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Having a graduation plan helps students build a career pathway and not feel lost about the future after high school!

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This high school graduation plan offers a career pathway for students planning for college, military, 2-year vocational school, or employment as a future goal.

Who needs a high school graduation plan?

Every student can and will benefit from a well-designed, personalized high school graduation plan focusing on their future goals. It's great pathway planning for high school and beyond.

If you work with high school juniors and seniors, you already know that many students need a plan for their future.

Work? College? Resumes? Applications? Training?

Students are overwhelmed with the choices and decisions they need to make during their last years of high school.

Even if students know the general direction their future is headed, they often aren't sure of the steps they need to take to get there.

Your students need this High School Graduation Plan.

In this kit, students will reflect on their futures after high school, then begin to map out the path that will take them there. In other words, students will create their own individualized and personalized career pathways.

This is more than career exploration - it's putting together a detailed list of action steps for them to take.

One example activity guides students to consider 3 careers and list the training needed to attain each career. This activity is important because it forces students to focus on the exact steps they will need to take.

If a student chooses a college path, specific forms are included to help students organize their college applications, scholarship applications, and financial aid.

If a student is considering the US military, forms help students compare the various branches and track the necessary steps to enlist.

The forms included are for these career paths include college, short-term educational (1-2 years) training, US military, and employment right out of high school.

Even More Resources

Personal Essay:

Many college, scholarship, and job applications require a personal essay or statement of a student's education and career goals. This kit includes a basic outline of a personal essay and an example for reference.

Letters of Recommendation Forms:

Letters of recommendation are important for students when applying for college, scholarships, and employment. Asking students to provide references is very common. Included is a form for students to complete about themselves and their accomplishments, and a sample letter of recommendation.

Resume and scholarship trackers with checklists, a recording sheet for high school activities, and a "Welcome to Adulthood" form with important tips on adult topics.

This entire graduation resource set helps students organize themselves and keep track of important forms and dates.

How can this be used in the classroom?

Teachers may wish to customize a packet based on each student's individual goals. Or just hand out the pages that each student needs.

I recommend providing a manila folder for each student to safely store their plan.

These High School Graduation Plans are wonderful for guidance counselors, special education teachers, vocational teachers, work-study, language arts teachers, career exploration teachers, ALL SECONDARY TEACHERS.

Career Lessons and Activities

Need a career exploration resource? Click here to check out the HUGE CAREER BUNDLE!
Click here to check out the CAREER EXPLORATION resources at Teachers Pay Teachers
Want to read more about Career Exploration?
Click here to read an article about the Career Clusters and Pathways Posters.

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A High School Graduation Plan is a Career Pathway - Caffeine Queen Teacher

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This high school graduation plan offers a career pathway for students planning for college, military, 2-year vocational school, or employment as a future goal. Every student can and will benefit from a well-designed, personalized high school graduation plan focusing on their future goals. It's great pathway planning for high school and beyond.

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Here are some great suggestions on helping your quiet students engage with the class and content!

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You've just asked one of the most thought-provoking questions of your teaching career, and you look out upon a sea of faces with anticipation. Fully expecting students to exude wonder and curiosity, you disappointingly realize...they're tuned out. Or are they? Trying to engage quiet students can be tricky!

Are they quiet because they are inwardly engaged and processing ideas? Or, are they quiet because they are daydreaming about who is going to win the basketball tournament or what kind of dessert the lunchroom will be serving?

If you've ever felt like quoting the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off in monotone...

Bueller, Bueller, Bueller, Bueller?

...then the strategies in this post will wake up those sleepy heads and give you a better snapshot of what they're thinking.

1. Turn and Talk

Turn and talk is an underutilized engagement strategy. When students are silent in a whole-class setting, switch gears for a minute. Turn to the person next to you and talk about ____. I'm really interested in hearing your ideas! I've found it's efficient to designate " elbow partners " when switching seating charts. That way, every time you tell students to turn to their "elbow partner," no time is wasted in the process.

And, there are three lesser-known variations on the turn and talk.

In the " pair square " version, students turn an talk to their elbow partners and then square up with another pair to make a group of approximately four students. With this approach, students share their ideas, test them out in a small setting, and expand their thinking with more perspectives.

And, in the second variation ( write-pair-share), students write before pairing and sharing. Some students will be more willing to engage verbally if they've had time to process individually and write down initial thoughts.

As another option, students could engage in " stand and talks." Basically, this means they stand up, walk around the room, and find new partners to talk with. To energize the room further, add music!

Caveat: The "pair square" and "write-pair-share" approaches do take a little more time than the simple turn and talk.

2. Rainbow Voices

Color is one way to make sure all voices are heard. Using Jamboard, Google Slides, Padlet, or even big paper or Post-Its, ask each student to commit to a color.

Give students a prompt, some time to think, and let them make notes using their color. When it comes time to discuss in small groups or as a whole class, each person's voice is represented, even if all ideas aren't shared out loud.

Alternatively, share a photograph or prompt so that students can make inferences or analyze perspective. Students can use color to represent the type of response, whether they are asking a question, making an inference, analyzing author's purpose, or giving an opinion.

When students are responding to a whole-class question, why couldn't they type out their responses in a Google Doc using a distinguishing color?

3. Informal Polls

Keep it simple! One of my favorite ways to engage quiet students is with informal polls. When I use them, my introverted students often take a noticeable sigh of relief. They are heard, they can participate, but they're not under pressure! And, I get great data about where my class is in real time.

So, here are some very non-earth-shattering strategies for conducting informal polls:

red, yellow, green...students can indicate their level of interest, understanding, confidence, assistance needed

ABCD...have students respond to a multiple choice style question by going to stand in a corner of the room that corresponds with that letter...OR...have them hold up a small piece of paper with the letter on it

1-5...easy and non-threatening, students can put up fingers to indicate understanding or agreement

thumbs up or down...as a general whole-class decision making tool, for true/false, or for agree/disagree

I love using physical cards to represent the colors and the letters, but if you prefer digital, PearDeck, Jamboard, and Google Forms are all good options.

4. Visuals

Images present unique opportunities for critical thinking. And, somehow they shift attention away from the nervousness of participating and onto the creativity of connections.

We can ask students: How does this picture relate to what we are studying? Students can write captions to accompany the pictures if you'd like them to write their thoughts out before participating.

This strategy works well with drawings, songs, picture books, and other pop culture elements as well. Students can make connections to vocabulary words, main ideas, mathematical principles, scientific concepts, historical time periods, and much more.

5. Stations

When it comes to engaging quiet learners, you can't beat movement, collaboration, and chunking. Learning stations are a creative way to add variety to learning. When designing station activities, keep in mind that low floor, high ceiling tasks are best for inviting students into conversation. Posing questions or creating tasks that provide access points to various levels of thinking will result in more engagement.

For example, when learning how to synthesize, provide students with a choice board full of high-interest reading on a topic. Then, ask them to discuss what they have learned using thoughtful discussion prompts. This open-ended approach positions students to do the work as they engage in critical thinking and dialogue with peers.

6. Brain Dumps

Sometimes students don't participate because they're on information overload. A simple solution? Intentionally build in brain breaks to help them process what they are learning.

Research shows that brain breaks are incredibly important for focus, mood, attention, and memory. Brain dumps are similar, but the break is specifically designed for students to make sense of the information floating in their head. This strategy is an opportunity for students to ask questions, make connections, and reduce overwhelm.

Brain dumps can happen on paper, digitally, or via conversation. Here are some examples of prompts to use with students:
What...
This is a list of alternate brain dump-style formative assessments students can complete in under 90 seconds.

Brain dumps are amazing for engaging quiet students, but it also helps all students to remember what they learn. Providing time to process thinking helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and even depression.

7. Micro-Debates

When I taught sophomore English for the first time, I stumbled upon micro-debates by accident. At the time, I didn't know there was a name for what I was doing. The concept was simple. I just began incorporating daily mini debates as bell ringers. My priorities were getting students thinking and engaged from the moment the bell rang. I also wanted them to work on communicating effectively and truly listening to what others had to say.

As it turns out, using micro-debates is a very effective strategy for student engagement. Some students will naturally want to take on a listening role, but we can encourage them to participate by first using a turn and talk or allowing them to write out some thoughts. Or, have students face one another in two rows, and let them do some speed debating instead of a whole-class approach.

Micro-debates come in handy when it's time for an argumentative research unit because students have already had exposure to multiple topics.

8. Chalk Talks

Chalk talks are silent discussions on big paper or digital whiteboards. ( Think: Padlet and Whiteboard.chat)

To get started with chalk talks, explain to students that Chalk Talk is a silent activity. No one should be talking, but anyone can add to the conversation as they feel moved to do so.

Write a thought-provoking question in a circle on the board, big paper, or your digital communication tool. For instance, you may ask:

What behaviors and attitudes contributed to a productive work environment today?

How is this text pushing your thinking?

What do you know about _____?

What is the real-world relevance of what we are learning?

Of course, the possibilities for prompts are endless.

Then, make sure each student has chalk, a marker, or their writing utensil of choice. And, get started! Students can comment on your initial question, or they can build on subsequent comments. Ideally, students would draw lines to connect their ideas to others in the silent discussion.

