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You are welcome to print copies for non-commercial use, or a limited number for educational purposes, as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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Transitioning from Word Walls to Sound Walls

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Sound walls support students with learning those tricky high-frequency words. They also support students in retaining and learning to read unfamiliar words on their own. A sound wall does the work of matching our articulation of speech sounds/phonemes to the letters/graphemes that represent those sounds.

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Routines for the first 10 days to build Routines, Rigor, and Relationships

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Routines for the first 10 days to build Routines, Rigor, and Relationships

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It's every teacher's most stressful, most highly anticipated, and most powerful time of the year: back to school! After over a decade of first days back to school, I've finally found a plan for the first ten days that streamlines the three most important things for me: routines, rigor, and relationships. Here, I will outline for you the importance of routines, rigor, and relationships, then, provide my daily plans for the first ten days.

It's not the most pinterest-worthy or "cute" part of the job, but routines from these first two weeks are, I would argue, the top priority. Yes, even above building relationships. I can say this because I've been there before: it's really hard to build relationships in a class where the classroom management is out of control. By establishing key routines, you'll be setting the tone for a classroom that is respectful, runs smoothly, and can operate on its own while you take time to meet and confer with students on a need-to basis.

Here are the routines that are essential to establish in my first ten days:

Start and End

The daily starting and ending routines of my classroom are the most important. To start my class, I've always aimed to have a routine that students can do independently, silently, quickly, and meaningfully. And, an added bonus if it doesn't need to be graded immediately! Enter: BELL WORK! Every year I tweak exactly what we do, but I always end up using a version of one of these two systems: my vocabulary bell work notebook and my digital bell work notebook . Students have access to the digital notebook on their chromebooks and I control the exercise that they will complete each day. Sometimes students are creating a meme based on the reading from the night before, sometimes they're writing a personal reflection, and other times they're looking up the perfect song on YouTube to capture the mood of a poem. No matter what, they're able to read my screen at the front, take out their chromebooks, start and complete the assignment independently, silently, quickly, and meaningfully. I need this time to do so many other important micro-tasks. I've used this first 5-7 minutes to return work to students, have a one-on-one conversation with a student in the hall, take a few deep breaths, send a quick email to a parent about an issue from the previous class period...you name it! I NEED these minutes, but I am not willing to waste them, either. So, bell work has been my solution. Since it's assigned digitally, I collect it via Google Classroom at the end of a unit (or end of a week depending on the class/level/task), so I'm able to look at their over their work all at one time and it's not another daily to-do.

To end class, I have three clear directives: "It's time to pack up!" I take time practicing this with students - they are not packing up their things until they hear this phrase. It is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, and on the whole, I've learned that pet peeves can be solved by creating and practicing routines, so this is one of them! After they hear me say that, they remain "cheeks in chairs". Yup. That's high school talk for sit in your chair and DON'T LINE UP AT THE DOOR. Finally, when they hear "Have a great day!" (which I usually say with the bell), they are dismissed.

This probably sounds like a lot. And it is. You're only four paragraphs in to this post so far. But trust me: figuring out your version of what works for your starting and ending routines are what save you down the road. They improve the quality of your lessons, they foster respect, and, not to mention, they're things that visitors to your classroom notice (AKA observations!). Check out my TpT store for lesson ideas for your next observation or to kick off a new semester!

Movement

We use stations ALL the time and having students know how we do stations is essential for my classroom management. We practice stations during these two weeks and I train my students to move with this doorbell from Amazon . When they hear the bell, they know it's time to move. When they're at a station, they are to stay on task until the bell has rung, then, they have a break. They can move, hi-five someone from across the room, but then at the second bell, they should be at their next station prepared to work.

You'll also want to consider the ways in which you want to permit students to move in and out of your classroom (hallways, bathroom, etc.). I use a QR code attached to a Google form to track tardies as well as students going in and out of the bathroom.

Work Submission

Do you have all of your work collected on Google classroom? A turn in folder? A combination of both? Whichever it is, make sure that during these first two weeks you assign multiple items so that students can practice your turn-in routine (and you can practice how you hand things back!). Don't assign work just to assign it - it should be meaningful - but make sure the assignments are handed in and scored in a way that reinforces your routine expectations! I always assign a letter of introduction for my students to write and I use this opportunity to teach my turn in policies: if it's assigned on Google Classroom, it must be turned in on Google Classroom. On the day the letter is due, I go right into Classroom and put the assignment in the gradebook: checks for turned in and ZEROS for anything not turned in. This sets of a red flag really quickly, but more importantly, a teachable moment. It takes students a few assignments to get over the "but I didn't click turn-in" or "I thought I had to print it, but there were no working printers, and my grandma was visiting from out of town, and my turtle escaped from his tank, so I couldn't get it to hand in to you" excuses. Every single time an assignment comes in, we go through the same routine. If you're pulling out your hair in December about something that drives you crazy, create a routine that solves it, then implement that routine in the first two weeks. Dedicate time and energy to this routine as much as you can and you'll find that the rest of the year is so much more tolerable!

Technology

I have students using their Chromebooks every day in my classroom, so establishing a daily routine of taking out your CHARGED Chromebooks needs to happen! I purposefully plan Chromebook related activities to make sure that students are in the habit of bringing it every day to my room ready to go. Even if the assignment is as small as an exit slip, purposefully scheduling time for students to need their Chromebooks is essential.

If you're loving this blog post, but could use more support, you need to check out my COMPLETE Back to School Toolkit - The First 10 Days! This course will hold your hand through over a dozen asynchronous video trainings led by me. I'll share with you the why, the how, and the when for planning and implementing the best back to school season ever!

During the first two weeks, students get several assignments from me, each with a specific purpose. Some of them help me teach routines (see above!), others help me demonstrate my grading policies and what I have outlined in the syllabus, but the others are designed to help me craft an atmosphere of high expectations and rigor in my classroom. In the first ten days, I assign both "classwork" (assignments that are checked-in pass/fail) and "assessments" (assignments that are graded on a rubric). I train students to read their gradebooks accordingly. In these first ten days, I will assign the following:

Classwork:

Student/Parent Syllabus signature

Cell phone policy contract

Email etiquette assignment

Assessments:

I think sometimes high expectations and rigor can be misinterpreted as "teacher-centered" or being inflexible. For example, with one of my first assignments, the letter mentioned above in the ROUTINES section, I set a hard line on work that is turned in late. Zeros go in the grade book if the assignment is not turned in on Google Classroom. Period. When students come with excuses, I simply respond, "That's fine! I just have this zero here as a placeholder and reminder to you and everyone who can see this 24/7 internet-based gradebook that I have not received it from you. When I do, that zero will change, but until then, it's just gonna stay that way." This might sound harsh - how could I do this when I don't even know my kids yet? How could I do this when I don't know what hurdles they could be facing outside of school?

We can't build strong relationships around lax routines and procedures - we have to start strong with firm expectations. Remember, being firm and clear in building a strong academic culture in your classroom doesn't mean that you're ignoring student needs. Expecting responsibility, strong worth ethic, and a commitment to high standards DOES MEAN that you care about your kids, deeply.

And, while we're on the subject, this is a good time to think about your curriculuar approach for the year - have you made the shift to inquiry-driven instruction? A makeover of your short story unit might be a great place to start...

With an efficient, respectful set of routines established and an atmosphere with high academic expectations cultivated, powerful relationships grow. At the start of my career, I thought relationships were the only thing that mattered. I wanted to reach every kid and know everything about their lives, their families, their backgrounds, their struggles. And I did. I went to games, I called home, I did surveys, I wrote personal letters, I sponsored the clubs that no one else would sponsor, and I did it: I built GREAT relationships! But, there were some consequences to this approach that I didn't see coming.

First was the burnout. I was weighed down with so much emotional baggage and physical stress (the only way to do all of these things for my students was to completely ignore my own health, of course) that I burned out fast. I'm a happy person that burned on adrenaline to survive, but as close as I was with my students, it was the worst I've ever felt physically in my life.

The second is the more embarrassing one to admit. Most days in my classroom were a total flop. Since I prioritized relationships above all else, I never really considered how I was going to control the workflow of my classroom and be everyone's "cool" teacher all at once. Since I knew everyone's issues, I was willing to forgive bad attitudes, accept work (extremely) late, and let students take fifteen minute bathroom breaks. I thought I was meeting their needs and caring for them. But in reality, the learning environment was not one of respect: it was one where my kindness and flexibility were taken advantage of. I was too close to push my students to meet their academic potential and too much time was wasted. It took me years to find that routines and rigor were truly the foundation to building the kind of relationships that I really wanted in my classroom.

Here is the kind of relationship I'm committed to having with my students: one where they know I care so much about them that I want not only to support them in times of need, but also where I can push them to grow in ways they may have never gone on their own. One where I can say, "Listen, I know what's going on at home is really tough on you right now, but here's what else I know. I know you can do this. I know you can handle this assignment and feel really proud about what YOU did, and not sad about the other things going on that are out of your control. If you need an extension, we'll make that happen, but I really believe in you and I believe you can do a great job." Take time to think about how you want to define your relationships with students. Then, build the kind of classroom that will help those kinds of relationships grow.

Day 1: Marshmallow Team Building (RELATIONSHIPS)

Our first day is typically a shortened class period, so I always have this lesson ready to go. Marshmallow team building is a quick way to get students working together, being creative, and establish a classroom culture of student-centered learning. I have a handful of other possible options listed here!
HW: None

Day 2: Debrief, Expectations, Syllabus (RIGOR & ROUTINE)

The next day, we debrief the marshmallow team building exercise. What was the experience like? How did your team work together? What were the struggles? I let this conversation flow into an overview (not word-for-word reading!) of our class syllabus. I've done more interactive versions of this, but I've found that I want to be very clear and direct the first time through our expectations, so I give it to them pretty straight. We reinforce and practice these different parts of the syllabus later, but this day is typically pretty dry - on purpose! One thing that helps has been moving my syllabus to a digital format. Instead of reading a paper syllabus, my students receive their Google Classroom codes and open their syllabus that I've created using Google Sites. This allows us to look through the "boring" stuff, but also watch book trailers for the novels we'll be reading and experience the other interactive elements on the site.

To close class, today we practice our closing routine: "Time to pack up", "Cheeks in chairs", and "Have a great day!"
HW: Parent & student syllabus signature (on a Google form attached to the syllabus)

Day 3: Meet the Teacher / letter to your Teacher (ROUTINE, RIGOR & RELATIONSHIPS)

I continue establishing relationships on Day 3 by sharing a few pictures and stories about my life. I tell students that it's important to me that they know who I am, who I love, what I care about, what makes me laugh, and what my life is like outside the classroom. It's important to me that they're not coming to a classroom to learn from a stranger. I share with them, very transparently, my journey to becoming a teacher and how much I love coming to work every day, but also how I love going home to my family and traveling the world. I want them to see me as a whole person, and then, I ask them to do the same. Students then write me a letter of introduction ( routine - turn in on GClassroom; rigor - graded on a rubric as an assessment; relationships - getting to know their stories).

Today is the second day of practicing our closing routine.

Day 4: Intro bell work routine / Pocket Points tutorial / First Text (ROUTINE & RIGOR)

On Day 4, we begin our most important routine (and one that takes quite a bit of practice!): bell work! This takes about three times as long as normal, so we go slow and practice. With the remainder of the class period, we discuss and practice our cell phone policy and practice it with a text (short story, quick article, etc.) . This year, we will be experimenting with Pocket Points, so the plan is for students to get logged in and do their first reading session in a small group. The text we will use during this session will be connected to their upcoming socratic seminar and I'll have them reading with a small group.

This is the third day we practice our closing routine.
HW: Continue Letter to My Teacher

Day 5: Bell work / classroom stations (ROUTINE & RELATIONSHIPS)

Class starts again with bell work training. We slowly start trying to increase independence and reduce time spent on the task. The plan for the rest of the day is to do one of my favorite activities: classroom stations! Each year this varies, but basically the goal is for students to get a tour of my classroom while using the classroom routine procedure of stations. My six stations include:

As students move through the stations, we practice movement (as stated above!) using the doorbell from Amazon .

Of course, we close class by practicing our closing routine again!
HW: Finish Letter to My Teacher

Day 6: Intro Socratic Seminar (ROUTINE & RIGOR)

Bell work continues.

Collect Letter to My Teacher.

Socratic Seminar is one of my absolute favorite types of assessment. I first heard about seminars a while ago, so I observed many in action and did some research. My go-to for seminars, however, is from the incredibly talented Esther Wu on Teaching Channel. I love how she does seminar and I've been doing an adapted version for years!

On this day, I teach students what seminar is, show them a seminar in action, go over our rubrics and expectations, and assign them a short list of texts that we will be discussing. Each year, this list changes. Last year, our seminar was designed around summer reading. This year, it will be tied to our first unit's essential question. Either way, I design the questions (and students write questions to add) that are both text-dependent AND opinion/experience-based. I want students to do a lot of things in a seminar, but for the first one, I really just want everyone to TALK.
Here's the video I show students and the resources that I learned from.
Closing routine continues.
HW: Read through one text on the list & annotate

Day 7: Seminar Prep Day (routine & rigor)

Bell work continues.

