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10 AI games for kids that will blow your mind!

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AI games can be so fun you have to try these games with your kids.

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Discuss emotions as a class, and introduce the idea of artificial intelligence (AI). This lesson can also be used to introduce image classification – a key application of AI. Developed in collaboration with Digital Technologies Institute.

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Broken down into groups like middle, 2nd-4th, pre-k to 2

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ALA's Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) is thrilled to introduce the 2023 Best Graphic Novels for Children (BGNC) Reading List. This reading list highlights the best graphic novels for children aged 5 - 12 years old, published in late 2022 through 2023, and it aims to increase awareness of the graphic novel medium, raise voices of diverse comics creators, and aid library staff in the development of graphic novel collections.

The Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) and its committees honor the entire creative team (including the writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, and translator) involved in the titles listed. All of these people play a critical role in the creation of the work, helping to lift the story and give it life.

Best Graphic Novels for Children 2023 Selection Committee

Kerrie Mierop, Committee Chair - Youth Services Librarian, Calabasas Library

Heather Rowan, Committee Assistant - Librarian 1, Austin (TX) Public Library

Tessa Gunnell - Frederick County Public Libraries (MD)

Anna Chou - Elementary School Librarian, Papillion La Vista Community Schools

Sarah Okner - Vernon Area Public Library

Eric Carpenter - Atlanta Public Schools

Natasha Carty - Albuquerque Public Schools

Megan Rasmussen - District Librarian, Round Lake Area CUSD #116

Julie Novak - New Trier H.S.

Karlie Erin Herndon - The University of Mississippi

Mariizhe Bonier - Austin (TX) Public Library

The Best Graphic Novels for Children committee would like to recognize and thank Midwest Tape for allowing all committee members free access to Hoopla® during this term of service.

2023 Best Graphic Novels for Children Top Ten

2022 Best Graphic Novels for Children Official List

Fiction

All Ages (PreK-6th Grade)

Young Readers (PreK-2nd Grade)

Pea, Bee, & Jay #5: Gotta Find Gramps. Written by Brian "Smitty" Smith. Art by Brian "Smitty" Smith. 2022. HarperAlley, $12.99 (9780063236691). Pea, Bee, and Jay are excited about the wrestling match. When Grandpa Pea shows up, he talks about 'real' wrestling. Gramps disappears, and the three set out to find him. Old wrestling contenders are fighting it out when the three realize that Gramps is one of the wrestlers.

Pea, Bee, & Jay #6: The Big Bully. Written by Brian "Smitty" Smith. Art by Brian "Smitty" Smith. Typography by Erica De Chavez. 2023. HarperAlley, $19.99 (9780063236721). Pea, Bee, and Jay are exploring one day when a pumpkin bully takes Jay's shiny rock from him. When the three confront the Pumpkin, they learn that Pumpkin is being bullied as well. The three set out to help Pumpkin.

Middle Readers (3rd-4th Grade)

Cat's Cradle #2.: The Mole King's Lair. Written by Jo Rioux. Art by Jo Rioux. 2023. First Second, $23.99 (9781250625373).
Pursued by enemies, Suri, the monster-tamer, her gremlin friend, and her monster dog are on a journey to the Land of Giants, but they lack provisions. When they hear of the nearby treasure hoard of a giant Mole King, they hope to solve all their problems at once.

Dear Rosie. Written by Meghan Boehman. Art by Rachael Briner. 2023. Knopf Books for Young Readers, $20.99 (9780593571866).
For as long as they can remember, best friends Millie, Florence, Claire, Gabby and Rosie have always been together. But the summer before eighth grade, Rosie dies in a car accident. The group struggles to carry on without her, and each girl expresses their grief in different ways.

The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom #2. Written by Mac Barnett. Art by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris. Cover art by Shawn Harris. 2023. Katherine Tegen Books, $16.99 (9780063084117).
When the Moon Queen is poisoned at a feast, she and the First Cat set off in search of an antidote. After a run-in with bandits, they team up with the ship's computer and race against time to cure the Queen before she crystallizes forever.

