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The grouping format allows for students to sit in small groups around the room while allowing open space in between for the. teacher and classmates to walk through.

The teachers desk is placed in a corner area that allows a view of all students around the classroom, but also allows for students to come and sit when small group is needed.

Students can be grouped heterogeneously(different abilities) or homogeneously(same abilities). The idea group for students has about 4-6 students. This allows high and low level ability students to be accommodated in the classroom. At each table students will have equal responsibility and accountability. This promotes collaborative thinking and teamwork among students.

The front of the room has a stage that students can sit at or I as the teacher can step on to emphasize a lesson.

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The agenda is just as important as the schedule and objective. It can be posted on the smartboard/whiteboard/online to the students screen through virtual learning. Listing the activities in chronological order for the day differs from the schedule because it gives more information about what the days work entails. This will help keep the student and teacher on task while facilitating transitions. It also helps students from wandering by giving them accountability in what they should be doing during certain times of the day.

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Pink and Cream Illustration Daily Agenda Slide

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Objectives and schedules offer students consistency and the knowledge in knowing what comes next and the purpose of the lesson that day. Students due exceptionally better in an organized environment. The objectives being written below on the white board make it easy for writing and erasing when we begin new ones.

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Class Dojo is a great way to communicate with parents and has options to directly message, set out reminders, and has an option for translation. Which would make it easier to communicate with my parents who speak a different language.

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The reading nook allows students to have a place away from their peers and desks that can help them relax as they read. This can promote reading within the classroom. The shelving allows books to be accessible by all students. This helps give students choices for what book to read although they're provided by the teacher.

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67 Best Classroom Setup Ideas for Back to School | Chaylor & Mads

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This playlist has many different "pop" songs that have been transformed to classical music. Some of these songs can be picked and chosen to be integrated into morning routines when students come into class. Music has been linked to help reduce anxiety and stress. This would help set the tone for the rest of the day for students.

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This music is upbeat, and realistically a good amount of our students these days are coming into the classroom with cellphones. Many of them know pop music and it can be incorporated during movement exercises or brain breaks. Encouraging the students to get up and move their bodies around can increase brain flow and energy.

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Having when it's appropriate to use the bathroom located next to the facilities helps students know when it's appropriate to use the bathroom. I.e. During the lesson is not the ideal time to raise a hand or disrupt the classroom to go use the bathroom. Having the signs and bathroom break tally can help all students and teachers keep track of how many times they've gone.

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Having this posted and implemented during the first day of class can erase the disruptions during class from students when they need to go to the bathroom, sharpen a pencil, etc. These signs can be used by all students by raising their hand with their specific need. The teacher won't have to redirect and quit class to answer, but can instead point at them and give them the okay sign. Both students and teachers will like the simplicity of these signs.

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Multicultural Hand Signal Posters | Classroom Management

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Close up #8-Sentence Stems for Group Discussions

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Close up #8-Sentence Stems for Group Discussions

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Group discussions allows for students to engage in classroom discourse about texts read or discussions prompted by the teacher that invokes higher order thinking. Students are able to share their solutions to problems, develop and learn new ideas from peers, and engage in academic content. For students who may be struggle with the concept hearing it from a classmate may make more sense for them rather than hearing it from the teacher. Students who with higher abilities will learn how to justify their answers to others.

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This visual poster can be posted at the end of a day as a reminder for students on their "end of the day" tasks. Having this reminder to go back on can be beneficial for all students.

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Student Spaces The Desk Fairy Will Love! - Around the Kampfire

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Name tags are beneficial for students during the beginning of the year and can be moved if used with adhesive. Putting name tags helps students know where to go and alleviates any kind of confusion for subs and the teacher.

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This will be beneficial for students when they have the opportunity for free read in the classroom.

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Respect the me
Respect the classroom
Respect each other

I can easily bring this into a class discussion for the groups and have them come up with ways that we do each. So groups will be assigned in groups (3-4 students in each) with a specific topic to focus on: how we respect the teacher, how we respect the classroom, and how we respect each other. Afterwards, we will come together and each group will say 2 key points that the students thought were most important. Then, I will write on the white board what the students are saying. They will be separated into columns so the students can see how we do this. Then I will make an anchor chart that focuses on these three rules with 2 examples (pictures too) included.

This will give students the visual reminder of what our rules are and they will also have a say in how we demonstrate these rules which can give them a sense of ownership.

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Justice Wehmeier - Classroom Procedure Template

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Justice Wehmeier - Planning for a Supportive Classroom Environment

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Learning centers are common in the lower grades, especially in special education. And if you teach preschool through second grade, chances are that you're already using centers.

But what if you teach older students? Is it appropriate to use centers with older students? My answer is...YES.

How you use centers will depend on what is appropriate for your group's age, interests, and the subject you teach. Believe it or not, I sometimes use centers while teaching at the college level. I'm confident that you can make it work in your classroom too!

Actually, what I mean by the word "centers" is really just more than one activity going on at one time. Instead of completing tasks one by one as a whole group, try doing them in small rotating groups.

Here's an example of center activities. It's a great way to differentiate instruction:

Group 1: Direct instruction with the teacher

Group 2: Independent work at desks

Group 3: Research for an upcoming project on computers in back of the room

When you break students into smaller groups, you can more accurately tailor the assignment to your students' needs.

Use Flexible Grouping For Differentiated Instruction.

Grouping students by ability can help you to provide a lesson better suited to their needs. However, it's important to switch up the groups often if you use this approach. Periodically mix the groups up by interest, learning style, personal choice, and sometimes randomly so that no one feels "stuck" in any one group.

