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At the end of the day in our 5th grade classroom, once the materials are all put away and all the content has been taught, the students will gather on the carpet in front of the white board and as a class we will do our Wordle for the day together! This is a really great way for students to end the day on a fun note by playing a game and it is also really great practice for them to use their background knowledge of the alphabet and creating new words. This can also be really great practice for my ELL students to participate as well. Using a fun game like this at the end allows the day to end a high note and it can be something that the students look forward to. And because it is on the carpet, the students can clean up their desks, their surrounding areas, and also pack their backpacks before coming to the carpet so that they are ready to go.

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By having individual groups create their own norms it allows students help create the culture of their group. I have never been in a class that has done this and I think it is a really cool idea. It works as a refresher for students to reinforce the norms they want for the group and how they want to be treated.

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Having a closing statement or question about the lesson or discussion of the day. Giving students a chance to give feedback on the lesson or discussion and how much they understood the lesson can be a great way to be aware of what or how much the students are learning. This strategy can work in any grade setting, however as students get older the feedback they can give can become more detailed.

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Establishing routines in the music classroom

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Establishing routines in the music classroom

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Music Classroom, secondary levels (6-12)
A routine is essential to positive classroom management and should be modeled by the teacher. "Set the standard of excellence before making music" is a good practice for setting the expectations of how a music room will function. Practice stepping on and off the podium and set the expectation that this means quiet.

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This article was originally published in the November 2016 teacher edition of In Tune Magazine.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

For my third professional teaching assignment, I was asked to establish a music program at a brand-new middle school. My mission required me to inspire students who had been affiliated in total with 27 previous music programs. Had I not formulated a vision for the new program and created a motto for success (see last month's column), then my ability to manage such a diverse classroom would have been difficult, exhausting, perhaps impossible.

However, the power of a motto doesn't just emerge magically from reciting it. I have to believe in it, live it, and teach its inspirational message each day-and I have to be consistent in managing my students and their behaviors.

In a well-managed classroom, routines are always evident and can serve many functions. If implemented purposefully, routines can enhance organization, eliminate chaos, ensure safety, focus students' attention, and save time. If implemented passionately, routines can also unite students. When they follow directions as a cohesive unit, students perform more musically as an ensemble, and when a sense of community is achieved, students are motivated to maintain it.

Set the standard of excellence in your classroom before making music. Envision how students will respectfully enter your classroom. Be prepared with procedures for how this will look and sound. Which door will students use to enter the classroom? How will they obtain materials, where will they rest their belongings, when and where can they assemble instruments, and where should they store cases? Model the behaviors you expect from your students within each phase of the class period. Demonstrate the routine. This will ensure your students' safety, along with the safety of their instruments.

Develop a pattern for posting each lesson agenda. If you have access to a computer and LCD projector, create your agenda in a slide show format. By doing so, you can update the slides at your convenience, rather than having to physically be in your classroom to erase or write on a board. The daily agenda should include materials to be used, vocabulary to be reviewed, methods for warming up and tuning, literature to be rehearsed, and announcements to be shared. Be certain that each student can see the projected agenda from all angles of the classroom. If you notice anyone standing or straining to see, then request for the black, smart, or white board to be raised in height or moved elsewhere.

Consider playing a different musical recording each day as students enter your classroom. This technique can excite them, calm them, or focus their attention on a musical question. It also trains students to achieve proper audience etiquette, by listening silently when music is performed.

If you expect your ensemble members to become silent listeners and focused observers when you stand on the conductor's podium, then model this behavior too. Practice stepping on and off of the podium while students are seated in an ensemble setting. Demonstrate to your students what behaviors should look and sound like when a conductor steps off the podium and how behaviors immediately improve when a conductor steps on the podium. Relax your body and converse with a student in the first row while you are standing on the floor. The moment you stand on the podium, become silent and still, enhance your body's posture, and intently stare at your students. This routine will immediately focus students' attention on the task at hand, improve their playing posture, and prepare them for making music together.

