Happy 2022! I hope your new year is off to a very healthy and happy start! Whether you have had a great year so far or it’s been more of a struggle, the good news is you are halfway through. To make the rest of this school year the best you possibly can, here are…
How do you calm students down so you can teach them what they need to know? Today, behavioral problems are on the rise as children deal with rapid declines in mental health, fear of the unknown, and confusion about what grown-ups are saying. Sometimes, they pick up on other people’s frustrations, but don’t know how…
Background Knowledge: All water that comes from the sky is considered to be precipitation. Lesson Plan: Read the article Precipitation as a class. Have the class highlight the main idea in one color and two supporting details in another color or highlight the word “precipitation.” Give students the graphic organizer Precipitation and Temperature to work…
An inclusive classroom environment means every child, no matter what their individual needs or barriers to learning, has equal access to high-quality education and opportunities to succeed. It is about creating an environment that works for all students, whether English is their first language, or they come from a minority group, or their socio-economic status..…
If you teach kindergarten or first grade, you may have received your Studies Weekly publications and wondered, “How do I make this engaging for my students when they’re still learning to read and write?” While each publication has lexiled text to make reading easier for your students, some children learn how to read faster than…
Anyone who has played a game of telephone knows effective communication is crucial to an organization’s success. According to a study by Economic Intelligence Unit, poor communication resulted in: added stress (52% of the cases) failure to complete projects (44% of the cases) low staff morale – (31% of the cases) barrier to innovation (20%…
Background Knowledge: “Gratitude is an emotion that grounds us and is a great way to balance out the negative mindset that uncertainty engenders,” said Dr. Guy Winch, the author of the book, Emotional First Aid. When you express gratitude, your brain releases chemicals called dopamine and serotonin, which make you feel happier and relieve stress.…
How do you honor someone who went to war so that you wouldn’t have to? On November 11, Americans celebrate Veterans Day to honor those who have served in the US Armed Forces. Educators can foster an appreciation for service members by teaching students about Veterans Day and why we celebrate it. The History of…
How can you make social-emotional learning fun for elementary students? First, let’s refresh our memory on what social-emotional learning (SEL) is. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as the process through which students learn how to: Develop healthy identities Manage emotions Achieve personal and collective goals Feel and show empathy…
For a lot of little learners, this year may be the FIRST time they have been inside a school. Because of the pandemic, many preschool and kindergarten children had yet to attend school in a formal educational setting. Even in the upper grades, due to disruptions with hybrid or online earning schedules, students did not…