# data[].attributes.body
What constitutes quality interactions? How do we create spaces of quality interactions? This is a summary of an article that answers these questions. Full article in linked within.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
High Quality Interactions at the Secondary Level

# data[].attributes.headline
MASBLOOM into Practice: Community Meets Rigor

# data[].attributes.subject
MASBLOOM into Practice: Community Meets Rigor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
MASBLOOM Into Practice: Community Meets Rigor (1).pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
Lesson Planning Template - Variety, Relatability, Accessibility

# data[].attributes.subject
Lesson Planning Template - Variety, Relatability, Accessibility

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Lesson Planning Through Variety, Relatability, and Accessibility - Google Docs.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
4As for Text Discussion/Written Response

# data[].attributes.subject
4As for Text Discussion/Written Response

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ELL Supports for Writing and Discussion.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
Language Objective Writing for Lesson Plans

# data[].attributes.subject
Language Objective Writing for Lesson Plans

# data[].attributes.headline
Marzano's Six Step Process for Teaching Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.subject
Marzano's Six Step Process for Teaching Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.headline
Academic Language Scripts for Writing or Discussion

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic Language Scripts for Writing or Discussion

# data[].attributes.headline
AVID Academic Language Scripts for Oral Discussion

# data[].attributes.subject
AVID Academic Language Scripts for Oral Discussion

# data[].attributes.headline
Verbs for Introducing Summaries and Quotations

# data[].attributes.subject
Verbs for Introducing Summaries and Quotations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Verbs for Introducing Summaries and Quotations.pdf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DANCE - PAIR - SHARE Music PLAYS          Dance around the room Music STOPS          Stop and Turn to the closest neighbor SHARE your responses

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategies for ensuring that students in every grade feel like they’re part of the classroom community.

# data[].attributes.headline
Depth and Complexity Icons -  MLL/IEP Access

# data[].attributes.subject
Depth and Complexity Icons -  MLL/IEP Access

# data[].attributes.headline
Talk-Read-Talk-Write  - Language Support

# data[].attributes.subject
Talk-Read-Talk-Write  - Language Support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
#29. Talk-Read-Talk-Write: Creating a Language-Rich Classroom - ELL Strategies | TanKHuynh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Applying Nancy Motley's Talk Read Talk Write (TRTW) strategy in the ELL classroom. Differentiating TRTW for Beginning to Bridging ELs.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Icebreakers that Rock" - Jennifer Gonzalez (Cult of Pedagogy)

# data[].attributes.subject
"Icebreakers that Rock" - Jennifer Gonzalez (Cult of Pedagogy)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Icebreakers that Rock | Cult of Pedagogy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don’t really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Carefully crafted check-ins can bring middle and high school classes closer together and improve student well-being.

When the pandemic began, more teachers started using check-ins so that students could engage with one another before engaging with the content. Students might fill out a form rating their current mood, or choose an emoji that captures how they're feeling, or select a picture from a three-by-three grid that best represents their mood: "Which hedgehog are you?"

Such activities can be a playful way for students to start class, a ritual through which they establish community, and an assessment tool that helps teachers know how well students are faring. Community and wellness have always been important, but they've become a higher priority than ever during the third year of pandemic teaching. How can we make check-ins a greater source of community and wellness for our students?

7 Ways to Improve Check-Ins

Which three emojis tell the story of your day so far?

Thinking back on the past week, when was a time when you felt each of the following emotions?

1. Ask for multiple emotions instead of just one. We're capable of feeling many different emotions-sometimes simultaneously or in rapid succession. Students might feel angry about something their sibling did, excited about that afternoon's basketball game, and worried about tomorrow's math test. They might even feel multiple emotions about the same thing, such as feeling happy and scared to attend school in person. But asking students for just one emotion means they'll disregard or silence everything else they might be feeling. Instead, we can ask questions that elicit multiple emotions.

Questions like these prompt students to honor the complexity of their emotional experiences. When students notice and name multiple emotions, all emotions become a healthy, expected, and respected part of their everyday experience.

2. Vary the tone. Some check-in questions can be playful, such as "Do school subjects have colors?" or the internet-famous "If a tomato is a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie?" Other prompts can be serious, such as questions about students' homes, responsibilities, identities, and beliefs.

After a traumatic event-and there have been many amid Covid, racist attacks, and climate change-the check-in can make space for students to bear witness, grieve, and plan a justice-oriented response. Still other check-ins can invite celebration: "What was your proudest moment this week?" or "Who in this class inspired you this week?" Varying the tone of check-ins means that students will experience a range of emotions together.

3. Make it culturally responsive. This doesn't simply mean using more inclusive language, such as by asking how students are celebrating December holidays instead of Christmas. While Christmas is a major holiday, many Jews don't consider Hanukkah as holy as, for example, Sukkot and Shavuot, which are less well-known because they don't coincide with major Christian holidays. To be more inclusive, try asking about family and seasonal traditions at various points in the year-not just in December.