Once positioned on the podium, formulate a quick and non-disruptive way to take attendance and check that your students have whatever materials they need each day. Nonverbal cues work well for this routine. For example, when checking for a pencil, simply raise a pencil to your own face. Encourage your students to do the same and scan each row, checking for students' preparedness. No talking on your part or the students' is necessary during an attendance or material check. When implemented daily, this silent routine can save precious rehearsal time.

Expectations must be clearly set for how you desire your students to learn within your classroom. If you set an expectation, then be prepared to provide a consequence if a student fails to comply. Consider this brief sequence of disciplinary actions:

1. a warning will be given to the student from the teacher

2. a consequence will be given to the student from the teacher

3. a conference between the parent/guardian and teacher will occur

4. disciplinary action will be taken by administration

5. removal from the course/music program will occur

*Extreme circumstances may result in immediate movement to steps 4 or 5 at the discretion of the teacher and/or administration.

While using a purposeful and passionate plan for managing my classroom, rarely have I progressed beyond step 3. It is my strong belief that it is my responsibility and no one else's to manage my classroom. An administrator will support your teaching methods much more if you can make use of them with little need for reinforcement from others.

Don't forget the most important routine: connecting with students as human beings. Gain their admiration, respect, and trust before making music with them. Never miss an opportunity to greet and dismiss them at your classroom door. Make eye contact with each of them and smile as they enter the classroom. Be jovial. Compliment them on their appearance or a nonmusical accomplishment. Discuss an interest with them, such as fashion, news, or sports. Your attention, smile, or kind word could be the only compassion they experience each day.

If you are unable to make each individual child feel unique when he/she is in your presence, then that child may choose not to remain in your program. Ignite excitement with your students.

Upon dismissal, offer students a high-five, fist bump, or musical praise. If necessary, offer an individual behavioral warning or musical critique as they exit the classroom. Remember that your music course is most likely an elective. If you are unable to make each individual child feel unique when he/she is in your presence, then that child may choose not to remain in your program. Ignite excitement with your students.

Reflect on your classroom management techniques. Are you teaching behaviors before content? Are you showing your students what you expect to hear or see from them at each phase of the class period? Demonstrate it. Enforce it. Then listen, watch, and savor as students from various locations, ethnic, and financial backgrounds, and many different levels of talent build a successful musical family together.
About the author:
NAfME Member Lori Schwartz Reichl is a music educator and writer. Gain inspiration from her at makingkeychanges.com.

Lori is the author of the series "Key Changes: Refreshing Your Music Program" published monthly in the teacher edition of In Tune Magazine where she provides resources to enhance the music classroom. As a writer for Teaching Music Magazine, she interviews master educators. Lori is an active adjudicator, clinician, and conductor. As an avid presenter at conferences, professional development sessions, and universities nationwide, she serves as a resource for building inspiring music programs, developing effective classroom management techniques and rehearsal routines, motivating diverse learners, and achieving unity in ensembles. Within Maryland, Lori serves as Music Education Intern Supervisor at Towson University and as Coordinator of Howard County Public School System's Secondary Solo and Ensemble Festival. As Director of the Regional Repertory Wind Ensemble, she has collaborated with composers Brian Balmages, Tyler S. Grant, Samuel Hazo, Richard Saucedo, Robert Sheldon, and Frank Ticheli. Learn more about Lori here.
Did this blog spur new ideas for your music program? The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees. Share them on Amplify! Interested in reprinting this article? Please review the reprint guidelines.
Catherina Hurlburt, Marketing Communications Manager. July 2, 2018. © National Association for Music Education ( NAfME.org)

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A Purposeful and Passionate Plan for Managing the Music Classroom - NAfME

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This article was originally published in the November 2016 teacher edition of In Tune Magazine . "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle For my third professional teaching assignment, I was asked to establish a music program at a brand-new middle school.

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This strategy would be great for any grade level but I would use it in first or second grade. This strategy essentially starts the day by having a 15-30 minute meeting every morning where students can check in with one another, rate how they are feeling for the day, and settle into the "school mindset" for the day. You can run your morning meeting in lots of different ways but this resource highlighted how generally morning meetings have four parts: the greeting, time to share about your day or something important to you, an activity, and a morning message/announcements. These meetings help regulate students emotionally before the day starts and help to build community.

