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This article comes from Scholastic that explains how to differentiate instruction for all grades and all subjects. The information is clear, organized, and concise which makes it a realistic and helpful resource for teachers to learn new techniques.

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This article goes over different strategies and techniques to use in the classroom when students' behaviors are not positive. What is great is it gives specific examples.

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This website can be used by administrators or teachers to help keep motivation or even start it in an educational community. These strategies can decrees stress levels, lower anxieties, motivate teachers to want to excel, and create a positive environment for all.

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This website is an ultimate resource for teachers to get innovative ideas, lesson plans, activities, and even an opportunity to make some extra money! The resources can be free to cost a small amount and include a wealth of information.

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Teaching Resources & Lesson Plans | Teachers Pay Teachers

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World's most popular online marketplace for original educational resources with more than three million resources available for use today.

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National Association for Gifted Children 

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National Association for Gifted Children 

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This resource can be used by administration, educators, and parents to help assist in creating a learning environment for gifted and talented students. It has multiple educational articles, professional development opportunities, and instructional methods.

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Home " Information & Publications

NAGC features a variety of resources that address specific issues, policies, and practices that impact the education of gifted and talented children. Discover more about standards in gifted education, myths about gifted students, social and emotional issues affecting gifted students, NAGC's advocacy work, and other resources at your fingertips.

Classroom teachers are the primary agent for identifying and serving gifted and talented students in our nation's schools. Read about the research-based practices that have been shown to be effective with gifted and talented students. Peruse the topics to expand your knowledge, enhance your teaching, and boost student learning.

Program and service decisions for gifted and talented students are made at the state and local levels. In the absence of federal minimum standards, there is wide variability between states, and in many cases, an even wider unevenness between districts in the same state. We've compiled state-by-state information on policy and practices in gifted education as well as the contacts in the network of state gifted education associations and state education agencies.

Resources for Specific Audiences

NAGC encourages visitors to browse all the sections of the website, but we're here to help you navigate with these specific audience pages.

NAGC offers several publications for parents and educators. Stay tuned in to the latest research, issues and general happenings within the community. Find a subscription that fits your needs.

The NAGC Online Store store offers the best selection of books and other materials for parents, teachers, and administrators who help gifted and talented students to reach their full potential.

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Home " Information & Publications NAGC features a variety of resources that address specific issues, policies, and practices that impact the education of gifted and talented children. Discover more about standards in gifted education, myths about gifted students, social and emotional issues affecting gifted students, NAGC's advocacy work, and other resources at your fingertips.

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CrashCourse is a great resource for educators, students, and parents. It provides clear, concise, and interesting videos on specific concepts across multiple subjects. It is also easy to access, use, and extrapolate information.

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history biology literature learning education science humanities school "world history" ap tests smart fun chemistry psychology apush whap

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At Crash Course, we believe that high-quality educational videos should be available to everyone for free! Subscribe for weekly videos from our current courses! Right now, we're producing Climate & Energy. The Crash Course team has produced more than 45 courses on a wide variety of subjects, including organic chemistry, literature, world history, biology, philosophy, theater, ecology, and many more!

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Attached is my written response for the Wisdom Wall questions.

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Scholastic is a great resource for both parents and teachers for multiple subject areas. Their supplies includes hands on activities, books, magazines, online resources, and lab materials, all at a reasonable cost!

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Scholastic | Books for Kids | Learning Resources

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Find the best kids books, learning resources, and educational solutions at Scholastic, promoting literacy development for over 100 years.

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This article is written by the NEA to help teachers with time management. This is important because it can help with organization, preventing burnout, and easing anxieties.

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We’re sorry! We can’t find the page you’re looking for. Would you like to visit our homepage or browse our resource library instead?

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This website provides a community to help establish a welcoming, educational, supportive ELL classroom. This websites include lesson plans, professional development opportunities, integration of technology, differentiation, and much more for various grade levels and subjects.

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This YouTube channel gives you not one but many educational video channels for multiple disciplines. The videos provided are informative, clear, interesting, and motivating for students.

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national geographic animal earth water mountain adventure wild attack explorer dog whisperer dogtown cesar milan

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Inspiring people to care about the planet! National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.

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TED Talks channel is an outstanding resource for administration, teachers, students, parents, and anyone looking to invest into their education. It includes a vast array of videos that review standard academic subjects, mental health awareness, professional development, current events, and almost anything you can want!

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ted tedtalks talks ideas worth spreading technology entertainment design

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.

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Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity 

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Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity 

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This website is made to help parents, educators, and students who have dyslexia obtain information, materials, research, and advocacy. It includes many educational articles, resources, training opportunities, and real life testimonies to inform on how to support, educate, and motivate students with dyslexia.

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About the Course: Dyslexia is everywhere, touching so many children and adults, and while science has made extraordinary progress in understanding and clarifying the condition, this incredibly powerful knowledge rarely reaches those who most need to know and would greatly benefit from it. We aim to change all this with the Coursera you are about to view, produced by Dr. Sally Shaywitz, the Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning Development, both the leading scientist studying dyslexia and the most devoted advocate for helping those who are dyslexic. The course addresses and answers just about all the qu..

