# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Covid-19 has meant a lot of loss for students of all ages-with more loss likely to come. Teachers can engage and support them in processing their emotions.

Educators often face challenges supporting students through loss and grief, in part because neither teachers nor principals are generally trained as grief counselors. Yet in the coming weeks and months, many students will experience losses of loved ones and of ways of life, and schools are in a unique position to collectively engage and support them with compassion in the grieving process.

With a new loss, previous losses are remembered, previous trauma may be re-experienced, and new fears emerge. Children may fear that a parent will die. If their parents are unemployed, children may fear that they'll become homeless. Teens might worry that they must give up hopes for college and a future. And with this pandemic, losses are likely to be compounded over time, and students may become unable to focus on their education.

Teachers can play a critical role in helping students understand their responses to these losses and move through the grieving process, which gets us in touch with our humanity and offers an opportunity to more fully experience our aliveness, and life itself.

Teaching Students to Acknowledge Feelings

Educators can encourage students to fully experience the feelings and physical sensations-tightness, tension, or numbness, for example-that come with loss. Healing occurs when a person accepts and moves through the emotions of fear, anger, and sadness to integrate a new reality, understanding what has been lost.

For younger students: Young kids don't have words to express these feelings. They may absorb anxiety they sense around them or on the news, and they may vacillate between happily engaging one minute and acting out irritably the next. Teachers may observe regressive behaviors, violent play, and a lack of focus.

Allow these younger students to express their grief, listening without offering quick solutions or telling them how to feel. Calm their fears without minimizing their emotions. Respond honestly to questions-and admit when you don't know the answers. Encourage conversations, play, and physical outlets with symbolic activities using drawings and stories. Be patient, nurturing, and consistent.

For older students: As they get older, children understand more and try to make meaning of what's happening. Some are better than others at expressing emotions. Many repress their feelings or are in denial, appearing OK when they're not. Others act out, exhibiting addictive or self-destructive behavior.

Do a needs assessment to find out what students are feeling and needing. Give them permission to express grief and space to process feelings. Listen patiently without judgment. Give straightforward answers. Build trust using ground rules for compassionate and safe interactions. Adjust distance learning expectations to their specific needs.

Children of all ages can be supported to express emotions-even anger and frustration-in healthy ways, developing a language to describe feelings and identifying physical sensations associated with them. They can do mindfulness and movement exercises to release tension and stress. When they're feeling bad, they can learn to identify what they can hold on to that brings a sense of safety or comfort, such as people, places, images, colors, or sounds.

Facilitating Supportive Partnerships

Prioritizing activities that nurture connection and relationship-building increases the likelihood that students will not feel alone and will feel safe to grieve. Create simple ways of checking to find out how they're doing. Use low-tech and high-tech options to ensure access-phone, video conferencing, emails. Invite, but don't require, students to share their stories to ensure they know they aren't alone in their experiences. They can contribute to school newsletters and community blogs, with videos, art, or writing as an outlet. Recognize and honor individuals and groups for their contributions.

For younger students: Contact each child regularly. Even paper packets can include interactive activities such as journal prompts or poems about their feelings, expressive art projects, or SEL lessons like a feelings scavenger hunt. If your students can access the internet, create online lessons to strengthen social skills like brainstorming kind words or dealing with disappointment.

For older students: Assign advisory groups of students to individual teachers to ensure regular one-to-one check-ins with every student. Many teachers schedule office hours with drop-in times, and some teachers whose students who weren't showing up for class sessions or answering calls have planned home visits-while maintaining social distancing.

Teachers can continue to foster peer connections using video conferencing. It may be best to allow students to choose not to use cameras-some are embarrassed about their noisy or crowded homes.

During synchronous sessions, assign online group work in smaller breakout rooms for facilitated collaboration. Design structured conversations and teach students to use open-ended questions, paraphrase with reflective listening strategies, use affirming statements, and carry out empathy interviews that acknowledge strengths and feelings in a safe non-judgmental way.

Creating New Rituals During Times of Grief

Many communal approaches to grief, like funerals and community gatherings, cannot occur during social distancing, but it's still important to recognize loss and hold those who are grieving. Try to be aware of cultural differences in expressing grief and honoring the dead, and use input from students and their families to create community rituals to support those who've experienced a loss and to honor life. This might include writing letters to the family of the deceased, planting a tree, or making a piece of art to remember the person.
More resources:
Each of us can be a sanctuary for those who are grieving to stay connected and feel hope. Reminders of what is growing, thriving, and alive will keep our hearts open. Sharing strengths like creativity, resilience, generosity, gratitude, and care that exist within communities will go a long way toward healing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Helping Students Through a Period of Grief

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Covid-19 has meant a lot of loss for students of all ages-with more loss likely to come. Teachers can engage and support them in processing their emotions. Educators often face challenges supporting students through loss and grief, in part because neither teachers nor principals are generally trained as grief counselors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teachers often select books for their preteen and teen students that provide windows and mirrors, ways for students to learn about others or see themselves. In this unprecedented time when students wrestle with the abrupt changes in routine caused by the coronavirus pandemic, literature is an even more important tool for contextualizing current events and allowing students to better understand their experiences.