The next day we will spend preparing for seminar. Depending on the age and level of the students, this day might be spend heavily on reading additional texts to help our conversation, it might be spent taking a more in depth look at the video from the previous day, it might be an interactive presentation of the rubric so students know how they'll be assessed, or some combination of all of these things. Either way, students usually need a day to get read for seminar rather than just jumping right in. I usually also take this day to practice more routines (if needed) or do a small partner exercise (for relationship building).

Closing routine continues.
HW: Complete reading texts for seminar; complete seminar prep sheet

Day 8: Day 1 Seminar (routine & rigor)

Bell work continues.

Collect seminar prep sheet from Day 1 students.

If you had a chance to look through the Teaching Channel video linked on Day 6, you'll know that these seminars are broken into two days. The group for Day 1 will seminar today. While students are in seminar, I am taking notes and giving feedback.

Closing routine continues.
HW: Complete role sheets & coaching sheets

Day 9: Day 2 Seminar (routine & rigor)

Bell work continues.

Collect seminar prep sheet from Day 2 students.

This day looks identical to the previous day, but the students in the center circle have shifted. I continue taking notes and giving feedback on the discussion.

Closing routine continues.
HW: Complete role sheets & coaching sheets

Day 10: Socratic seminar reflection & goal setting (routine & relationships)

Bell work continues.

Collect any remaining role sheets and coaching sheets.

On the day after our first socratic seminar, we take time to reflect and celebrate. Typically, I'll have students do a silent chalk talk and share their experiences on the board. Anything you like to do for reflection would be great here, but make sure you find time to also set group goals for the next seminar! How did we do overall with incorporating evidence? Did seminar sound like everyone reading their homework out loud or an organic, meaningful discussion? What can we do to improve for the next seminar? These are important questions to address together, so be sure to find time to do this!

Closing routine continues.

I hope this article has helped you start to envision the first ten days of your own school year. I'd love to hear your version of these critical days - how do you set these days up? Have any of these ideas worked for you? Be sure to share in the comments - I can't wait to connect with you!

LET'S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR CLASSROOM...

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The First Ten Days of School - Routines, Rigor, and Relationships - Mud and Ink Teaching

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It's every teacher's most stressful, most highly anticipated, and most powerful time of the year: back to school! After over a decade of first days back to school, I've finally found a plan for the first ten days that streamlines the three most important things for me: routines,

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Edutopia- Strategies for Building a Positive Learning Environment

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Edutopia- Strategies for Building a Positive Learning Environment

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32 Strategies for Building a Positive Learning Environment

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32 Strategies for Building a Positive Learning Environment

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Blog on Classroom Confiigurations

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19 different classroom configurations to fit your teaching style - find more inforamtion at https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2019/12/19-classroom-seating-arrangements-fit-for-your-teaching

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Building Positive Classroom Environments for Students Living with Adversity

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Building Positive Classroom Environments for Students Living with Adversity

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How many of us have been formally trained to teach students living with adverse childhood experiences? When we ask this question throughout the U.S., few educators raise their hand. However, according to the National Survey of Children's Health , almost half of all U.S. children have experienced one or more types of serious adversity such as abuse, neglect, parental loss, or mental illness. What is not included in this survey are the countless additional children who have experienced living in war or conflict zones; being displaced, persecuted, or homeless; and other traumatic events that have significantly impacted their lives. These realities are important for every educator to consider - particularly as we honor Mental Health Awareness Month.

A first step for supporting such students' academic and socio-emotional development is to embrace a strong belief in them and their personal assets and strengths. That is, we must move from an empathetic-only approach to an empathetic and asset-based one that appreciates our students' many individual strengths. When we do this, we intentionally look for, honor, and acknowledge the values, attributes, and strengths that make every student unique.

According to large bodies of trauma-related research, this relational approach is more effective when it occurs in an environment that fosters a sense of belonging and of feeling valued, competent, and safe. How can we create a classroom environment that reflects these characteristics and capitalizes on our students' individual strengths?

Here are five elements of a strengths-based classroom environment.

The importance of our relationship with students cannot be overstated. It begins with getting to know them and building trusting relationships. An important goal from the very beginning of our work with students should be identifying their strengths and qualities, in the form of values and assets, and reflecting them back to students. Gathering information about students is a good way to build and strengthen our relationships and personalize our interactions with them. One example of this relationship-building practice is greeting individual students as they enter the classroom. Think about how a student would feel when her teacher greets her by saying: Good morning, Lucy. Great to see you after that tough game last night. I heard you were very determined on that court!

Students living in adverse conditions are more likely to experience a loss of control and feelings of powerlessness. Classroom environments that promote empowerment do so by providing many opportunities for students to build their confidence and capacity to speak up, address issues, take risks, and make decisions about what works for them. Welcoming students' voice and choice helps them to be involved in decisions that impact their learning. Asking a small group of students to suggest solutions to a challenging situation that affects them directly, is just one example of how educators can bring in student voice to our classrooms.

It is essential to develop lessons that meaningfully connect to students' experiences and encourage them to become emotionally invested in learning. For example, linking literary characters and literature to students' personal, cultural, social, and world experiences can validate students' strengths and interests. Further, characters and their actions can be discussed at great length to help students learn what others have done to overcome challenges.

A classroom is a haven for many students living with adversity. It is also a place that is conducive to learning because it takes into consideration students' needs and preferences. For instance, students should have input in the arrangement and design of their classroom including desks and wall space to facilitate collaboration, discussion, and individual work. This type of environment fosters a sense of belonging and of feeling valued, competent, and safe.

Classroom activities that use routines and rituals are critical for alleviating the unpredictable nature of living with adversity. They help students to reclaim normalcy and control by supporting a downshift from a fearful state to a calmer and more positive one. An example is a routine opening meeting to describe the day's schedule and discuss how students will transition from one activity to another.

Here are practices that Janetta Wallace, a high school chemistry teacher, uses to implement the five elements of a strengths-based classroom environment.

Janetta takes time to build relationships with her students. She meets with guidance counselors to find out about students living with adversity. She has students complete a series of questions on their first day of class. These include questions such as: Tell me about a teacher you really liked and what he or she did that you appreciated. How do you like to get feedback from a teacher? Do you have some specific concerns about our chemistry class?

Janetta looks for ways to make the chemistry content 'come alive'. For example, knowing that her students see or hear a train traveling by their school every day, she takes her class on a short walk to the railroad tracks. She explains that the tracks are welded together using a chemical reaction to form miles of runway for trains. When students arrive back in the classroom, she tells them to work in small groups to discuss how they think the tracks are welded together without engineers having to haul tons of metal to the location where the tracks are laid.

She involves students in designing the classroom environment for paired and group discussions. Because each group is creating a poster of their choice about the process of a chemical reaction, they are involved in more than designing the location of their seats, they also define what is needed on the walls of their classroom to help guide them in this task.

She assigns each student to specific pairs and groups that she believes will work well together. She also routinely uses positive, affirming language such as: That's an excellent use of logic. I appreciate your willingness to collaborate. You are using your great mind to figure out a response. And, she supports them to affirm each other in the same manner.

Janetta designs lab assignments around routines and practices that students must follow. She routinely begins class by posing a problem. She models how she wants pairs and then groups of students to work together to discuss possible solutions. At the end of class, she always gathers students together to review what they have learned.

When we create a learning environment where we intentionally incorporate these five elements, we are making sure our students who live with adversity feel empowered and are cognizant of their endless potential and amazing personal strengths.

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5 Elements of a Positive Classroom Environment for Students Living with Adversity

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How many of us have been formally trained to teach students living with adverse childhood experiences? When we ask this question throughout the U.S., few educators raise their hand. However, according

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1. Efficient
2. Engaging
3. Educational
4. Economical
5. Expressive
6. Equable
7. Empathetic

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Do You Know the 7 E’s of Classroom Design?

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The Traditional Classroom Environment No Longer Supports the 21st Century Students’ Needs. Find Here Useful Resources for Good Classroom Design.

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The 7 E’s of Classroom Design

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A Classroom Design's Affect on the Ability to Learn

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A Classroom Design's Affect on the Ability to Learn

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14 Medical & Educational Experts Weigh In...

Student outcomes are the most relevant factor when it comes to measuring the success of a learning environment. Though classroom design has an important influence on learning achievement, the majority of time is spent on traditional methods of enhancing the learning progress, such as executing standardized tests, professional growth for educators, and advancement or mediation courses for students. Thanks to a growing awareness of the profound impact classroom design can have on the educational achievements of students, opinions on classroom design are changing, as educators are making strides toward constructing optimal learning environments with the goal of meeting the educational needs of various groups of students.

I found that as a classroom teacher, allowing students to choose the spots they found most comfortable to work in helped students concentrate and allowed me to concentrate on facilitating learning, not managing behavior. - Jennifer Stringer

Classroom Style

When creating classroom designs suited to enhance the educational experience of all learners, educators are focusing on cultivating student growth in creativity, collaboration, and communication. Along with the initiative for personalized learning, a core focus of modern classroom design is flexibility. Flexible classroom designs allow learners to make choices, experiment with learning techniques, and ultimately discover how they learn best. A flexible classroom layout also supplies teachers with a greater capacity to effectively respond to different students' learning needs. Flexible classrooms usually incorporate some type of group discussion area, a variety of seating options, and a flexible space, which can be adjusted for many specialized activities. With the central goal of providing the space for students to explore, share, and create collaboratively, flexible classroom arrangements provide the means for a variety of group set-ups and lesson formats in hopes of addressing all students' needs.

Alyson Gembala ( Twitter), ChildhoodExplored.com - "My favorite classroom I've ever taught in is covered in children's art. It is a preschool classroom, and kids are loudly and joyfully learning all the time. They can reach everything they need to create art or inventions or things I hadn't even thought about. Teacher of course set up lessons and activities, but the students are empowered to learn through play and problem-solve for themselves. The curriculum is created based upon the interests and developmental needs of the students, so it's different every year. We always keep the doors open, and children are free to go to other classrooms or even outside during their learning time. The school was designed so that adults can be stationed in various places and the kids could be free to learn where they feel curious."

Shantala Boss ( Facebook), MS, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, - "A child's learning can be impacted by many different factors and the ambiance of a classroom does play a very important role. Muted colors and lamps or natural light create a welcoming, positive environment for children. Fluorescent lighting has the opposite effect. Another idea is to add plants to the classroom. Plants are a natural mood booster and studies have shown they can reduce stress and anxiety."

Heidi McBain, MA, LMFT, LPC, RPT, Author of the book, Life Transitions: Personal Stories of Hope Through Life's Most Difficult Challenges and Changes - "As a play therapist, I look at space from a relational stand point. So, if the space is warm and inviting and creates connection between the kids, then this will also help with learning because they feel comfortable here. When I think of warm and inviting spaces, I think of bright colors, carpet, pillows, toys, books, art... open spaces, but also nooks where a kid could go read a book or play with a toy, if they needed some downtime/alone time."

Dr. Mimi Shagaga ( Instagram) ( Facebook), Licensed Clinical Psychologist, - "Physical environments in the classroom can have a significant impact on learning. Research has indicated that classroom organization, access of supplies, lighting and even the color of a classroom can boost academic achievement levels. Additionally, crowded classrooms with more students have been linked to lower levels of achievement. Research has also indicated that classrooms with windows, particularly with views of some type of landscape have been linked to better performance on tests. It has also been found that these types of classrooms have led to less mental fatigue and better performance in the areas of attention and focus."
Collaborative Spaces
Enhancing flexibility means adhering to the educational requirements of all learners and encouraging unity within diverse groups of students. As a design featuring small tables for group work and shared table-top presentations, the concept of collaborative spaces highlights group learning activities while being flexible enough to ensure all students' needs are met.

Kathryn Starke ( Twitter) ( Instagram), Urban Literacy Specialist/Author/Keynote Speaker, Creative Minds Publications, LLC - "I specifically look for tables or groups of desks to promote classroom collaboration and literacy based and curriculum extension-based centers around the room to encourage critical thinking. In addition, I always look for an organized, welcoming reading area that promotes a love of literacy and culture of reading in the classroom. Above all, I want students to walk into a classroom that motivates, supports, and inspires children of all ages to try their best, ask questions, and share their knowledge."

Jennifer Stringer, ( Twitter) ( LinkedIn) - "An important aspect of classroom design is allowing for flexible configurations and spaces. As adults, we know we might be more comfortable reading in our favorite chair or standing while we work. Students should have those same opportunities. I found that as a classroom teacher, allowing students to choose the spots they found most comfortable to work in helped students concentrate and allowed me to concentrate on facilitating learning, not managing behavior.