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The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity - Yale School of Medicine

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The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity focuses dyslexic individuals strengths throughout school and home, preparing them for a successful life.

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SMART Exchange is a FREE resource for educators of all grades, levels, and subjects to obtain SMARTBOARD templates. Teachers can upload, download, and share different lesson plans, activities, differentiated instruction methods, and much more!

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Free interactive classroom resources - Get activities, games and SMART Notebook lessons created by teachers for teachers

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This resource gives a TON of helpful information for educators and administration on how anxiety plays a major factor in the classroom. It provides material on how to identify types of anxieties, disruptive behaviors, social issues, and much more.

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Kahn Academy is a reputable resource for teachers, parents, free and students to utilize to enhance their education. They have a bigger selection of courses, academic levels, and provide many step by step examples.

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"free online classes" "math tutorials" "science tutorials" "online education" "video classes" "arts and humanities videos" "online lessons" "online learning"

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Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Our interactive practice problems, articles, and videos help students succeed in math, biology, chemistry, physics, history, economics, finance, grammar, and many other topics.

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Discovery Education gives teachers resources for Math, Science, Social Studies, and STEM. In addition it provides various opportunities to bring education to the next level for both students and educators. These include: professional development, virtual field trips, and various events.

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Discovery Education | Your Daily Learning Platform

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Discovery Education inspires educators to go beyond traditional learning with award-winning digital content and professional development. Learn more today!

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This article goes over why humor is not a distraction during instruction but a pivotal instructional method. It provides videos and various articles to help motivate humor to be included in the learning environment.

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Laughter has the power to fuel engagement and help students learn

Create a Comfortable Learning Environment

When teachers share a laugh or a smile with students, they help students feel more comfortable and open to learning. Using humor brings enthusiasm, positive feelings, and optimism to the classroom.

Even if you're not naturally funny, you still can lighten things up a bit.

The key thing to remember is to do what's comfortable for you. Not only will it make you more approachable, it will also help put students more at ease in your classroom.

Fire Up Their Brains

During her research on learning and humor, educator-researcher Mary Kay Morrison looked at brain scans that showed high levels of activity in multiple areas of the brain when humor was used in conversation and instruction.

"We're finding humor actually lights up more of the brain than many other functions in a classroom," says Morrison, author of Using Humor to Maximize Learning. "In other words, if you're listening just auditorily in a classroom, one small part of the brain lights up, but humor maximizes learning and strengthens memories."

Check out the video below of a Q&A session with Morrison and two other humor advocates: Steve Brinder, a teacher and stand-up comic, and Kathy Buckworth, the author of several parenting humor books.

(See also HealthWatch: Stanford Study Shows How Humor Activates Child's Brain.)

Bring Content to Life

Teachers can use humor to bring content to life- through games, parody, or comical voices (or wigs or hats). Students respond to their teacher's playfulness and appreciate the effort he or she puts into making a lesson fun. Here's how three teachers (on NEA Today Facebook) use humor to bring content to life:

Final Thoughts

Every teacher's goal is to be effective in the classroom and help students learn. Educators want their students to be eager and engaged. Humor has the power to fuel that engagement.

"Humor must be used in the classroom," says Pamela Matway, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Sedgwick Middle School, in West Hartford, Connecticut. "Joke, laugh, dance, sing, shout. I do it all; I think every teacher should. It helps kids stay focused on the lesson, and sometimes it even helps them remember ideas and motivates them. So stand up on that desk and tap dance while you give instructions, talk in an English accent, or sing the answers to a homework assignment."

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When teachers share a laugh or a smile with students, they help students feel more comfortable and open to learning. Using humor brings enthusiasm, positive feelings, and optimism to the classroom. Even if you're not naturally funny, you still can lighten things up a bit.

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This is a great YouTube channel to have an educational community learn something new each day! It includes quick and varied topic videos to teach everyone a new fact each day.

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Brand new videos 7 days a week from TodayIFoundOut.com! Subscribe and start learning something new and interesting every day. :-)

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Newsela gives ALL teachers literacy and reading comprehension materials for ALL subjects and reading levels. It gives educators the ability to personalize instruction without students feeling self conscious and allowing them to work on improving their ELA skills.

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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This article gives educators realistic ways to implement mindfulness in their classrooms. It includes various strategies, videos, and data on why mindfulness is an essential element for students and teachers.

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Mindfulness represents a particular way of being present in the moment and noticing your surroundings. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally."1

What began as part of meditation and yoga instruction has grown in popularity and has been implemented by many K -12 schools to help guide, direct, and calm students. Here are a few examples of practicing mindfulness in the classroom:

Ambarvale High School in Australia has recently launched voluntary mindfulness classes, where students engage in activities such meditation and breathing strategies.

