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Brief visit to wrap up coaching and say goodbye to teaching team. Gifted Hajar some of her favorite snacks as a reward for completing the school year and an entire coaching cycle.

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With just one week of school left, I provided hands-on support to Hajar for the morning. During meal time, I provided some modeling of open-ended questioning that will support increasing scores in concept development.

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Focused observation specifically looking for concept development strategies in place. Co-teacher has resigned so feeling a bit overwhelmed with note taking and finishing up end of year duties. Will provide more hands on support moving forward help alleviate.

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Met with Hajar to look over recent CLASS scores that came out for the classroom and analyze the strength and areas of growth made by the observer. Discussed ways we could try and get the score up such as repeating an extending conversation asking open-ended questions, providing more wait time for responses, etc.

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Focused observation on language modeling specifically after seeing scores decrease since fall at the data meeting. Will provide feedback once they return from spring break.

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Modeled a class activity that focused on large group literacy. Children had envelopes containing puzzle pieces with the letters of their name, vowels in pink and consonants in black. They were instructed to build their name like a puzzle before attempting to write out their name. More than half of the students were able to do this independently and some needed some extra support left the teachers with all the envelopes for future use.

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Met with Hajar to discuss focused observation from last week. We talked specifically about writing time, as children are expected to trace their names every day since the beginning of the year. We discussed maybe changing up name recognition with other ways, and we agreed that I will come in and model a name puzzle activity with children next week in addition to name tracing.

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I observed large group with a focus on concept development. Strengths were evident during read-aloud, where open-ended questions supported thinking and engagement. I also noted opportunities to strengthen accuracy in syllable segmentation and to slightly adjust activity delivery to deepen understanding. We will review these tweaks together to enhance instructional impact moving forward.

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Met with Hajar before kids came to disguise the small group time observation from last week. We talked about providing directions to children before they start the activity so directions are clear and minimal support is needed. Also provided a visual that provides numbers 1 - 10 for students to become more familiar, especially in small groups.

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During my visit to Johnstown, I observed two small groups. One group worked on Waterford, while the other completed a math activity sorting blocks by color, counting them, writing the number on whiteboards, and then recounting after some blocks were taken away. The groups later switched.

A strength was the clear structure of the activity (sort, count, write, recount). Moving forward, directions could be more explicit, as some students were unsure of expectations. Many students also needed significant support with writing numbers, so additional modeling and scaffolding for number formation would be beneficial.

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Observed Room 500 today with a focus on transitions. Overall, transitions appeared smooth, and the children generally understand what is expected of them. However, the process could be more consistent. For example, children were sometimes given advance warnings before a transition, but not consistently across all transitions.

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Met with Ms. Hajar before the children arrived to discuss goals moving forward. She did not identify any specific areas for support, so we decided to focus on general skills each month, beginning with smooth and predictable transitions.

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Visited room 500 to check in with Hajar and see how her transition went back to the classroom is going, as I will only be working with her moving forward (Channelle switched centers). Also provided hand support as needed throughout the morning. Agreed that we would meet the following Wednesday in the morning to talk before the kids arrive.

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Spent time in Room 500 providing general support and stepping in where needed. I helped engage and regulate the children, especially during the period when one teacher stepped out. The class stayed calm and cooperative, and routines continued smoothly. The team had some difficulty communicating with one another and collaborating, so will focus on this moving forward.

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Met with Channelle during nap time to discuss the current classroom goal focused on emotional regulation and routines. We noted that the children are responding positively and are making progress and thriving in this area.

Next Steps:

As progress continues, we discussed the possibility of shifting the next goal to strengthening collaboration as a teaching team. The full team will meet in two weeks before winter break to discuss how to move forward and set the next steps.

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Supporting Children with Emotional Dysregulation 

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Supporting Children with Emotional Dysregulation 

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1. Stay Calm & Predictable

Use a neutral tone and give short, clear instructions.

2. Acknowledge Feelings

“I see you’re angry that it’s time to stop the game.”

3. Offer Small Choices

Give options so the child feels some control:

“Do you want to sit on the blue mat or green mat?”

4. Set Clear Limits

Firm, kind boundaries: “We do not hit. You may take a break in the quiet corner.”

5. Teach & Practice Coping Skills

Calm-down corner, breathing, or sensory tools — practice when calm.

6. Reinforce Successes

Notice when they self-regulate: “Great job waiting your turn!”

7. Be Consistent Across Adults & Home

Consistency helps the child know what to expect.