Ari S. Yares (Facebook), Ph.D., NCSP, - "Classrooms that have a variety of seating options ranging from desks to shared tables to places to sit and read or huddle in a small group allow a teacher to tailor the learning to fit the students' needs. I've seen the introduction of bean bag chairs create spaces for more "fidgety" kids to sit comfortably and engage in the learning more actively. At one of the schools that I was a principal for, we replaced the lab tables in the science rooms. In one room, because of the amount of available space, we had to go with more traditional rectangular lab tables in rows. In the larger room, we were able to order hexagonal lab tables and space them out around the room. Learning in the first science room stayed more frontal with less collaboration while learning in the room with the hexagonal lab tables tended towards more active, more collaborative learning. The furniture really set the tone for the room."

Ability to Move

Research has indicated that allowing time for movement is one of the best means of enabling children to obtain more control over their behavior and immerse themselves in the material they are learning about. Giving students the option to bounce and turn as they are sitting in class can improve their ability to remain focused throughout the school day. Moveable furniture such as Hooki Stools and Zenergy Ball Chairs can be an asset to a flexible classroom, providing learners with the opportunity to learn and retain information more effectively.

Salpy Baharian ( Twitter), M.Ed, Co-Founder, Teacher.org - "In the primary elementary grades, it is imperative to provide opportunities to MOVE. When training new teachers, I would always advise K-2 teachers to create a space for a large rug or carpet near the whiteboard where instruction takes place. Proximity is key. Young students should be close to "action" when new material is being presented. For example: Children are seated on the rug when new material is being taught. Just as kids start to get squirmy, it is time to transition children back to their desks for the extension of learning (guided practice or independent practice). This setup provides opportunities for young students to move. Additionally, the rug allows teachers to be close to their students when new learning occurs. In my years in the classroom, I have seen young children thrive in this classroom design."

Jerry Mintz, Director, Alternative Education Resource Organization - "We have a whole constellation of educational alternatives that have dealt with this in many ways. They use a lot of outdoor space. Children are free to wander around. I know of one public alternative in which the students could leave class at any time and go to one of several designated spaces. One public alternative democratic school in Israel has a huge central soccer field around which the school complex was built. So, you can see everything that's going on from everywhere."

Adam Cole ( LinkedIn), Author, Educator, Performer - "The typical layout for an elementary classroom is a grid where the desks all face the front. Over the course of a year or two I quickly decided I'd rather put the children in a circle facing one another. This had several interesting consequences.

The children can now always see every single person in the room, and everything they do is presented to the group. This means no one is at risk for disappearing or having their presence go unnoticed. It also sends a stronger message to children who are asked to "sit out" for poor choices because they are noticeably no longer in the group until they return.
This kind of setup therefore is ideal when a group-mindset is looked for, such as group improvisations or performances. Children can take turns improvising around the circle or can all improvise together. This can easily be adapted for language and story work as well, and the power of the circle when used correctly adds support to their efforts.

Even better, the center of the circle can be utilized for one or more of the children to "perform" for the group. Or, if the whole group is to perform or participate in anything that requires movement, the space is open for them to enter and explore. Needless to say, their movement can be directed in a way so that it is less linear, with more curves, crossing of lines, and interactions between people, or it can be directed so that everyone is in a circle going one way or the other like a river."

Children with Learning and Attention Differences

When it comes to helping children with learning and attention differences, such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), it is crucial for children to be allowed to learn in a way that aligns with what their minds and bodies need to sustain attention. Furniture such as the Alpha Better Stand-Up Desk and Wobble Chairs can act as a means of releasing restlessness for children with ADHD and other attention differences. This provides them with a viable way to expend their energy and improves focus levels throughout the school day.

Stephanie Butchart ( Twitter), Founder and Lead Facilitator, - "As an educator my focus is with children under five years old with various developmental, physical, social, sensory, emotional and intellectual barriers. The climate of a classroom has a strong influence on a child's ability to learn. Environments that are over- or under-stimulating can affect a child's ability to focus and sustain a sense of vitality. Hyperactivity and passivity may be out of a child's control if it relates to their interactions within a certain space. From the color of the walls to the texture of the floor, the height of door to the type of lighting...what we put into our classroom climate shows in our children's responses to it.

Certain children are more sensitive to their surroundings. Overcrowded spaces, excessive overhead lighting, loud or high-pitched sounds, cluttered rooms...these are all common examples of over-stimulated rooms. Over-stimulation can lead to difficulties concentrating, maladaptive behaviors, avoidance and anxiety. Snoezelen multi-sensory rooms are interesting in this case. This type of therapy adapts the climate of a room to match the sensory input required to meet set objectives. Children who are under or over stimulated can find a balance in these rooms which provide tools to engage a child's senses and opportunities to learn how to react to stimuli.

I suppose what we are looking for in our children's classrooms is adaptability and encouraged expression. This will empower children to learn about which environments they do and do not like, where their specific reactions are rooted and what to do if they feel that way in future circumstances."

Cristina Sandoval, Mental Health Manager at QueensCare. "We are a subcontract with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and we provide mental health therapy to children 0-18 (with Medi-Cal). Before I came on board in 2016, our offices were white with old art pieces and old book shelves with books we didn't use. Needless to say, that was the first task. Our new adolescent room has a willow tree and some teal walls while our younger child room is yellow with Dr. Seuss trees and decoration. We use these background decorations in our therapy sessions as grounding exercises and it's been pretty successful. A client we had before and after the redecorating phase shared that she liked the change and felt more calm. She came in and smiled and wanted to role play right away. One younger child said he thought he was coming to see the doctor when he would see our white walls, but after he saw the new rooms, he wanted to play and was able to leave mom's side for a bit."

Anandhi Narasimhan ( Twitter), M.D., - "I often make certain recommendations for patients who may have symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, etc.

1) Small campus, classroom size

2) More individual attention

3) Frequent breaks and longer time on assignments

4) Frequent check-ins with a counselor

5) A behavioral modification program, where rewards are given for positive behaviors"

Sharon Saline ( Twitter) ( Facebook), Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author of What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life - "Kids with ADHD and other learning differences benefit from classrooms that help them develop the executive functioning skills they need for academic and social success. Classrooms that are too chaotic or cluttered make it tough for them to focus and monitor themselves. These students are especially sensitive to overstimulation-whether it's visual, auditory or interpersonal. This means that classrooms that are chock full of decoration-art, maps, charts, etc. can be overwhelming and agitating to them. Likewise, sitting at tables with peers makes it harder for them to concentrate because they are easily distracted by other kids' noises, side-talking or movements. Individual desks and walls with some blank spaces help to calm them so they can settle into doing their work more easily.

Having specific areas to put things and routines for getting them there are essential to keeping these students on track. Kids with ADHD do best when everything has a place. Having color-coded folders for various subjects or projects, boxes or cubbies for younger kids to place lunch and coats and lockers with shelves for teens makes it easier for them to stay organized and know where things go. Offering them gentle direction in doing these tasks and reminders to check their lists lead them to accomplishing them. When they need stuff later on, they can find it more readily. Visual cues are especially helpful: post-its or lists on their desk assist them in remembering what needs to be done and where to put things.

Setting up classrooms with these simple guidelines actually benefits all learners. Executive functioning skills develop over time-until folks are 25 years old. So, most kids benefit from strengthening them, not just those with ADHD and learning differences."

Conclusion

Implementing design changes within a classroom can have a profound influence on establishing a positive learning experience for all students. Increasing flexibility and encouraging exploration, sharing, and creation can dramatically enhance a student's sense of well-being at school and cultivate a learning environment in which both students and educators can reach their highest potential.

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How Does Classroom Design Affect a Child's Ability to Learn?

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Student outcomes are the most relevant factor when it comes to measuring the success of a learning environment. Though classroom design has an important influence on learning achievement, the majority of time is spent on traditional methods of enhancing the learning progress, such as executing standardized tests, professional growth for educators, and advancement or mediation courses for students.

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Blog with ideas for secondary classrooms

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Arranging your secondary classroom for the first time, or maybe just looking for ways to switch things up? In this post, you'll find over 20 helpful ideas for everything from seating to management and from storage to libraries - plus, more. I've asked some of my friends to share posts from their own classrooms because it always helps to brainstorm new classroom setup approaches when we have examples to inspire us.

If you'd like to see more details about any of these images, just click on the picture, and it will take you to that teacher's original post.

CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT

1. Flexible Seating

Dabbling with flexible seating? Christina @hansonhallway suggests, "Just as students should have choice in the books they read, they should have choice in where they sit and learn best.

Couches, rocking chairs, stools, high tables, coffee tables, and, yes, even a bathtub, are all possible flexible seating options. Don't spend too much money on these things either: ask friends and family if they have furniture they are looking to get rid of and check out garage sales or Facebook Marketplace."

2. Stage

Kim @believetheycan has an unexpected seating option in her classroom.

"I love my classroom stage! Some of my favorite uses for my stage, which was inspired by the amazing @adventuresofmssmith_ are:

Flexible seating option: My students LOVE bringing their collaborative work to the stage.

Public Speaking: Over the course of the year, it is a goal of mine to encourage my students to feel comfortable and confident approaching the stage to share a presentation or project that they've completed.

Decor: I LOVE using my stage as a feature in my classroom transformations!"

Some teachers enjoy using their stages for extra storage as well.

3. Small Group Space

I have three priorities when it comes to desk arrangement. One is that students can easily face one another to have debates and discussions. Another is that it's easy for them to find elbow partners. I also want to make sure that we have open floor space for acting, demonstrations, and group work.

The student desk arrangement in the photo below is the one that I've found fits best so far. It's somewhat traditional, but it's effective for discussions, debates, and mini lessons. Plus, it's so easy to group the desks for station work, and students are always moving them around for different activities.

Most importantly, when setting up your secondary classroom, I highly recommend having a small table available. I use it every day for small group interventions, student conferences, differentiation, and more.

4. QR Codes

Amanda from @mudandinkteaching has a unique approach to classroom management.

"This QR code management system streamlines two very distracting bad habits that my students have year after year: coming into class late and being absent from class wondering 'what did I miss'?

Now, those two questions are answered by simply pointing back to our QR code station and a quick scan. And, I have a running record of tardies (great for parent conferences!) I am able to answer follow up questions on absentee work instead of the one that makes me want to pull my hair out!"

5. Exit Slip Magnetic Baskets

Emily from @readitwriteitlearnit builds in a system for organizing student readiness levels when setting up her classroom.

She says, "Get quick informative feedback. Ask students to hand exit tickets into one of three bins. Label the bins: I completely understand. I could use more practice. I do not understand. With a glance, you can gauge overall class understanding. Upon closer look, you can see which students need more practice."

6. Weekly Agenda

Christina @thedaringenglishteacher has a simple but effective plan for keeping track of weekly work.

"When I plan my classroom configuration for a new school year, I always make sure that I have a dedicated place to post what we are doing for the week on the whiteboard. Writing the weekly agenda on the whiteboard each week is helpful for several reasons. First, it helps me stay on track with my weekly lesson plans. Furthermore, it also lets students know what they can expect throughout the week; it also helps eliminate some of the, 'I missed yesterday. What did we do?' questions."

7. But why!?

@amandawritenow takes a different white board agenda angle by building in the relevance factor.

"The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin discusses four tendencies people have when it comes to work and life changes. Those tendencies are: upholders, obligers, questioners and rebels. Our students have these tendencies too, and we should be factoring them into our day to day classroom routines and set up. This whiteboard agenda includes a column not only for the objectives of the day but also for the questioners of your class. The 'But Why!?!' column answers the all important question we should all be considering when we plan lessons for our students...why are we doing this?"

8. Puzzles

If you'd like to have an area in your room devoted to fast finishers, puzzles might be the perfect solution to promote thinking and build community.

Addie Williams relates, "My kids love having a classroom puzzle to work on! We get through 4-5 a year.I set it up in my classroom and students can work on it before class starts, as a brain break or if they're finished early. It's a great way to build community and I love the excitement that builds as they get close to finishing. Many of my puzzles are donated by staff members and students."
CLASSROOM LIBRARY
9. Organizing Books

I love Christina Hanson's approach to setting up classroom libraries. She says, "Promoting literacy and lifelong reading with students starts with a well-stocked classroom library. Having a variety of booksin different genres and formats for students to choose from will expose them to characters, settings, and situations that they can see themselves in or open windows to new worlds and experiences."

Christina uses a combination of baskets and traditional shelving to house her books, and she also decorates with genre posters.

"Classroom libraries are not 25 copies of 5 books. Classroom libraries are 1000-2000 copies of different books." -Richard Allington

10. Displaying Books

It's so important to display books! Students need to see book covers, not just the spines. Covers are alluring. Many people post what they just finished reading, what they are currently reading, and what they will be reading next. I like to do this with floating shelves. That way, I can display the physical books and students can always see them.

These shelves are also perfect for displaying mentor texts and First Chapter Friday books to build anticipation and help with recall. Plus, if you have multiple books you're reading or want to read next, they are sturdy enough that you can put a few in a flat stack and then balance one up on top. Find them here.

11. Categorizing Books

Wondering how to best organize your classroom library? Shana @helloteacherlady recommends using washi tape.

In her words, "I use washi tape to organize my classroom library by genre. It's a simple solution that helps students find and return books more easily. As an added bonus, the color-coded spines look pretty cool on my bookshelves too."