To enhance the silent conversation and engage quiet students, show them how to circle interesting ideas, write questions about others' comments, and enhance the conversation with other annotation symbols.

9. Misconception Checks

Misconception checks are a quick strategy for engaging students in conversation about an upcoming or current skill or topic. For example, many students have difficulty explaining theme. Before teaching students about theme, you may decide to pose a statement like, "Freedom, love, and friendship are all examples of universal themes." True or False?

Then, allow students to debate with peers. Listen to what they have to say! Their quick discussions will give you information about where to begin. If students think these one-word topics are themes, you know you need to begin by scaffolding from topics to themes. However, if students engage in healthy conversation about how one-word themes are debatable and that the best themes express a truth about life that extends beyond the text....well! Then they're ready to skip the " What's a theme? " mini lesson and head straight to analyzing.

10. Sensory Connections

Making sensory connections is an underutilized tool. When working with difficult concepts, appealing to the senses can enhance understanding. Use visual elements like drawing to push thinking.

Draw four different ways to think about 1/4 as a fraction.

Create a concept map that shows how these three grammar concepts relate: sentence structure, punctuation, and conjunctions.

Illustrate this vocabulary word in a way that the drawing symbolizes the meaning of the word.

Ask students to connect what they are learning to other senses as well - taste, touch, smell, and sound.

What does a subject taste like? a predicate? - Students may respond that the subject tastes like a steak dinner. It's the substance of the meal. The predicate may taste like dessert...verbs add a level of pizzazz to the subject. Ex: Timmy zooms down the street on his scooter.

Combine sensory connections with any of these additional art in the classroom strategies to add something new to your lesson plans.

And, that's TEN ways to engage quiet students. The strategies in this post can work with any content area.

Of course, engaging quiet students involves more than a simple list of teaching and learning strategies. In order for these approaches to work, we have to create safe spaces, build relationships with students, and plan lessons that are meaningful to our students.

It's helpful to remember that just because a student is quiet doesn't mean they aren't engaged. Some students thrive off of listening to others, and they may be deeply engaged in critical thinking behind the scenes. Drawing them out of their shell so that we can access that thought process is a delicate art.

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10 Simple Ways to Engage Quiet Students - Reading and Writing Haven

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You've just asked one of the most thought-provoking questions of your teaching career, and you look out upon a sea of faces with anticipation. Fully expecting students to exude wonder and curiosity, you disappointingly realize...they're tuned out. Or are they? Trying to engage quiet students can be tricky!

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Student emotions play a large part in their ability to focus and absorb learning in the classroom, and this blog helps teachers know how to approach students emotionally!

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When I was in high school, I remember sobbing in my guidance counselor's office on several occasions. One time, it was because I was in trouble in my chemistry class. Looking back on these experiences as an adult, I feel silly. But the truth is that as a teen, I didn't have enough life experience or the skills to manage my emotions.

Sometimes, as a teacher of high school students, I forget the intensity of those feelings. I'm so intent on delivering course content that I may not notice a student's exhilaration because it's her 16th birthday, or I may neglect her distraught look after a fight with her boyfriend. This is a mistake.

We teachers cannot ignore the importance of emotion when instructing teenagers. At the 2017 Teachers Pay Teachers Conference in Anaheim, University of Southern California Associate Professor Mary Helen Immordino-Yang said, "emotions are a critical piece of learning." Her neuroscience research shows that social and emotional factors affect students' academic success. But how can teachers use emotional learning to improve academic success? Twenty years of classroom experience helps me surmise some ways.

Create an Inviting Classroom

At the beginning of the school year, it's important to create a Team builders and positive classroom culture. icebreakers are effective teaching strategies. On the first day of school, students will likely experience myriad emotions- excitement to see friends, anxiety over class expectations, and perhaps, mourning for the end of summer. (I know I do.) Even though teachers may want to dive into curriculum, it's vital to create a positive classroom atmosphere where students know their feelings will be respected. This facilitates student participation in class discussion and meaningful cooperative learning.

Use Class Texts

In English classes, teachers can capitalize on the emotional responses texts provoke in readers. Poems and books make us laugh, cry, or even react with anger. Consequently, we need to be sensitive to our students' emotional needs when we teach controversial literature.

For instance, a book such as To Kill a Mockingbird may require thorough preparation and discussion before reading even begins. When I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, I remember being devastated that Tom Robinson was unfairly convicted by a prejudiced jury. Many teens haven't personally experienced such unfairness in their lives yet, so teaching literature that focuses on injustice in the world may be a good strategy for helping them develop more empathy.

Use Writing

In addition to feeling strongly about literature, English class provides students with opportunities to express their feelings through writing. Students should have time to write informally and personally. Journals,
poems, and narratives can be incorporated into class on a regular basis. In creative writing class, I provide prompts each day to inspire students for their journal writing but always give them the option for a "free write" on a topic of their choice.
Furthermore, I'm careful when grading these assignments. After several writing sessions, I will ask each student to select one response that they want me to read. I'll provide them with feedback and engage in conversations for their selected journals but simply give participation points for the ones they don't ask me to grade. These writing assignments also help students develop their voices, so they're meeting language standards, too.

Acknowledge Life Events

Sometimes, when there is a crisis in the school or community, teachers must put a planned activity or lesson on hold while we acknowledge the emotional impact of the event. It might be worth coordinating a program with the guidance office or local agency. For instance, many schools now incorporate
therapy dogs during times of trauma and for a variety of other purposes. By doing this, teachers respect students' feelings and accept the reality of their worlds. This also helps to form deeper bonds and relationships with students.

Recognize Milestones

Lastly, it's important to be aware that life milestones for teens- getting a driver's license, working a first job, attending prom, applying to college- will impact their moods. Teachers can nurture students and

improve learning by planning lessons that connect to these developmental events. Furthermore, it benefits both students and teachers when teachers accept the excitement and distraction that accompany spirit weeks, class elections, and other extracurricular activities.

No doubt, some teachers will worry that facilitating emotional learning in the classroom will require them to sacrifice academic rigor, but this doesn't have to be the case. It simply requires balance between content and compassion. Ultimately, emotional learning helps strengthen student motivation, problem-solving skills, and social intelligence, guiding them toward leading healthy, productive lives.

How do you address social and emotional learning in your classroom? I'm always looking for new ideas, so please share your strategies in the comments below!

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Emotional Learning - Tips for Teaching Teens

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When I was in high school, I remember sobbing in my guidance counselor's office on several occasions. One time, it was because I was in trouble in my chemistry class. Looking back on these experiences as an adult, I feel silly.

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Here are some health and social emotional learning activities, quotes, and journal templates!

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Memes and quotes are a new language with teens today. Our Truth Be Told Quotes are designed to tap into the memorable imagery and shareable format that today's high school and middle school students live by.

For each quote, discover important social emotional wellness issues from high school and middle school health curriculums along with teaching resources to bring them into the classroom.

healthy decision making

reducing risk

communication skills

family relationships

self awareness

happiness

emotions

growth and change

Journaling
Pages

Printable journaling pages that encourage self-reflection, mindful thought on teen SEL topics.
Learn More

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Teaching Resources for High School Health and Social Emotional Learning

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Memes and quotes are a new language with teens today. Our Truth Be Told Quotes are designed to tap into the memorable imagery and shareable format that today's high school and middle school students live by. For each quote, discover important social emotional wellness issues from high school and middle school health curriculums along with teaching resources to bring them into the classroom.

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It's important that teachers are considerate towards students' emotional and mental well-being so that they can learn in the best state of mind!

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Kids and young adults need social-emotional skills to be successful at school, home, and for the rest of their lives. These are the skills that help kids build confidence, understand their own strengths and weaknesses, collaborate with others, navigate social situations, develop strong relationships, and make better decisions. Without a doubt, these are critical skills for all learners.

In my years as a teacher, I know there is just not enough time for everything. So often, social and emotional learning gets put on the back burner to other important skills like reading, writing, math, history, and science. While these skills are certainly important, I would argue that it's even more important that kids develop their emotional intelligence through social emotional learning activities. Simply put, if kids are mentally and emotionally healthy, they are better equipped to face the challenges life brings. We just have to make the time to teach, discuss, and practice these skills! Best of all, there are many ways to integrate social-emotional learning into what you are already teaching.

Below I share 25 strategies for integrating SEL instruction and activities into the day. Of course, if you're looking for a solution that targets these skills more explicitly, I created a yearlong curriculum for elementary social emotional learning and middle school social emotional learning to help all kids learn these skills.

Just a note that these strategies were originally written for use in the classroom. While many of the techniques can be used during distance learning, I also recently wrote an article all about integrating social emotional learning during distance learning.
Here are 25 ways to integrate social emotional learning into your classroom:
1. Use Journal Writing. You can use daily journal prompts to help kids think about social-emotional skills in all areas. For example, you might ask kids, "When was a time you used self-control? What was outcome?" to focus on self-management skills. After writing, it's helpful to have students share their responses with a partner and with the class as a whole. Kids will be practicing writing, partner work, group discussion, and SEL skills all at the same time. I love this yearlong Social Emotional Learning Journal for just a few minutes of writing and discussion every day.