As a former school librarian and past president of the American Association of School Librarians, I have read thousands of books, including more than 600 young adult books in the last three years alone. These are my best suggestions for middle and high school readers in four categories: developing resilience and adaptability, responding to crisis, finding laughter and fun, and exploring dystopias.

Developing Resilience and Adaptability

This strange and difficult time requires adjusting to living in extraordinary ways that demand resilience and adaptability. Students are being asked to adjust to new ways of life, and reading about young people who have shown flexibility in adversity can help them see their own situation in new ways.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
The protagonist of Dusty Bowling's novel, Aven, is a 13-year-old who was born with no arms. When her adoptive father accepts a position as manager of a run-down theme park, Aven struggles with the transition but makes a friend in Conner, a boy with Tourette's. The two explore the mystery of the missing theme park owner and discover a shocking secret. With her parents' support, Aven becomes a confident young woman-showing readers that persistence in the face of adversity is possible. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 262 pages)

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
In Dan Gemeinhart's novel, Coyote and her father meander around the country on a school bus after the tragic automobile wreck that killed her mom and two sisters. When Coyote's grandmother tells her that her old community park is being demolished, Coyote knows she needs to return to recover a memory box that she and her sisters had buried there. She devises a plan to overcome her father's objections to returning. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 344 pages)

Countdown
In the first book of Deborah Wiles' Sixties Trilogy, Franny is an 11-year-old girl growing up in Arlington, Virginia, in 1962. With the country under threat of a nuclear attack from Russia, children are taught to duck and cover and people build bomb shelters in their backyards. Confused and scared, Franny has to find the courage to get through this terrifying time. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 377 pages)

The Night Diary
Set in 1947 India, Veera Hiranandani's book traces the journey of 12-year-old twins Nisha and Amil, who live with their father, their grandmother, and a housekeeper named Kazi. The family is Hindu, Kazi a Muslim. At the end of British rule, the family lives in what will become Pakistan and must get to India, but Kazi can't go with them. They make a grueling walk to safety, almost losing their lives. Winner of the 2019 Newbery Award, the story of perseverance is based on true events of which many students may have no knowledge. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 267 pages)

With the Fire on High
Emoni is a 17-year-old mother in Philadelphia who lives with her grandmother and her 2-year-old daughter in this book by Elizabeth Acevedo. Her mother is dead, and her dad lives in Puerto Rico. She struggles with work, raising a child, and schoolwork. When she registers for the culinary arts class at school, she and the head chef bump heads at first, but he becomes her advocate. The book includes recipes-a perfect supplement for this at-home period. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 389 pages)

Responding to a Crisis

Young adult literature is replete with characters responding to crises. Many teens relate to protagonists' emotional response to difficult situations. As students face uncertainty in their school and home life, books can help them find strength they never knew they had. The following books have teens who encounter and conquer exceptional events.

Terror at Bottle Creek
Cort lives on a houseboat with his dad on the Gulf Coast in this novel by Key Watt. In preparation for a hurricane, his dad secures the boat and leaves to check on his mom, who lives on land. Cort stays behind with the two daughters of the marina owner. When the hurricane hits, Cort's dog falls into the water. As the kids struggle to save him, the boat breaks away. The next chapters are truly terrifying. Can Cort save the girls and himself? (Suggested for grades 5-8; 213 pages)

The Breadwinner
In this book by Deborah Ellis, Parvana is an 11-year-old girl growing up under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. After her father's arrest, her mother and sisters depend on her to keep the family going. It is against the law for girls to go out in public without a male companion, but Parvana, who is small and can disguise herself as a boy, goes out alone, putting herself in danger to save her family. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 171 pages)

Not If I Save You First
Maddie's dad is the head of the president's security team, and her best friend is Logan, the president's son. Her dad is shot in a kidnapping attempt, and they relocate to Alaska. Six years later, when Logan visits Alaska, the bad guys return and kidnap him, and Maddie has to save him. There are lots of funny lines, a little romance, and great action in this book by Ally Carter. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 304 pages)

I Am Still Alive
When her mother is killed in a car crash, Jess has to go live with her father, whom she hasn't seen in years. He lives in a cabin with no modern conveniences in the Canadian wilderness. When he is murdered and the cabin is burned down, Jess has to figure out how to survive-and how to avenge her father's death. In this fast-paced narrative by Kate Alice Marshall, Jess overcomes many obstacles, including isolation and despair. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 336 pages)

When We Were Lost
A group of high school students survives a plane crash in a jungle, but they don't know where they are. One student, a loner named Tom, doesn't see himself as a leader, though it is clear to a reader that he has leadership qualities long before he recognizes it. Kevin Wignall's novel depicts dangers of the jungle that include snakes, jaguars, caimans, and cocaine dealers. Tom puts himself at risk again and again to save people who become his friends. An excellent book for reluctant readers who like action. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 306 pages)

Finding Laughter and Fun

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, students need light-hearted reading to escape reality for a while. Laughter relieves stress and reminds preteens and teens they are not alone.