12. Bookish Travels

My friend @staceylloyd believes that classroom decor needs to be both visually attractive and informative.

She reveals, "I feel strongly about including global perspectives in the literature we read as a class: thus my "Words of the World" display was created! Simply purchase a world map (I found an attractive piece of wrapping paper), and then as you read texts from around the world, put a pin in the place, and label the display. Having it on the wall throughout the year made me even more conscious of sourcing reading material from varied places and perspectives."

ORGANIZATION STRATEGIES

13. Group Work Kits

Jackie @room213tpt loves her group work kits because they save her time.

"Last August, I bought some plastic containers at the dollar store, labeled them as you see below, and filled them with the things my students might need when they work in collaborative groups (which they do a lot). Each one contains post-it notes, highlighters, markers, a glue stick and paper clips.

Now, instead of wasting time passing these things out individually, my kids know that they need to send someone to my back cupboard to grab a kit. I can start circulating or conferencing right away, since the kids can form their groups and get ready to work without my assistance."

14. File Cabinets

Staci @theengagingstation has one of the most colorful file cabinets I've seen.

While most people save their files digitally, I've always found it helpful to save at least one print copy of each resource from the year. It makes it easier to spread them out and lesson plan!

Staci says, "I think we all have that filing cabinet with the endless amount of file folders and the random, misplaced task cards and matching cards, and as much as we try to organize it, it's better left closed."

The solution? She color-coded and laminated tabs for each unit. "With just some cardstock and tape, you can organize and transform your filing cabinet! Using these labels to separate your resources by unit, theme, book, and more, will save you so much time from scouring your files!" Read more about her system.

15. Colorful Supplies

Amanda from @engagingandeffective absolutely loves new pens, pencils, and notebooks at the start of the year. She shares, "I keep this on my desk so everyone has easy access to it. My students love having the option of using one of my colorful pens with their writing notebooks. The fun colors inspire a bit of extra motivation and creativity in their work." Like it? Download the free printable sign she made.

16. Storage Bins

Tracee Orman keeps it real. This classroom setup tip is for those of us who have ever had a mess we need to hide quickly.

She says, "You'll never see me post a picture of my "Pinterest-worthy" desk because it doesn't exist. (And not just because I don't have a desk this year, but because THIS image is the real me.) I've never been a neat freak and I'm definitely a type B personality. I've tried to become better organized, but you see those colorful bins in the bookcase? I used those to hide the clutter when I needed to clear my desk or counter in a hurry. This is real life."

17. Teacher Desk

Caitlin from @ebacademics says that her tidy teacher desk is from IKEA.

She advises, "Making sure to leave your classroom with a clean desk at the end of the day is one of the easiest things you can do to bring a little bit of calmness to your teaching life! Even if you just make piles of papers when you don't have a ton of time. It's a great feeling to walk into your classroom the next day to see a clean desk!"

The cart is just extra storage for easy access. Caitlin says she doesn't move it around at all, but she likes the look of it to hold a few more things, like expo markers, push pins, and binder clips.

18. Traveling Teacher Cart

It can be frustrating when you don't have a teacher desk to call your own. Addie Williams calls herself a traveling teacher because she shares spaces with others. At the beginning of her year, she spends some time setting up her cart so that she feels organized.

"I love to travel... but not at school between classrooms! Teaching from a cart can be challenging, but I have a few tips to help you out.

Firstly, I use bins or baskets to stay organized. I have bins for student work (in folders), my technology, books, and lesson plans.My classes are organized by coloured folders, and I have coordinating bins in each of the classrooms I use.

Secondly, As much as I can, I eke our a storage spot for myself in the other classrooms - my colleagues are very understanding! Lastly, every Friday I spend a few minutes getting my cart ready for Monday. Happy travels!"

19. Inspirational Quotes

For those of us who don't consider ourselves professional interior designers, I love Lauralee @elaclassroom's tip.

"After I finish setting up my room, I stand back and decide what the main colors are. I don't have an unlimited budget, so my bookends, posters, and rugs are often mismatched!

A simple solution? Classroom quotes! I print quotes on colored paper that will tie all the colors together. Doing this is an inexpensive way to tie the room together, to add a finishing touch. Plus, the quotes encourage student thought. I can use them for journal prompts or tie them into class discussions."

20. Classroom Rules

Julie from @juliesclassroomstories shares, "I prefer having a few overarching rules that guide students' lives "in the right direction" over lists of rules. Yes, I have guidelines and procedures about make up work or food in class, but I want my class (and rules) to teach life lessons. Shall we say "rules of the road"?

P.S. - I had my rules poster printed as a picture at Walgreens. These posters that match my journey classroom theme are free at my blog at juliefaulknersblog.com and via this link."

21. Student Work

Shey from @theclassroomsparrow recommends leaving some open wall space at the beginning of the year when planning your classroom setup. Why?

She says, "I use student work. It's truly a win-win for everyone. You get to showcase what your classes are working on, plus bring some color into your classroom by covering up those boring, white walls! You can even take this idea a step further and showcase actual photos of your students interacting and engaging in your classroom. Here's a fun group project that my students completed!"

Classroom setup tends to be one of the most high-energy, exciting times of the school year. Most teachers are coming off of summer break refreshed, waiting to meet their new students with anticipation, and looking to change a few things just to stay fresh.

Remember, you don't have to do everything everyone else is doing. Try what you think will work best for your teaching style, your students, and the learning environment you are trying to create. Overwhelmed? Just pick one thing.

What classroom setup tip makes the biggest impact on your teaching? Tell us in the comments!

READ NEXT:

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Classroom Setup Ideas for Secondary - Reading and Writing Haven

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Inspiring and unique classroom setup ideas for middle and high school. Incorporate classroom decor, fun seating options, and purposeful organization.

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32 of the Best Flexible Seating Options for Today’s Classroom

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Building Positive Learning Environments in the Early Years

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Building Positive Learning Environments in the Early Years

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By Sarah Merrill and Jamie Sheehan

When we think about early learning environments, what comes to mind? Often, it's things: alphabet puzzles, books lined up neatly on shelves, blocks, water tables, and more. But the most important part of a positive early learning environment is you. Teachers and family child care providers-all the education staff working with the children are what matter most. Though staff roles may look different across various types of settings (e.g., home-based, center-based, family child care), you remain the most important component of a responsive environment.

Positive early learning environments start with you when you create a positive social and emotional environment that is built on caring and responsive relationships. Children can't explore and learn, experience joy and wonder, until they feel secure. They need to trust their caregivers and know their needs will be met. Young children need adults to establish the relationships by being consistent and responding to social and emotional cues, both in classrooms and home-based settings.

When you build a unique relationship with children, learn their cues and communications, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and the areas where they need support, you help them feel safe. That's why providing nurturing, responsive, and effective interactions and engaging environments is the foundation of the Framework for Effective Practice, or the House Framework. The practices at the foundation of the house are critical to promote early learning and development in all domains.

But what you do for the children in your care is not everything! Take care of yourself! Make sure you feel safe and secure in the environment, too. When providers calmly manage the stresses and challenges they experience in an early childhood program, children feel safe and secure.

What helps you keep cool when challenges ramp up? When the toilet breaks one more time? When the children are antsy after a week of rain? Self-regulation skills. "Self-regulation" is your ability to manage your feelings, actions, and thoughts so you stay goal-directed and do not get derailed. For example, when a car pulls out in front of you on the highway, can you stay calm and carefully slow down so you don't hit it? Will you still get to the movie on time? Your self-regulation skills are at work every day, in so many ways.

Young children are just learning how to regulate their emotions, behavior, and cognition. But they can't do it alone. They need you! The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework says it clearly in the Approaches to Learning and Social and Emotional Functioning domains, where the self-regulation goals for young children include "the support of familiar adults."

Exactly what kind of support can you give young children? It's called co-regulation. "Co-regulation" is an interactive process where adults provide regulatory support to children in the context of a shared, nurturing relationship. It looks different at different ages, but adult support remains a critical piece of the puzzle throughout childhood. Even as grown-ups, we often need support from others to regulate ourselves-think of when you call your mom or meet a friend to talk through a bad day.

You might co-regulate when a baby is startled by a dog barking loudly. You pick the baby up, rock him, reassure him in a gentle tone, and rub his back until he is calm again. A preschooler becomes incredibly angry when a peer pushes her on the playground. In this case, you might kneel to the child's level and validate her feelings (e.g., "You're very mad because someone pushed you!") and suggest pro-social next steps (e.g., "Should we tell them how you feel?"). When you respond calmly to a child, the child's feelings often de-escalate. Children tend to turn up the intensity if they feel they aren't being understood. When you respond calmly, you show children what regulation looks like.

To work with children as they co-regulate, you need to:

Identify your own feelings and reactions when you are stressed.

Find healthy outlets to manage your emotions. Exercise can be an effective stress management practice for many people, while others find that meditation works best. Experiment and discover which strategies work for you.

Pay attention to your thoughts and beliefs about child development, behavior expectations, and individual children. Make sure you're interacting in developmentally, culturally, and linguistically responsive ways.

Use strategies to calm yourself so you can respond to children effectively and compassionately. Decide what works best for you. Drinking a glass of water? Singing a song with the children?

A key part of building a positive early learning environment is providing children with the co-regulation they need. There are three main ways you can do this:

First, build a warm and caring relationship with each child and their family. Your goal is to understand their development, communication style, and temperament. Some children may need a lot of support to co-regulate and others not as much. You only know those cues when you know the child. Parents can help you here because they know their children best!

Second, create an environment of "yes" for children that buffers them from environmental stressors. Establish predictable routines, transition strategies, and behavioral expectations appropriate to their development. You can also create a "cozy corner" in your classroom or family child care home where children can go if they are feeling overwhelmed. Share these ideas with families so they can create "yes" spaces in their home.

Third, offer children intentionally planned learning experiences to help them practice self-regulation skills. For example, you can plan fun activities to help children as young as 18 months learn to name their own feelings, recognize others' feelings, and self-soothe in moments of distress. Model these skills yourself and point out when you see other children and adults using them, too. Review your curriculum to ensure it offers appropriate social and emotional learning opportunities.

Youare the most important part of the early learning environment. Offering young children calm, nurturing, and predictable social and emotional environments, and promoting their self-regulation skills, helps them feel safe and secure so they can learn, play, and grow.

Sarah Merrill and Jamie Sheehan are Program Specialists for the Office of Head Start.

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Building Positive Learning Environments for Young Children Starts with You | ECLKC

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Staff are the most important parts of early childhood education settings. Explore ways to create a positive learning environment for the children with whom you work.

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Reflections of a Middle School Teacher on Flexible Seating

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Reflections of a Middle School Teacher on Flexible Seating

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The views of a teacher in giving students choice and voice in their learning environment.

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A middle school teacher shares the benefits of giving students voice and choice in their learning environment.

Courtesy of Brooke Markle

The author's classroom, ready to go for the new year.

Changes to a learning environment are often driven by the teacher's philosophy regarding how students learn best. When I decided to remove the student desks from my grade 7 English classroom for the last school year, I was motivated to do so after observing the way my students learned and analyzing how I could best support them in that learning.

According to the NEA article " Understanding Universal Design in the Classroom," the learning space is an important aspect of the whole educational experience: "One cannot have a community of learners without having a positive instructional climate. Instructors help to create this climate by everything that they do, from the way they respond to student questions to the arrangement of the classroom chairs." For my students, traditional seating hindered their ability to use the classroom in the ways they needed to accomplish the learning goals I set for them as modern learners.

The classroom environment should mirror what students will encounter in their future careers, and collaboration, problem solving, and meaning making are at the forefront of most job descriptions. Standard desks situated in rows do not foster open communication and collaboration. Before I moved the desks out of my classroom, I had typically arranged them in partners or small groups to try to facilitate conversation, but traditional desks in groups didn't foster the personalized, collaborative learning environment my students craved.

My Journey With Flexible Seating

Once I started researching options to shift the classroom environment, I was careful not to attempt a "Pinterest perfect" classroom and instead maintained focus on the purpose of flexible seating: allowing students a voice and a choice within their classroom. I incorporated various types of seating at different levels throughout the room, and students were able to find workspaces where comfort met capability.

Since I wrote about changing my room a year ago, educators from across the country have reached out with questions regarding how to manage flexible seating in a middle school classroom. Middle school students offer a unique challenge since they are in the midst of adolescence, which brings with it a great deal of change for them. I've answered questions on everything from student feedback, funding, parental concerns, and planning for substitutes to basic logistics and materials. There are many ways to address these questions-in the end, a classroom environment is all about the needs of the students within the room.

Although I started last school year with no traditional desks in my classroom, I did have traditional options available, such as standard tables with ergonomic plastic chairs. I tried to be sensitive to the needs of all the learners-many students enjoy nontraditional seating options, yet an equal number prefer a standard learning space.

Last year I used student feedback surveys in each marking period to determine "home base" seats for my students-where they sit each day for attendance and initial instruction. Having home base seats helped with the distractions and confusion that come with transitions between classes.