Four Eyes #1. Written by Rex Ogle. Art by Dave Valeza. Color by Ash Szymanik. 2023. Graphix, $24.99 (9781338574975).
Rex is excited to enter sixth grade, but things change when he's prescribed glasses and stuck waiting on a growth spurt. He loses friends, his family struggles to understand him, and he struggles to understand his family.

Older Readers (5th-6th Grade)

Hoops. Written by Matt Tavares. Art by Matt Tavares. 2023. Candlewick Press, $22.99 (9781536201369).
It is the early 1970s, and a high school is trying to form its first women's basketball team. The team struggles for equality as they fight for recognition, funding, and respect, gradually taking their town and the league by storm.

Kariba. Written by James Clarke. Art by Daniel Clarke. Created by Daniel Snaddon. 2023. Catalyst Press, $19.99 (9781946395825).
Kariba has a special relationship with the Zambezi River, but she doesn't know she's the daughter of a river god. A dam is being built which will displace thousands, affecting her powers. When Kariba's father goes missing while visiting the dam, she sets off on a crazy adventure to find him.

NON-FICTION

Middle Readers (3rd-4th Grade)

Older Readers (5th-6th Grade)

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2023 Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List

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ALA's Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) is thrilled to introduce the 2023 Best Graphic Novels for Children (BGNC) Reading List. This reading list highlights the best graphic novels for children aged 5 - 12 years old, published in late 2022 through 2023, and it aims to increase awareness of the graphic novel medium, raise voices of diverse comics creators, and aid library staff in the development of graphic novel collections.

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supplemental for sight words

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Heart Word Magic - Read and Spell High Frequency Words | Really Great Reading

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Heart Word Magic - Help Students Learn to Read and Spell High-Frequency and Sight WordsHeart Word Magic is a complimentary teaching tool designed to help students learn to read and spell high-frequency words and sight words, particularly those that aren’t very decodable. Show your students the animations, then try these fun, hands-on free Student Practice

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good ideas for writing with students

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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What is a graphic organizer?

Graphic organizers are visual thinking tools that make pictures of your thoughts. The pictures demonstrate relationships between facts, concepts, or ideas, and guide your thinking as you design the map or diagram.

People who have learning disabilities are often visual learners and thinkers. That means they understand and remember information better when ideas, words, and concepts are associated with pictures, diagrams, charts, and maps.

Why use graphic organizers?

Graphic organizers can help to visualize and construct ideas, organize and/or sequence information, plan what to write, increase reading comprehension, brainstorm, organize problems and solutions, compare and contrast ideas, show cause and effect, and more. The ability to color-code thoughts in a picture can help significantly in understanding and remembering the information.

Graphic organizers can be created for something as simple as a shopping list or as complicated as structuring business components or writing a thesis.

Different types of graphic organizers

There are many different types of graphic organizers. Some are made based on the specific goal, like showing overlapping relationships or visualizing a process. There are literally thousands of free templates available online Ã¢â‚¬" just search for "free graphic organizers." The following are samples of only a few types of graphic organizers.

Venn Diagrams

Venn Diagrams show how different things or ideas can overlap to show a compare/contrast relationship.

Concept Maps

Concept Maps are good for organizing information, brainstorming, visualizing ideas, and planning what you want to write.

Mind Maps

Mind Maps are used to visually represent hierarchical information that includes a central idea surrounded by connected branches of associated topics. They work well for brainstorming ideas, solving problems, and showing relationships and/or components in a process.

Flow Charts

Flow charts are graphic organizers that show how steps in a process fit together. This makes them useful tools for communicating how processes work and for clearly documenting how a particular job is done. Mapping a process in a flow chart format can help clarify the process, and show where the process can be improved.

Resources for Graphic Organizers
To learn more about graphic organizers Free graphic organizer websites (not a complete list) Free graphic organizer apps (not a complete list)
Teacher Resources for Further Reading:

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Graphic organizers are visual thinking tools that make pictures of your thoughts. The pictures demonstrate relationships between facts, concepts, or ideas, and guide your thinking as you design the map or diagram. People who have learning disabilities are often visual learners and thinkers.

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Remember this for higher order thinking tasks

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The Question Matrix is designed for the students to think and act critically about information they are processing. Differing questions are set including who, what, when, where, why and how are asked, but with different endings to emphasise the question.