Dear Sweet Pea
Patricia-known as Sweet Pea-is finishing seventh grade in a bit of a turmoil in this novel by Julie Murphy. Her parents are getting a divorce, and her father rents the house two doors down. When Miss Flora Mae, the local advice columnist, asks Sweet Pea to check her mail when she has to go out of town, Sweet Pea decides to answer a few of the letters. One is from Sweet Pea's former best friend and another is from her current best friend-what will happen to their friendships if Sweet Pea gives them advice? (Suggested for grades 5-8; 273 pages)

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World
In this book by Shannon and Dean Hale, Doreen and her family have moved to New Jersey from California, and she is having a hard time in her new school. Eighth-grader Doreen is no ordinary girl: She has a tail and the abilities of a squirrel. When her tail slips out and she defeats some bullies, the legend of Squirrel Girl is born. Superhero fans will recognize Squirrel Girl from Marvel Comics. The inside jokes and the comments made by Doreen in the footnotes make this a delightful read. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 323 pages)

The Size of the Truth
Alternating chapters of this book by Andrew Smith are narrated by 4-year-old Sam and 11-year-old Sam. Young Sam falls in a well and spends three days there with a talking armadillo. Preteen Sam skips a grade and finds middle school overwhelming. James, who was responsible for Sam's fall into the well, is middle school Sam's locker neighbor. Sam is pretty sure James is going to kill him, but little by little, he realizes that things are not as they seem. The boys bond in a humorous story of friendship and understanding. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 266 pages)

Kill All Happies
Vic is hosting a secret graduation party, but readers quickly realize things are going to be crazy. If things can go wrong, they do-in humorous ways. A love story weaves throughout. Fans of Rachel Cohn's other books- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Eli, and Naomi's No Kiss List -will not be shocked at the graphic language, underage drinking, or sexual situations. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 279 pages)

Where I End and You Begin
In 2017, the city where the solar eclipse lasted longest was Carbondale, Illinois. During the eclipse, two high school students, Ezra and Wynonna, switch bodies. This hilarious book by Preston Norton has hard-shelled Wynonna finding out what it's like to be kind like Ezra, who finds out what it's like to be a lonely girl with no parents. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 419 pages)

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Ben Philippe's protagonist, Norris, is a Haitian-Canadian who moves with his mom from Montreal to Texas. Norris keeps a journal, patterning his entries after field guides, categorizing the kids at Anderson High by type. Norris falls for a girl named Aarti, but embarrassment strikes when his field guide is shared and his peers read his witty comments. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 372 pages)

Exploring Dystopian Tales

Dystopian novels have been popular for years, but their fame soared after the hit Hunger Games series. While this topic may not appeal to all students, some will enjoy reading about situations that make our current one feel a little less desperate.

Maximillian Fly
When a catastrophe threatens the human race, scientists realize that cockroaches can survive anything, so they develop a way to add roach DNA to humans. The experiment backfires, and some humans have roach babies-Max is one of them. One night, he saves two wingless roaches-regular humans-who are running from the authorities. There is much action as Max works to save the two, but the underlying theme of this book by Angie Sage is deeper: fighting discrimination and not judging people-or cockroaches-by their appearance. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 370 pages)

Life as We Knew It
When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it off its axis, catastrophic natural events begin to happen in this book by Susan Pfeffer. Miranda and her mom and brothers have to figure out how to survive. Staples of everyday life, like stores filled with supplies, vanish. Miranda's mother is a courageous taskmaster-characteristics that help her family survive. If young readers enjoy this book, there are several sequels. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 337 pages)

Dread Nation
This book by Justina Ireland rewrites history: The Civil War ended because North and South had to band together to fight another enemy-zombies. Jane and Katherine are two biracial girls at school. Jane wants to go back to Kentucky to see her mother, while Katherine wants to be in the world of the rich. Their plans change when they stumble onto an evil plot and travel to a town that is billed as a utopia but is actually a slave camp. Using Katherine's ability to pass as white, the girls manage to escape. This entertaining book weaves in historical facts. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 464 pages)