I also asked whether they wanted any traditional desks-the answer was no-and if they had opinions about the placement of furniture. This feedback was really helpful, especially with multiple classes using the room every day.

I made changes to the classroom several times throughout the school year based on what my students suggested, which I strongly believe was a key component to the success of the pilot program. My classroom was in fact their classroom, and being responsive to their changing needs was critical.

As summer ends and I think about the furniture I have in my classroom and the new items I acquired through various local grant opportunities, I'm planning multiple placement options for each piece.

The Benefits I Saw

One benefit of flexible seating that I didn't anticipate was that when I incorporated station work and students moved to new seats to work with a new group, they seemed more open to collaborating with an assortment of peers in a variety of locations than had been the case with traditional seating.

I admired the way my students took an active role in their educational journey when provided with a choice as small as where they preferred to complete an assignment. As the NEA article notes, "Students know how they learn best. Give them credit for the knowledge they bring to the classroom, and make them partners in the creation of a positive instructional climate."

Students are completely capable of doing their best work while stretched out on the classroom floor, sitting in an Adirondack chair, or even curled into a tire seat. I've been amazed at the discussions that occurred among my students and the ease with which they shared writing samples and ideas about literary questions with an array of peers.

Flexible seating is about more than simply having a variety of different, fun seats in the classroom. It's about utilizing student voice, creating buy-in, heightening collaborative learning, and prioritizing students' needs concerning the environment in which they learn.

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Reflections on Shifting to a Flexible Classroom

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A middle school teacher shares the benefits of giving students voice and choice in their learning environment.

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Top 10 Benefits of a Flexible-Seating Classroom

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"When preparing kids for the real world, we want students' learning environment to reflect the environment of the real world," said Manuel Herrera, a district tech coordinator for the Affton School District in Missouri, as he reflected on the flexible seating movement that began in the workplace. "This [flexible seating] isn't a fad.

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All students must be able to access, use, and evaluate information in order to meet the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century. These abilities are a necessary precursor to a sound education and healthy democracy. Reading in all its dimensions-informational, purposeful, and recreational-promotes students' overall academic success and well-being. Furthermore, when students possess the skills necessary to access, select, use, and effectively evaluate their reading materials, their ability to become engaged members of their communities and productive citizens is enhanced. A large body of research demonstrates that equitable access to books promotes reading achievement and motivation (Allington, 2002, 2009; Krashen, 2011; Nystrand, 2006; Wu & Samuels, 2004).

Classroom libraries-physical or virtual-play a key role in providing access to books and promoting literacy; they have the potential to increase student motivation, engagement, and achievement and help students become critical thinkers, analytical readers, and informed citizens As English language arts educators, we know that no book is right for every student, and classroom libraries offer ongoing opportunities for teachers to work with students as individuals to find books that will ignite their love for learning, calm their fears, answer their questions, and improve their lives in any of the multiple ways that only literature can.

For these reasons, we support student access to classroom libraries that 1) offer a wide range of materials to appeal to and support the needs of students with different interests and abilities; 2) provide access to multiple resources that reflect diverse perspectives and social identities; and 3) open up opportunities for students, teachers, and school librarians to collaborate on the selections available for student choice and reading.

Administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community leaders are all essential in promoting, building, and maintaining classroom libraries, but teachers play an especially critical role. They are uniquely qualified to select books that supplement and complement curricula and address the needs, interests, and concerns of their students. The National Council of Teachers of English supports efforts to provide teachers with the ability to exercise their professional judgment in developing and maintaining classroom libraries and to support them with financial resources to do so. The National Council of Teachers of English further strongly recommends that stakeholders do everything in their power to financially support teachers in their efforts to build classroom libraries.

Thus, as members of the National Council of Teachers of English, we recognize the specific educational benefits of classroom libraries to students because they

motivate students by encouraging voluntary and recreational reading

help young people develop an extensive array of literacy strategies and skills

provide access to a wide range of reading materials that reflect abilities and interests

enhance opportunities for both assigned and casual reading

provide choice in self-selecting reading materials for self-engagement

strengthen and encourage authentic literate exchanges among young people and adolescents

provide access to digitized reading materials that may help to foster the development of technological literacy skills

facilitate opportunities to validate and promote the acceptance and inclusion of diverse students' identities and experiences

create opportunities to cultivate an informed citizenry

Furthermore, because classroom libraries serve the overall goals of education, the National Council of Teachers of English encourages teachers and other education professionals to

recognize the importance of rich and diverse classroom libraries that offer students access to a wide and extensive repertoire of accessible reading materials

promote students' right to read while recognizing teachers as curriculum decision makers in promoting their students' repertoire of literacy skills and strategies

recognize that classroom libraries improve reading abilities for all students

increase literacy resources for teachers through access to diverse mentor texts and opportunities to differentiate literacy instruction

enlist other interested parties-administrators, support personnel, parents, and community leaders-to assist in the effort to financially support, build, and maintain diverse classroom libraries at all levels

Thus, the National Council Teachers of English supports, encourages, and defends the significance and preservation of classroom libraries in all disciplines in our nation's public schools and urges their continuation and implementation by classroom teachers, school administrators, and community leaders.

References

Allington, R. L. (2002). What I've learned about effective reading instruction from a decade of studying exemplary elementary classroom teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10), 740-747.

Allington, R. L. (2009). If they don't read much . . . 30 years later. In E. H. Hiebert (Ed.), Reading more, reading better (pp. 30-54). New York, NY: Guilford.

Allington, R. L. (2012). What really matters for struggling readers: Designing research-based programs (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2000). Engagement and motivation in reading. In M.L. Kamil, P.B. Mosenthal, P.D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Reading research handbook (Vol. 3, pp. 403-424). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Guthrie, J. T., & Humenick, N. M. (2004). Motivating students to read: Evidence for classroom practices that increase motivation and achievement. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 329-354). Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes.

Jacobs, J. S., Morrison, T. G., & Swinyard, W. R. (2000). Reading aloud to students: A national probability study of classroom reading practices of elementary school teachers. Reading Psychology, 21(3), 171-193.

Krashen, S. (2011). Free voluntary reading. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Nystrand, M. (2006). Research on the role of classroom discourse as it affects reading comprehension. Research in the Teaching of English, 40(4), 392-412.

Reis, S. M., McCoach, D. B., Coyne, M. Schreiber, F. J., Eckert, R. D., & Gubbins, E. J. (2007). Using planned enrichment strategies with direct instruction to improve reading fluency, comprehension, and attitude toward reading: An evidence-based study. Elementary School Journal, 108(1), 3-24.

Scholastic.com. (n.d.) Access to books: Family and community engagement research compendium. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/face/pdf/research-compendium/access-to-books.pdf

Taylor, B. M., Pearson, P. D., Peterson, D. S., & Rodriguez, M. C. (2003). Reading growth in high-poverty classrooms: The influence of teacher practices that encourage cognitive engagement in literacy learning. Elementary School Journal, 104(1), 3-28.

Teresa, E. C. (2017). Kids and family reading report (6th ed.). Scholastic, Inc. & YouGov Parchilitam Kids and Family Reading Report 2017, Emily C. Teresa, Corporate Communications, January 30, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/files/Scholastic-KFRR-6ed-2017.pdf

Trelease, J. (2001). Read-aloud handbook (5th ed.). New York, NY: Viking-Penguin.

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2015). The importance of a classroom library. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-library-importance-heather-wolpert-gawron

Wu, Y., & Samuels, S. J. (2004, May). How the amount of time spent on independent reading affects reading achievement. Paper presented at the annual convention of the International Reading Association, Reno, Nevada.

The NCTE Standing Committee Against Censorship, 2016-2017

Chair: Jeffrey Kaplan, University of Central Florida, Orlando
Christina Berchini, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
Joan Bertin, National Coalition Against Censorship, New York, NY
Jean Brown, Rhode Island College, Providence
Annamary Consalvo, University of Texas at Tyler
Brooke Boback Eisenbach, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Barry Gilmore, Hutchison School, Memphis, TN
Wendy Glenn, University of Connecticut, Storrs
Paula Greathouse, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville
Yvette R. Hyde, Covington Education Center, Covington, LA
Sarah Willens Kass, Westland Middle School, Bethesda, MD
William D. Kemp, Albany, NY
ReLeah Lent, Morgantown, GA
Risha Leigh Mullins, Chandlersville, OH
Connie Nagel, Bettendorf, IA
Gretchen Oltman, Creighton University, Omaha, NE
Jonathan Rogers, Iowa City High School, IA
Kym Sheehan, Charlotte County Public Schools, FL
Approved by the NCTE Executive Committee, May 2017

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All students must be able to access, use, and evaluate information in order to meet the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century. These abilities are a necessary precursor to a sound education and healthy democracy. Reading in all its dimensions-informational, purposeful, and recreational-promotes students' overall academic success and well-being.

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How to create a classroom library.

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How do you create a classroom library that is both organized and enticing to young readers? Here a teacher illustrates how she set up her classroom library. She provides tips on acquiring books and materials, organizing the shelves, creating labels, and making it cozy.

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Scholastic's 11 Essentials for Highly Effective Classroom Libraries

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Scholastic's 11 Essentials for Highly Effective Classroom Libraries

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Research clearly demonstrates that a robust, high-quality classroom library impacts student achievement. Students who have access to an extensive, exemplary classroom library read more, read more widely for a variety of purposes, demonstrate more positive attitudes toward reading, and score higher on standardized tests of reading achievement. In this way, students are more likely to achieve the goals of college and career readiness.

Successful skill-building classroom libraries do the following:

Support literacy instruction.

Help students learn about books.

Provide a central location for classroom resources.

Provide opportunities for independent reading and curricular extensions.

Serve as a place for students to talk about and interact with books.

Here are the 11 essentials every classroom library must have to be effective:
1. A minimum of 750 books in good condition.

2. Thirty books per student.

3. 30% of the books in your classroom library have been published in the last 3-5 years (at a minimum).

4. 5 new books per student are added to your classroom library each year.

5. 50-70% of your classroom library consists of nonfiction books.

6. 10% of your classroom library consists of reference books (at a minimum).

7. 25% of your classroom library consists of multicultural books (at a minimum).

8. The reading level of your classroom library expands to cover two to three years above and below grade level. ( Here's a handy link to book lists for every guided reading level.)

9. Multiple copies of popular titles and text sets appear in your classroom library so multiple students can read these at the same time.

10. A rich variety of genres is included in your classroom library so children are exposed to: realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction, biography and autobiography, stories, classics, myths and legends, picture books, reference, poetry, comic books and graphic novels, and more.

11. Digital texts, ebooks, and multimedia such as interactive whiteboard technology.

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11 Essentials for a Highly Effective Classroom Library

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Research clearly demonstrates that a robust, high-quality classroom library impacts student achievement. Students who have access to an extensive, exemplary classroom library read more, read more widely for a variety of purposes, demonstrate more positive attitudes toward reading, and score higher on standardized tests of reading achievement.

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The school's social environment is one of the six different but equally important key components of the whole school approach to a health-promoting school. The school's social environment refers to the quality of relationships among the students and between students, teachers, other staff and school leadership. When considering your school's social environment other factors to consider include wellbeing, safety, inclusion and diversity as well as school social media and virtual settings. These forms of social communication can also affect health and wellbeing and are an important part of the school culture.

The school's social environment is one of the important standards of a health-promoting school. This standard is described by SHE as an environment conducive to the safety, health, and well-being of pupils and school staff ("European standards and indicators for health-promoting schools pg 19 and 32-34). The following questions can give an indication of whether your school's social environment meets the standards of a health-promoting school.

Are teachers' disciplining and rewarding methods respectful of students' personalities and are positive social relationships cultivated within the classroom?

Does the school have appropriate spaces for active learning and cooperative learning methods?

Are there developmentally appropriate discussions (according to the age and mental abilities of pupils) and activities for developing pro-social tools, self-esteem, conflict resolution skills and effective communication?

Does your school have a peer mentoring program to tackle bullying?

Are pupils are actively involved in developing a positive school ethos?

Is the number of bullying incidents observed and reported and successfully handled?

Do what degree do teachers and parents feel safe, respected and included in the school?

Is there a friendly atmosphere during teacher-parents meetings?

Is there information that circulates within the school about well-being, healthy lifestyles, bullying prevention and sexual education?

Are there activities and practices that are implemented specifically to promote interconnectedness?

To what degree do students feel supported by school staff?

Are there activities that promote relaxation, concentration and fun and are conducive to wellbeing?

Is there is an active class council or students' association?

Does the school community organise social events and how many school members participate?

Does the school comply with democratic structures, dialogue and decision making including the active participation of students and teachers?

Are there defined policies for students with special needs such as the administration of medicines or special diets.

In addition, SHE's rapid assessment tool helps you identify what your school already does well, what areas need improvement and what you want to focus on and includes questions about the school's social environment.

Click here to access SHE School Manual (2.0) ( available in languages other than English)

Click here for SHE's European Standards and Indicators (available in languages other than English)

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Schools for Health in Europe Network Foundation. Improving the health of children and young people in Europe. The vision of SHE is that the health promoting school approach becomes an acknowledged and accepted concept in all EU Member States, with increased implementation activities on regional and local level within schools.