Personally, I changed my groups upweekly and were different according to subject level. Whatever group that students were in for reading had nothing to do with their math group. Since we switched it up regularly so there really wasn't any one "high" or "low" group.

The students seemed to enjoy mixing it up and it kept things fresh and interesting for everyone. Give it a try... It isn't as hard as you think!

Let Them Differentiate Their Own Instruction. Offer Choices When Possible.

Give students choices in how they want to learn. This allows them to become more motivated. A motivated student is an engaged student.

Provide a variety of assignments that meet the content standard you're working on. Allow students to choose their lesson task.

Carmen from Love, Teach, and Learn weighs in on providing choices for students in her article about differentiating handwriting lessons:

"One way to boost confidence is through empowerment. Introducing lots of choices for writing tools, varying activities that strengthen a specific handwriting goal, or even the line sizes of primary paper. Having a wide range of resources readily available welcomes students with the freedom to choose."

Ultimately, our job as teachers is to coach students in the right direction. We challenge them, provide assistance, and encourage them to push further in their learning.

Tiered instruction goes naturally with centers and student choice. Tiered instruction is essentially the same lesson or standard taught with different tasks.

When working on the Days of the Week and Months of the Year with my self- contained students, I used different activities to address my objective.

In addition to our daily circle time activities, I also had my students practice writing the Days and Months as a morning independent work task. Some students cut and paste the letters while some stamped, and some traced, and others were able to just copy the words without help.
All students were working on the same standard, but the lesson was modified for their individual needs.
These activities can be found in my TPT shop. These activities are no-prep and great to have on hand for morning work, early finishers, sub plans, and even homework. You can get my Days of the Week Sample for FREE and try them out!

Ultimately, it's essential to differentiate activities in the classroom, especially in special education. Our students are unique people with individual needs. Some may have sensory issues while others have autism or other special needs. It can become exhausting for teachers, but there are tricks to make it easier.

I hope you've found my tips how to differentiate instruction helpful. If you have any additional tips that might help a novice teacher, please share it with us in the comments below!

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How to Differentiate Instruction for Diverse Learners

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Learning centers are common in the lower grades, especially in special education. And if you teach preschool through second grade, chances are that you're already using centers. But what if you teach older students? Is it appropriate to use centers with older students? My answer is...YES.

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Explicit instruction is a purposeful way of overtly teaching students. Explicit in this case means a clear-cut and finite way of teaching that includes both instructional and delivery procedures. Torgesen (2004) described explicit instruction as "instruction that does not leave anything to chance and does not make assumptions about skills and knowledge that children will acquire on their own." Rosenshine (1987) described explicit instruction as "a systematic method of teaching with emphasis on proceeding in small steps, checking for understanding, and achieving active and successful participation by all students."

Explicit instruction is a series of instructional behaviors that increase the likelihood for student achievement. Think of it as improving student outcomes with elevating your practice. The instructional behaviors that we will look at are all about increasing modeling, providing students with frequent opportunities to respond and providing both guided and independent practice. Instruction is explicit when teachers tell students what they need to to do using direct explanations along with sharing and modeling new knowledge (Flethcer, Lynn, Fuchs & Barnes 2019).

We will explore each of these practices in two way: individually and in a case study. We will look at each of the sixteen elements individually and explore each of their attributes. We will then apply these sixteen elements to a case study of teacher and her instruction in the classroom.