2. Use Read Alouds. This is one of my favorite strategies for integrating SEL into everyday learning because it is something educators do so often already. While reading, spend time talking about how some of the characters might think and feel. Use this time to highlight that this is perspective-taking, a skill we use to understand others' emotions and thoughts. Best of all, it can be done with any text you are already reading. Grab this free read aloud list for social emotional learning to get you started with some ideas.

3. Do Daily Greetings. Kids and young adults need connection! One positive and simple strategy is to start your morning with daily greetings. You can do this as kids walk through the door or during the first few minutes of class. If you are teaching online, greetings can even be virtual. Use this printable greetings poster to get started.

3. Hold Class Meetings. You can choose to hold a class meeting once a day as a "morning meeting" or just once a week. The purpose of a class meeting can be to boost each other up, to help solve problems, and plan class events together. Having this space for community can help promote a positive climate for all kids. Use this morning meeting set to get started.

4. Incorporate Art Activities. Art can be a powerful way to target social and emotional skills. Creating a self-collage can help kids develop better self-awareness about who they are. Painting and drawing can serve as positive coping strategies to manage stress. Having partners work together on a shared drawing can increase collaboration and relationship skills. There are lots of opportunities for learning with art!

6. Talk About Managing Emotions. No matter what age, all kids and young adults need practice managing their emotions. This is another skill that can be weaved into literature as you talk about character's feelings and needs. You might say, "How did Theresa feel when her mom left? How did she manage her emotions? Do you think it was a healthy way to manage them?" Additionally, be open with kids about how to manage their own emotions and give strategies for what kids can do in your classroom. For example, "If you are feeling nervous about the test today, remember to use positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you've got this!"

7. Give Responsibilities. Giving kids responsibilities and jobs helps build their sense of self-worth and gives the message that we are all part of a larger community. It's important that every student has some type of responsibility, whether it is a class librarian, lunch counter, or part of a "clean up crew".

8. Practice Problem-Solving Skills. If students have an issue or challenge to overcome, avoid solving it for them right away. Encourage kids to think about how they could solve their problem and have a 10 minute policy - students can get your help but they need to think about the problem for at least 10 minutes first. Often, kids will figure out a solution on their own or with a friend during that time. You can use these free social problem solving task cards or grab the full set to get started! Again, this is another skill that can be strengthened through literature by discussing characters, problems, and making predictions about solutions.

9. Build Community with Teamwork. For class projects and assignments, have students work in larger teams to complete a task. Teach students to assign different jobs when working in a team, so that all students have important responsibilities.

10. Encourage Positive Self-Talk. Self-talk is voice in our minds that reassures and encourages us. It also helps us control our emotions so we can deal with problems appropriately. Today, kids hear a lot of negative, so teaching positive self-talk explicitly is really important. Model this and encourage this every day. Use this free positive thoughts and affirmations list to get started.

11. Celebrate Diversity. Spend time discussing and learning about people from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and ability levels. Kids need to hear, see, discuss, and understand that we are part of a larger community within our countries and world. Early discussions about diversity can help promote tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion for everyone.

12. Incorporate Hands-on Crafts. If your students need a craft break or activity before a holiday, use that time to promote social and emotional skills. The craft below is a Positive Self-Talk Flower Craft. Kids can add their own positive self-talk statements, color the craft, cut it out, and then keep it to help remind them how to use this helpful strategy. This is just one small example that can help to maximize your learning time by incorporating SEL into activities like crafts.

13. Encourage Reflection. After students complete a task, assessment, project, or assignment, encourage them to reflect about their own progress. This is a critical SEL skill that can be used across all curriculum, such as math, reading, writing, science, history, and more.

14. Practice Mindfulness. Using mindfulness in the classroom can help teach kids how to calm down before a big test, manage their emotions when they are upset, and just feel happier in the moment. Sometimes, kids don't really know how to calm down on their own. Teaching mindfulness can help kids learn breathing strategies, how to focus on just one thing at a time, and relaxing our bodies. You can use these Mindfulness Activities to teach kids these strategies right away.

15. Create a Calm Down Area. Not all kids will use this area, but there are some students who truly need it. Set up a small area in your classroom with a bean bag, a few books, a calm down jar, a few fidgets, and anything else you have that is calming. Students who need this space can sit, use coping strategies, and return back to class when they are calm again.

16. Promote a Growth Mindset. Embracing a growth mindset helps kids and young adults learn that we can accomplish our goals with hard work, good strategies, and persistence over time. Sometimes kids feel they are just as smart as they'll ever be (i.e. "I'm just never good at math, so there's no use in trying). This mindset can be detrimental to student growth, so it is worth investing time into teaching kids to embrace a growth mindset and instead say, "Math is tough but I'm going to study, work hard, and ask for help so I can accomplish what I want to." Use these free Growth Mindset Task Cards to get yourself started!

17. Encourage Kindness. One of my favorite ways to promote kindness is encouraging random acts of kindness. Set up a bin where students can write and add a note when they notice someone else doing something kind or helpful. Once a month, draw from the bin to award a small reward. You can also post the random acts up on a bulletin board so that everyone can see.

18. Play Games. It's helpful to have an assortment of games that focus on social-emotional skills, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving. Read up more on how you can integrate social emotional learning through games. You can also read my blog post about games you can use to strengthen executive functioning skills, such as self-control, planning, attention, and more.

19. Provide a Daily Check-in. You can do this either through a morning meeting, or just a quick check-in for specific students in need. Have students identify how they are feeling and consider what they might need to improve their emotions in the moment.

20. Discuss Empathy. To me, empathy is one of the most critical skills for kids to develop. It is the foundation for considering about how others think and feel so that we can respond in socially appropriate and compassionate ways. You can practice empathy on its own or through literature by discussing characters and how they might feel in a variety of situations. I also love these social skills task cards to practice the skills when time allows.

21. Create SMART Goals. SMART goals are another way to help kids have control over what they want to accomplish in life. You can have students write SMART goals for an academic area that they need to improve or a social area that needs work. Make sure to check-in on these goals periodically so that students can identify if their strategies are working or not, and make decisions about how to change their approaches to make their goals a success.

22. Teach Coping Skills to Manage Stress. All kids and young adults experience stress even when we don't see it. It is so important to teach them actual strategies they can use when they are feeling overwhelmed. It's critical that kids practice these strategies when they are actually calm and don't need them. That's so they can effectively use those skills in the moment when they are struggling with emotions. I love this Coping Strategies Wheel to teach and practice some of these skills in a hands-on way.

23. Highlight Skills Throughout the Day. Just teaching or addressing some of these social-emotional skills isn't enough. When you see them in action in the classroom, highlight and encourage the skill! For example, you might say privately to a student, "I noticed you were frustrated when you couldn't work with the group you wanted and you did a great job using your self-control and flexibility to go with the flow and choose another group. Thank you." You can highlight the skills to the whole class, too. You might say, "Before this test, I want everyone to just stop and use some positive self-talk. Give yourself a compliment."

24. Teach Active Listening Skills. All kids need to learn strong active listening skills for success at school, with friends, and at their future jobs. Kids will use them in your classroom when you are teaching, when they are working with a partner on an assignment, and when they are just chatting with a friend.

25. Teach Group Ground Rules. Group work is an important part of learning in the classroom, but it is not a strength for all learners. Have your kids develop "Group Ground Rules" for what is important when working in a group. Some examples might be: Do your fair share of the work, stay with the group, and give everyone a chance to speak up. Continually remind students of these rules when working in groups or partners.

26. Practice Respectfully Disagreeing. People are going to disagree sometimes, so learning how to disagree respectfully is a critical skill (especially in our digital world). Have students discuss and debate topics, making sure that they actively listen to the other person and respect that opinion even when they don't agree. You can use these Free Communication Skills Lessons to practice!

Remember that a social-emotional learning isn't just one thing. It's an approach that brings all of these aspects into your classroom and supporting your learners every day. I also have developed a yearlong curriculum for elementary social emotional learning and middle school social emotional learning to help all kids learn these skills. Kids deserve to have them!

These are just some ways you can incorporate social-emotional learning into your already-busy classroom. If you have more ideas about SEL, please share!

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25 Ways to Integrate Social Emotional Learning

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Kids and young adults need social-emotional skills to be successful at school, home, and for the rest of their lives. These are the skills that help kids build confidence, understand their own strengths and weaknesses, collaborate with others, navigate social situations, develop strong relationships

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Get to know your students and building a classroom community!

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It's the end of the first week of school. The back-to-school jitters have worn off, the class expectations are clear, and the get-to-know-you activities are coming to a close. This can only mean one thing: Teaching content is near! But even after all of your games and icebreakers, you don't know all of your students' names and you definitely don't know all of their strengths, goals, quirks, passions, and dreams! It's almost time to teach your first ~real lesson~ but you feel like something is missing. You want to get to know your students on a deeper level and build some real class community before you dive into your content.