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Strategies to Build Productive and Positive Learning Environments

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Strategies to Build Productive and Positive Learning Environments

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by Becton Loveless

Positive, productive learning environments are key to students' academic, emotional and social success in school. Unfortunately, positive learning environments don't just happen on their own-they must be created. There are many components that go into making a positive learning environment for students. For starters, positive learning environments should offer a climate of safety, where risk-taking is encouraged, there is open authentic conversation, trust and respect are fostered, and positive interaction is the norm.

The best time to start developing a positive learning environment in your classroom is during the first days, weeks, and months of the school year-but it's never too late to get started. Below, we'll explore positive action strategy, and several simple tips, that teachers, educators, and even parents, can use for creating a positive, productive learning environment for students. By implementing these strategies, you'll be able combine the need for positive learning environments that foster improved academic performance, with the ability to promote students' social and emotional wellbeing and progress inside and outside the classroom.

Step 1 - Make learning relevant

The more relevant a topic or subject is to students' own success and happiness, the more engaged they'll become in the learning process. On the whole, when teaching math, science, social studies, even history, find ways to adapt the lesson or lecture to the interests of students. It's also helpful to discover the interests, talents, and learning styles of each student if possible. As resources permit, adjust teaching methods and strategies to meet the needs of students on an individual basis and you'll see students become more attentive and engaged.

Step 2 - Develop a Code of Conduct

If students don't have a clear and agreed upon understanding of positive and negative behaviors, it's difficult to create a positive learning environment in the classroom and at school. The first step to establishing a code of conduct is to ask students how they like being treated. From this question students should be able to brainstorm a list of behaviors they believe are respectful, kind, fair, and appropriate. At this point, together students and teachers should be able to agree that treating others the way we each want to be treated is the best code of conduct, and should set the stage for appropriate classroom behaviors.

Step 3 - Employ a Positive Actions Curriculum

While it would be nice if all students shared the same understanding of positive behaviors, they don't. Children come from diverse family, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. All these influences, and others, shape students' perspective of what's appropriate, and what is not. It's important that students are taught positive behaviors in a consistent and systematic way at school and in the classroom. Developing a Positive Action curriculum is one of the most effective ways to teach and instill in students positive behaviors. Positive action curriculum should teach students:

That positive actions lead to a good feeling and positive self image.

Positive actions such as nutrition, property exercise, and sleep that lead to a healthy body.

Positive actions such as problem-solving, decision-making and thinking skills develop the brain and make us smarter.

Positive actions such as kindness, living the Golden Rule, and being respectful allow us get along with others.

Positive actions such as time management and managing our emotions help us better manage our own affairs.

Positive actions such as admitting mistakes and taking responsibility for our actions allow us to be honest with others and ourselves.

Positive actions such as goal setting lead to personal growth and improvement.

Positive actions lead to positive behaviors, which help children feel good about themselves and others.

Step 4 - Help Students Develop Intrinsic Motivation

Feeling good about themselves is an intrinsic motivator to students-especially elementary age students-and positive actions help children feel good about themselves. So, how do you help students consistently engage in positive actions? First, actions are always preceded by thoughts. Second, actions and behaviors are typically consistent with thoughts. Third, feelings, children experience about themselves, are based in large part by their actions. Helping students learn that by changing a negative thought to a positive they can produce positive actions, and that positive actions will help them feel good about themselves is a powerful intrinsic motivator.

Step 5 - Reinforce Positive Behaviors

Recognizing and reinforcing positive behaviors is one of the most effective ways to produce positive actions in students, strengthen intrinsic motivation, and create a productive and positive learning environment. Certificates, stickers, toy prizes, tickets, tokens and other reward systems are great ways to recognize students and reinforce positive behavior and achievement in the classroom. However, it's also important to help students make the connection between positive behavior and the good feeling it produces (not just the physical award). As students make that connection between positive behavior and good feelings, and continue producing positive actions, they'll feel good about themselves, the intrinsic motivation is strengthened, and students will continue producing more positive actions and exhibiting positive behaviors.

Step 6 - Always Respond With Positivity

Positivity is a key component of a positive learning environment. Interacting with students in a positive manner, exhibiting positive behaviors, and maintaining a positive attitude is one of the most important steps for creating a positive learning environment and producing successful students. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, there is always a way to respond to and interact with students in a positive way. Teaching students how to communicate and interact with each other in a positive manner is also key to fostering a positive learning environment in the classroom. Positivity is one of the most powerful agents of change for establishing and maintaining a positive learning environment at school and in the classroom.

Simple Tips and Strategies for Building Positive Learning Environments

The Positive Action strategy we introduced above is one of the few character education programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse to produce positive results in students' academic performance and behavior. But it isn't the only strategy. Below is an additional list of simple strategies and tips from teachers, educators, and even parents, that have proven useful and effective for creating a positive, productive learning environment at school and in the classroom.

Relationships first, school second. Don't jump straight into school work the first day of school. Break the ice and help get students out of their comfort zone at the onset by playing some interactive games and holding some team building exercises. This helps students get to know each other on a personal level, and experience the "human" side of their teacher.

Share some stories from the summer. Before you transition into the school year have the students share some of the fun things they, or their families did over the summer. Also, take a moment to share with your students what you did over the summer. This helps the students get to know each other and their teacher, and helps you build rapport with your students.

Get to know each student. At the beginning of the new year, or term, ask parents to write a "in a million words or less" letter describing their child. Once you have received letters from all the parents, take some time to read each letter and learn about the unique character, desires, needs and talents of each child. Reading these letters at least once, if not regularly, will help you see each child in a different light.

Write an introduction letter. Get to know your students and let them get to know you through introduction letters. Write a letter telling your students about yourself, your likes, your hobbies, loves and aspirations. For their first assignment, have students write a letter about themselves for you.

Create an Internet Meme. Internet memes are a fun and effective way for communicating important expectations, rules and concepts with students without coming off mean or overbearing. They can include media, catch phrases, jokes and funny images.

Lean on Your Colleagues. Being a good teacher and creating a positive learning environment takes a lot of work-so don't go at it alone. Reach out to other teachers, educators and people who will support you, build you up and who have been successful at creating positive learning environments.

Plan for the Future, Live in the Moment. As you work toward creating a positive learning environment for your students, stay focused on the present. Creating a positive working environment is a process, it won't happen overnight. Don't get so caught up with the end goal that you are not able to savor the moment.

Get Students Involved in the Process. Creating a positive learning environment should involve all your students. Have students help decide how to design the room, where pictures should go, what pictures should be used, etc. Allow them to take ownership of their learning environment.

Create a Creative Bookmark. Create a laminated bookmark with your contact information on it. This is a fun way to invite your students to stay in touch with you. Include your email address, school web page URL or any other info you want students to have at their fingertips.

Create a Classroom Newsletter. Having your class develop a newsletter is a great way to keep students engaged, entertained and parents involved. But don't you do it! Have your students do it. Make your newsletter a student driven project and you'll engender a positive classroom learning environment.

Connect Using Social Media. Social media can be a great way for teachers to connect with students-especially given the propensity that kids have these days to access social media. Take pictures of class projects, awards, activities and events and post them on instagram for kids and parents to enjoy. Or maybe you can set up a class twitter account to keep students and parents up to date on what's going on in the classroom throughout the year.

Create a Blog. Create and maintain a classroom blog. This is another great way to keep students and teachers up to date and involved in what's going on in the classroom. It's also a great place to post upcoming projects, guidelines, study guides and resources for students and parents.

Keep it Green. Use digital technology to decrease reliance on paper products and to facilitate online communication between teachers and students, and their parents. Much of what was traditionally communicated using paper can now be communicated digitally online using Twitter, Facebook, or a class web page. Going digital saves time, is more effective than paper (which can be lost), foster a positive learning environment, and protects our world's environment.

Start with Relationships. As tempting as it is to get a headstart on academics, keep the focus of the first day of school on establishing relationships and building a sense of community within your classroom. Let each student know that the most important part of their education is them. Do some team building activities. Show students that they are valued for their contribution. There will be plenty of time to focus on academics tomorrow.

Be Enthusiastic. Be enthusiastic! Smile! Let your students know that you're excited to be there and that you're excited they're there. Everything you say or do the first week of school should communicate your enthusiasm for the new school year. Your positive attitude and enthusiasm is key to creating, and maintaining, a positive learning environment in the classroom.

Stay Optimistic. After the enthusiasm of the first few weeks of school starts to wear off and you get down to the nitty gritty of dealing with the challenges of being a teacher, you must stay committed to maintaining a positive attitude and a high level of optimism throughout the year. Students will pick up on any negativity or bad moods immediately. Your ability to maintain a positive attitude, and stay optimistic, is at the core of your ability to establish a positive learning environment.

Treat Each Student As If They Were Your Own Child. Are you a parent? Have you experienced those struggles and fears that your own children have experienced as they've gone to school each day? Have you ever hoped or prayed their teacher would be sensitive to their needs and be understanding? Treat each of your students with the same love, respect and level of attention that you'd want for your own child. It takes work, but it will bring out the best in each child and foster a positive learning environment.

Focus on the Positive. There is something positive to be found in even the worst student. Each day find something good in each student and point it out to them. Focusing on the positive in every student will enable you to create and maintain a truly positive learning environment for your students. And more importantly, you'll help each student build esteem and self worth that will last a lifetime.

Sometimes... Just Wing It. Humans are unpredictable. Children are even more unpredictable. Now matter how well you planned over the summer, once your children arrive in the classroom, and you start getting to know them, you really can't make a concrete plan. Take a little time to get to know your students. After the first few days of school, you may need to re-evaluate your plan and go back to the drawing board to fix a few things. Have fun. It's okay.

Review the Basics. Academics are important, but if students know proper classroom etiquette it's difficult to have a successful learning environment. Don't assume that your students know anything-review the basics. During the first week of school review with your students how to ask for help, provide help to other students, work together, collaborate, be respectful, etc. Reviewing the basics sets the stage for a positive and productive learning environment in the classroom.

Reconnect at the Beginning of Each Year. Plan a school wide social event or activity to be held the week before school starts. This provides students, teachers, parents and faculty the opportunity to reconnect without the pressures of school. Keep the event low key and focused on socializing and getting to know one another.

Establish Positive Parent Relationships. The last thing you want to do is wait until there is an issue or problem with little Tommy before you attempt to establish a relationship with his parents. At the beginning of each year, reach out to the parents of each child in your class in a personal way. Introduce yourself, let them know who you are, that you're excited to start working with their child, and what your plans are for the year. Building a relationship with parents early on sets the stage for a positive learning environment with their child the rest of the year.

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Strategies for Building a Productive and Positive Learning Environment

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by Becton Loveless Positive, productive learning environments are key to students' academic, emotional and social success in school. Unfortunately, positive learning environments don't just happen on their own-they must be created. There are many components that go into making a positive learning environment for students.

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Creating Learning Stations You Will Love

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Creating Learning Stations You Will Love

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What if you could blend differentiation, brain-based learning, collaboration, and student engagement all into one power-packed lesson? It's possible! In this post, you'll find ideas for how to create learning stations that maximize movement, differentiation, and student engagement.

If learning stations are new to you, just picture students spread out around the room working in small groups (usually selected by you based upon skill needs or readiness levels). Each group is working on a different task that targets an area students need to practice. Identify your standard, deconstruct it (what must students be able to do and understand to be proficient with that standard?), and create tasks to help students develop those skills. Each station may last for 10-15 minutes (or however long you think is necessary). Students rotate between stations (yay - movement!) and participate in a variety of practice opportunities.

Before we get into some of the details about using learning stations effectively with older students, it's important to note that learning stations require strategy. We can't just gather some random activities and put them in corners of the room, hoping students will stay on task and take something away from the experience. I've made that mistake, and it feels very much like busy work for students.

Learning stations have to be purposefully designed. Is off-task behavior a concern? We have to work at building a culture in which students stay focused and respectful. Most importantly, while students are doing the thinking in learning stations, it's the teacher's job to make sure they are getting targeted practice and to identify common misconceptions, areas of strength, and points for growth.

So, let's look at some possibilities for designing and executing the practice in middle and high school.

DESIGNING LEARNING STATIONS

When we create learning stations, we need to first identify the learning goal. Are you trying to pique students' curiosity about a culture or time period? Are you trying to build background knowledge? Or, are you emphasizing the inherent behaviors and understandings of a specific standard? Often, learning stations are a way to differentiate skills students have already been introduced to during direct instruction.

Not all stations in the lineup need to be about the same topic. If you want students to engage in critical thinking about grammar, vocabulary, analysis, and writing about something they are reading, you could create each station to address one of those topics.

Let's say you are reading a short story. Stations might include:

small group reading strategy instruction with the teacher

mentor sentence analysis from the story

connotation and denotation exploration in word choice

responding to an essential question or a standards-aligned prompt (ex - how does the setting impact the storyline) in writing

In this way, you've essentially created a differentiated close reading experience for students. They are required to look back at the text four times, but each time through a different lens and with a fresh purpose for reading.