Archer and Hughes have provided access to the first chapter of their book "Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching."
Please click on the link to download the chapter which includes a table to the "Sixteen Elements of Explicit Instruction." Chapter One - Explicit Instruction by Archer and Hughes 2011 Let's get started! List of the 16 Elements of Explicit Instruction - Click Here Focus instruction on critical content
The sixteen elements of explicit instruction are describe in Explicit Teaching by Anita Archer and Charles Hughes. These sixteen elements are both accessible to teachers and have research to back their impact on student learning. We are now going to explore each of the elements and their features individually.
Example:
Teach skills, strategies, vocabulary terms, concepts, and rules that will empower students on the future to match the students instructional needs (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Sequence skills logically
If you're teaching a unit about plants, you wouldn't focus the content on the different types of plants you would focus on the critical features of plants and how they keep a plant alive. The knowledge of the parts of plants and how a plant stays alive are more critical for students future success than the different types of plants.
Example:
Consider several curricular variables, such as teaching easier skills before harder skills, teaching high-frequency skills before skills that are less frequent in usage, ensuring mastery of prerequisites to a skill before teaching the skill itself, and separating skills and strategies that are similar and thus may be confusing to students (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Break down complex skills and strategies into smaller instructional units
You wouldn't teach your students how to do double addition with regrouping before teaching them simple addition. Ensuring that students have mastery of the prerequisite skill of addition will increase the likelihood that students will apply the prerequisite skills to the harder skill of addition with regrouping.
Example:
Teach in small steps. Segmenting complex skills into smaller instructional units of new material addresses concerns about cognitive overloading, processing demands, and the capacity of students' working memory. Once mastered, units are synthesized. (i.e. practiced as a whole). (Archer & Hughes, 2011)
Design organized and focused lessons
If you are teaching a new science unit on light and sound, you wouldn't teach all of the content and skills in one day. You would break apart the content into smaller units, teach them individually and then once all the smaller units are taught you would review the entire unit, with all the content, together.
Example:
Make sure lessons are organized and focused, in order to make optimal use of instructional time. Organized lessons are on topic, well sequenced, and contain no irrelevant digressions (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Begin lessons with a clear statement of the lesson's goals and your expectations
When you create a lesson plan, you have the content you are going to teach, the order in which to teach and any modeling, opportunities for students to respond, etc. and a place for the order in which you will teach the content. Doing this means that your lesson is designed around teaching critical content and focused on how and when you will teach skills.
Example:
Tell learners clearly what is to be learned and why is important. Students achieve better if they understand the instructional goals and outcomes expected, as well, as how the information or skills presented will help them (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Review prior skills and knowledge before beginning instruction
When you begin a lesson, you wouldn't just start the lesson without telling students what they will be learning and why. You also wouldn't just begin a lesson without telling the students the expectations you have for the lesson. You would explain to students the skills they will be learning and the reason why they are learning them and what you expect for the lesson you are about to teach.
Example:
Provide a review of relevant information. Verify that students have the prerequisite skills and knowledge to learn the skill being taught in the lesson. This element also provides an opportunity to link the new skill with other related skills (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Provide step-by-step instruction
When you begin your lesson on two-by-two multiplication, you would first ensure that students have the relevant multiplication skills. If student's do not have the prerequisite skills, then a review lesson may need to be done first. Doing so demonstrates to students that basic multiplication skills connect with higher order multiplication skills like two-by-two digit multiplication.
Example:
Model the skill and clarify the decision-making processed needed to complete a task or procedure by thinking aloud as you perform the skill. Clearly demonstrate the target skill or strategy, in order to show the students a model of proficient performance (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Use clear and concise language
This portion of the lesson is the "I do, we do, you do." Teacher starts by providing extensive modeling of the new skill or content (I do), practice with students with frequent opportunities to respond built in (we do) and finally the student practice both guided and independently (you do).
Example:
Use consistent, unambiguous wording and terminology. The complexity of your speech (e.g. vocabulary, sentence structure) should depend on students' receptive vocabulary to reduce possible confusion.
Provide an adequate range of examples and non-examples
When you are teaching a lesson about weather, you wouldn't just refer to clouds as clouds. You would refer to them as cumulonimbus and stratus. Using concise language for the clouds is part of teaching the content. When you are teaching, you keep the same wording and terminology through the lesson and subsequent practice students will do.
Example:
In order to establish the boundaries of when and when not to apply a skill, strategy, concept or rule, provide a wide range of examples and non-examples. A wide range of examples illustrating situations when the skill will be used or applied is necessary so that students do not under use it. Conversely, presenting a wide range of non-examples reduces the possibility that students will use the skill inappropriately (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Provide guided and supported practice
When teaching students about nouns, creating examples and non-examples will help students differentiate nouns from other parts of speech. Here is an example and non-example for noun: example would be "a dog is a noun because a dog is a thing" and the non-example would be "fast is not a noun because it is not a person, place, thing or idea." Providing students with examples and non-examples help students to differentiate between the critical features and variable attributes of content and skills. To learn more about identifying the critical features and variable attributes, click on this link Creating Examples and Non-Examples for Words.
Example:
In order to promote initial success and build confidence, regulate the difficulty of practice opportunities during the lesson, and provide students with guidance in skill performance. When students demonstrate success, you can gradually increase task difficulty as you decrease the level of guidance (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Require frequent responses
Once you have taught a lesson on one digit subtraction without regrouping, you would give your students 100 problems to practice by themselves. Instead, you would provide students with 5 examples to do together with you, then 5 problems to practice with a partner and then 5 problems to practice independently. Doing this allows students to practice with you, practice with another learner and then practice on their own.
Example:
Plan for a high level of student-teacher interaction via the use of questioning. Having the students respond frequently (i.e. oral responses, written responses or action responses) helps them focus on the lesson content, provides opportunities for student elaboration, assists you in checking understanding and keeps students active and attentive (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Monitor student performance carefully
Creating a high level of opportunities to respond during a lesson ensure that students are actively engaged in the learning process and provide frequent opportunities for you as the teacher to monitor student progress during the lesson. Students can offer an action response, a thumbs up or down, a verbal response, plus or minus for the operation needed, or a written response, using a small white board to write their answer. Embedding these into your lesson plan ensures that you know when and in what part of the lesson you will be asking students to respond.
Example:
Carefully watch and listen to students' responses, so that you can verify student mastery as well as make timely adjustments in instruction if students are making errors. Close monitoring also allows you to provide feedback to students about how well they are doing (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Provide immediate affirmative and corrective feedback
If you ask a student is a car is a noun and all the students answer no, then you can monitor the students progress and go back and either reteach the content or provide another round of examples and non-examples. If during guided practice, two students are struggling with identifying nouns on a worksheet, you can pull those two students to reteach or model the content. Monitoring during lesson instruction and practice guarantees that students are not coming to the end of an entire lesson with not knowing the content fully.
Example:
Follow up on students' responses as quickly as you can. Immediate feedback to students about the accuracy of their responses helps ensure high rates of success and reduces the likelihood of practicing errors (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Deliver the lesson at a brisk pace
Feedback has been proven to be a very effective method in increasing student outcomes (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Giving student immediate corrective feedback ensures that they do not come to the end of a lesson not knowing or using skills or strategies incorrectly. Providing immediate and corrective feedback during both instruction and practice increase students positive outcomes for the lesson. Providing affirmative feedback is equally as important. Affirming students learning and providing specific academic and behavioral feedback ensure that students are recognized for their effort and learning during instruction and practice.
Example:
Deliver instruction at an appropriate pace to optimize instructional time, the amount of content that can be presented and on-task behavior. Use a rate of presentation that is brisk but includes a reasonable amount of time for students' thinking/processing, especially when they are learning new material. The desired pace is neither so slow that students get bored nor so quick that they can't keep up (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Help students organize knowledge
Delivering brisk instruction with frequent OTRs (opportunities to respond) increases the likelihood that students will be engaged and on-task during your lesson. Using the modeling practice (I do, we do, you do) along with ensuring wait time for students responses allows students to be presented and learn new material more effectively.
Example:
Because many students have difficulty seeing how some skills and concepts fit together, it is important to use teaching techniques that make these connections more apparent or explicit. Well organized and connected information makes it easier for students to retrieve information and facilitate its integration with new material (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
Provide distributed and cumulative practice
When teaching students about how plants use photosynthesis to feed themselves, connecting the parts of the plant with the function they serve in photosynthesis will help student make the connection that you must have both for a plant to make food. Connecting relevant content and skills together, ensure that students will be able to identify and retrieve content and skills quicker.
Example:
Distributed (vs. massed) practice refers to multiple opportunities to practice a skill over time. Cumulative practice is a method for providing distributed practice by including practice opportunities that address both previously and newly acquired skills. Provide students with multiple practice attempts, in order to address issues of retention as well as automaticity (Archer & Hughes, 2011).
References:
Providing students with multiple opportunities to practice both prerequisite and current skills helps to ensure that students will not "lose" skills already learned and have opportunities to practice new skills. Practice can be distributed before, during or after a lesson and days or weeks after a lesson has been delivered. Not only are you providing students opportunities to practice, but you can also monitor students understanding and use of skills.

Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. New York: Guilford Press.

Fletcher, J., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L., & Barnes, M. A. (2019). Learning disabilities: from identification to intervention (pg.99). New York: The Guilford Press.

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81-112.

Intensive Intervention Course Content: Features of Explicit Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://intensiveintervention.org/intensive-intervention-features-explicit-instruction.

Rosenshine, B. (1987). Explicit teaching and teacher training. Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3), 34-36

Torgesen, J.K. (2004). Lessons learned from research on interventions for students who have difficulty learning to read. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pg. 355-382). Baltimore, Brookes.

Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., Murray, C. S., & Roberts, G. (2012). Intensive interventions for students struggling in reading and mathematics: A practice guide. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction

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Explicit instruction is a purposeful way of overtly teaching students. Explicit in this case means a clear-cut and finite way of teaching that includes both instructional and delivery procedures. Torgesen (2004) described explicit instruction as "instruction that does not leave anything to chance and does not make assumptions about skills and knowledge that children will...

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Effective teachers discipline with encouragement and kind words much more often than rebukes or reprimands. The goal is to help students feel good about themselves and their behavior in the classroom.

Inevitably, though, misbehavior happens. When it does, keep the collected wisdom of experienced teachers in mind:

Treat all students respectfully and politely. Be consistent in what you let them say and do. Be careful not to favor certain students.

Model the behavior you expect from your students. Are you as considerate of your students' feelings as you want them to be of others? Are you as organized and on-task as you tell them to be? Are your classroom rules clear and easy for students to follow?

Specifically describe misbehavior and help students understand the consequences of misbehavior. Very young children may even need your explanations modeled or acted out.

When it's necessary to speak to a student about his or her behavior, try to speak in private; this is especially true of adolescents who must "perform" for their peers. Public reprimands or lectures often trigger exaggerated, face-saving performances.

When Personalities Clash . . .

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves actively disliking one of the students in our charge. The student may be rude, disrespectful, disruptive, obnoxious, or otherwise annoying. It's just human nature; some personalities clash. But instead of feeling guilty about our feelings, we can take positive steps to improve them, says school psychologist and teacher Shelley Krapes. Here are some of her suggestions:

Set a goal. If the situation between you and the child has not improved after two or three months of your best effort, it may be time to recommend professional/psychological/educational testing. Some problems are very complex and beyond your control.

This article was adapted from Learning to Teach...Not Just for Beginners: The Essential Guide for All Teachers by Linda Shalaway (© 2005, Scholastic).

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25 Sure-Fire Strategies for Handling Difficult Students | Scholastic

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Effective teachers discipline with encouragement and kind words much more often than rebukes or reprimands. The goal is to help students feel good about themselves and their behavior in the classroom. Inevitably, though, misbehavior happens. When it does, keep the collected wisdom of experienced teachers in mind: Treat all students respectfully and politely.

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Strategies:
1. Create a safe environment through relationships by:
-Clarifying my role with the student.
-Establishing myself as a safe individual.
-Create an environment out of respect.
-Give the students opportunities to make choices.
-Talk about safety and ways I will help the student be and feel safe.
2. Teach stress management:
-Breathe App uses a metronome sound to help students learn how to use relaxation techniques through breathing exercises.
-Establish a calm and quiet place within the classroom to sit or talk.
3. 10:1 ratio.
-This ratio provides the positive to negative statements that should be stated to students.

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Helping Students Develop Productive Behaviors

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Helping Students Develop Productive Behaviors

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Teaching methods and strategies vary based on teacher, classroom, and any other factor you can think of. Positive behavior can be encouraged in your classroom community with singing, motivating students and whole group ideas to foster your ideal classroom environment.

Positive behavior is what we all desire to see so we can apply the teaching methods and strategies we've worked hard to learn.