Scythe
A disturbing, wonderful book by Neal Shusterman, Scythe traces the lives of Citra and Rowan, who are being trained to glean-kill-people because otherwise resources will run out in a world where death by natural causes has been eliminated. Their instructor recognizes their humanity-a contrast to less ethical scythes, who are serial killers. Citra and Rowan navigate an impossible situation, and their terrifying story continues in two more books. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 433 pages)

Dry
This terrifying book by father and son authors Neal and Jarrod Schusterman takes place in Southern California, where the severe drought has reached its peak. Alyssa, her brother, and their neighbor embark on a journey to find her parents, who left to search for water. Things go horribly wrong, and their trip is fraught with one disastrous incident after another. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 400 pages)

How We Became Wicked
When the world is struck by an insect-borne plague, only three types of survivors remain: The true are uninfected, the vexed are immune, and the wicked, who are infected, are killers. An experiment gone wrong leaves only two teenagers, Hank and Astrid, in a domed city. Hank is true, and Astrid is vexed. Another vexed teen, Natalie, lives on an island with her mother and baby sister and her wicked grandfather. The two stories, told in alternating chapters in this book by Alex Yates, reveal a shocking relationship between the two girls. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 361 pages)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
22 YA Novels to Help Students Process the Pandemic (or Forget It for a Bit)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers often select books for their preteen and teen students that provide windows and mirrors, ways for students to learn about others or see themselves. In this unprecedented time when students wrestle with the abrupt changes in routine caused by the coronavirus pandemic, literature is an even more important tool for contextualizing current events and allowing students to better understand their experiences.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," says the Little Blue Engine to herself as she hauls a train full of toys up a mountain. In Watty Piper's classic children's book, all it takes is a dose of self-encouragement to give the engine the strength to overcome a seemingly impossible task.

Sound too good to be true? Perhaps not, a new study suggests. Researchers found that a simple, five-minute exercise can help boost math performance, especially for students who have poor confidence in their math ability. When students silently spoke words of encouragement to themselves that were focused on effort-saying phrases such as "I will do my very best!"-their math scores improved.

In the study, 212 Dutch schoolchildren in grades 4 to 6 took half of a standardized math test. After taking the half-test, they were split into three groups: The first group silently said to themselves words of encouragement focused on effort. The second group did a similar activity, but the words were focused on ability, favoring phrases such as "I'm very good at this." The third group didn't engage in self-talk at all. Afterward, the students took the second half of the math test.

Students who had participated in self-talk focused on effort improved their math performance on the test, while those who engaged in self-talk focused on ability, or no self-talk at all, experienced no improvement.

"When children with low self-confidence work on mathematics problems, they often worry about failure," Sander Thomaes, the lead researcher of the study, told Edutopia. "They experience challenges and struggles-for example, a difficult problem to solve-as cues of low ability, triggering disengagement from the task and worsening performance. Effort self-talk may counter this process."

So why doesn't self-talk focused on ability work? Saying "I am the best" can feel like a hollow claim when students don't feel confident about their own abilities-they're likely to dismiss the message entirely, explained Thomaes. But telling yourself "I will try my hardest" is an achievable goal, shifting attention away from a perceived lack of ability toward something within a student's control: effort.

Self-Talk and the Emotional Terrain of Learning

In the 1920s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky observed that when faced with a challenging task, young children often engage in self-talk, reminding themselves to focus harder or talking themselves through a series of complicated steps. As children get older, the self-regulation strategies are generally no longer vocalized, but an emerging body of research suggests that lightweight, metacognitive exercises that ask older students to reflect on their fears, anxieties, or challenges are still highly beneficial-providing teachers with a cheap, reasonably simple intervention that can be used in a variety of school situations and across all grade levels.

A 2019 study, for example, was designed to help ease the transition into middle school by reminding students that the anxiety they felt was both natural and common. New students read stories from peers who had already graduated to the next grades; the essays confided the private fears and doubts the students harbored, and how building positive relationships with friends and teachers helped them cope.

The new students then completed two 15-minute writing exercises that asked them to reflect on their own anxieties about the upcoming school year, particularly around test-taking, and to consider reasons why they might do well even if they worried about the tests. The exercise had a surprisingly powerful effect: Compared with their peers, students who learned about the commonality of their fears and then wrote about them were 34 percent less likely to be disciplined for misbehavior, 12 percent more likely to attend school, and 18 percent less likely to receive a failing grade.

And in a study published last year, students participated in a 10-minute exercise immediately before a test in which they were encouraged to see stress as "a beneficial and energizing force." They learned that small amounts of stress can help sharpen focus and aid memory by increasing oxygen flow into the brain. Students were then asked to write responses to two questions: "How do people sometimes feel in important situations?" and "How can the way a person feels in important situations help them do well in those situations?" The writing exercise helped the students manage the "worried thoughts about the possibility of failure" that often accompany a test, reducing the number of students failing out of the course by half-with low-income students seeing the biggest benefits.