DIFFERENTIATING STATION TASKS

When you sit down to create learning stations, make sure to build in some differentiation. How might that look in middle or high school?

Use low-floor, high-ceiling tasks.

Select tasks that are open ended. In other words, make sure students of all readiness levels can access the activity. For instance, if you ask students to identify character development, give them a graphic organizer. Some of them are going to be identifying obvious details from the story, while others will naturally lean toward making higher-level inferences. All students can be involved at their readiness level.

Give students ownership.

One of the most effective ways to ensure students are engaged in learning stations is to give them voice and choice.

Voice: Tell them about the learning target, and ask them, based upon what they already know, how they would like to practice and develop those skills more. They might not have a specific answer on the spot, but they might be able to suggest something like, "a game" or using a tech tool.

Choice: Provide a few different learning options at at least one of the stations. Vocabulary? Have them create sketch associations, create (or complete) analogies, or use pictures as inspiration to write sentences using the words. This resource contains many more ideas for creative vocabulary learning station activities.

Build in tiered activities.

When you create learning stations, you should have an idea of your students' current aptitude with the content and skills. Build in some tiered activities so that no one is bored or under-challenged. Let's use writing as an example. Perhaps you give students three options at a station.

1. Revise your essay for fragments and run-ons.

2. Incorporate a few dependent clauses as transitions.

3. Find at least one hole or flaw in your arguments, and brainstorm how to fill or revise it.

To prevent students from flying down the list without digging in to each task, you could tell students which one you want them to focus on that day. If they finish early and their group members don't have any revision suggestions, they can move on to the next item.

Vary learning preferences.

Brain research supports many of the approaches already mentioned in this post. While the validity of learning styles is still highly debatable, I have noticed a difference in learning when students are offered opportunities to explore new information through multiple avenues. To increase engagement, try building in different learning preferences.

For example, when studying how to embed cited research...

Students might use manipulatives on their desks or tables. Where does the signal phrase go? the quote? the punctuation? Where should the punctuation go?

Add a video or two short ones students can watch and then give them choice in how they want to take notes - a t-chart, sketch notes, etcetera.

Use highlighters to have students color code the various aspects of the embedded quote. Color code them!

On big chart paper, ask students to work together (standing, if you prefer, for movement) to write the quote's introduction, the quote, and the elaboration. Have them annotate their work.

INCORPORATING MOVEMENT

Students will naturally move when they rotate between stations, but when you create learning stations, you can also build in movement intentionally. For instance, before rotating, maybe walk students through some simple neck or forearm stretches to reduce stress. Play a song and dance to the next station. When you stop the music, students know that is their cue to get started.

Build movement into your actual station activities by having them do a mini scavenger hunt. Hang task cards in the hallway. Incorporate games or skits that add small movement. Use Post-It notes to have them arrange or classify ideas. Or, ask them to write ideas on the board.

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK CULTURE

Even if you have designed the best learning stations on the planet, you might end up walking away frustrated if the classroom culture doesn't suit them. So, when you create learning stations, consider the "what ifs." Here are some instructional strategies I've found beneficial in creating an ideal culture that supports learning stations.

Involve students in creating the norms.

Explain to students what learning stations are. Maybe even show them a video clip from the web so they can see them in action. Then, brainstorm together what effective learning stations should look like, sound like, and feel like. Compile their ideas on chart paper, and each time you use learning stations, review the chart first. Reminders never hurt!

Build group work stamina.

Keep track of how long students are able to work together and stay focused. Then, create a visual (a common one is a bar chart on big paper) showing how many minutes students increase each time. If there is a disruption, stop the class, review the norms, and then get back to work.

Focus on evidence of learning.

Accountability is somewhat of a taboo term any more, but we do need evidence of learning. Combine the information you hear and see when observing your students with an exit slip or learning station notes page. Use this evidence to reflect on the effectiveness of the instruction and to plan future teaching.

Consider including a teacher station.

Learning stations are an opportunity for you to sit with small groups of students to give them targeted instruction! Maybe the whole class is working on being able to analyze theme, but different groups of students are at different readiness levels. Form your groups so that when you meet with each of them, you can tweak the theme lesson to fit their needs.

Some students might be identifying themes that don't extend beyond the text. Others might need to work on supporting the theme with text evidence. Or, maybe they are ready to dig into a mini lesson about how to explain theme using plot, character development, and conflict.

I would suggest not incorporating the teacher station until students have demonstrated the ability to stay focused during the learning stations.

Use a visible timer.

Whether you display the station rotation times on the white board or use one from online, make sure students can see how much time they have to finish their work. The sense of urgency will be there, which will keep them on task. I find timers help me to keep order as well! If I'm working with a group, time can get away from me, and then the subsequent stations are shortened.

Plan for fast finishers.

Don't compile a bunch of worksheets. But. Do have an idea of what you want students to do if they finish early at a station. Should they watch a related video to add to their understanding on the topic? Reading a book of their choice or responding to reading with writing are also meaningful options. Students could improve their listening comprehension by tuning into a podcast. Or, have students work on reviewing their vocabulary words.

Have a back-up plan.

Some students don't do well with lots of transitions and unpredictability. Have a back-up plan ready for them. Maybe that includes working through a Hyperdoc of very similar learning experiences but in a quiet location or next to a teacher. This shouldn't be a punishment. Have a private, one-on-one conversation with any students necessary during or after your first round of learning stations. Ask them if they'd prefer to learn in a different format, and tell them you have an option they might like better!

Learning stations often take some prep time, but once you have stations established that you love, you can use them again. If you can't incorporate all of these tips for success, that's okay, too! This is what works for me, but they are also insights I've gained over fifteen years of teaching. I knew very little of this as a first-year middle and high school teacher. If you do your best to incorporate stations and part of the experience flops, celebrate it as a learning experience and try again.

If you'd like to dig into a different perspective for how to create learning stations, Language Arts Classroom provides her approach, specific to making grammar engaging, in this post.

RELATED RESOURCES:
Get started with learning stations! Here are some resources that will save you time:

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How to Create Learning Stations Students will Love - Reading and Writing Haven

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What if you could blend differentiation, brain-based learning, collaboration, and student engagement all into one power-packed lesson? It's possible! In this post, you'll find ideas for how to create learning stations that maximize movement, differentiation, and student engagement.

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Blog- The Daring English Teacher

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One of the first things teachers learn in their pre-service teaching classes is the importance of establishing effective classroom routines and procedures for the middle school and high school classroom. Here is a look at 12 effective daily classroom routines to consider for your middle school ELA or high school English classroom.

According to Shana Ramin from Hello, Teacher Lady, daily agenda slides are one of her classroom's most valuable tools. She started creating daily slides a few years ago to keep track of lesson materials and make it easier for absent students to see what they missed. At first, she only posted them on Google Classroom - students could log on and access the information and materials they missed in one convenient place - but Shana quickly realized how beneficial it was to display the slides for students at the beginning of class as well. Students would walk into class knowing exactly what they needed for the day and were able to write down important reminders/dates in their planners before class even started.

With the sudden transition to distance learning due to COVID-19, Shana says that her daily agenda slides became even more of an essential classroom tool. In an end-of-year survey, many students commented explicitly on how much they appreciated having the slides as a single reference point while working from home.

How do you make your lessons meaningful? One small routine Staci from The Engaging Station started doing last year is adding a "Why" section to her agenda slides. You can see some examples here and here.

Often, we ask ourselves (as learners), "Why are we doing this?" Including a" Why" statement explains why we are doing that lesson and why it's meaningful. It's something Staci learned about in her grad class on equity and excellence with a focus on vision and mission statements.

Including a "Why" statement also helps us reflect on our lessons and understand why we are teaching certain content and skills. Through this lens and introspection, we can also see who we are centering in our lessons and who we are excluding. Discussing the "Why" with students can be incredibly powerful to hear their perspectives on what should be included in our curriculum as well.

One of Christina's ( The Daring English Teacher) favorite classroom routines is the use of a daily bell-ringer activity. By starting every single class period with a bell-ringer, my students quickly get into the habit of starting their work at the start of class. It is one of the classroom routines that she establishes at the beginning of the school year. Plus, I use this time to take and submit attendance and answer student questions.

In Christina's classroom, as her students are completing their bell ringer work, she walks around and stamps each students' paper to mark their work as complete. This routine allows her to assess students' understanding of the topic, and it also gives her one-on-one time with each student every single class period. This bell ringer routine helps her build strong relationships with my students. You can read more about this strategy in this blog post.

When it comes to assigning a bell-ringer in the secondary ELA classroom, the possibilities are endless. Christina likes to assign a variety of bell-ringer activities to help students build their skills. For example, when students work on sentence combining bell-ringers, they improve their writing skills. Another effective bell-ringer strategy is to have students work on literature-related bell ringers that are related to your lesson.

When teachers start their careers, they're taught to focus on classroom management and content. What my friend Amanda from Mud and Ink Teaching has found, however, is that strong routines at the beginning and end of class set up a classroom environment that prevents the kinds of behaviors that need to be "managed" and create space for students to learn more during the class period.

To open class, Amanda uses a simple bell work routine that is flexible for the time of year and type of unit that your class is working on. Bell work can consist of vocabulary study, watching and reacting to YouTube videos, listening to and reacting to a poem, or any other type of quick content that students can independently work on. That's the key: independence. In Amanda's classroom, the first 5-7 minutes are silent and focused on the work so that she can do some key things: take attendance, check-in with a student in the hallway, or even send off a quick email about a situation from the previous class period. Training students at the beginning of the year to do this work instead of crowd around the teacher desk or take that entire time to get settled down takes work, but Amanda has a blog post that's got you covered here.

To close the period, a fancy routine isn't required, but structurally, there needs to be something in place that signals closing. Amanda has two lines that she says with her kids at the end of the period: "It's time to pack up" and "Have a great day!". The first command about packing up is the ONLY point at which students can start with that zipper sound - beforehand is an oh no no! You might try using a wireless doorbell to signal when it's time to pack up or using a favorite catch-phrase that the kids say together at the end of the period. What's important is that every class period closes together rather than simply running endlessly into the bell.

Between interruptions, bad breaks, multi-tasking, and general challenges that come with teaching every day, it's easy to lose track of time during a lesson. That's why Jenna Copper from @drjennacopper loves using a simple classroom timer. A classroom timer can be a tool to create urgency for your students on a specific task (hence minimizing lag and downtime), but most of all, it's a tool to help you keep track of time. It's easy to lose your sense of time when students are working on a task and you are answering questions or helping students one on one.

It's a great way to "budget" the time in the classroom. Your timer can be a physical timer or a digital one. I like to project my timer on the Smart Board so we all can see the timer at once. You can find timers on YouTube or www.online-stopwatch.com. Keep in mind, they aren't perfect. If you have anything else to project on the Smart Board, you must switch back and forth between the screens, and YouTube has some annoying ads you'll need to filter.

If you'd like more information on workarounds and an even simpler solution, check out her blog post here.

Co-creating a classroom community where everyone feels seen, valued, and primed to engage in high-quality lessons is critical to the success of secondary ELA classrooms. Students have many emotions and life circumstances that they are balancing, and sometimes need a window to be celebrated and to share concerns. Each year, Tanesha from Love Tanesha, prioritizes developing and maintaining relationships with quick class meetings. These meetings provide opportunities for students to give feedback on lessons, share important information, and celebrate one another.

Given the often tight class structure of the ELA classroom, Tanesha leverages surveys ( example) via Google classroom that students have time to complete at the end of each lesson. The survey provides space for students to share if they need a check-in, feedback they have about the class, and/or a shout-out for a teammate. Tanesha starts the meeting with shout-outs, and rotates between bringing a feedback point to the group and highlighting trends in work. Tanesha prioritizes maintaining a quick class meeting throughout the year so that students always have a way of advocating for their needs.

You may have heard of Restorative Justice and even tried implementing some or all of its practices in your school or class. Nurturing relationships is an important aspect of Restorative Justice, and one that Staci over at Donut Lovin' Teacher says is an important routine for any classroom. She does this 1-2 times per week through Proactive Circles. In her class, they refer to them as Community Circles though she's also heard similar structures called Council or Talking Circles.

The purpose of these circles is to build relationships with and among students while honoring experiences and perspectives. This circle time (and yes, you actually need to sit in a circle) can be a quick twenty minutes, or a full hour class period. This time can be used for 'get to know you' activities and weekly check-ins surrounding student successes or needs. It can be used to share ideas and concerns about academic and social needs, or as a way to dive into topics around race and privilege. It can even be the space to address and process events impacting the community. When you set these structures up for your students, you won't have to ask yourself how or when to talk about the hard topics; you'll already have a space for students to share what they are experiencing safely.

You can read more about how Staci structures her proactive Community Circle time with students and grab some posters to set up the intentions of this time. If you're looking to learn more about Restorative Justice, she recommends you experience it for yourself with her friend David over at Amplify RJ.