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Make an impact in your classroom each morning by having a morning meeting. Classroom meetings are an excellent way to spend time with your class, building relationships, and getting ready for the day. Check out the morning meeting ideas in this post with ready-for-you greetings, questions for sharing, activities, games, and messages.
Morning Meeting Ideas and Routines for K-3

Morning meetings are a time for all members of a class to join together and start the day. This daily check-in usually occurs in a circle and involves saying "hello" in a greeting, sharing in a short discussion or answering a question, and participating in a quick activity. This daily warm-up helps kids and adults transition into the day from home into the classroom. The purpose is to help everyone settle in and feel ready for the day.

Morning meetings should be relatively quick and purposeful. A session can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. It is essential to be flexible with the time, and do what feels best for your student's needs that day. While a morning meeting is encouraged, a class meeting can take place at any time of day and any structure you need. An afternoon wrap-up is a useful way for kids to transition out the door.

This post breaks down the importance of morning meetings, what they are, and their components. You may choose to follow the meeting method below or adapt it to suit your needs.

Why is a Morning Meeting Important?

There are many benefits to having a daily morning meeting in your classroom.

1. Morning meetings help kids settle into the day.

Starting the day off with a meeting is an excellent way to focus on what's ahead and create a positive atmosphere where students are ready to learn. Often kids come with stories (good and bad) from home that may challenge them to get focused once at school.

Morning meetings provide an opportunity for kids to get emotionally ready for the day, to leave the previous events behind, and focus on what's happening at school.

2. Morning meetings help create classroom inclusion.

When everyone has a voice and a chance to share openly, they begin to feel heard and understood. When they feel understood and respected, they feel like they belong. This is when an inclusive morning meeting can occur.

Spend time before the first meeting, teaching expectations and emphasize ways to show respect. Brainstorm and model what they should look like, sound, and feel like and practice it together. Record the expectations on an anchor chart and review it often.

3. Morning meetings develop community and relationships.

Through a daily meeting, the classroom environment is enhanced, relationships develop, and the community grows. Classroom meetings dramatically change the climate of the classroom, starting things off in a positive tone. Children connect with and learn about peers and develop social skills, as well. Morning meetings build community when kids get to help one another and care for each other.

Make sure the morning meetings are student-centered and include time for one-on-one interactions, group sharing, and participation activities.

4. Morning meetings build social and emotional skills.

Morning meetings build many skills through social-emotional learning activities. When children have opportunities to share about themselves openly, they develop self-awareness skills and confidence. Spending time connecting, greeting, and learning about peers will help students develop social skills, as well.

Be patient when first starting morning meetings, as some kids will need time to become comfortable with sharing and participating fully. Make sure to recognize those individuals and allow them time and space to get relaxed.

A helpful strategy to encourage emotional awareness is to do a feelings check-in. Have kids note how they are feeling on a chart or with a sticky note. This exercise will help them be emotionally prepared for what's next.

Role-playing activities are excellent ways to create empathy and practice socially acceptable responses to different scenarios. Use this activity often to teach kids about body language, facial expressions, and how their actions affect others.

5. Morning meetings provide a way to connect at the start of the day.

The time spent at school is often hectic and over-scheduled. Teachers frequently find it hard to fit everything in. Without a scheduled meeting, the day can quickly slip by without much time dedicated to checking in with each other to see how things are going. Morning meetings afford us a small chunk of time to meet and connect with our students before the academic demands take over.

Make morning meetings are part of your daily plan by scheduling the time and recording it in your teacher planner. Jot down what you will cover in a lesson plan, just as you would for any other academic lesson.

6. Sharing leads to learning.

Morning meetings are valuable chunks of time to learn about our students. They provide a safe space for kids to share honestly with the group.

Ask questions that you wouldn't usually think to ask during academic learning time or in the brief conversations we have each day. When kids share, we grow familiar with their circumstances, beliefs, joys, struggles, and opinions about school, life, and themselves.