Heck, we went through four years of college to learn them! It stands to reason that if positive behavior is the "norm" in a classroom environment, then learning can happen.

Positive actions and behavior are often rewarded, edified and modeled in a classroom to add to the the overall classroom environment.

When students' ideas, thoughts, mistakes and learning risks are handled with respect you are well on your way to fostering a classroom community where learners can flourish.

Here are some tips to set up systems in the classroom so you are both motivating students and applying your strategies for teaching!

Singing

Singing is a great way to keep you in a positive frame of mind and to really capture attention. Why do you think Disney characters are always singing?

Singing evokes happiness and {ahem} we are talking about positivity here. We're not talking you're ready to cut your next album, but that you are willing to sing-song your way through little moments of your day.

Here are some great examples of singing little diddies to capture attention, focus students on what you want them to do, recall multiple step directions and add to the fact that you are willing to be open with your students. This will greatly add to the classroom environment.

1. Name on Your Paper - You can save yourself from wanting to pull your hair out. Teach this song to your students and let them take of with it. You'll hardly have to remind them again.

Better yet, give a student the responsibility to sing it as a cue for others when getting down to work as a signal that it's also time to work quietly. Done singing, names are done and talking is done.

2. Transitions - No matter where you want students to go, think about how you want them to get there.

Especially crucial for new teachers p-l-a-n you're transitions until they are more routine for you to be able to pull from your "bag of tricks" and pre-warn students ahead of transitions. Mix them up by singing sometimes like this example from Melissa.

If you can keep a more routine schedule every day it will eliminate needing to create so many transitions to prepare students for. Rhymes and chants work great too!

3. Give Me Five - You can turn even some core expectations, like "Give Me 5" and turn it into a sing-songy set of directions to help give students your expectations or to even cue someone into which behavior you expect to see.

Practice {just for fun} and see how you can sing your way through these free posters to the tune of "London Bridge" if you end with "give me five."

Motivating Students

You can create systems that work for your classroom, age group and fit your teaching style. These systems are designed to help motivate students and help them learn to self-monitor their choices.

These are whole class systems that you can have in place to motivate students but work on the individual level.

You are rewarding and acknowledging the individual choices that one student makes, but the system for rewarding can apply to all students in the class.

4. Bucket fillers - Based off of a read aloud book, this system can allow not only the teacher to recognize positive behaviors but allow students to give others recognition too.

Using any type of bucket, students can visually see their efforts be rewarded and not go unnoticed. Plus, using a see-through visual like this will also let you know who might need some extra attention.

5. My Work Rocks - You can get quality work from students by including a motivational set of tools. Twistable crayons and beautiful tools just might be the right reward for outstanding work.

6. Free Rewards - Incentivizing individual students doesn't have to cost money. Some of the rewards most enjoyed by students are ones that they can do right within the classroom.

They feel special and are out of the "norm" so they carry the weight of novelty. Emer, an Irish primary school teacher has a list of some top ideas that would be easy to incorporate into any classroom regardless of grade level.

7. Warm Fuzzies - Doesn't the name just make you want to investigate? This idea is one that will remind you of bucket fillers.

The main differences are that it is managed solely by the teacher and you can turn this system into a larger one where you assign point values to the fuzzies and they can be redeemed for free reward coupons like mentioned above.

Mel has great tips on free rewards that students will love too.

Classroom Community

You can develop an improved sense of classroom community and there is no lack of ideas where one can start. Learning how to listen to one another, respond with respect and work together are all elements that make a more ideal classroom atmosphere.

Here are some ideas that work well and can be altered to fit your students but is applied to the entire class to keep the community just that.

8. Gumballs - Keep track of whole class behavior in a very visual manner using a see-through container. The class work together toward earning them for modeling your set classroom procedures all at the same time or without re-directions.

Another variation is to use marbles.

9. Targeting Specific Behaviors with Books - Sometimes taking a symptom of a unhealthy classroom community that has eeked its way in can be erradicated by using bibliotherapy {yep, reading books}.

Students can vicariously live through the book characters and empower themselves to reteach and reform habits. I'm not saying reading one book will change your life. I am saying that it will open the door to discussions, repeated responses and give you tools to refer to to help students solve problems and sticky situations.

This can really help keep a community in tact.

10. Keeping it a Safe community (Buddy Room) - Part of having a classroom that functions smoothly does imply having consequences in place. When an individual student disrupts the classroom community and stops learning {the purpose we are all there for} then having a system in place like a buddy room may be a good option.

Be sure to read how Ms. M has created buddy bags for just this type of situation to keep the calm in the classroom.

Singing, motivating students and keeping a classroom community are one piece to encouraging positive behavior and implementing successful procedures in the classroom. I know that whatever you decide to do, be consistent in your expectations of students and have a set of defined positive behaviors you expect to see.

From reading these tips I am reminded that expecting the positive goes a long way and a little motivation can really make a student's day.

More Classroom Procedures

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Positive Behavior and Procedures in the Classroom

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Teaching methods and strategies vary based on teacher, classroom, and any other factor you can think of. Positive behavior can be encouraged in your classroom community with singing, motivating students and whole group ideas to foster your ideal classroom environment.

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Assess the Bully Problem.

Drop by during unstructured environments.

Monitor students who appear to be bullies and don't provide them with opportunities to vicitimize other students.

Create a survey for students to fill out anonymously (*This must be approved by administration beforehand*).

Explain what 'bullying' is and ensure comprehension.