IRIS Center – Positive Behavior Support

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Today I visited the Johnstown classroom to check in on how things are going following Hajar’s departure. The team appears to be collaborating more smoothly, and they have introduced a new strategy using behavior cards on a keyring to support a specific behavior concern in the classroom.

I plan to return on Wednesday, December 3rd, later in the morning to observe additional routines and continue supporting the team.

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Teachers will use cards for child with behavior concerns.

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Behavior visuals are a non-verbal cue that demonstrate appropriate behavior and expectations. Behavior visuals can be used many different ways. Visuals need to be clear and direct so students explicitly know what is expected.

Providing visuals that are portal and easily accessible helps with maintaining appropriate behaviors. I like to add student's visual boards to a folder. You can add them to the inside of a folder to be discrete, or to the outside to keep the folder functional. A folder can easily be carried for consistency of behavior reminders and to help decrease problem behavior.

In the picture above, the behavior goal visual on the bottom, is a positive reinforcement board that reminds students of the incentive/ reward they are working towards. This helps with motivating students and promoting appropriate behaviors.

Another way to keep visuals portable and easily accessible, is to create a key ring of visual cue cards. As needed, you can flip to the behavior visual that is appropriate for the time being. For example, if you are working with a child on bolting or elopement, you could turn to the visual of, "No Running", as a reminder when walking in the hallway.

Providing clear descriptions of the picture is also helpful, even if a child is not yet able to read. It teaches how words represent pictures and labels the action.

Visuals can also be taped or placed on a desk or table spot. These visual of behavior goals are interchangeable. You can choose to work on one behavior goal cue card at a time or all four. It depends on the student and their behavior goals and needs.

Another great option to add to a student's desk or workspace are behavior reminders. This is a positive way to show desired behavior and expectations. When added to a student's work area, the teacher can non-verbally remind the student by pointing to a picture reminder when needed. This allows for the teaching to continue, but the non-desired behavior to be redirected.

No matter the way you choose to present behavior visuals to students, they are most effective when used consistently across settings to decrease problem behavior. The goal is to fade out each behavior goal visuals when mastered by the student, but has to be done gradually to avoid regression.

If you have any questions on how to best use these behavior visuals, drop a comment below!

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Visual Reminders of Behavior Expectations and Behavior Goals

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Behavior visuals are a non-verbal cue that demonstrate appropriate behavior and expectations. Behavior visuals can be used many different ways. Visuals need to be clear and direct so students explicitly know what is expected. Providing visuals that are portal and easily accessible helps with maintaining appropriate behaviors.

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Purpose: Hands-on support and strategy modeling

During my visit to Johnstown, I provided hands-on support and modeled strategies focused on classroom routines, teacher modeling, and maintaining consistency. The goal was to help strengthen daily structure, support predictable transitions, and demonstrate effective approaches for reinforcing clear and consistent expectations throughout the day.

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Today I (Ms. Tori) observed classroom routines, transitions, student behavior, and co-regulation strategies. When I arrived at 10:30, students were engaged in free play and transitioned smoothly into lining up for the gym. After gym time, the class participated in a game of Duck Duck Goose in the hallway, which encouraged turn-taking and social interaction. Afterward, students returned to the classroom for story time, followed by lunch.

Overall, transitions were calm and organized, with teachers providing clear verbal cues and support as needed. Students appeared comfortable with the routines and responded well to teacher direction. Next steps include incorporating co-regulation strategy and consistency among teacher communication/strategies.

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“Smell the flower, blow the candle” breathing: inhale deeply like smelling a flower, exhale like blowing out a candle.

Calm-down basket or corner: include soft toys, sensory bottles, books, or weighted items.

“Take 5” Breathing: trace fingers and breathe in/out with each one.

Soft music or nature sounds during transitions or rest times.

Model calm tone — use low, slow voice and calm body language.

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Coaching kickoff meeting:

- Reviewed and signed the coaching agreement

- Discussed how the coaching cycle (Observe, Reflect, Plan, Implement, Review) will guide our work

- Agreed to continue coaching as a team

- Set Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. for ongoing meetings, visits, observations, and coaching sessions

- Our initial focus areas include supporting self-regulation and co-regulation, strengthening general classroom skills, and being intentional about teamwork and classroom presence

- Communication preferences (mainly by email and in person) and learning styles to help tailor support

- Next steps include finalizing the PBC Action Plan and creating a Padlet to organize resources and track progress

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During emotional times, support from caring adults can offer children comfort and reassurance.