Can you relate? If so, I get it. This was precisely how I felt my first few years of teaching...before I found my favorite way to start the school year strong and really get to know my students.

THE SOLUTION: A PERSONALITY TEST

The solution: A Personality Test. No, not one of those ridiculous "What does your favorite pizza topping say about your personality? ones you can find on Buzzfeed. (I'm a pepperoni gal, so I'm caring and fun?? if you're wondering.) Instead, I'm talking about a research-based personality test designed to help you understand yourself and how you fit in (or stand out) to the world around you.

Facilitating a personality test in the classroom is the perfect way to get to know your students as the complex, unique, and incredible human beings that they are. It's also a great opportunity for students to become more self-aware as they reflect on who they are and who they want to be. You'll find that the students' reflections give you better "data" that any standardized test ever could. By the end of the process, your students will feel validated, understood, and celebrated, and your class will feel more like a community.

If you're ready to get started, I recommend taking a few tests yourself (after reading the rest of this blog post, of course)! Specifically, I love using the online 16 Personalities test, but I've used others, like Personality Perfect. I have used the former in a high school setting, and the latter in middle school, because it's short and simple. Please be aware that if you facilitate the 16 Personalities version, the results include a section on "Romantic Relationships," so you'll want students to skip that.

A QUICK NOTE ON USING A PERSONALITY TEST IN THE CLASSROOM:
I do not use personality tests to label, categorize, or define my students. Rather, I use the personality test to facilitate introspection. In other words, I use it to help students understand themselves and each other. I make all of this very clear before we begin the activity. I remind them that there are no right or wrong answers and no superior personality types. And I warn them that the results might be freakishly accurate, or they might be a little off. Either way, my goal is to help them think about who they are as human beings. And since that introspective process can be a little intimidating, we are just using the personality test as a springboard to help us do it!
With the right purpose, using a personality test in the classroom can be powerful, rewarding, and productive, especially at the beginning of the year. Thoughtfully-designed reflection activities, well-structured discussions, and purposefully-planned lessons will make all the difference. If you're looking for a print- and digital-ready personality test reflection resource, you can find mine HERE. For more tips, ideas, and my top 10 reasons for using a personality test in the classroom, read on:

With the right purpose, a personality test in the classroom can be powerful, rewarding, and productive, especially at the beginning of the year.

1. PROMOTE INTROSPECTION

A personality test provides the perfect opportunity for students to engage in self-reflection, a skill that's especially important for adolescents who often forget to set aside time to think about themselves on a deeper level. To take advantage of this, I give my students a reflection activity to complete after they take the test. The reflection prompts them to consider their strengths and how they will nurture them and their weaknesses that they aim to improve. It also asks them to analyze the way their personality affects their approach to school, collaboration, and more. After students complete their individual reflections, I facilitate small-group and whole-group discussions so students can identify with their like-minded peers and learn more about how to work with those different from them. More on how I facilitate a personality test in the classroom in #9!

2. STRENGTHEN STUDENTS' SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS

Because a personality test prompts students to examine their emotions, traits, tendencies, relationships, and identity, reflecting on the results is a great exercise in social-emotional learning. This kind of learning is more important now than ever, as students return to school with increased social and emotional needs in the wake of the pandemic. According to the American Journal for Academic Health, social-emotional skills are linked to "key young adult outcomes across multiple domains of education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health." While a personality test reflection is not a substitute for an SEL program, it's a great opportunity to help students become more self-aware, a key component to social-emotional well-being.

3. ENCOURAGE GROWTH MINDSET AND GOAL-SETTING

While you can facilitate a personality test lesson year-round, I find that they work well at the beginning of the year because they help students embrace a growth mindset and set better goals for the rest of the year. The personality test results do a great job of offering practical advice for improving on personality-specific weaknesses and capitalizing on one's strengths. With a new sense of self-awareness, students will be more encouraged to set achievable but challenging goals for themselves. I often follow-up my personality test reflection activity with goal-setting (or include goals in my back-to-school learning stations).

4. VALIDATE STUDENTS' EMOTIONS & CELEBRATE THEIR UNIQUE PERSONALITIES

When the personality test gets it right (and it usually does), the results can be incredibly validating. All of the personality tests I've seen (but especially 16 Personalities) do a great job embracing one's strengths and offering practical solutions for areas of growth. The results often let students know it's okay to be who they are. It reminds them that it's okay to be sensitive, introverted, independent, strong-willed, etc. and it shows them how their traits can be used as strengths. Oftentimes students realize that what they previously thought of as flaws can actually be considered strengths in certain areas or situations...which brings me to my next point.

This Personality Test Reflection Activity is designed to promote self-reflection while building class community.

5. HELP STUDENTS REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL

The cool part about administering the personality test to students who are still learning and growing is that it can help them realize their full potential. The results may point to "hidden" or developing personality traits that students don't even know they have. While I noticed this while teaching high school, I saw it even more with my 7th graders. I heard my fair share of students say things like, "The test said I'm a leader, but I don't think I am" or "What?! I am NOT creative."

Here's the thing. The student who claimed she isn't a leader? I can see that she is one of those quiet, natural leaders who leads by example...perhaps a future captain of her soccer team, always ready to exemplify good sportsmanship. The student who argued he isn't creative? He totally is - just not in the traditional "artsy" view of creativity. Instead, he's an innovator, a problem-solver, a creative thinker.

When I hear these exclamations, I try to help students see what they can't see in themselves. All it takes is one person to help a student see themselves in a new light...like my 4th grade English teacher who told me I would write a book one day. (Guess who's writing a book for Keeping the Wonder?)

6. GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS ON A DEEPER LEVEL

I love facilitating get-to-know-you activities and fun icebreakers (like these virtual ones), but I also love to know more than what my students' favorite colors, foods, and sports are. I want to know what they love, how they think, what energizes them, how they view the world, what they are passionate about, etc. In other words, I want to get to know them as the complex, incredible human beings they are. The problem is that most icebreakers (while fun and valuable in their own right) don't go beyond the typical surface-level questions. Those icebreakers have their place, but a personality test can take things further so that you can really begin to understand your students.

7. BUILD CLASS COMMUNITY

In addition to building individual relationships with students, the personality test activity helps me cultivate classroom community from the start. Students not only learn about themselves, but they learn about how they fit into something bigger than themselves.

Because students are analyzing their personalities, it requires everyone to be a little bit vulnerable. While the personality test results do a great job of celebrating each individual's strengths, they also highlight potential weaknesses, too. Admitting our weaknesses takes strength, vulnerability, and openness. But this kind of courage leads to growth, bonding, and community. I find that when I model this vulnerability and share my weaknesses with my students, they are more likely to open up. Before I have them take the test, I like to take time to share my results, what I learned, and how my personality impacts my teaching.

I always take the test and model the reflection for my students. My vulnerability encourages them to take the test seriously and engage in genuine self-reflection. (By the way, this is the paper version of the activity. This resource contains the paper AND digital versions for your convenience.)

8. INFORM YOUR INSTRUCTION WITH QUALITATIVE DATA

Understanding who my students are as complex human beings gives me more meaningful data than any traditional assessment could. That's why I love using a personality test at the beginning of the year. It helps me plan my instruction and tailor my lessons to my students. Here are some questions I can often answer better after facilitating a personality test in the classroom:

What motivates my students? How can I find a way to reach all of the learners in my room?

Which students/classes are more extroverted? More introverted? How can I use this information to tailor my instruction to the students in the room? Are students in Period 1 more introverted? Is 8th period full of extroverts? Can I adjust my instruction accordingly?

How will my students approach group work? How can I use this knowledge to structure small-group work and other collaborative activities?

9. SPARK POWERFUL CLASS DISCUSSIONS

While the test itself is a valuable tool, what's even more valuable are the rich class discussions that come after it. Once students take the test, they immediately want to talk about their results, compare them to their peers, and share out what they've learned. So I always promise them ample discussion time after they finish the independent reflection. This year, here's how I framed that class discussion:

First, students added their results and one important thing they learned to a class Padlet. The Padlet was organized with columns corresponding to the 4 personality groups (according to 16 Personalities). This provided a great visual representation of our class personality types and served as a springboard for our discussion.

Then, I gave students 1-2 minutes to turn and talk to the people around them about what they learned.

After that, I asked the class a few questions about what they learned and what was surprising to them. We talked about how we could apply our newfound insight. I also posed somewhat of a trick question to get students thinking and discussing! Should we work with people whose personality types are similar to ours, or people whose types are different? This generated a great discussion, and my students concluded (as I hoped) that we should do both. We might gravitate toward those who are similar and work with them on occasion, but we will challenge ourselves and learn even more when we combine our strengths with those who are different.

This Padlet provided a great visual representation of our class personality types and served as a springboard for our discussion.

10. PRACTICE ESSENTIAL LITERACY SKILLS

Whether you teach English or another subject, taking & reflecting on a personality test requires students to exercise essential literacy skills. First, students have to read questions & think critically to answer them. Then, they have to read & comprehend the results, while taking note of what is most relevant to them. After that, they have to summarize the results, connect them to their personalities, and cite relevant evidence from the results. Then, students have to reflect on what they have learned and how it will impact them. And finally, students have to flex their speaking and listening skills during a class discussion. As you can see, the entire process covers multiple skills and standards, so it's a great way to sneak in some content during the first few days of school.