Taken as a whole, the research suggests that academic performance not only relies on content preparation-you have to know fractions to succeed on some math tests-but also is significantly impacted by emotional and psychological preparation. Helping your students identify and circumvent the psychological barriers that hinder progress is part of teaching them how to navigate the emotional terrain of learning.

These powerful techniques appear to work even when students reflect altruistically. A 2019 study coauthored by Angela Duckworth, known for her research on grit and perseverance, asked nearly 2,000 high school students to give motivational advice to an anonymous younger student-on how to stop procrastinating or study better, for example-and then write a brief, encouraging letter to help the student do better in school. Despite the fact that the advice was given to someone else, the students earned higher grades in their own courses.

The takeaway: Be mindful of anxiety-provoking situations-from high-stakes tests to major in-school transitions-that can derail a student's ability to focus. Try brief metacognitive discussions or simple writing exercises to help students overcome hurdles, recognize the commonality of their fears, and prepare emotionally and psychologically for looming challenges.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Simple Metacognitive Strategies to Help Anxious Learners Succeed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," says the Little Blue Engine to herself as she hauls a train full of toys up a mountain. In Watty Piper's classic children's book, all it takes is a dose of self-encouragement to give the engine the strength to overcome a seemingly impossible task.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Letting students discuss a test with peers before they take it can reduce anxiety-and it creates an opportunity to ask deeper questions.

Let's face it: A lot of students have test anxiety. How do we change test-taking so that we're creating a comfortable environment for our students to show what they really know? A strategy called Test Talk, which my late co-teacher Diana Herrington and I created, has helped my students relax during exams. Our students are pre-service elementary school teachers, but since I wrote about this strategy on Twitter several months ago, teachers around the country have let me know how they have used this with their K-12 students (and in subjects other than math).

Four years ago, Diana and I decided to dedicate the first five minutes of the testing period to having our students look over the test and talk about strategies to solve the problems. We would have them put their pencils on the ground so they could focus on having a conversation. Our students were grouped in fours, and they would talk within their group, but I've seen videos from other teachers trying this where their elementary students walk around so they can talk to any other student, and I now follow suit.

The purpose of this was twofold: First, we wanted to test the way we taught-students collaborated a lot in our class, so we decided to include some collaboration during the test. And second, we realized that a lot of our students had both math anxiety and testing anxiety.

What This Looks Like in Class

One of my favorite hobbies is listening to students talk about math. On test days, I walk around the classroom listening to pre-test conversations, and they're some of the best mathematical conversations I've ever heard. It's great to hear students collaborate and problem-solve, all while using mathematical vocabulary. For example, the test question below was to write a number sentence for each figure and to find the equation of growth for Figure n.

As I listened in, I heard comments like these (I'm paraphrasing):

I see a big square, with two extra rows and a single block each time

I counted from left to right, so I saw a row, a vertical column, a rectangle, then another row

I made one huge rectangle that fits the entire shape, then chopped off rectangles until I got the desired figure.

As these students shared their methods, I saw other students listening intently, asking clarifying questions to really understand the math, which is always a plus.

A Positive Reception From Students and Teachers

When I asked my students for their opinion about this approach, one of them said, "I'm not sure if it's just me, but I've had my fair share of experiences where I question absolutely everything I know in the few minutes before a test. The five-minute Test Talk gives me an opportunity to double- or triple-check my uncertainties with my classmates to give me more confidence and to settle my nerves before taking a test. I don't see it as an opportunity to try and learn something brand-new right before the test, but more as a chance to briefly collaborate about what I've already studied."

Since I first posted this idea on Twitter, many teachers have shared their variations on it. A teacher named Andre Sasser does her version of the Test Talk in the middle of the testing period-every student has something to contribute since they've had more time to think.

Some Concerns

There are many benefits to Test Talk: lowered anxiety, better energy in the room, better products, and great discussions. There are, however, some concerns about this strategy. For example, some teachers are hesitant because it might help to students who didn't study-and that might encourage them to not study in the future.

I can see that being true on a multiple-choice test, but on my tests the emphasis is on the explanations. And if we assume that we're going to have students talk before the test, we can ramp up the Depth of Knowledge level so that the test makes students think and collaborate together. For example, rather than write a test question having students compute 24 x 15, we can say, "Show how to compute 24 x 15 in three different ways that promote fluency."

Overall, I think of it this way: If I'm concerned that students will solve all the problems in five minutes, how can I make the test better so there's deeper thinking involved?

A potential complicating factor is students with disabilities who need to take their tests in a separate room. What I do for these students is give them the option to join the class for the five-minute Test Talk. If they do, they just walk to their testing room after the five minutes is up.