7. Morning meetings build conversation skills.

The structure of meetings provides opportunities to speak and listen. Speaking orally in front of a group and listening to others share ideas develop important conversation skills.

Take time to model and practice proper "whole-body" listening. Also, teach and give examples of clear, fluent speech. Participating in daily classroom meetings will build listening and speaking skills naturally.

What is Morning Meeting?

Morning meetings have different components that help bring the class together and connect. A popular format follows the Responsive Classroom method with four main parts. Your morning meeting can take on its structure depending on your classroom needs and time allowance.

Necessary Elements of Any Morning Meeting

No matter what you choose to include in your morning meeting, remember the following essential elements:

Build a morning meeting routine, but also keep it fresh with fun additions and activities.

Be willing to adapt the structure of your meetings to meet the developmental needs of your students.

Provide opportunities for all students to participate equally.

Components of Morning Meetings

Below you will find a description of each part of a morning meeting, how they typically run, and ideas you can try in your classroom.

Greeting

The morning meeting often begins with a greeting. Classmates greet each other briefly, in a friendly way. Each greeting brings the members of the class together into a circle. The greeting is a quick way for everyone to connect and foster community!

Ideas for Morning Meeting Greetings:

Vary greetings with fresh and fun ideas

BUTTERFLY: While saying good morning to classmates, hook thumbs together, and wave your fingers.

ROLL THE BALL: In a circle, greet a classmate and roll them the ball. They greet someone new and roll the ball in their direction.

ECHO: In a circle, take turns saying, "Hello, my name is ___, and I'd like to say good morning!" in a unique way with gestures. Repeat back, "Good morning!" in the same way!

Give the morning meeting greeting a social-emotional focus with these ideas.

THANKFUL FOR: Take turns and greet each other with "Good morning, ___!" and "Today, I am thankful for ___."

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS: In a circle, greet classmates with "Good morning!" and something you are good at. For example, "My name is Wesley, and I am a good friend!"

GIVE A COMPLIMENT: Greet classmates by saying, "Good morning, ___!" and compliment them (You are..., I think you..., I like how...).

Sharing

The morning meeting continues with sharing time. The teacher or meeting facilitator asks a question. Students reflect and share their thoughts and opinions openly while listening respectfully to others. Sharing is a nice way for peers to get to know each other better!

Learn about the value of sharing time in your morning meeting.

BRAINSTORM AND DISCUSS: What are your three favorite things to do at recess?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO: What would you do if someone dropped their snack at recess?

SHARE: Tell us about one of our classroom rules. Why do we follow it?

THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Is tattling a good thing? What can we do instead?

WHAT DO YOU THINK: What do you think when you look at yourself in the mirror each day?

Activity

The morning meeting continues with activity time. Activities are typically short, energetic exercises that get kids moving their bodies and playing as a group. The activities bring everyone together to play games, move, act, dance, work together, and have fun!

Ideas for Morning Meeting Activities:

Try these three fun morning meeting games by Susan Jones Teaching.

BRAIN BREAK: Get up and find a space. Sing and do the actions for "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."

FIND A FRIEND: Find a friend with something in common. Listen to the teacher for direction. E.g., letters in the first name, play the same sport.

EXTREME ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS: In this rock, paper, scissors tournament, everyone starts off playing with a partner. The winner of each round stays standing, while others sit down. The game keeps going until the last person wins their game.

Encourage kids to participate in social-emotional learning activities:

Practice meditation and breathing exercises.

RESPONSIBILITY CHARADES: The teacher will start acting out a way to be responsible. Kids guess until someone gets it correct. Then, it is their turn to do a responsible act. Remember, no talking or calling out! E.g., putting dishes away, making the bed, hanging up bag.

THE COMPLIMENT GAME: Turn to the person sitting next to you and compliment them. A compliment is saying something kind about a person, like something they are good at or something they work hard on. Try not to compliment what they are wearing or how they look!

ROLE PLAY: Act out a social skill given a situation.