When designing check-in questions, take care not to explicitly or implicitly recenter historically dominant sociocultural groups-white, cisgender, heterosexual, Christian, affluent, able-bodied, and neurotypical folks. Use prompts that apply to all students and that don't assume knowledge of or participation in a dominant culture.

4. Involve students in creating check-in prompts. Once students are familiar with check-in structures and the sorts of prompts you use, invite them to create their own. You'll need to vet student-created prompts first, but most students will take the responsibility seriously and offer prompts that reflect their diverse personalities, histories, and interests.

You might find that a student who says very little during check-ins creates prompts that lead to meaningful discussions among their peers. That becomes its own way for students to contribute to a healthy community and a sense of wellness.

5. Build emotion-noticing into academic routines. Check-ins at the beginning of class honor experiences that students bring into the room before we ask them to think about something else. Some teachers also do a check-out, asking students to share insights, questions, or feelings about that day's work. These rituals orient students within the class period, but if students only share their emotions before and after academic learning, they might get the message that their feelings exist outside the main business of school-the academics-and matter less.

Students need opportunities to observe their own psychological experiences of the content, connect with one another through the content, and develop the willingness to struggle with challenging content in the service of their larger goals. Protocols like the emotions and values audit in Two-for-One Teaching, a book I cowrote with Jonathan Weinstein, embed emotion noticing into academic lessons, enabling students to bring more of themselves to their learning and more of their learning to themselves.

6. Connect emotions to values and values to actions. Emotions signal that something important is at stake. When we feel sad, it means something important is gone. When we feel angry, it means something important was taken away-from us or someone important to us. When we feel afraid, it means something important is being threatened.

When students share their emotions, they need time to stay inside those emotions instead of then folding them up into a neat package that they set aside during class. They also need opportunities to discover the values their emotions point toward as well as opportunities to choose actions consistent with those values. Classrooms are ideal spaces for students to discover their values and to bring those values to their learning, work, and relationships.

7. Use a pedagogy of belonging. If check-ins are the only opportunities for students to share their emotions, values, stories, observations, and dreams, they have no reason to go especially deep. If students are going to open up about themselves, those conversations need to be part of a larger culture in which students feel seen, heard, respected, and supported. Protocols ensuring that every student makes meaningful contributions and that all contributions are listened to and appreciated help create a safe and affirming environment where students can open up about the content-and themselves.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Carefully crafted check-ins can bring middle and high school classes closer together and improve student well-being. When the pandemic began, more teachers started using check-ins so that students could engage with one another before engaging with the content.

# data[].attributes.headline
"20 Creative Ways to Check for Understanding" - weareteachers.com

# data[].attributes.subject
"20 Creative Ways to Check for Understanding" - weareteachers.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's so important to stop frequently during your lessons to check for understanding with your students. After all, is there a worse feeling than being met with blank faces after you've delivered an entire lesson? Use these strategies throughout the day to make sure everyone is on track. Here are twenty fun and simple ways to see who's good to go, who's almost there and who needs some one-on-one.

1. Use technology.

Source: The Primary Peach

One of the quickest ways to check for understanding is to have your kids hop on their device and use one of the awesome tech tools like Quizlet, Kahoot or Google forms to show what they know.

2. Ask open-ended questions.

Source: Ciara O'Neal

If you ask yes/no questions to check for understanding, some students may default to yes because they don't want to admit that they're not quite there yet. Asking open-ended questions requires a little more thought and helps draw out where they really are.

[contextly_auto_sidebar]

3. Ask students to give a physical response.

Image source: YouTube

This can be a fun way to end a lesson, and students love it! Ask students to do something like put their hands on their head for yes and stand on one leg for no. Or ask a question and tell students to clap once if the answer is true and do jazz hands if it is false. Use your imagination and change it up each time.

4. Use emojis.

Source: Teach and Shoot

Prepare cards to leave at students' desks like the one above. Let students attach their clips to show their level of understanding.

5. Ask questions "on the fly."

Stop frequently to ask questions as you go through your lesson. See if students can make connections, define words, answer questions and explain concepts. Make it a natural part of your process so that your students will know they are coming and pay attention.

6. Use checkmarks.

Source: Mrs. Beattie's Classroom

Take a page out of The Daily Five 's book and create these checkmarks to help your students remember to check for understanding as they read.

7. Show your thumbs.

Source: Shutterstock

Sometimes all it takes is a quick thumbs up or thumbs down (or even thumbs sideways) to make sure your students are all still on board. Stop frequently to check in and have your students hold them up high so you can take account.

8. Use exit tickets.

Source: Mr. Elementary Math

Download this cute freebie to create these exit tickets. Students can write the question of the day at the top and turn in their responses on the way out.

9. Flash whiteboards.

Image source: Pinterest

Ask one quick question that shows students are keeping up and have them write their answers on individual whiteboards. Do a quick sweep before they put them down. Pull any students together that still need more and re-teach.

10. Give it a four-finger rating.

Source: Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade Tidbits

Teach your students this quick check method and check in often to see where everyone stands. Pair up students who flash a 3 or 4 with students who flash a 1 or 2.