I hope this post inspires you to try using a personality test in the classroom. Please let me know if you have any questions about using personality tests by leaving a comment below. If you'd like to check out my digital- and print-ready personality test reflection, you can find that HERE.

If you're looking for other engaging, student-centered back-to-school ideas, then check out this post about flexible lessons that work for virtual or in-person learning. You also might be interested in this post with ideas and examples of what to include in a digital "Investigate the Teacher" activity.

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USING A PERSONALITY TEST IN THE CLASSROOM - Write on With Miss G

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It's the end of the first week of school. The back-to-school jitters have worn off, the class expectations are clear, and the get-to-know-you activities are coming to a close. This can only mean one thing: Teaching content is near!

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Using a personality test can not just help you understand your students and the best way to approach them, but also help them understand themselves and how they fit in with the class and the world in their own unique way!

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It's the end of the first week of school. The back-to-school jitters have worn off, the class expectations are clear, and the get-to-know-you activities are coming to a close. This can only mean one thing: Teaching content is near! But even after all of your games and icebreakers, you don't know all of your students' names and you definitely don't know all of their strengths, goals, quirks, passions, and dreams! It's almost time to teach your first ~real lesson~ but you feel like something is missing. You want to get to know your students on a deeper level and build some real class community before you dive into your content.

Can you relate? If so, I get it. This was precisely how I felt my first few years of teaching...before I found my favorite way to start the school year strong and really get to know my students.

THE SOLUTION: A PERSONALITY TEST

The solution: A Personality Test. No, not one of those ridiculous "What does your favorite pizza topping say about your personality? ones you can find on Buzzfeed. (I'm a pepperoni gal, so I'm caring and fun?? if you're wondering.) Instead, I'm talking about a research-based personality test designed to help you understand yourself and how you fit in (or stand out) to the world around you.

Facilitating a personality test in the classroom is the perfect way to get to know your students as the complex, unique, and incredible human beings that they are. It's also a great opportunity for students to become more self-aware as they reflect on who they are and who they want to be. You'll find that the students' reflections give you better "data" that any standardized test ever could. By the end of the process, your students will feel validated, understood, and celebrated, and your class will feel more like a community.

If you're ready to get started, I recommend taking a few tests yourself (after reading the rest of this blog post, of course)! Specifically, I love using the online 16 Personalities test, but I've used others, like Personality Perfect. I have used the former in a high school setting, and the latter in middle school, because it's short and simple. Please be aware that if you facilitate the 16 Personalities version, the results include a section on "Romantic Relationships," so you'll want students to skip that.

A QUICK NOTE ON USING A PERSONALITY TEST IN THE CLASSROOM:
I do not use personality tests to label, categorize, or define my students. Rather, I use the personality test to facilitate introspection. In other words, I use it to help students understand themselves and each other. I make all of this very clear before we begin the activity. I remind them that there are no right or wrong answers and no superior personality types. And I warn them that the results might be freakishly accurate, or they might be a little off. Either way, my goal is to help them think about who they are as human beings. And since that introspective process can be a little intimidating, we are just using the personality test as a springboard to help us do it!
With the right purpose, using a personality test in the classroom can be powerful, rewarding, and productive, especially at the beginning of the year. Thoughtfully-designed reflection activities, well-structured discussions, and purposefully-planned lessons will make all the difference. If you're looking for a print- and digital-ready personality test reflection resource, you can find mine HERE. For more tips, ideas, and my top 10 reasons for using a personality test in the classroom, read on:

With the right purpose, a personality test in the classroom can be powerful, rewarding, and productive, especially at the beginning of the year.

1. PROMOTE INTROSPECTION

A personality test provides the perfect opportunity for students to engage in self-reflection, a skill that's especially important for adolescents who often forget to set aside time to think about themselves on a deeper level. To take advantage of this, I give my students a reflection activity to complete after they take the test. The reflection prompts them to consider their strengths and how they will nurture them and their weaknesses that they aim to improve. It also asks them to analyze the way their personality affects their approach to school, collaboration, and more. After students complete their individual reflections, I facilitate small-group and whole-group discussions so students can identify with their like-minded peers and learn more about how to work with those different from them. More on how I facilitate a personality test in the classroom in #9!

2. STRENGTHEN STUDENTS' SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS

Because a personality test prompts students to examine their emotions, traits, tendencies, relationships, and identity, reflecting on the results is a great exercise in social-emotional learning. This kind of learning is more important now than ever, as students return to school with increased social and emotional needs in the wake of the pandemic. According to the American Journal for Academic Health, social-emotional skills are linked to "key young adult outcomes across multiple domains of education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health." While a personality test reflection is not a substitute for an SEL program, it's a great opportunity to help students become more self-aware, a key component to social-emotional well-being.

3. ENCOURAGE GROWTH MINDSET AND GOAL-SETTING

While you can facilitate a personality test lesson year-round, I find that they work well at the beginning of the year because they help students embrace a growth mindset and set better goals for the rest of the year. The personality test results do a great job of offering practical advice for improving on personality-specific weaknesses and capitalizing on one's strengths. With a new sense of self-awareness, students will be more encouraged to set achievable but challenging goals for themselves. I often follow-up my personality test reflection activity with goal-setting (or include goals in my back-to-school learning stations).

4. VALIDATE STUDENTS' EMOTIONS & CELEBRATE THEIR UNIQUE PERSONALITIES

When the personality test gets it right (and it usually does), the results can be incredibly validating. All of the personality tests I've seen (but especially 16 Personalities) do a great job embracing one's strengths and offering practical solutions for areas of growth. The results often let students know it's okay to be who they are. It reminds them that it's okay to be sensitive, introverted, independent, strong-willed, etc. and it shows them how their traits can be used as strengths. Oftentimes students realize that what they previously thought of as flaws can actually be considered strengths in certain areas or situations...which brings me to my next point.

This Personality Test Reflection Activity is designed to promote self-reflection while building class community.

5. HELP STUDENTS REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL

The cool part about administering the personality test to students who are still learning and growing is that it can help them realize their full potential. The results may point to "hidden" or developing personality traits that students don't even know they have. While I noticed this while teaching high school, I saw it even more with my 7th graders. I heard my fair share of students say things like, "The test said I'm a leader, but I don't think I am" or "What?! I am NOT creative."

Here's the thing. The student who claimed she isn't a leader? I can see that she is one of those quiet, natural leaders who leads by example...perhaps a future captain of her soccer team, always ready to exemplify good sportsmanship. The student who argued he isn't creative? He totally is - just not in the traditional "artsy" view of creativity. Instead, he's an innovator, a problem-solver, a creative thinker.

When I hear these exclamations, I try to help students see what they can't see in themselves. All it takes is one person to help a student see themselves in a new light...like my 4th grade English teacher who told me I would write a book one day. (Guess who's writing a book for Keeping the Wonder?)

6. GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS ON A DEEPER LEVEL

I love facilitating get-to-know-you activities and fun icebreakers (like these virtual ones), but I also love to know more than what my students' favorite colors, foods, and sports are. I want to know what they love, how they think, what energizes them, how they view the world, what they are passionate about, etc. In other words, I want to get to know them as the complex, incredible human beings they are. The problem is that most icebreakers (while fun and valuable in their own right) don't go beyond the typical surface-level questions. Those icebreakers have their place, but a personality test can take things further so that you can really begin to understand your students.

7. BUILD CLASS COMMUNITY

In addition to building individual relationships with students, the personality test activity helps me cultivate classroom community from the start. Students not only learn about themselves, but they learn about how they fit into something bigger than themselves.

Because students are analyzing their personalities, it requires everyone to be a little bit vulnerable. While the personality test results do a great job of celebrating each individual's strengths, they also highlight potential weaknesses, too. Admitting our weaknesses takes strength, vulnerability, and openness. But this kind of courage leads to growth, bonding, and community. I find that when I model this vulnerability and share my weaknesses with my students, they are more likely to open up. Before I have them take the test, I like to take time to share my results, what I learned, and how my personality impacts my teaching.

I always take the test and model the reflection for my students. My vulnerability encourages them to take the test seriously and engage in genuine self-reflection. (By the way, this is the paper version of the activity. This resource contains the paper AND digital versions for your convenience.)

8. INFORM YOUR INSTRUCTION WITH QUALITATIVE DATA

Understanding who my students are as complex human beings gives me more meaningful data than any traditional assessment could. That's why I love using a personality test at the beginning of the year. It helps me plan my instruction and tailor my lessons to my students. Here are some questions I can often answer better after facilitating a personality test in the classroom:

What motivates my students? How can I find a way to reach all of the learners in my room?

Which students/classes are more extroverted? More introverted? How can I use this information to tailor my instruction to the students in the room? Are students in Period 1 more introverted? Is 8th period full of extroverts? Can I adjust my instruction accordingly?

How will my students approach group work? How can I use this knowledge to structure small-group work and other collaborative activities?