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS CHALLENGE: Today's random act of kindness is to smile at everyone you see. Perform this act of kindness all day long. Bonus points if you continue to spread kindness in different ways!

Morning Message or Announcements

The morning meeting concludes with a message or announcements for the day. The message typically includes the important events of the day, as well as the date. The morning message may also include a skill that needs review or a question to encourage thinking. The message provides an open-ended way to close the meeting and proceed with the day.

Ideas for Morning Meeting Greetings

Layout your message in letter format.

Greet and welcome students in a fun way.

Write the date or leave it blank for students to add.

Include any important classroom announcements or school events that are occurring that day.

Reinforce a skill or topic in an interactive away (i.e., fill in the blanks, riddle, math problem).

Check out the morning message ideas that support social-emotional growth.

Morning Meeting Ideas and Resources

Free Week of Morning Meeting

Try social-emotional morning meetings in your classroom with this FREE week-long resource! It includes editable PowerPoint and PDF slides, printable cards, and instructions on how to use. Click the image below to grab a copy.

Social-Emotional Morning Meeting Resources

Begin a daily morning meeting or build upon your own with this 100% editable and low-prep classroom meeting resource that targets important social-emotional learning topics.

Our SEL morning meeting resources include everything you need to engage and connect with kids and make a HUGE impact in only 15 minutes a day! You will have everything you need for a daily morning meeting all school year long!

The mind+heart Morning Meeting BUNDLE gives you an entire YEAR'S WORTH of SEL slides for every day and every month of the school year, plus bonus resources to make implementation seamless.

See this resource in action and everything it includes HERE!

More Social-Emotional Learning Ideas
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Morning Meeting Ideas and Routines for K-3 to Start the Day Off Right

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Check out the morning meeting ideas with greetings, questions for sharing, activities, games, and messages. Grab a FREE week of morning meeting slides to simplify your routine and build social-emotional skills!

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One routine that could be beneficial for younger elementary students could be to list norms for group work on a poster board, white board, or placed somewhere in the classroom. Then before working in groups, have the class go over the norms so they know what is expected of them. Some expectations could include "everyone participates" or "use kind words to others". It is helpful to go over the norms before working in groups so students can be reminded of expectations and know that the norms are going to remain the same.

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Mention group work and you're confronted with pointed questions and criticisms. The big problems, according to our audience: One or two students do all the work; it can be hard on introverts; and grading the group isn't fair to the individuals.

But the research suggests that a certain amount of group work is beneficial.

"The most effective creative process alternates between time in groups, collaboration, interaction, and conversation... [and] times of solitude, where something different happens cognitively in your brain," says Dr. Keith Sawyer, a researcher on creativity and collaboration, and author of Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration.

So we looked through our archives and reached out to educators on Facebook to find out what solutions they've come up with for these common problems.

Making Sure Everyone Participates

"How many times have we put students in groups only to watch them interact with their laptops instead of each other? Or complain about a lazy teammate?" asks Mary Burns, a former French, Latin, and English middle and high school teacher who now offers professional development in technology integration.

Unequal participation is perhaps the most common complaint about group work. Still, a review of Edutopia's archives-and the tens of thousands of insights we receive in comments and reactions to our articles-revealed a handful of practices that educators use to promote equal participation. These involve setting out clear expectations for group work, increasing accountability among participants, and nurturing a productive group work dynamic.

Norms: At Aptos Middle School in San Francisco, the first step for group work is establishing group norms. Taji Allen-Sanchez, a sixth- and seventh-grade science teacher, lists expectations on the whiteboard, such as "everyone contributes" and "help others do things for themselves."

For ambitious projects, Mikel Grady Jones, a high school math teacher in Houston, takes it a step further, asking her students to sign a group contract in which they agree on how they'll divide the tasks and on expectations like "we all promise to do our work on time." Heather Wolpert-Gawron, an English middle school teacher in Los Angeles, suggests creating a classroom contract with your students at the start of the year, so that agreed-upon norms can be referenced each time a new group activity begins.

Group size: It's a simple fix, but the size of the groups can help establish the right dynamics. Generally, smaller groups are better because students can't get away with hiding while the work is completed by others.

