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Visible Learning Sheets

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Visible Learning Sheets

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Visible Learning Sheets

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Sing and sign the chorus with your class.

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The chorus to sing with your class.

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Francine Christophe's Holocaust memory is a great discussion starter. In the worst situations people can remain human.

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For older students, a discussion of Xenophobia should include a discussion about shame. Brene Brown defines shame in this TED talk. Great fuel for thought.

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Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.

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Friendship and kindness can overcome the darker forces in both people and animals. "You begin where I end and that's why I call you my friend."

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If these unlikely interspecies buddies can make it work, there's hope for us all.

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In this short clip Mr. Rogers demonstrates and explains the higher self in terms that make the hair stand up on the back of a crusty old Senator. As Levar Burton said, Mr Rogers taught us that there is great power in gentleness.

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Mister Rogers defending PBS to the US Senate

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In 1969, Fred Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts by President Nixon.

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Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf

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Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf

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Allan Wolf's new multi-point of view novel, based on a true crime, is less of a whodunit and more of a whydunit that explores how teens deal with tragedy and how it changes how we accept or don't accept each others differences.

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Who Killed Christopher Goodman? has 381 ratings and 97 reviews. Paige said: I was given an ARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest revi...

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In this remarkable novel Angie Thomas shows us that the source of racism is xenophobia, fear what we don't know.

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The Hate U Give has 24,869 ratings and 6,395 reviews. Emily May said: The truth casts a shadow over the kitchen-people like us in situations like this ...

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Sara Holbrook's historical novel about xenophobia is a great read aloud for understanding what happens when fear taints our understanding of each other.

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THE ENEMY by Sara Holbrook | Kirkus Reviews

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Poet Holbrook brings back the Cold War in her debut novel for middle grades.

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Emily Arrow's lovely song about mindfulness that goes along with Peter Reynolds picture book by the same title.

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I Am Yoga Song - Emily Arrow (Book by Susan Verde, Art by Peter H. Reynolds)

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A new song about Mindfulness.  Practice the pause button.

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For Grace Shoshana who wrote the chorus New song about mindfulness. We must all learn to press pause. Let me know what your students think.

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Colleen Mestdagh Describes How to Use Force Field for Good

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Colleen Mestdagh Describes How to Use Force Field for Good

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This video is about Intro to Force Field for Good

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This quote inspired the song

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Assemblies and Live Video Visits by Barry Lane

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Assemblies and Live Video Visits by Barry Lane

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More information on Force Field for Good

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More information on Force Field for Good

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Links to the store, books and music downloads.

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Visit the Zazzle Store for tee-shirts, mugs, blankets and more Buy the lesson book with cdRom. Buy the album on Bandcamp

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Here is a lesson outline you can use of adapt with your class

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Colleen Mestdagh teaches how to sign the chorus.

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This video is about Signing Know Your Higher Self

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Sing the Song with Your Class

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This video is about Know Your Higher Self

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Here is a lesson outline you can use or adapt with your class

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A poem by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

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Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

In my dictionary, there is only one page for the letter X. When I pointed to today's word, XENOPHOBIA, I looked above and saw XENOPHILIA. I wanted to write from both words, and so I did.

Students - Today's poem plays on the suffixes of these two words. - Phobia means fear of. - Philia means attraction to. Xeno- means having to do with foreigeners. As I began jotting notes, the first two lines just popped in my head. And honestly, the rest of the poem mostly just came out as is. I would say that today's poem was rhythm-driven. The meter felt like water bubbling over rocks, and the words just followed.

You might wish to play with suffixes and prefixes for a poem, or you might want to try to write a poem about opposites. I found that these two very different feelings gave me a lot to push against in my writing. You might also just want to listen to rhythms in music, in your mother's speech, in the hum of your home. Let these seep into your poetry. Rhythm can drive words.

If you are new to The Poem Farm, welcome! This month I have been walking, letter-by-letter, through the dictionary (closed-eyed), pointing to a letter each day, and writing from it. You can read poems A-W by checking the sidebar, and you can visit Lisa Vihos and read her accompanying daily haiku at, Lisa's Poem of the Week. In today's comments, watch for Lisa's Haiku and also Christophe's haiku. It is lovely to poetryhike with new friends.