Measuring Learning After the Test

After the test is done and graded, my students still have the opportunity to prove that they know the content. It's OK if they didn't understand it by test day-some may take longer to grasp concepts, and I try to honor that. Because of this, I have students do revisions on their tests-I have them do this on a separate piece of paper so they can refer to their original thoughts. I strongly believe that we learn through reflection, so I have my students finish these sentence starters first:

I got this partially incorrect because...

I now know...

After identifying what went wrong, they do the problem again.

If we believe that it's important to meet the needs of all students, how do we create a testing environment in which students are less anxious, especially in a math classroom? With Test Talk, I've seen students who entered my class deathly scared of math gain the confidence to bring up great mathematical ideas for their group members to ponder.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Strategy for Reducing Math Test Anxiety

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Letting students discuss a test with peers before they take it can reduce anxiety-and it creates an opportunity to ask deeper questions. Let's face it: A lot of students have test anxiety. How do we change test-taking so that we're creating a comfortable environment for our students to show what they really know?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Test anxiety casts a shadow over Quinlan O'Grady's classroom at Schmid Elementary School in Chicago, she writes in " Test Anxiety Is Crippling Students. Giving Them a Breather Can Help" for EdSurge. "I have often felt that I am either always preparing my students for a test or administering one."

The near-constant anxiety, she says, takes a toll on her second- and third-grade students, many of whom have experienced trauma. O'Grady also feels the pressure: She worries about how her students' performance on tests will reflect on her teaching abilities.

To combat testing anxiety, O'Grady decided to start using daily strategies in the classroom to help students cope. She is guided by the mantra, "You are worth more than a score."

She starts with a greeting at the door-an evidence-based practice that has been proven to increase student engagement and reduce discipline issues. "Students take part in daily morning meetings in which they are given the space to share their current emotional state through activities such as 'highs and lows' or 'mood colors' should they choose," she writes. The practice sets a positive tone and helps build a supportive environment.

Throughout the day, O'Grady does a temperature check to gauge how students are faring during transitions between recess and class, and incorporates physical movement based on their needs. If they need to release energy, she leads students in stretches, yoga, and dance. If they need to be calmed, she guides them in meditation or breathing exercises.

Introducing calming breaks helps address students' immediate anxiety, and has positive long-term effects, writes O'Grady, who has witnessed how her students have thrived after using the practices independently, "even without prodding." The goal isn't to eliminate test anxiety, she says, but rather to train students in coping techniques that they can use to cope with testing-and in life.

"Students now realize that having anxiety around their performance is normal and natural. However, we do not have to let the anxiety consume us to the point where it impacts our performance," she writes. "It's okay to ask for a break or for help if we feel overwhelmed."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reducing Test Anxiety With Simple Strategies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Test anxiety casts a shadow over Quinlan O'Grady's classroom at Schmid Elementary School in Chicago, she writes in " Test Anxiety Is Crippling Students. Giving Them a Breather Can Help" for EdSurge. "I have often felt that I am either always preparing my students for a test or administering one."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's not uncommon for kids with learning and attention issues to struggle with anxiety. They may worry about many things or be withdrawn at school. They may hesitate to participate in the classroom, make frequent trips to the bathroom or the nurse's office, or even refuse to go to school at all. That can affect the ability to learn.

Watch as Melody Musgrove, Ed.D., discusses whether kids can get a 504 plan for anxiety issues.

If your child is being treated for anxiety disorder, it's crucial to be in contact with your mental health provider about using school strategies like these. Together, you can ensure they're a good fit for your child's treatment plan. You can also visit the Child Mind Institute, an Understood founding partner, to learn more about what anxiety in the classroom looks like.

Here are some classroom accommodations for anxiety that may help your child.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Anxiety

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's not uncommon for kids with learning and attention issues to struggle with anxiety. They may worry about many things or be withdrawn at school. They may hesitate to participate in the classroom, make frequent trips to the bathroom or the nurse's office, or even refuse to go to school at all.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It is usually expected that all children will experience some fear or anxiety from time to time.

New situations, challenging tasks, and even unfamiliar people can all lead to some anxiety in most children.

Other age-appropriate fears include:

stranger anxiety beginning at 7 to 9 months of age

fear of the dark, monsters, insects, and animals in preschoolers

fear of heights or storms in younger school-age children

worry about school and friends in older school-age children and teens

It takes a little more than occasional anxiety, which can be normal, to indicate true symptoms of an anxiety disorder, though.

As much as it is common to have occasional anxiety, it is also common for children to have anxiety disorders. In fact, anxiety disorders are more common than ADHD or childhood depression and are the most common psychiatric disorders in children.

Children with true anxiety symptoms have them on most days and they can include:

restlessness

fatigue

trouble concentrating

irritability

muscle tension

trouble sleeping (insomnia)

As part of a diagnosis of a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a child should have one of these symptoms for six months or more, and they should be triggered by more than one thing, such as being anxious about work, school, and friends.

