and which things are off limits, such as your desk. This is also a great time to discuss expectations about moving things and returning them to where they belong. If students are new to the school, plan a tour of the school as well. You can create a fun scavenger hunt to help students learn their way around.

Help students understand how to succeed in your class.

Have a good discussion about your expectations, hopes and dreams for them this year. Ask them what kind of classroom environment they want and what it would take to create that classroom. Discuss procedures such as those for sharpening pencils, using the bathroom, and turning in work. If you have any non-negotiable policies or procedures, explain them as well as the rationale for them. Students who understand the reason for rules and procedures are far more likely to uphold them.

Here is our post about creating rules and expectations with your class.

Get students excited about the content you will teach.

You likely love the content you will teach. Share your enthusiasm. One of the most important things teachers can do is get their students interested in learning.

Plan a fun activity that relates to the content they will learn this year. Let them use books or technology to explore and find five fun facts to share. Hang up a huge sheet of roll paper and let them write a graffiti wall of all the questions they have about a topic. Read aloud a favorite book with chapter ending cliffhanger. Look through your teacher manuals for puzzles or group activities that get students involved in something active.

The first weeks of school should be fun, build relationships, set expectations for the year, and start students on a learning journey. We hope your first weeks of school are fun and rewarding!

Wishing you the best in the first weeks of school,

Paula and Michele

 

 

 

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