"When there is less room to hide, nonparticipation is more difficult," says Burns. She recommends groups of four to five students, while Brande Tucker Arthur, a 10th-grade biology teacher in Lynchburg, Virginia, recommends even smaller groups of two or three students.

Meaningful roles: Roles can play an important part in keeping students accountable, but not all roles are helpful. A role like materials manager, for example, won't actively engage a student in contributing to a group problem; the roles must be both meaningful and interdependent.

At University Park Campus School, a grade 7-12 school in Worcester, Massachusetts, students take on highly interdependent roles like summarizer, questioner, and clarifier. In an ongoing project, the questioner asks probing questions about the problem and suggests a few ideas on how to solve it, while the clarifier attempts to clear up any confusion, restates the problem, and selects a possible strategy the group will use as they move forward.
Courtesy of University Park Campus School
At Design 39, a K-8 school in San Diego, groups and roles are assigned randomly using Random Team Generator, but ClassDojo, Team Shake, and drawing students' names from a container can also do the trick. In a practice called vertical learning, Design 39 students conduct group work publicly, writing out their thought processes on whiteboards to facilitate group feedback. The combination of randomizing teams and public sharing exposes students to a range of problem-solving approaches, gets them more comfortable with making mistakes, promotes teamwork, and allows kids to utilize different skill sets during each project.

Rich tasks: Making sure that a project is challenging and compelling is critical. A rich task is a problem that has multiple pathways to the solution and that one person would have difficulty solving on their own.

In an eighth-grade math class at Design 39, one recent rich task explored the concept of how monetary investments grow: Groups were tasked with solving exponential growth problems using simple and compound interest rates.

Rich tasks are not just for math class. When Dan St. Louis, the principal of University Park, was a teacher, he asked his English students to come up with a group definition of the word Orwellian. They did this through the jigsaw method, a type of grouping strategy that John Hattie's study Visible Learning ranked as highly effective.

"Five groups of five students might each read a different news article about the modern world," says St. Louis. "Then each student would join a new group of five where they need to explain their previous group's article to each other and make connections to each. Using these connections, the group must then construct a definition of the word Orwellian." For another example of the jigsaw approach, see this video from Cult of Pedagogy.

Supporting Introverts

Teachers worry about the impact of group work on introverts. Some of our educators suggest that giving introverts choice in who they're grouped with can help them feel more comfortable.

"Even the quietest students are usually comfortable and confident when they are with peers with whom they connect," says Shelly Kunkle, a veteran teacher at Wasawee Middle School in North Webster, Indiana. Wolpert-Gawron asks her students to list four peers they want to work with and then makes sure to pair them with one from their list.

Having defined roles within groups-like clarifier or questioner-also provides structure for students who may be less comfortable within complex social dynamics, and ensures that introverts don't get overshadowed by their more extroverted peers.

Finally, be mindful that introverted students often simply need time to recharge. "Many introverts do not mind and even enjoy interacting in groups as long as they get some quiet time and solitude to recharge. It's not about being shy or feeling unsafe in a large group," says Barb Larochelle, a recently retired high school English teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, who taught for 29 years.

"I planned classes with some time to work quietly alone, some time to interact in smaller groups or as a whole class, and some time to get up and move around a little. A whole class of any one of those is going to be hard on one group, but a balance works well."

Assessing Group Work

Grading group work is problematic. Often, you don't have a clear understanding of what each student knows, and a single student's lack of effort can torpedo the group grade. To some degree, strategies that assign meaningful roles or that require public presentations from groups provide a window in to each student's knowledge and contributions.

But not all classwork needs to be graded. Suzanna Kruger, a high school science teacher in Seaside, Oregon, doesn't grade group work-there are plenty of individual assignments that receive grades, and plenty of other opportunities for formative assessment.

John McCarthy, a former high school English and social studies teacher and current education consultant and adjunct professor at Madonna University for the graduate department for education, suggests using group presentations or group products as a non-graded review for a test. But if you want to grade group work, he recommends making all academic assessments within group work individual assessments. For example, instead of grading a group presentation, McCarthy grades each student on an essay, which the students then use to create their group presentation.