Then create a definition for bullying with all the students along with identifying behaviors that are considered 'bullying'.

Let students know where you stand in this, that when you see it you will interject to keep the classroom safe and friendly place to learn.

Train Students to Play An Active Role in Intervening in Bullying

Emphasis the difference between 'tattling' and 'telling'.

Explain to students that they should never encourage bullying. Go over indirect and and direct situations and what the student can do in each circumstance.

Create a 'welcome committee' for new students since they are often the targets of bullies.

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10 Ways a Teacher Can Address Bullying | Resilient Educator

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Student bullying is an increasingly serious problem at many schools and teachers need to know what steps to take to stop the problem from growing.

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10 Ways a Teacher Can Address Bullying

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Ideas for Intervention for Functions of Behavior

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Ideas for Intervention for Functions of Behavior

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This can be done by using checklist, anecdotal notes, informal observation, and formal observation. These tools should always be kept and done in a objective manner. Then they'll be placed in student's file. Below are two examples, one is a checklist and the other is a behavioral contract.

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Connecting with Parents who speak other Languages

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Connecting with Parents who speak other Languages

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English language learners (ELLs) benefit just as much from their parents' involvement in their education as other students. Some Hispanic parents may feel apprehensive about getting involved because of their limited English skills, lack of familiarity with mainstream culture and the public school system in the United States, and other reasons.

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The following strategies offer tips for building relationships with the families of English language learners (ELLs), getting to know their strengths and stories, and creating a welcoming environment.

Supporting immigrant families

For related ideas, see the following:

1. Learn about your ELL population

A. What you need to know

Learning about your ELL families provides an important foundation for everything else you do at the school. Even basic information about students' ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, or the situations from which they have come, can help you match students with the appropriate services and programs.

B. Reflection

Answer the following questions about your ELL families using a KWL chart:

What do you know about your ELL students and families?

What do you want to learn?

Who on the staff works most closely with your ELL families?

What would be valuable for your school-wide staff to know?

C. Strategies

If you do not yet know this information about your ELLs, find out:

What countries your families come from

How many of your ELLs were born in the U.S.

What languages they speak (which may be at least two or three!)

If families who speak the same language, such as Spanish, come from different countries or different regions within the same country

The educational background of families and the school system of their countries

If any of your ELLs are refugees or students with interrupted formal education

If your families have experienced war or another traumatic event such as a natural disaster.

In order to learn more about your ELL families:

Start with your ELL/bilingual educators. These individuals are an important resource whose experience working with ELL students and families can benefit the entire school community - and they will appreciate the opportunity to share their expertise!

Find out what resources are available from the district and community. This may include helpful background information as well as a network of interpreters.

Enlist a knowledgeable staff member, community member, or parent. If you find such a person, examine his/her background as it relates to what you need. For example, you may know a Somali young adult who is bilingual but doesn't remember Somalia. He may be more helpful as an interpreter than as a liaison for Somali families who have just arrived in the U.S.

Ask the families. You may want to include some questions in your home language survey or a very basic questionnaire that ELL parents fill out with an interpreter during student enrollment.

Note: Remember that your ELL population is not homogeneous. The child of a migrant worker from Mexico and the child of a teacher from Mexico probably won't have the same educational and economic needs. Learn what you can about each child's unique circumstances to the extent possible.

D. Example

An administrator from Minnesota wanted to better understand the needs of the children who were arriving at her school directly from Kenyan refugee camps. She wrote a grant that enabled her to travel to Kenya and visit the camps from which they were coming. What she learned at the camps was not only helpful for her; it was helpful for the entire staff. Based on her experience, she was also able to prevent some major misunderstandings around discipline issues. (Related video: Understanding Student Background, Dr. Cynthia Lundgren)

Resources

2. Integrate cultural traditions of your ELL families throughout the school

A. What you need to know

Becoming familiar with and including the cultural traditions of your ELL families within the larger school community not only enhances your ability to create a welcoming and respectful school environment - it has practical considerations as well. These include:

Scheduling: Scheduling around important cultural or religious holidays will help prevent large numbers of students from missing important instruction time, exams, and school events.

Classroom opportunities: Familiarity with ELL families' cultural traditions will provide teachers a base from which to build upon ELLs' background knowledge, create educational opportunities for other students, and foster a sense of respect among students for their peers.

Improved communication: Learning about your ELL families' traditions may help avoid miscommunication or cultural blunders that can damage a budding relationship.

B. Reflection

What are your ELLs' cultural behaviors and values? Which celebrations and holidays do they observe? How does your staff feel about the changes in your school population? How do they feel about working with ELLs?

C. Strategies

Avoid scheduling important events such as conferences or tests on major holidays and celebrations that large numbers of students are likely to miss.

Share these dates with the entire staff.

Share information about cultural celebrations with teachers so that they are able to positively support them and incorporate them into lessons. Even a simple memo that explains why students will be out and offers some ideas for follow-up activities will be helpful. (Encourage teachers to start with children's books, which often have background information and activities, such as these titles about Ramadan, Chinese New Year, and Día de los muertos.)

Learn about, recognize, and celebrate special events or holidays throughout the school.

Invite parents to share food, activities, and music at school events and in the classroom.

Encourage students to share traditions in school assemblies, talent shows, potlucks, and fairs.

Offer food that reflects the cultural influences of your families on the cafeteria menu.

Be mindful that students who are fasting may be less energetic in the afternoon. If possible, avoid school-wide parties or food-centered activities during these times.