9. SPARK POWERFUL CLASS DISCUSSIONS

While the test itself is a valuable tool, what's even more valuable are the rich class discussions that come after it. Once students take the test, they immediately want to talk about their results, compare them to their peers, and share out what they've learned. So I always promise them ample discussion time after they finish the independent reflection. This year, here's how I framed that class discussion:

First, students added their results and one important thing they learned to a class Padlet. The Padlet was organized with columns corresponding to the 4 personality groups (according to 16 Personalities). This provided a great visual representation of our class personality types and served as a springboard for our discussion.

Then, I gave students 1-2 minutes to turn and talk to the people around them about what they learned.

After that, I asked the class a few questions about what they learned and what was surprising to them. We talked about how we could apply our newfound insight. I also posed somewhat of a trick question to get students thinking and discussing! Should we work with people whose personality types are similar to ours, or people whose types are different? This generated a great discussion, and my students concluded (as I hoped) that we should do both. We might gravitate toward those who are similar and work with them on occasion, but we will challenge ourselves and learn even more when we combine our strengths with those who are different.

This Padlet provided a great visual representation of our class personality types and served as a springboard for our discussion.

10. PRACTICE ESSENTIAL LITERACY SKILLS

Whether you teach English or another subject, taking & reflecting on a personality test requires students to exercise essential literacy skills. First, students have to read questions & think critically to answer them. Then, they have to read & comprehend the results, while taking note of what is most relevant to them. After that, they have to summarize the results, connect them to their personalities, and cite relevant evidence from the results. Then, students have to reflect on what they have learned and how it will impact them. And finally, students have to flex their speaking and listening skills during a class discussion. As you can see, the entire process covers multiple skills and standards, so it's a great way to sneak in some content during the first few days of school.

I hope this post inspires you to try using a personality test in the classroom. Please let me know if you have any questions about using personality tests by leaving a comment below. If you'd like to check out my digital- and print-ready personality test reflection, you can find that HERE.

If you're looking for other engaging, student-centered back-to-school ideas, then check out this post about flexible lessons that work for virtual or in-person learning. You also might be interested in this post with ideas and examples of what to include in a digital "Investigate the Teacher" activity.

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USING A PERSONALITY TEST IN THE CLASSROOM - Write on With Miss G

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It's the end of the first week of school. The back-to-school jitters have worn off, the class expectations are clear, and the get-to-know-you activities are coming to a close. This can only mean one thing: Teaching content is near!

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Have a student struggling with reading comprehension? This blogs offers some great advice and insight into how to encourage students to read at home!

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Are you wondering how to engage your kids with reading? It doesn't matter how old your child is - 2 or 15 - the answer is the same.

The other day, one of my friends asked me if her third-grade son's reading MAP score of 225 was "normal." If you're not familiar with MAP, it's a nationally normed, computer-based assessment (Measures of Academic Progress) which gives educators a very loose idea of reading achievement (and should never be considered the sole determiner of success, but that's a topic for a different post). After sharing with my friend that her son's MAP score was actually way above normal for a third-grader, she was surprised. "Math is normally his strength," she told me, to which I responded, "If you are reading with him at home every day, he will always excel at comprehension, even if he's better at math." I'm not quite sure she believed me.

When I was taking course work for my Reading master's degree, I remember being in the middle of a dilemma with a freshman student who was struggling with reading comprehension. I contacted his parents to share my concerns, and the mother told me that she just didn't know what to do to help him. "He's always struggled with reading. He just doesn't like it. What do you think I should do?" As I was in the midst of earning my reading specialist certification, I felt I should have an answer, but I didn't. It seems like such a common question: What makes a good reader? Yet, the answer wasn't obvious at the time, and it still isn't for most people. When I took this issue to my professor, the simplicity of his answer shocked me. "Did you ask her how often he reads at home?"

Here's the thing. Reading comprehension issues have been turned into something much larger than they really need to be. In order for kids to be better readers and writers, they need to READ. EVERY. DAY. However, the majority of this reading needs to take place at home. The reason reading comprehension is now embedded in many middle and high school English curriculums is because students are not being encouraged to read at home, and reading may or not be modeled for them outside the school day.

Many schools have adopted reading challenges to try to compensate for the lack of reading exposure at home through programs like the Million Pages of Books, Drop Everything and Read, and Knowledge is Power. Some teachers are encouraging independent reading time or setting aside a certain number of minutes during each class period for students to engage with books. These steps are admirable, and educators should do everything they can to positively impact students' perceptions of reading; every little bit helps. BUT. It's not enough without support at home.

Parents will either directly or indirectly teach their children to learn to love reading, hate reading, or feel indifferently toward it whether they try or not. So what is the difference between the child who excels at reading and the one who hates it? Practice. Let's look at some ideas for how parents can raise a child (a toddler or a teen) who appreciates and excels at reading.

Read Daily

Find at least twenty minutes a day where you can sit down and read with your child. Younger children need to be read to. School age children can take turns reading with you, you can read to them, or you can listen to them read. Teenagers might feel silly sitting down and listening to a parent read to them; if that's the case, spend twenty minutes sitting by your teen while you both read, and then talk about the text with your child.

Allow Freedom & Cater to Interest

Go to the library. Go to a bookstore. Check out Amazon. Borrow books from friends. Explore various genres. Spend some time learning about what your child likes and dislikes by trying different types of texts. There's nothing wrong with graphic novels, news articles, the Guinness Book of World Records, and magazines. Allow kids to read books on a nook or kindle or to use an audiobook as they follow along. One of my children's favorite books is a Charlie Brown Christmas book which features a recording of their grandparents reading the book out loud. Don't ask your child to shy away from a book because you think it's too difficult or too easy. Let' them come to that conclusion on their own. Giving children ownership in the decision-making process will help them develop independence and a positive attitude about reading. If you're not sure where to start looking for ideas, check out these resources:

Model Reading

Let your kids see you reading books, magazines, newspapers, instruction manuals, picture books, the Bible - you name it! Modeling reading is just as effective as modeling anything else: good behavior, working out, cleaning, eating healthy. Children of any age are impressionable. Obviously, it's better to start when your kids are young, but it's never too late. Many of us are doing a disservice to our children by prioritizing other things (like being on our phones) over reading. Reading in front of and to our children is not only a responsibility, but also a privilege.

Keep Books Everywhere

Studies have shown the amount of books in a home is related to literacy skills. We have several bookshelves in our home, but I also intentionally leave books in random places so that my children will be more likely to pick them up. We have books next to the time-out chairs. I encourage my children to read when they are in time out to help them calm down. Reading is a healthy life coping skill for many people. I also allow my children to put five to ten books at the foot of their bed at night time. If they have difficulty falling asleep or if they wake up before their alarm goes off in the morning, they read them. We have books on our coffee tables and in baskets. My one-year-old likes to pick these books up and flip through them. He points to different pictures and feels the textures, even when I don't have time in that moment to read the book to him. Long story short - keep books everywhere.

Stay Positive

When reading with our children at home, it can be easy to get frustrated. Let me give you some examples that are inspired by my own 3 and 5 years olds:

1. They don't want to read the same book, so they fight.

2. They can't agree on who should turn the page.

3. They like to talk over each other when asking questions.

4. One wiggles and puts their arm in front of the other's face.

5. One asks questions just to draw the reading process out further so that he doesn't have to go to bed.

I could go on, but you get the point. These examples apply to younger kids, but with older ones, a unique and different set of issues exist. Still, it's important as parents that we stay calm and positive. If I were to close the book and say, "You guys never get along while we read, so we are done," that would leave my children with a negative view of themselves and of reading. Instead, try to have patience, and devise ways to make reading more engaging and less stressful both for you and for your child. If you need some ideas, stay tuned for the next article in this series, which will be about ways parents can enjoy books with their children.

While parents read with their children at home, educators need to continue fighting the good fight in the classroom. Teach reading strategies, model what it looks like to think about books, plan for reading time during class, allow freedom to choose texts, praise progress, and educate parents about the magnitude of their role at home. The most powerful tool we wield to impact children's' view of themselves as readers is to encourage them to read every day and to support them in doing so.
Experienced parents and teachers, what advice can you offer others regarding reading at home with children?
Interested in related content? Click here to read about how to engage boys with books and here for tips on how parents can help older students who already hate reading.

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What Makes a Good Reader? | Reading and Writing Haven

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Are you wondering how to engage your kids with reading? It doesn't matter how old your child is - 2 or 15 - the answer is the same. The other day, one of my friends asked me if her third-grade son's reading MAP score of 225 was "normal."

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This blog talks about some of the commonly used teaching practices and why it's best to avoid them!

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Listen to an Extended Version of this Post in a Podcast:
So many of us teach the way we were taught. We may not even realize we're doing it. And that means certain practices get passed down year after year without question, methods that are such a normal part of the way we do school, we perpetuate them without realizing there are better alternatives.

Today I'm going to roll out five of these for your consideration: five teaching practices used every day that are not backed by research. In many cases, these practices are not only ineffective, they can be downright harmful.