Also, a child with a generalized anxiety disorder will have trouble controlling her feelings of worry and it will cause her distress and some kind of impairment. For example, she may be so irritable from not sleeping that she is having trouble keeping her friends or her grades are dropping because she can't concentrate.

Children with generalized anxiety disorder may also have somatic symptoms, such as headaches, abdominal pain, and muscle aches and pains.

In addition to a generalized anxiety disorder, children can have more specific phobias.​

They become anxious and worried, but only after very specific triggers, such as a thunderstorm, spiders, being left alone, or going in a swimming pool, etc. Although these children may cry and may cling to their parents if they are around or think they will be around something they are really afraid of, fortunately, most kids outgrow this type of anxiety disorder.

Like adults, children can also have other anxiety disorders, which range from separation anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to panic attacks.

While symptoms of separation anxiety are typically easy to recognize, a child who refuses to go to school, sleep alone, or go anywhere without a parent, other anxiety disorders can be a little harder to detect.

Children with OCD, for example, may have either recurrent consuming thoughts or impulses (obsessions) about certain things or repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that they perform, such as washing their hands a lot, checking things over and over, or repeating certain words or phrases to themselves.

Although uncommon in children, panic attacks are another type of anxiety disorder that does become more common in later teen years. In addition to intense fear or discomfort, children having a panic attack should have four or more of the following symptoms:

palpitations or a fast heart rate

sweating

shaking

feeling short of breath

feeling choked

chest pain

nausea or abdominal pain

dizziness

numbness or tingling (paresthesias)

chills or hot flashes

fear of losing control

a feeling of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)

Of all of the anxiety disorders in children, selective mutism is perhaps the one that is most commonly overlooked, as people think these children are just extremely shy. Children with selective mutism actually refuse to talk though and may only talk to close family members at home. At school or in other situations, they often become anxious and very uncomfortable when they are expected to talk.

Your pediatrician, a child psychologist, and/or a child psychiatrist can be helpful if your child has persistent anxiety symptoms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Common Childhood Anxiety Symptoms All Parents Should Know About

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It is usually expected that all children will experience some fear or anxiety from time to time. New situations, challenging tasks, and even unfamiliar people can all lead to some anxiety in most children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders cause extreme fear and worry, and changes in a child's behavior, sleep, eating, or mood.

What Are the Kinds of Anxiety Disorders?

Different anxiety disorders can affect kids and teens. They include:

generalized anxiety disorder

separation anxiety disorder

social anxiety disorder

panic disorder

selective mutism

specific phobias

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD causes kids to worry almost every day - and over lots of things. Kids with GAD worry over things that most kids worry about, like homework, tests, or making mistakes.

But with GAD, kids worry more, and more often, about these things. Kids with GAD also worry over things parents might not expect would cause worry. For example, they might worry about recess, lunchtime, birthday parties, playtime with friends, or riding the school bus. Kids with GAD may also worry about war, weather, or the future. Or about loved ones, safety, illness, or getting hurt.

Having GAD can make it hard for kids to focus in school. Because with GAD, there is almost always a worry on a kid's mind. GAD makes it hard for kids to relax and have fun, eat well, or fall asleep at night. They may miss many days of school because worry makes them feel sick, afraid, or tired.

Some kids with GAD keep worries to themselves. Others talk about their worries with a parent or teacher. They might ask over and over whether something they worry about will happen. But it's hard for them to feel OK, no matter what a parent says.

Separation anxiety disorder. It's normal for babies and very young kids to feel anxious the first times they are apart from their parent. But soon they get used to being with a grandparent, babysitter, or teacher. And they start to feel at home at daycare or school.

But when kids don't outgrow the fear of being apart from a parent, it's called separation anxiety disorder. Even as they get older, kids with separation anxiety disorder feel very anxious about being away from their parent or away from home. They may miss many days of school. They may say they feel too sick or upset to go. They may cling to a parent, cry, or refuse to go to school, sleepovers, playdates, or other activities without their parent. At home, they may have trouble falling asleep or sleeping alone. They may avoid being in a room at home if their parent isn't close by.

Social phobia (social anxiety disorder). With social phobia, kids to feel too afraid of what others will think or say. They are always afraid they might do or say something embarrassing. They worry they might sound or look weird. They don't like to be the center of attention. They don't want others to notice them, so they might avoid raising their hand in class. If they get called on in class, they may freeze or panic and can't answer. With social phobia, a class presentation or a group activity with classmates can cause extreme fear.

Social phobia can cause kids and teens to avoid school or friends. They may feel sick or tired before or during school. They may complain of other body sensations that go with anxiety too. For example, they may feel their heart racing or feel short of breath. They may feel jumpy and feel they can't sit still. They may feel their face get hot or blush. They may feel shaky or lightheaded.