Notes: Staff may resist the changes happening around them, and they may be uncomfortable discussing those changes. Such was the case of a school custodian in Minnesota who asked a receptionist "why they (the Muslim students) get special days off and we can't even celebrate Christmas." Dr. Lundgren explains the importance of having an open, non-threatening conversation with the entire staff that acknowledges the challenges of serving a new ELL population and explores steps the school can take to address those challenges. (Related video: Cultural shifts, Dr. Lundgren)

You may find it helpful to bring in a neutral, outside party who specializes in cross-cultural education and communication in order to help moderate these conversations if they seem particularly fraught with tension. An open dialogue with a professional will give your staff the tools they need to adjust to the new reality and create a more positive, welcoming environment for everyone in the school.

D. Examples

Storyteller Lucía González remembers a storyteller-in-residence program she led at a Colorado elementary school. The program was going to culminate with a Spanish-language story hour for the Latino families at the school. On the night of the event, the weather was bad, and few people had arrived as she was getting ready to start. Seeing the small crowd, the principal turned to her and said, "Don't worry if they don't come, because usually they don't come." At 7:00 p.m., however, the parents began to arrive, led by the excited children who had heard her stories. (Related video: A dream come true - The Storyteller's Candle, Lucía González)

A group of Muslim students at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute in Ontario approached principal Jim Woolley about finding a place to pray within the school. After working with an immigration settlement worker and local imam, the school reserved a classroom in which students pray on Friday afternoon after the school is closed. They use the classroom and then lock the door when they finish. According to Mr. Woolley, it doesn't cost the school anything and it doesn't require supervision. "We trust them," he said (D'Amato, 2011).

3. Create a welcoming environment for families

A. What you need to know

A welcoming environment can make a tremendous difference for all families, including ELL families. Entering a friendly, vibrant atmosphere lets families know that the school is "an integral part of the community" (Houk, 63) and that they are valued members of that community. This is especially important for immigrant families who may be intimidated by the formal school environment and the English language needed to participate.

Another way to think of this is to keep your ELLs visible. ELLs are often treated as an invisible minority, but ELLs and their families should "see themselves" throughout the school:

On the walls, through student work and photos

In the classroom, with books and lessons that incorporate their experiences and traditions

In school-wide cultural activities

In the faces of staff and volunteers who come from similar backgrounds.

B. Reflection

Imagine that you have arrived in a new country where you don't speak the language and where you will be enrolling your child in a local school. Think about arriving at the school for the first time, only to discover that no one at the school speaks English. Imagine the feeling of leaving your child in the hands of people with whom you can't communicate. Now envision, instead, that someone who speaks English greets you at the door, and you see a picture of an American flag in the front hallway. What might you be able to accomplish as a parent in the second situation that you wouldn't in the first?

C. Strategies

Make sure parents know how to get into the building, especially if doors are usually locked during the school day.

Post signs in multiple languages.

Display student work on the walls.

Display student and family photos on the walls.

Display the maps and flags of your students' native countries.

Display a large map in the front lobby where parents can mark their native countries with a pin.

Enlist a bilingual morning greeter to welcome students and families.

Ensure that your bilingual staff and volunteers are visible throughout the building.

Create a parent room (such as a lounge or classroom) with bilingual information and magazine subscriptions, a bulletin board, a lending library, and a computer (Houk, 58, 63).

Include bilingual books in the school library and classrooms.

Consider playing music in the front entryway or lobby.

Encourage teachers to create a welcoming environment within the classroom.

D. Example

At Lincoln Options School, in Olympia, Washington, there are photos of the entire school community - students, staff, and families - to greet guests in the front lobby. Each year, the school hires a photographer to attend its annual back-to-school barbeque and take informal photos (Houk, 9). In addition, student work is posted throughout the building (16).

Resources

4. Make a personal connection with families

A. What you need to know

Getting to know ELL families helps build an important relationship based on trust, which in turn can pave the way to student success. This approach is most effective when the communication is personal and face-to-face (Hori, 40; Alford 85). While it will require additional time and effort, building a more personal relationship with ELL families early in the year will yield big dividends throughout the rest of the year (Hori, 40). It will also provide opportunities for the staff to see just how deeply ELL parents care about their children's education.

Indeed, as Dr. Lundgren notes, many ELL families have come to this country with the hopes of offering their children a better future, and they are eager to talk with their children's teachers about what they can do to help their child be successful. (Related video: A better life, Dr. Lundgren)

B. Reflection

What are the challenges in meeting your ELL families personally? What are some ways to facilitate more personal interaction?

C. Strategies

Hold a special back-to-school event or picnic for ELL families in which they have time to meet you, other school leaders, their children's teachers, and school staff.

Create a welcome DVD in multiple languages. This may even be a great student project!

Provide staff the opportunity to learn some common phrases in your families' languages, as well as cultural gestures.

Visit local neighborhoods to meet families.

Connect new families with a contact person who speaks their language as soon as they enroll in the school for guidance and information (Houk, 66).

Create an "ambassador" program in which students and parents are trained to give tours.