A few caveats before I start: First, I have used every single one of these methods. Every one. I'm going to tell you why I used them, and why I would avoid them in the future. Second, I don't believe in all or nothing when it comes to teaching. An argument could be made for the occasional use of any of these, even #3. The point is that in most cases, better options exist. You don't necessarily have to give up any of these methods entirely. But if you want to see better results, replacing them with more powerful strategies will get you there a lot quicker.

A.K.A.: Round-Robin Reading, Volunteer Reading

What it is: A teacher wants her class to read a text-a short story, a chapter in a textbook-so she has each student take a turn reading out loud while the others follow along silently. Sometimes students read in seat order; other times the teacher selects students at random to keep everyone on their toes. And in some variations, kids actually call out the word "popcorn" at the end of their turn and choose the next person to read. (I never knew this part. Honestly, I always thought the term came from the image of different students reading around the room looking like a pot of kernels "popping" to life, one at a time.)

Why I did it: I used popcorn reading occasionally as a language arts teacher, when we were doing a whole-class novel, to "get through" the text. I didn't do it a lot, but I definitely did it. Here's why: (1) It consumed class time. Sure, in theory I wanted to pack as much high-quality instruction into a class period as possible, but some days I just wanted to fill the time. (2) It kept students quiet and controlled. Interactive, engaging activities can be loud and messy, but an activity like popcorn reading lets you convince yourself you're accomplishing something. (3) It "covered" the material. Because everyone is ostensibly looking at and listening to the text, it stands to reason that everyone is digesting it in some way. (4) It allowed me to hear my students reading, acting as a kind of formative assessment for fluency.

What the research says: If the Internet was a yard, and articles that criticize Round Robin were dog poop, your shoes would be a mess. The main criticism of this strategy is that it simply does nothing to improve student comprehension or reading skills. On top of that, it embarrasses students whose read-aloud skills are behind those of their peers, offers only a tiny window of time for each student to actively read, and often reduces comprehension, as students who are not reading tend to check out when it's not their turn. Plus, listening to their classmates read at varying levels of skill can actually teach students to read more poorly as they begin to pick up the habits of their peers. When I was a student, I hated popcorn reading. My comprehension plummets when I listen to something read out loud, rather than reading quietly to myself, so any time a teacher had us do Round Robin, I knew I would have to re-read the whole thing later.

What to do instead: Consider where you want students to end up. If you are working with younger kids and want to build fluency and proper expression, try a teacher read-aloud, a choral reading, or a method known as FORI (fluency oriented reading instruction). If you are working with older students and want them to eventually be able to do rigorous, challenging reading on their own, schedule regular periods of silent reading scaffolded with a KWL chart or an anticipation guide, or have students do reciprocal teaching in small groups.
Learn More:
11 Alternatives to "Round Robin" (and "Popcorn") Reading, by Todd Finley, Edutopia

A Literacy Spring Cleaning: Sweeping Round Robin Reading out of Your Classroom, by Katherine Hilden and Jennifer Jones, Reading Today

What it is: When a teacher delivers content (often via lecture), he provides students with a handout that contains pre-written notes on that content. In many cases, this takes the form of notes pages that can be generated automatically from a PowerPoint presentation.

Why I did it: As a college instructor, I usually delivered some portion of my content via PowerPoint (I would approach this differently now, but that's another subject for another time). Because I wanted students to pay attention to what I was saying, rather than scrambling to write everything down, I just gave them notes straight from the PowerPoints and made the slideshows available online as well. This system, I felt, made it easy to catch up students who had missed class, and it prevented students from missing important points made during the lecture.

What the research says: Since reading Make It Stick this past summer, I realize I was doing my students a big disservice by making things so easy for them. The book's authors, who pull together years of brain research, maintain that when no effort is required in the learning process, learning doesn't last very long. They cited one study where students were allowed to copy notes word-for-word on some material, but made to rephrase other material in their own words. When tested later, students did a far better job of recalling the latter-the material they had to put into their own words. Although it's more convenient to provide notes for students, the lack of effort inherent in this arrangement handicaps them.

What to do instead: Teach note-taking skills. It's going to be slow, but in the end, it will be worth it. Provide students with a variety of options for note-taking methods. Let them try a few and decide what's right for them. Allow students to compare notes with each other, discuss them, and revise them. Another powerful way to support students in their note-taking is to provide them with pre-lecture diagrams, visual structures that help them understand the relationship between the concepts you're about to teach.
Learn more:
Teaching Students to Take Better Notes: Notes on Notetaking, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Graduate Studies

Why Students Should be Taking Notes, by Maryellen Weimer, Faculty Focus

What it is: The teacher punishes the whole class for some behavior infraction committed by only some students. Often, this takes the form of a lost privilege, like recess.

Why I did it: I can't even count how many times I did this. I would promise some kind of reward to the class, something along the lines of "If everyone works quietly for the next ___ minutes, I'll give you five minutes of free time at the end of the period." Then, as middle school kids tend to do, around half the class would fool around or get too noisy, and I'd announce that they had lost their free time. I did it because it was faster and easier than trying to figure out exactly who caused the disruptions; I knew it wasn't everyone, but there were too many to count. Also, honestly, I often issued the threat of whole-class punishment hoping I wouldn't have to enforce it. I wanted to motivate them, to get them to behave in order to earn the reward. When it didn't work and I had to crack down, I hoped the memory of the loss would get them in line the next time.

What the research says: In looking for research on the effectiveness of whole-class punishment, I came up empty-handed. There's plenty of public opinion against the practice, but no formal research. (If readers of this post are aware of any, please post a link in the comments.) Still, some parallels can be drawn: Research on economic sanctions-where the government of one country penalizes another, often by withholding necessary resources from the whole country-has shown it to be largely ineffective, often creating new problems. Another study on collective punishment concluded that it is "fairly ineffective at best and strongly counterproductive at worst in shaping group behavior." Even though specific research on whole-class punishment is lacking, it's hard to argue with common sense: Many of us have been that kid who tries to behave but gets punished along with the class. Or maybe it's our own child who has been put in that position. Even if you're the one who causes the trouble, the weight of "ruining it for everyone" certainly won't lead to healthier relationships with your peers.

What to do instead: The best way to deal with a rowdy class is prevention: If you have a lot of days when your whole class feels chaotic, this is symptomatic of a larger problem. It may be that your directions aren't clear. Your students might be bored. You might need to build more opportunities for interaction and movement into your lessons. Or it might be time to re-establish clear behavior guidelines and consequences. When small disruptions do come up, it's best to deal with them quickly before they grow into bigger problems; to achieve this, the Distract the Distractor method worked well for me. And on days when things did get out of hand, I started using a notebook strategy that got my emotions under control and allowed me to accurately pinpoint where the trouble was coming from. The two articles below offer other productive methods for dealing with large-scale disruption.
Learn more:
How to Handle Misbehaving Students, by Michael Linsin, Smart Classroom Management

Positive, Not Punitive, Classroom-Management Tips, by Larry Ferlazzo, Edutopia

What it is: Because we were taught that every learner is either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic-learning best through seeing things, hearing things, or experiencing things, respectively-teachers may attempt to differentiate instruction by separating students into groups based on these tendencies. Other learning styles models also exist, each one offering labels to define how students process information. Once a student has been labeled with one particular learning style, the teacher attempts to adjust her teaching style to reach students through their identified learning mode.

Why I did it: This one I didn't really do too much. What I did instead was beat myself up for not doing it. I was aware of learning styles, yes, and I'd even heard of diagnostic tools, tests you could give students to figure out what their style was. You could then take those results and plan instruction that perfectly fit each student's preferred learning mode. I thought this was something I was supposed to be doing, but I never quite got around to it, and I felt bad about it. To be fair, I was always mindful of the need to present information in different ways. One case in point: As someone who has a lot of trouble following spoken instructions, I have always tried to include written instructions as well. Still, I never really felt competent in this area.

What the research says: Researchers in a 2008 study set out to find evidence that matching our teaching style to our students' learning style results in greater learning gains. They looked at study after study and ultimately found nothing. No proof that this practice has any impact at all. Since then, other studies have confirmed these findings. Although personal experience may tell you that you do, in fact, learn better through different modalities, this is actually just a preference. There is no research that supports the idea that you actually learn better through that modality. And attempting to label students and narrow our teaching strategies with them can ultimately limit them, making them believe they are only capable of learning in one way.

What to do instead: Provide a variety of learning experiences to all students. Instead of spending time on learning styles inventories and stressing about how to evenly divide instructional time between the different groups, plan your instruction to reach all students through different pathways: Teaching students to recognize text structures will help them develop mental models for understanding challenging texts. Using culturally responsive teaching strategies will help students from all backgrounds absorb material more fully. The mind's eye strategy has students visualize rich vocabulary in a text before they read it. And the concept attainment model requires students to begin constructing concepts before you even tell them what they are. In the same way that eating a variety of foods helps ensure you get all the nutrients you need, using a variety of instructional strategies will help you reach every student.
Learn more:
Learning Styles & the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection, TED Talk by Tesia Marshik

Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students, by David Glenn, The Chronicle of Higher Education

A.K.A. Peer Tutoring

What it is: The teacher plans a lesson aimed at his "middle group" of learners. Then, to provide extra assistance to students who need it and extra challenge for students who grasp the material quickly, the teacher plans to have students who finish the assigned task early help those who are behind.