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Use these free, bilingual resources to help your child regain social-emotional security, confidence, and calm through support and comfort.

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Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) is a research-based, cyclical coaching model for educators that focuses on improving specific, evidence-based teaching practices to promote positive child outcomes. It operates on a foundation of collaborative partnerships and involves four key components: a strengths and needs assessment, shared goals and action planning, focused observation of practice, and reflection and feedback. The goal is to support staff in consistently applying effective strategies, which can be implemented in classrooms.

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Self-Regulation Practices for Teachers and Students

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Using these strategies regularly can help elementary school teachers ensure that their rooms are inviting and productive.

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National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

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Tucker the Turtle provides a scripted story to teach young children how to calm down when they have strong feelings by tucking into their shell and taking deep breaths. The story also includes visuals to help children learn how to use the strategy.?

Categories: Scripted Story

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Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think - National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

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Tucker the Turtle provides a scripted story to teach young children how to calm down when they have strong feelings by tucking into their shell and taking deep breaths. The story also includes visuals to help children learn how to use the strategy.?

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Name it to tame it: label emotions (“I see you’re feeling frustrated”) to help them identify their feelings.

Offer choices: “Would you like to sit on the rug or by the table?” to give a sense of control.

Stay near and calm: simply being close can help a child mirror your calm energy.

Use “first/then” language: “First we clean up, then we go outside.”

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Yoga cards or “stretch like an animal” movement breaks.

Fidget items or textured materials for hands.

Bubble blowing — great for deep breathing practice.

Sensory bins for grounding and engagement.

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In our previous "Real World Examples" post, we focused on Productivity Let's explore the Instructional Learning Formats dimension to wrap up the Classroom Organization domain

Last weekend, my daughters and I had the best time baking and decorating cookies. Wait-let me take a step back and tell you how we came to that decision.

Me: "Why don't you call a friend and see if she wants to come over?"

Daughter #1: "Yeah, I guess," in a rather unenthusiastic tone. (Once they become teenagers, it's not so cool to bake cookies with mom anymore. I'd like to believe that she still loves it, but doesn't like to admit it.)

Daughter #2: "Yes, can we? That would be awesome!" (At least one of them still gets excited.)

As we pull out all the ingredients and cooking utensils, I explain to the girls that we have several things that we will use to make the cookies (Range of auditory, visual, and movement opportunities) We've got our cookie sheets, spatulas, spoons, cookie dough, three tubes of colored frosting, and an assortment of sprinkles (Interesting and creative materials) I also found a couple of different cookie cutters in case they want to make the cookies into different shapes (Hands-on opportunities)

My initial question to them of "How about we make some cookies?" got us started with the purpose, or , of this activity (Advanced organizers). Halfway through the activity, I noticed daughter #2 eating the raw cookie dough. I say, "remember, the cookie dough is to to make the cookies, not to eat it" (Reorientation statement). though, who can blame her? Raw cookie dough is very tempting. I remind them they are using these items to make and decorate the cookies in any way that they want (Summaries).

As they begin to place the dough on the cookie sheets, I ask, "If we spread them out too much we may not be able to get as many cookies on the cookie sheet . Is there a way we can fit them so that we will get 12 cookies on each cookie sheet?" (Effective questioning). After the cookies come out of the oven and they have had time to cool a bit, the decorating begins. Of course, I can't help but take part in this as well. (Teacher involvement). I then say, "I'm going to use chocolate frosting on my cookie, and use the pink sprinkles. How are you going to decorate your cookie?" The girls begin to share all the different ways they want to decorate the cookies (Expanding children's involvement)

There was no question in my mind that they were both very engaged in this activity. If I needed any further proof, the aftermath left in my kitchen and on my counters was proof enough. (We will tackle clean-up duty at a later time.) Throughout the cookie baking activity, there were no comments of "I'm bored" or "I don't have anything to do." participated in all parts of the activity-they listened and stayed focused on what they were doing

With cookies complete, the three of us sat down with a tall glass of milk to enjoy the fruits of our labor. And, in typical fashion, fifteen minutes after we had finished, I hear, "Mom, I'm bored."

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Real World Examples: Instructional Learning Formats

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In our previous "Real World Examples" post, we focused on Productivity Let's explore the Instructional Learning Formats dimension to wrap up the Classroom Organization domain Last weekend, my daughters and I had the best time baking and decorating cookies. Wait-let me take a step back and tell you how we came to that decision.