Laura Moffit, a fifth-grade teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, uses self and peer evaluations to shed light on how each student is contributing to group work-starting with a lesson on how to do an objective evaluation. "Just have students circle :), :|, or :( on three to five statements about each partner, anonymously," Moffit commented on Facebook. "Then give the evaluations back to each group member. Finding out what people really think of your performance is a wake-up call."

And Ted Malefyt, a middle school science teacher in Hamilton, Michigan, carries a clipboard with the class list formatted in a spreadsheet and walks around checking in on students while they do group work.

"Using this spreadsheet, you have your own record of which student is meeting your expectations and who needs extra help," explains Malefyt. "As formative assessment takes place, quickly document with simple checkmarks."

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Educators weigh in on solutions to the common pitfalls of group work.

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One routine or strategy that can build positive connections with students at the end of the day is to have students gather together in one area of the classroom and read a story or poetry to students. This can be a book or poem that students choose for the teacher to read at the end of the day, or a book that the class is working through reading together too. A teacher can also play an audiobook version, or find a YouTube video of another person to read the book aloud to the class. This strategy builds positive connections with students because it allows students to have choice in what book or poem they want to hear, and it closes the day off with a positive experience.

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When I become a teacher, I would love to be with kindergarteners and hopefully in a Christian school. A strategy that I want to have is daily affirmations. At a Christian school it can obviously be a little more faith based, but you can also do it at a public school.

I will start the day with all the students repeating after me the affirmations.

"I am loved, I am amazing, I am cared for, I am kind, I am seen, I am known, I am beautiful, I am welcomed...."

These are just some ideas, but I want my students to start the day being reminded of these truths. Some students might not believe these things, and some might be told differently at home, but in my classroom I want them to feel loved and known.

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Before your students enter the classroom the teacher can write a "get to know you" style question on the board. Once everyone is seated, the teacher will call each student around the room to answer the question. These should be fun, would you rather, what is your favorite... what do you like about... this gets the mind off school and shows the kids that the teacher is interested in getting to know them.

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When working in groups I want to make the groups small to ensure that all student's voices are being heard and they can have meaningful discussions. Also when working in groups I will assign each student an important role. The roles that will be included are materials manager, questioner/discussion leader, and illustrator or summarizer, depending on the topics. Every week I will rotate the roles so that everyone gets a chance to experience a different role.

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Having a morning routine is important so that students know expectations as they enter the classroom. There is less stress because everyone knows what to do. One idea that I loved was question of the day. On Fridays, students can submit questions and the teachers would choose form the questions students submitted. In the mornings, the question would be posted on the board and students would respond in their journal. Students enjoy it because they get to come up with the questions and it gives teachers information about the students. This strategy works for any age, but I would use in in 3rd-5th.

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No matter the grade, the way that a student is greeted is very important. Being a teacher is a sweet and special gift to be able to be a safe place for students and their feelings/emotions. One way to do this is to greet each student at the door in the fashion that they want. You can have a poster with the different ideas such as a hug, high-five, fist bump, or just a hello. This gives the students the reminder that they are loved, but also the space to make them feel comfortable.

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At the end of the day in our 3rd grade classroom while students are cleaning packing up, students will listen to a podcast. I think it would be a good way to cut down on potential chaos in the classroom because it helps keep the kids collectively focused on something while students are in different processes and stages of packing up.

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Working to have energy as a teacher and make lessons energizing for students is important, as well as building structure to keep an organized classroom and set clear expectations for students throughout the year. Having clear boundaries and expectations is useful for any grad level.

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Use visual timers to help students know when it's time to move on. Lots of options! Careful about sounds attached. Know your students.

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Music can provide non-verbal or signaled transition behaviors that keep them engaged. Classroom songs are like co-teachers who help you guide the class. Build off of each song and routine at a time to establish positive habits and build off of them to accomplish more at once.

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Give One Get One Thinking routine supports learners to engage in the sharing of ideas