11. Do a Quick Write.

Source: Sly Flourish

Ask just one question and have students jot a quick paragraph on an index card to show that they understand. Have them share their answer with a partner or collect the cards to review for the next day.

12. Post your name on the stop sign.

Source: Musings From the Middle School

This teacher blogger asks students to check for understanding by writing their name on a post-it, then attaching it to the stoplight on the appropriate color. She then groups students who need re-teaching and advises students who are ready to move on.

13. Give them a Yes/No question.

Check for understanding by asking students to flash a red piece of construction paper for no (they need a little more explanation) or a green piece of construction paper for yes (they get it and are ready to move on). Alternatively, laminate squares of red and green construction paper and glue them back to back to large popsicle sticks to make paddles for your students to show.

14. Do a self-assessment.

Source: Not So Wimpy Teacher

Download this free resource and print up a stack of self-assessment cards in different colors for different subjects. Pass them out as exit tickets to plan for the next lesson period.

15. Draw a T-chart.

Ask your students to tell you five (or whatever number you think is sufficient) things they learned from the lesson. Have them make a T-chart and on the left-hand side write a fact or opinion, and on the right side, give evidence to support their fact or opinion.

16. Do a quick sort.

Source: The Science Penguin

Ask one question that you feel shows an understanding of the concept you are teaching. Have students write their answers on cards and collect them. Sort cards into piles: Got it, Almost There, and Re-Teaching Needed. Divide students into groups based on their answers and keep teaching.

17. Pick a card, any card.

Source: Upper Elementary Snapshots

Print these free cards, laminate them, and connect them together with a ring or twist tie. Give one copy to each student to keep on their desk. When it comes time to check for understanding, students can just flip to the appropriate card, and you can do a quick check by color to see who still needs help.

18. Display mini flip charts.

Source: The Elementary Math Maniac

Make your own or if you're not the crafty sort, buy 12 of these desktop flip charts for $16.49 from Really Great Stuff.

19. Use cooperative learning structures.

Source: 4th Grade Racers

This teacher/blogger uses cooperative learning structures to check for understanding in a fun and engaging way.

20. Reference this chart.

Source: Mia MacMeekin

This amazing infographic shows all kinds of imaginative ways to check for understanding. Print out a copy and display it in your classroom for inspiration.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Avoid the sea of blank faces at the end of a lesson with these teacher-tested and easy-to-use ways to check for understanding.

# data[].attributes.body
This targeted more for K-8, but can be modified to fit high school needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Note to Teachers:

At Friendzy we know that you juggle so many important aspects of your students day. You are charged with the responsibility to meet academic goals, behavior expectations, parents, and the unique learning needs of each student in your class. Managing emotions may feel like an impossible task on top of everything else you are handling. However, we know that students who are stressed, worried, sad, lonely, or upset are kids that can't learn at their fullest capacity. All of us (teachers and parents included) have times of experiencing strong emotions and when we do, our ability to concentrate, problem solve, and self-regulate is impaired.

Helping students identify their emotions is an important part of teaching. The Friendzy Daily Check-in Tool doesn't take a huge amount of time; this brief daily exercise can make a big difference in your students overall wellbeing. When you talk about emotions everyday you are increasing every student's emotional literacy; this will lead to greater academic success and coping skills.

You may not "fix" the emotion, but you can acknowledge it! The Friendzy Daily Check-in Tool will allow you to acknowledge the emotions your students are experiencing. Students will understand that emotions are temporary and vary in intensity. When teachers acknowledge their students emotions it demonstrates care and concern for that student; students feel seen and known. Here are a few ways you can acknowledge your students emotions:

Ask open ended questions: " Is there something about today that has been hard for you?"
Use I statements: "I know you are angry; it's not fun to feel overwhelmed."
Validate their feelings: "Your feelings aren't right or wrong but I am sorry you are upset."

Use a Friendzy Catchphrase: "I know you are sad, but sometimes it helps to remember WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER!" or "I can see you feel angry, but remember in our class we WATCH OUR WORDS."

Model emotional expression and healthy coping skills! Students need to see adults in their lives identify and acknowledge their own emotions in a way that is healthy and productive. Teachers, you have the capacity to lead and model to your students positive emotional expression and management. You can do it!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Friendzy Daily Check-in Tool equips students with grade appropriate vocabulary and visual indicators designed to help students in identifying and naming their emotional state . The Friendzy Daily Check-in Tool is grade-banded and available to download in four convenient sizes.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Leaders of Their Own Learning: Chapter 2: Checking for Understanding During Daily Lessons" - EL Education

# data[].attributes.subject
"Leaders of Their Own Learning: Chapter 2: Checking for Understanding During Daily Lessons" - EL Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Jessica Wood, former sixth-grade ELA teacher, Springfield Renaissance School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Leaders of Their Own Learning: Chapter 2: Checking for Understanding during Daily Lessons | EL Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How do you know what your students know? Why “Got it?” isn’t good enough.

# data[].attributes.body
This Key Points handout is from a larger professional development training created and hosted by Veronica Aguayo-Ochoa, EdD.