D. Examples

Educator Maricela Rincon in Las Cruces, NM calls a different parent every day to share something positive about his/her child. According to Rincon, some parents say, "This is the first time I've had a positive phone call about my child." While Rincon is enthusiastic about the calls, they weren't her idea - they were required by the school principal (Flannery, NEA.org). (Related video: Parent outreach in high school, Bobbi Ciriza Houtchens)

A group of school educators asked experts from a local university to help them learn more about their ELL community. After the initial conversation, it was clear that the school leaders assumed that the parents' lack of input, communication, and attendance reflected a lack of interest in their child's education. After getting some parent input, however, the educators discovered that the parents weren't enthusiastic about the school letters inviting them to events. They didn't feel that the events were planned with them in mind, and the letters seemed very impersonal. The parents didn't see the letters as the invitations they were intended to be. They expressed preference for more personal contact and invitations from the school, at least in the beginning of the year, in order to establish a strong relationship (Alford and Niño, 81-82).

This is an excerpt from a parent letter to the principal about her first visit to her child's school:
I was very surprised when we were not able to speak to Lupe's teacher, Mrs. Gibbons, individually. In Guatemala we all knew the teachers and the teachers knew the parents...We do not know anyone here nor does anyone know us...we would have liked to tell Mrs. Gibbons how much we value education (Amaya, 53).

5. Show that you value families' native languages

A. What you need to know

As the school leader, one of your most important roles is defining the terms of engagement when it comes to ELLs' native languages. Do you see those languages as a barrier or an asset? Do you see native language literacy and instruction as a crutch or a tool?

Unfortunately, the political climate often dictates district or state policy regarding native language support (Wright, 51), and important information regarding the value of native language literacy is often left out of the debate. Frequently, ELL parents themselves are the party most resistant to promoting their native language at home or in school because they believe it will hinder their child's ability to learn English. While this belief is entirely understandable, the research is clear that strong native language skills contribute to ELLs' academic success throughout their education - in their native language and in English.

What can you do to navigate this tricky terrain and encourage the continued development of students' native language skills, as well as biliteracy and bilingualism for all students?

Respect parents' intentions: It is critical to assure parents that you respect their wishes and goals for their children; you can do so by explaining that strong native language skills will help their children learn English. This reassures parents that you have their children's best interests at heart and that you view their native language as an asset, not an obstacle.

Encourage native language use at home: Don't miss any opportunity to encourage parents to use their native language, whether it's through reading (which will help their children's reading skills in English) or taking the time to talk to each other at home. Look for ways that the school can support this interaction by offering bilingual books, educational materials, and activities.

Professional development: Provide training to all staff on the importance of maintaining students' native language and ways in which they can support students' bilingual development. Understandably, many teachers still feel that the best way to help ELLs is to forbid native language use in the classroom. Often, in this case, the teachers have good intentions - they just need more information. There may also be some anxiety about not being able to understand what students are saying. The best way to address this issue is through good professional development with an expert in second language or dual-language acquisition. Not only will the staff learn strategies that will help them and their students, they will learn how to answer parent questions about this topic with confidence as well!

B. Reflection

What is the current attitude towards ELLs' native languages in your school? Is a student's use of his/her native language encouraged or discouraged in the classroom? Do parents know where to get information in their language? How do teachers approach this issue?

C. Strategies

Post information in multiple languages.

Discuss with parents the value of strong native language skills and being bilingual.

Encourage parents to read or tell stories to their children in their native language.

Offer parent sessions, workshops, and classes in parents' native languages (Meyers, 44).

Include books in students' native languages in the school and classroom libraries (Freeman, 42).

Make resources available to students in their native languages to support content learning.

Consider the possibility of adding academic coursework (such as Spanish Literature for Spanish speakers) or AP courses in students' native languages.

Hire bilingual staff and recruit bilingual volunteers to the extent possible.

Inform parents that they are welcome to bring their own interpreter to a school meeting.

Provide training to all staff on why maintaining students' native language is important and how to support students' bilingual development.

Offer staff guidance on how to respond to parents' questions and comments.

D. Examples

In Illinois' Evanston/Skokie School District 65, parents are continually encouraged to use their native language at home and read to their children in their native languages daily. Washington School, a two-way immersion school, offers a family literacy program funded with a state grant in which parents participate in afternoon and evening literacy activities at the school and public libraries. Parents also learn how to help their children with homework - all in their native language (Yturriago, 51-52).

At Webster Elementary School in Long Beach, California, the school library has a large collection of books in Spanish and Samoan, the two dominant languages of the school's ELLs. Parents are encouraged to borrow books and bring younger siblings to the library (Houk, 45-56).

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Connecting with ELL Families: Strategies for Success

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The following strategies offer tips for building relationships with the families of English language learners (ELLs), getting to know their strengths and stories, and creating a welcoming environment. Supporting immigrant families For related ideas, see the following: A. What you need to know Learning about your ELL families provides an important foundation for everything else you do at the school.

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20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships With Parents

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Blogger Elena Aguilar shares 20 tips to help teachers better connect with parents.

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Daily Check-Ins/Comprobación Diaria

Weekly Assignments/Asignaciones Semanales

The intent of this website is to have all information regarding our class in one area. Please feel free to explore around the page and get familiar with everything.

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La intención de este sitio web es tener toda la información sobre nuestra clase en un área. Por favor, siéntase libre de explorar alrededor de la página y familiarizarse con todo.

¿Quieres ser voluntario para ayudar en nuestro aula? Tenemos oportunidades para dentro y fuera del aula, por favor haga clic en el botón de abajo para llenar el formulario:

Online Resources

Tools to optimize your kids' learning experience.

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Daily Check-Ins/Comprobación Diaria Weekly Assignments/Asignaciones Semanales The intent of this website is to have all information regarding our class in one area. Please feel free to explore around the page and get familiar with everything. ​ La intención de este sitio web es tener toda la información sobre nuestra clase en un área.