Students at CHANCE, an alternate school in British Columbia, Canada start their school day with a mindfulness practice of breathing calmly and grounding their feet into the floor. The small school has adopted numerous other mindfulness strategies into the day, even using a mindfulness app in the classroom.

The kindergarteners at Chatsworth Elementary School in Larchmont, New York begin their school day in a seated position with palms facing up and resting on each knee. The "mindful leader" taps her thumbs on each of her fingers, simultaneously repeating the words "I-am-calm-now" with each tap until the entire class joins in for the calming chant.

Benefits of Mindfulness for Students

According to National Institutes of Mental Health, 25% of 13 to 18 year-olds will experience an anxiety disorder. Children are experiencing high levels of stress with less time for play and the arts. Stress at an early age can impact a child's memory, learning, behavior and physical and mental health.

Studies show that mindfulness can help lessen stress. Practicing mindfulness helps students feel calmer and allows them to better empathize with others. This practice may also combat symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Research also suggests that students that practice mindfulness will also have less anger management issues. Other benefits include:

Kindness towards others

Longer attention spans

Patience

Compassion

Improved listening and retention

Better impulse control

Better academic scores

How can you incorporate mindfulness in your classroom?

There are various ways to practice mindfulness in the classroom. At first your students might feel silly, giggle, look around at their classmates and fidget. This is because they aren't used to actively working to calm their minds and bodies. Within a few weeks of practice your students will probably ask for more opportunities to calm down their minds and their bodies.

Here's a great video that you can use to begin to teach students about mindfulness.

More Ways to Practice Mindfulness with Students

1. Breath Work. When introducing mindfulness, begin by practicing breath work with students. Ask students to breathe in and out, focusing on the sensation they feel when breathing. Giving full attention to breathing sensations clears the mind, allowing students to be present in the moment. Additionally, the focus on breathing reduces the mind's ability to circle stressful topics. To get started with guided breathing exercises, ask students to count the inhale and exhale of each breath. For younger children, start with guided inhales by counting to three, holding the breath for a count of three, and an exhale of a count of four. Older students should work toward longer inhale and exhales, while holding for a count of three

2. Sitting Still and Bringing Awareness. Another way to practice mindfulness is by asking students to sit quietly and notice the noises around them. Rather than focusing on the sensation of breathing through counting, this practice asks students to relate and feel their environment through sitting quietly at their desk or on the floor. Students should also focus on the sensation of sitting, feeling where they are supported by the floor, chair, wall, etc.

3. Notice Your Thoughts. Ask students to close their eyes and notice the thoughts that pop into their heads. Bring awareness to each thought and then send it away. Over time, students will learn how to notice stressful thoughts and redirect the mind back to the task of being mindful. This act puts thoughts of what you did before and what you need to do later on the back burner, allowing students to be present in the moment.

4. Moving Meditations. Guided stretches and a mid-day yoga break are other ways to incorporate mindfulness into your school day. You can also take students on a mindfulness walk where you ask them to be quiet and focus on the sights, smells, wind, and sounds around them. This helps to calm the body and the mind.

5. Guided Meditations. There are a plethora of podcasts, YouTube videos, and music that you can download to share with your class.

Incorporating mindfulness in the classroom can begin with children as young as three years old. The key to practicing mindfulness is consistency and practice. Dedicate consistent daily time slots-two short sessions of two to five minutes to work on being mindful.

Looking for other ways to promote mindfulness in the classroom?

Consider creating a dedicated classroom space to quiet reflection with comfortable seating and green plants. The space can include coloring books and journaling material to inspire quiet reflection.

For more on this topic, check out this case study of a school where they tracked the impact of mindfulness for over 20 years: Why Mindfulness Belongs in the Classroom
Do you have any mindfulness tips that you'd like to share with our community of educators? Please comment below. 1. Gerszberg, Caren. "The Future of Education: Mindful Classrooms." Mindful.org, 1 Aug. 2016, www.mindful.org/mindfulness-in-education/.↩ 2. Chenoweth, Ben, and Jess Layt. "Ambarvale High School Introduces Mindfulness Classes." Wollondilly Advertiser, 4 July 2018, www.wollondillyadvertiser.com.au/story/5507940/ambarvale-high-school-introduces-mindfulness-classes/.↩ 3. Peters, Jessica. "Alt-Ed Program Brings Mindfulness to the Classroom." Smithers Interior News, 20 June 2018, www.interior-news.com/news/alt-ed-program-brings-mindfulness-to-the-classroom/.↩ 4. "The Future of Education: Mindful Classrooms." Mindful, Mindful, 1 Aug. 2016, www.mindful.org/mindfulness-in-education/.↩ 5. "Any Anxiety Disorder." National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml.↩

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The Power of Mindfulness in the Classroom | PLS Classes | Hot Topics in Teaching

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Mindfulness represents a particular way of being present in the moment and noticing your surroundings. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally."1 What began as part of meditation and yoga instruction has grown in popularity and has been implemented by many K -12 schools to help guide, direct, and calm students.