Panic disorder. These sudden anxiety attacks can cause overwhelming physicals symptoms, such as feeling shaky or jittery, trembling, a racing heart rate, and shortness of breath. Panic attacks can happen any time. They're more common in teens than kids.

Selective mutism. This extreme form of social phobia causes kids to be so afraid they don't talk. Kids and teens who have it can talk. And they do talk at home or with their closest people. But they refuse to talk at all at school, with friends, or in other places where they have this fear.

Specific phobias. It's normal for young kids to feel scared of the dark, monsters, big animals, or loud noises like thunder or fireworks. Most of the time, when kids feel afraid, adults can help them feel safe and calm again. But a phobia is a more intense, more extreme, and longer lasting fear of a specific thing. With a phobia, a child dreads the thing they fear and tries to avoid it. If they are near what they fear, they feel terrified and are hard to comfort.

With a specific phobia, kids may have an extreme fear of things like animals, spiders, needles or shots, blood, throwing up, thunderstorms, people in costumes, or the dark. A phobia causes kids to avoid going places where they think they might see the thing they fear. For example, a kid with a phobia of dogs may not go to a friend's house, to a park, or to a party because dogs might be there.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Anxiety?

A parent or teacher may see signs that a child or teen is anxious. For example, a kid might cling, miss school, or cry. They might act scared or upset, or refuse to talk or do things. Kids and teens with anxiety also feel symptoms that others can't see. It can make them feel afraid, worried, or nervous.

It can affect their body too. They might feel shaky, jittery, or short of breath. They may feel "butterflies" in their stomach, a hot face, clammy hands, dry mouth, or a racing heart.

These symptoms of anxiety are the result of the "fight or flight" response. This is the body's normal response to danger. It triggers the release of natural chemicals in the body. These chemicals prepare us to deal with a real danger. They affect heart rate, breathing, muscles, nerves, and digestion. This response is meant to protect us from danger. But with anxiety disorders, the "fight or flight" response is overactive. It happens even when there is no real danger.

What Causes Anxiety Disorders?

Several things play a role in causing the overactive "fight or flight" that happens with anxiety disorders. They include:

Genetics. A child who has a family member with an anxiety disorder is more likely to have one too. Kids may inherit genes that make them prone to anxiety.

Brain chemistry. Genes help direct the way brain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) work. If specific brain chemicals are in short supply, or not working well, it can cause anxiety.

Life situations. Things that happen in a child's life can be stressful and difficult to cope with. Loss, serious illness, death of a loved one, violence, or abuse can lead some kids to become anxious.

Learned behaviors. Growing up in a family where others are fearful or anxious also can "teach" a child to be afraid too.

How Are Anxiety Disorders Diagnosed?

Anxiety disorders can be diagnosed by a trained therapist. They talk with you and your child, ask questions, and listen carefully. They'll ask how and when the child's anxiety and fears happen most. That helps them diagnose the specific anxiety disorder the child has.

A child or teen with symptoms of anxiety should also have a regular health checkup. This helps make sure no other health problem is causing the symptoms.

How Are Anxiety Disorders Treated?

Most often, anxiety disorders are treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is a type of talk therapy that helps families, kids, and teens learn to manage worry, fear, and anxiety.

CBT teaches kids that what they think and do affects how they feel. In CBT, kids learn that when they avoid what they fear, the fear stays strong. They learn that when they face a fear, the fear gets weak and goes away.

In CBT:

Parents learn how to best respond when a child is anxious. They learn how to help kids face fears.

Kids learn coping skills so they can face fear and worry less.

The therapist helps kids practice, and gives support and praise as they try. Over time, kids learn to face fears and feel better. They learn to get used to situations they're afraid of. They feel proud of what they've learned. And without so many worries, they can focus on other things - like school, activities, and fun. Sometimes, medicines are also used to help treat anxiety.

How Can I Help My Child?

If your child has an anxiety disorder, here are some ways you can help:

Find a trained therapist and take your child to all the therapy appointments.

Talk often with the therapist, and ask how you can best help your child.

Help your child face fears. Ask the therapist how you can help your child practice at home. Praise your child for efforts to cope with fears and worry.

Help kids talk about feelings. Listen, and let them know you understand, love, and accept them. A caring relationship with you helps your child build inner strengths.

Encourage your child to take small steps forward. Don't let your child give up or avoid what they're afraid of. Help them take small positive steps forward.

Be patient. It takes a while for therapy to work and for kids to feel better.

Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety

Feeling nervous, worried, or uneasy at times is a normal part of growing up. You can help prevent anxiety from becoming a bigger problem by learning how to help your child feel more in control and ways to cope with stress.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Anxiety is a normal part of growing up, and all kids experience it. But when it becomes extreme, it can interfere with a child's overall happiness.