Why I did it: It just made so much sense. I couldn't be everywhere to help all the students who needed it, and my more advanced kids were just sitting around with nothing to do ( red flag!!), so it seemed like an obvious solution. The kids who needed help got it, and the advanced kids got to learn the material really well by teaching it to someone else. Easy-peasy. Two birds killed with one stone. Differentiation, yes?

What the research says: No. Not differentiation. Although mixed-ability groups and tutoring can benefit the students who need the help to some degree, these arrangements do very little for the advanced student. In order to receive appropriate challenge, high-ability or gifted students need regular opportunities to be grouped with like-ability peers. Having advanced students do this kind of tutoring doesn't necessarily do them any harm, but if this practice is overused, it takes the place of true differentiated instruction, offering learning experiences that would challenge these students at an appropriate level.

What to do instead: It's perfectly reasonable to have higher-ability students help other students occasionally; all students should share their unique gifts with their peers. Just don't call this differentiation. To meet the needs of all learners, try strategies recommended by Carol Ann Tomlinson in her book, The Differentiated Classroom, including learning stations, tiered assignments, orbital studies (3-6-week independent investigations), and learning agendas, where students are given a list of tasks to complete in whatever order they want over a period of several weeks, much like the kind of personalized agendas given to students in Montessori classrooms.
Learn more:
My View: Ten Myths about Gifted Students and Programs for Gifted, by Carolyn Coil, CNN Schools of Thought

What It Means to Teach Gifted Learners Well, by Carol Ann Tomlinson, National Association for Gifted Children

Stick around.
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5 Common Teaching Practices I'm Kicking to the Curb

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Listen to an Extended Version of this Post in a Podcast: So many of us teach the way we were taught. We may not even realize we're doing it. And that means certain practices get passed down year after year without question, methods that are such a normal part of the way we do school, we perpetuate them without realizing there are better alternatives.

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Establishing a growth mindset in the classroom!

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This is the second blog post in a series of posts about creating and establish a growth mindset in the classroom. Read the first post about creating a growth mindset here.

I'll admit it. I've made mistakes as an educator. Some of the biggest mistakes I've made include being too stubborn and too strict. Neither of these helped me practice a growth mindset in my classroom.

As a new teacher, I was pretty stubborn. I did not accept late work. I did not allow test retakes. I did not provide students a needed opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Instead, I forced their mistake to be their end result. I wasn't helping anyone.

Luckily, this did not last long. As I gained more experience as an educator, I naturally adopted more of a growth mindset before I even knew it was a "thing" in education. The end result was magical. Students tried harder, learned more, and strived to make me see their own successes.

Here are some simple things I do in the classroom to practice a growth mindset.

1. Test Retakes

Allow students to retake tests. Sometimes it takes receiving a bad grade on a test ignite a fire in a student. As educators, we shouldn't stifle that passion to learn and grow. Instead, we should provide an opportunity for it to burn brightly. This means allowing students the opportunity to retake a test and learn from their previous failures and mistakes.

2. Late Work

Accept late work, but find out why it is late. Fear of failure is a great deterrent. When fear of failure is combined with an already shaky teenage confidence, it can result in a student completing his or her work. Sometimes a student might need a little more re-teaching so that they have the confidence and knowledge needed to complete and turn in an assignment. Accept student late work, but figure out why it is late.

3. Self-Assessments

Conduct regular self-assessments and reflections. Periodically, go back and have students reflect on their learning, assignments, or tests. Reflecting on their effort, struggles, and achievement will really help students focus on maintaining a growth mindset.

Growth Mindset Resources to Incorporate in Your Classroom

Growth Mindset Activities

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This is the second blog post in a series of posts about creating and establish a growth mindset in the classroom. Read the first post about creating a growth mindset here. I'll admit it. I've made mistakes as an educator. Some of the biggest mistakes I've made include being too stubborn and too strict.

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Help students feel motivated with advice from some of the world's leading minds!

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By Lesley Vos

Overwhelmed with testing and homework, it's easy for students to have a hard time coming up with new ideas, thinking creatively about tasks, and staying motivated all the time.

While apps, blogging and online homework can help keep them engaged, there's one type of content that can kick boredom and inspire students at the same time: Ted Talks.

These motivational and educational speeches from the world's most brilliant minds are a new staple in the learning sphere. As a teacher, you can choose TED talks that meet your curriculum and share them in the classroom.

We're sharing 10 of the best Ted Talks for your classroom, which cover a wide variety of topics in inspiring and easy-to-understand ways. In the end, students are empowered, excited and motivated, infusing them a fresh burst of learning energy.

Some of the following talks are 5-10 minutes long, while others take 20-30 minutes to watch; so, plan your lessons accordingly and get ready for students to learn, laugh, and be inspired.
10 Ways to Re-Energize Your Classroom With EdTech
1) "Try Something New for 30 Days" by Matt Cutts
Length: 3 min. 27 sec.
To motivate students and inspire them to discover variety, share Matt Cutts' talk. He speaks about the experiment of trying something new for thirty days, which could be a great way to add diversity, creativity, and inspiration to your students' lives or your classroom.

2) "How Do You Define Yourself?" by Lizzie Velasquez
Length: 13 min. 10 sec.
For young adults, self-definition is a topical issue: this is the age of looking for behavioral patterns and copying them in search of public approval. This powerful TED talk by Lizzie Velazquez will inspire your students and help them find a path: she describes a personal journey of acceptance, illness, and overcoming bullying to become a confident woman.

3) "The Power of Vulnerability" by Brené Brown
Length: 20 min. 50 sec.
We all feel vulnerable sometimes, and this feeling is far from pleasant. Yet, it's a necessary part of self-definition and growth; and you can send this message to students with Brené Brown's inspirational speech. As a researcher who studies human connection, she's given one of the most famous TED talks highlighting reasons why we are vulnerable and what role this quality plays in people's ability to achieve goals.

4) "The Nerd's Guide to Learning Everything Online" by John Green
Length: 18 min. 10 sec.
Your students represent Gen Z, who have been tech-savvy from childhood. They don't need any explanations on why the Internet is important and what role it plays in communication. That's why John Green's TED talk on why the web makes learning awesome; giving students a new perspective on the Internet.

5) "The Fringe Benefits of Failure" by J.K. Rowling
Length: 20 min. 58 sec.
The fear of failure may be one of top reasons why your students procrastinate and don't to finish projects on time. Watch J.K. Rowling's speech as the kick-off to a discussion about why failures matter and what roles they play in our future success. Chances are, your students know that story about 12 rejections Rowling got before publishing Harry Potter, and they'll find her perspective fascinating.

6) "Weird, or Just Different?" by Derek Sivers
Length: 3 min. 12 sec.
This TED Talk helps students understand "there's a flip side to everything," and to push their limits and share ideas (even if they're weird). Derek Sivers reminds students how stereotypes and preconceived notions of what's "normal" shapes our thoughts and keeps our options closed. He encourages watchers to accept diversity and think outside the box for a better life and emotional intelligence.

7) "Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator" by Tim Urban
Length: 14 min. 03 sec.
The fact is, your students procrastinate. In a funny yet informative manner, Tim Urban explains the brain processes behind this phenomenon, describing what happens to our minds when a rational decision maker gives place to a gratification monkey.

8) "How to Succeed? Get More Sleep" by Arianna Huffington
Length: 4 min. 43 sec.
Many believe they need to do more to achieve more. Especially students, some of whom are motived by it and some of whom struggle because of it. Arianna Huffington makes it clear: one small change, such as an organized sleep schedule, can make you more successful than sacrificing health.

9) "5 Ways to Listen Better" by Julian Treasure
Length: 7 min. 50 sec.
Listening is an essential skill for success in everything we do. To help students develop it, play this video and then try the five exercises from Julian Treasure in the classroom. He claims "we're losing our listening" in today's loud world of content shock and black noise, which makes it more difficult for people to filter useful information. His TED talk is aimed at solving this exact problem.

10) "Where Good Ideas Come From" by Steven Johnson

This talk explains how to get your brains into an environment where innovation happens. Considering creativity a state of mind, Johnson shares his hacks on recognizing "Eureka!" moments and turning them into a sustainable "basement" for original ideas, creative thinking, interesting projects, and motivation to discover this brave new world both in class and beyond.
Bonus
Students do love TED talks! Here are nine talks recommended by young adults to share with students. Maybe these videos will inspire you as well as your students and inspire you to create new and innovative lessons and teaching opportunities in the classroom. Don't forget to check out 15 Best Educational YouTube Channels and 12 Free Documentaries to Boost Engagement too!

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10 TED Talks to Empower Middle and High School Students

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By Lesley Vos Overwhelmed with testing and homework, it's easy for students to have a hard time coming up with new ideas, thinking creatively about tasks, and staying motivated all the time. While apps, blogging and online homework can help keep them engaged, there's one type of content that can kick boredom and inspire students at the same time: Ted Talks.