Over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, there are two new peekable notebooks. So if you are a notebook-keeper, a notebook-keeper-hopeful, or a teacher who uses notebooks in your classroom, please don't miss Suz Blackaby's post about her process and word tickets or Allan Wolf's post about wall writing and butt books.

Monday is the first chalking celebration over at Teaching Young Writers. Join organizer-Betsy, Linda from TeacherDance, many others, and me as we chalk, photograph, and share our poems. April 30!

The winner of Suz's NEST, NOOK, AND CRANNY is Janet F.! Please send an e-mail to amy at amylv dot com with your snail mail address. The winner of Allan's ZANE'S TRACE will be selected on Monday evening, April 30 and announced on Tuesday Morning, May 1.

Tabatha is hosting this week's Poetry Friday Roundup over at The Opposite of Indifference. Visit her warm and wonderful space, and let yourself sink deeply into the poetic offerings of this week.

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Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you. In my dictionary, there is only one page for the letter X. When I pointed to today's word, XENOPHOBIA, I looked above and saw XENOPHILIA. I wanted to write from both words, and so I did.

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Sing the song with your class

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Words by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and Barry Lane

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Example for the Lesson on the PowerPoint

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Here is a lesson outline you can use or adapt to use with your class

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Sing the song with your class.

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Connect the songs to literature and personal stories to teach kindness lessons that last.

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Creating a culture of kindness requires more than memorizing an acronym or making a set of class rules. True kindness is an battle that we fight each day, a battle to know our higher self, regulate our behavior, and act with the best intentions in any given situation. Through original songs, stories and literacy lessons that go with them, Barry Lane and Colleen Mestdagh create a Force Field for Good, a culture of kindness at your school. A Song a Month with a 40 minute lesson in speaking, reading and writing

Each song in a Force Field for Good connects to a kid habit for each month of the school year. Each teacher created lesson includes conversation , literature connections, and writing/reading activities that align with the education standards while teaching wisdom and kindness.

For one hour per school month students and teachers develop a caring mindset and learn concepts, stories and songs to support a safer, kinder world. Because the learning is connected to story, song , reading and writing, it goes deep with little need for extrinsic rewards. Force Field for Good links mindfulness with a love of reading and writing.

The lesson book and DVD can also be used as a supplement to any behavior, character or leadership program being used at your school, or as a stand alone resource.
"Bullying behavior is the pursuit of personal power at the expense of others. Barry and Colleen demonstrate through this unique and accessible resource that the bully's power is no match for the greater power of words, music, and kindness."
~ Dr. Mark Flescher , clinical psychologist, Freehold, NJ
" Not only was Barry able to present in a large group format to our students, he was also able to meet with some individual grade levels and go deeper into his message, connecting to students personal stories. Barry helped students understand the power for good each of them has inside. We all have a choice in every interaction. Thanks, Barry, for reminding us to weave a Force Field for Good so justice and goodness will last."
~Barb Wild, Principal, Field Club Elementary, Omaha, NE
Research and Reviews Literacy experts Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris describe how Force Field for Good can change a mindset. Empathy is more than a social skill; it is the hope of humanity. This article explains why.
Shaming students into proper behavior has never worked because it robs students of their personal dignity.This article explains why we need to put students in control of their own behavior.

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What is a Force Field for Good? Creating a culture of kindness requires more than memorizing an acronym or making a set of class rules. True kindness is an battle that we fight each day, a battle to know our higher self, regulate our behavior, and act with the best intentions in any given ...

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10 songs about kindness to sing with your class

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Know Your Higher Self
This song teaches about the Higher Self and how to practice using it.
Force Field for Good
What is a Force Field for Good and how to we create it.
The Big Bad Bully Bus
How do we learn to control our own inner bully? Five things we a can do in bully situations.
Ode to Other
You begin where I end and that's why I call you my friend.
The Gimme Blues
How do we cure the gimme blues? Learn to think of others.
Mean Girls
How do girls bully differently and what to do about it.
Magic Mirror
How do we see ourselves in others and others in ourselves?
Afraid of Love
Who is stronger, Hate or Love?
Words, Words, Words
Three things you can do to use words to create your force field.
Now is the New Day
Hope is way of thinking . This song is full of hope.

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Sing along songs from the Force Field for Good Know Your Higher Self This song teaches about the Higher Self and how to practice using it. Force Field for Good What is a Force Field for Good and how to we create it. The Big Bad Bully Bus How do we learn to control our own ...