Ashley Bible at Building Book Love used to think peer review days were a waste of time. Though students were reading and commenting on each other's essays, their writing showed no real improvement. Desperate for a solution, Ashley completely revamped her peer review process and now vows to never grade another essay until students have completed these game-changing steps. You can read about the essay routine here: 5 Essay Grading Tips for Grading Essays Faster and More Efficiently and grab the FREE and editable peer review stations here: Peer Review Stations.

Once you find a peer review or self-evaluation essay process that actually works, it will be a routine that you will want to implement in your ELA classroom for the rest of your career!

Teaching writing is challenging, but with the right structure and routines, it can be much more manageable for both teachers and students. For Abby at Write on With Miss G, embracing the writing workshop model was a game-changer in her classroom. Writing workshop is a student-centered model of instruction that is structured through mini-lessons, modeling, workshop time, and peer learning.

Here's what it looks like in Abby's classroom:

1. Mini-Lesson: First, the teacher delivers a targeted mini-lesson on a skill or part of the writing process. This may involve mentor texts and/or modeling a technique.

2. Workshop: After the mini-lesson, the teacher gives students time to write. Ideally, students should apply what they have just learned to their writing. During this writing workshop time, the teacher confers with students.

3. Exit Ticket/Sharing: At the end of the writing workshop, the teacher checks in with each student through an exit ticket and/or gives students time to briefly share their successes or questions with a peer or the whole class. Abby loves to use Google Classroom questions for the "exit ticket" component.

Because peer learning is an important part of the workshop model, Abby also loves to incorporate multiple opportunities for peer review, such as peer feedback speed dating.

For more information on how Abby teaches writing with Google Classroom, check out her blog post here.

Emily Aierstok of Read it. Write it. Learn it. uses standards-based reflection portfolios all year long to help solidify student learning. As ELA teachers with so much content to cover, we don't often have time for students to reflect on their learning in our classrooms; however, reflection and metacognitive skills have been proven to be one of the most effective learning techniques we can implement to solidify student learning. The research of John Hattie revealed that the effect size for teaching metacognitive strategies is 0.69, making it one of the best teaching strategies.

Emily uses standards-based portfolios to give students the tools they need to reflect on (and organize!) their work. Work is filed in binder portfolios by standard. For example, Emily has her 7th grade students organize their work into one of six sections: writing arguments, writing informative essays, writing research, writing narratives, reading literature, and reading informational texts. More specific standards are listed on cover pages for each section.

Emily does not cover every standard every quarter. For example, the focus first quarter might be informative writing, so students are only filing their work in that section. They might be reading both literature and informative texts connected to their writing, so they would file reading responses in those sections.

At the end of each quarter, students add the work evidence to "prove" their learning. Looking back on their work, students reflect on their learning and set goals for the next quarter. Students become more intentional and aware of their own learning. Learn more about Student Reflection Portfolios here.

A routine my secondary students hold me to is reading aloud to them every Friday. Earlier in the week, students will question what I'm reading to them for First Chapter Friday. Not only does this routine show students new books and authors, but it also builds relationships in my classroom.

You can download my FCF starter kit for free, and in it, you'll find cards for students to suggest books. As we continue to experiment with different books, authors, and genres, students show me more of themselves as readers. This routine accomplishes more than sharing stories. Students look forward to this routine, to growing with their teacher as readers.

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12 Classroom Routines to Try in the Secondary ELA Classroom

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One of the first things teachers learn in their pre-service teaching classes is the importance of establishing effective classroom routines and procedures for the middle school and high school classroom. Here is a look at 12 effective daily classroom routines to consider for your middle school ELA or high school English classroom.

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Are your students struggling with blending?

Or are you looking for some new, fun ideas to practice blending?

Or maybe you're not sure how to teach blending at all?!

You're in the right place! Today's post has 5 tips to help your students learn to blend.

Blending is a super-important reading skill, and these strategies will help your students become stronger readers!

Before we get started, let's get clear on what blending is.

Blending can refer to a student's ability to merge three sounds together and come up with a word (no alphabet letters involved). Example: You say /h/ /a/ /t/, and a child says "hat."

Blending can also refer to a student's ability to say each sound in a written word and blend the sounds together. Example: A child sees the word "gum" and says "/g/ /u/ /m/ - gum."

Tip #1: Focus on phonological awareness first.

Let's think about what's required when we give students a word (like "dot") and ask them to blend and read it.

The reader must:

Recognize the alphabet letters

Remember to read the sounds left-to-right

Recall and say the sounds quickly enough so as not to distract from the blending

Remember all 3+ sounds in order to blend them together and read the complete word

This stuff is all easy for us because we're adults! But for beginning readers, that's not the case. A lot of brainwork is required to read even a simple CVC word.

If a child is struggling with blending to read, I want to make sure that their ability to blend sounds (no print letters involved!) is really solidified.

This means that we do a LOT of phonological awareness practice!

I'll say the sounds in a word (like /t/ /o/ /p/) and the child has to say the word ("top"). (If this is still too difficult, even without letters involved, see Tips #4 and 5.)

Tip #2: Try practicing with and without visuals.

Visuals and manipulatives can be a big help for students who are learning to blend. I like to practice both with and without visuals. If a child is really struggling, I might try a few different visuals to figure out what works best! Here are a few examples:
Visual #1 - Elkonin or sound boxes
You may have heard of these before! Students touch each box as they say a sound in a word, and then blend the sounds together. You can also have students push a counter into each box to blend.

These boxes can also be used to work on segmenting (the opposite of blending).

Visual #2 - Dots & arrow
This is one I created to help my students. They touch a dot as they say each sound, and then slide their finger along the arrow to blend.

Visual #3 - Color-coded fingerprints
This is another one I created to help my students. They know to start on the green square because "green means go."

There are fingerprints that they touch each time they say a sound.

(Note: These visuals are only currently available to members of my Kindergarten Literacy Club. Members can find them in the "Intervention Central" section.)

Tip #3: Incorporate movement!

I've learned a few different ways to have students practice blending. The first one is ideal for Kindergarten students (or any students who don't have great fine motor control yet).

Strategy #1 (great for 3-sound words): Have the student extend one arm. As they say one sound, they touch their shoulder with their other hand. As they say the next sound, they touch their elbow with one hand. As they say the last sound, they touch their wrist.

Like this:

/m/ (touch shoulder)

/u/ (touch elbow)

/g/ (touch wrist)

mug!

Strategy #2: Teach students to blend on the fingers of their non-dominant hand. They touch their thumb to their index finger as they say one sound, their thumb to their middle finger as they say another sound, and their thumb to their ring finger as they say another sound. (You can also involve the pinky for 4-sound words.)

See how to do it in this very basic video:

Tip #4: Leave less "space" between sounds at first.

If a child is having a tough time with blending sounds (phonological awareness), leave less "space" between sounds.

For example, instead of making the sounds in "man" choppy, like this: /m/ /a/ /n/, make it sound more like this: "mmmmaaaaannnnn."

Of course, with some sounds (the continuous sounds - a, e, f, i, l, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, z) this is easier to do than others.

Tip #5: Start with 2 sounds rather than 3.

I tend to jump right to CVC words when having students practice blending. However, whether you're practicing phonological awareness or actually reading words, you can always start with 2-sound words, like...

at

in

on

up

go

etc.!

Also, when you move onto 3-sound words, have them blend two sounds together first, then add the third.

Like this, for the word "fan:"

/f/ /a/ -> "fa"

/fa/ /n/ -> "fan"

Start small, and then build from there!

Read Next

If this post was helpful to you, you might also like this one (and look for the freebie in it!):

Happy teaching!
References
Blevins, W. (2017). A Fresh Look at Phonics, Grades K-2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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How to Teach Blending: 5 Tips for Success - Learning at the Primary Pond

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Are your students struggling with blending? Or are you looking for some new, fun ideas to practice blending? Or maybe you're not sure how to teach blending at all?! You're in the right place! Today's post has 5 tips to help your students learn to blend.

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Evidence-Based Literacy Strategy for Teaching Blending

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Evidence-Based Literacy Strategy for Teaching Blending

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Phonics blending is a way for students to decode words. With phonics blending, students fluently join together the individual sound-spellings (also called letter-sound correspondence) in a word. With a word like jam, students start by sounding out each individual sound-spelling (/j/, /ă/, /m/). Then, they slowly blend those sounds together (" jjjaamm"). Finally, they read the word (" jam").

You may sometimes hear phonics blending called sounding out, visual blending, or synthetic phonics. Students start with blending the sound-spellings in one-syllable words. From there, they can go on to read syllables or affixes in longer words.

Scroll down for tips on adapting this strategy for distance learning.

K (Common Core Literacy RF.K.3.A: Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences)

K (Common Core Literacy RF.K.3.B: Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings [graphemes] for the five major vowels)

1 (Common Core Literacy RF.1.3.A: Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs)

1 (Common Core Literacy RF.1.3.B: Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words)

Choose words to teach. For each instructional session, choose five to seven one-syllable new words to teach and five to seven words that need to be reviewed (for a total of 10 to 14 words). Use a resource like Phinder for a helpful list of decodable, one-syllable words you might use. To make the words relevant to students, invite them to help you choose the words.

Remember that students need to have other foundational literacy skills before they begin blending. For instance, make sure each word you choose only includes sound-spellings that you have already explicitly taught or that you are sure your students know.

Double-check your words. For your first lesson, double-check that each word you choose is decodable (like jam) and not an irregular word (like does). You can include an irregular word in a later lesson. Use it as a chance to explain that not all words in English follow the rules of phonics. Explain that the strategy of phonics blending may not work for words that break the rules. (Instead, you can introduce a sight words strategy for those words.)

2. Model. Tell students that you'll model how to say each sound, blend the sounds together, and read the word. For example, while pointing to each letter in the word sit, you might say, "The first sound is /s/, the next sound is /ǐ/, and the last sound is /t/."

3. Blend. Explain that you'll blend the sounds together slowly without pausing: sssiiittt. As you do that, use your finger to scoop under each letter. Then, point under the word and say the word: sit.

Point to each letter and prompt students to say the first sound, next sound, and last sound.

Then, use your finger to scoop under each letter while telling the class to blend the sounds.

Finally, point under the word and ask students to read the word. (Consider recording this instruction in a video clip for students who want to watch the process again.)

If a student says an incorrect sound or pauses for too long between sounds, stop the lesson and model blending the word again. Or ask the class to self-assess how they said the sounds. Then, have them repeat the process on that same word before moving on.

Note: There is evidence that having students practice reading word families (like sat, mat, and rat) is not effective. That's because students rely too heavily on auditory rhyming, which doesn't help when reading words in context.

Research has shown that phonics blending supports students' ability to read unfamiliar words because it provides them with a consistent strategy for approaching new words. Students who have been taught this strategy are more likely to read words correctly, which is especially motivating for students who struggle with reading.

Phonics blending can also help students avoid a common reading error. Have you ever asked students to read a one-syllable word like pit, but they read pig? Or they looked at the word bag and immediately said bat?

This is a common error because students (both young and old) who struggle with language or phonological processing may not have mastered all the sound-spellings. They will often say the beginning part of a word correctly, but then guess the rest of the word based on familiar words or sounds. Phonics blending will help students focus on each sound rather than just guessing based on the beginning of the word.

Over time, regular practice of this phonics-blending strategy will help students read with better fluency. That allows them to focus less on decoding and more on comprehending what they're reading.

For English language learners (ELLs): Phonics blending is especially importantbecause many sounds in English will be new or different from these students' home languages. Getting additional practice in forming and blending those sounds will help with their reading and language development.

Partner with your students' families. Find out what resources they have available and what they might need to support learning at home.

Guide individual students or small groups through the steps in a synchronous online lesson. Or record a video for asynchronous learning. Either way, use UDL as you're planning the lesson.

Have students make flashcards for continued practice. A shoebox or a cereal box can be a great source of card stock for flashcards. But any type of paper will work. Or make digital flashcards for your students with a tool like Quizlet.

About the Author

About the Author

Shannon Kelley, MAT is a PhD student in educational psychology. She previously taught secondary English and special education.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Allison Posey, MEd, CAST, Inc. is a curriculum and design specialist at CAST.

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Phonics blending: An evidence-based literacy strategy

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Phonics blending is a way for students to decode words. With phonics blending, students fluently join together the individual sound-spellings (also called letter-sound correspondence) in a word. With a word like jam, students start by sounding out each individual sound-spelling (/j/, /ă/, /m/). Then, they slowly blend those sounds together (" jjjaamm").

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Routine Cards for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

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Routine Cards for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

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Social Learning Theory: The Complete Guide

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by Becton Loveless There are plenty of theories that have been proposed over the years to help explain how people learn. One of these theories is social learning theory, a theory that indicates the learning process is linked with a person's social behaviors.

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The Role the Physcial Classroom Environment Plays on Learning

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The Role the Physcial Classroom Environment Plays on Learning

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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How Classroom Configurations Affect Learning

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How Classroom Configurations Affect Learning

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The Relationship Between Classroom Design and Learning | Envoplan

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A successful classroom needs to understand the relationship between classroom design and learning to deliver the best education results.