Literal questions such as when, what, where is? or what, when, where did? are questions designed for a student to identify what they have taken from the information.

Inferential questions such as what, when, where can? or what, when, where would? are questions designed for a student to infer or find hints and/or clues from the information.

Extended questions such as what, where, when will? or what, where, when might? are questions to give the students an opportunity to extend on the information read and processed.

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﻿ Thinking skills can be taught. This helps learners to become more aware of their own learning, and develop more responsibility which will give them the thinking skills to become life-long...

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Exploring Graphic Organizers?

Graphic organizers integrate both text and visuals. This has been scientifically proven to be an effective way of teaching and learning. Using them can be extremely useful for both teachers and students as they will make lessons more engaging as well as easily comprehensible.

We have listed below multiple types of graphic organizers you can use during various scenarios, whether you are reading, writing, doing research or studying for exams. Each tool is accompanied by a template that you can use right away.
1. What are Graphic Organizers 1.1. Benefits of graphic organizers 2. Types of Graphic Organizers 2.1. Graphic Organizers for Writing 2.1.1. 1. Persuasion map 2.1.2. 2. Sequence Chart 2.2. Graphic Organizers for Reading 2.2.1. 3. Story map 2.2.2. 4. Biography graphic organizer 2.2.3. 5. KWL chart 2.3. Graphic Organizers for Teaching 2.3.1. 6. Learning map 2.3.2. 7. Analogy graphic organizer 2.3.3. 8. Vocabulary graphic organizer 2.3.4. 9. Problem-solving organizer 2.3.5. 10. Math Graphic Organizer 2.4. Graphic Organizers for Learning 2.4.1. 11. Timeline graphic organizer 2.4.2. 12. T chart 2.4.3. 13. Hierarchy chart 2.4.4. 14. Star diagram 2.5. Graphic Organizers for Brainstorming 2.5.1. 15. Cluster diagram 2.5.2. 16. Lotus diagram 2.5.3. 17. Cause and effect graphic organizer 2.5.4. 18. Mind map 2.6. Graphic Organizers for Compare and Contrast 2.6.1. 19. Double bubble map 2.6.2. 20. Venn diagram 2.6.2.1. Add to Our List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students
What are Graphic Organizers

A graphic organizer is a teaching and learning tool that is used to organize information and ideas in a way that is easy to comprehend and internalize. By integrating text and visuals, graphic organizers show relationships and connections between concepts, terms, and facts.

Graphic organizers can be used in all grade levels, and have proven to be effective learning tools for gifted children and students with special needs. And with adult learners, graphic organizers can help enable the connection between what they already know and newly acquired knowledge.

Benefits of graphic organizers

Different types of graphic organizers can be used across the curriculum for teaching, learning, and note-taking. They are easy to create and impactful in simplifying information.

Help visualize or present information in a way that is easier to comprehend, by breaking down larger or complex concepts or ideas into smaller and simpler parts.

Provide students the opportunity to actively contribute and participate in the learning process through the creation of graphic organizers.

Help develop cognitive skills such as brainstorming, critical and, categorizing and prioritizing content, reflection, etc.

Help recall prior knowledge about a subject and quickly connect it to new information

Promotes self-learning. By using graphic organizers for note-taking, analyzing, studying, etc. students can familiarize themselves with a lesson far more easily.

Types of Graphic Organizers

Here we have listed 19 types of graphic organizers for teaching and learning. Based on their varied purposes, you can utilize them in reading, writing, researching, brainstorming, and analyzing.

Graphic Organizers for Writing

1. Persuasion map

The persuasion map is an interactive graphic organizer that helps students familiarize themselves with the process of persuasive writing . It assists them with outlining and preparing arguments for their essays, speeches, debates, etc.
How to use it
Step 1: Choose a topic of interest for your essay/debate. Do proper research around it to collect enough information.

Step 2: Define the claim that you want to make with your essay. Persuasive writing by writing this down first.

Step 3: Next to it, write down the reasons for making that claim.

Step 4: Then write down facts, examples, and information to back up your reasoning.

Step 5: End your persuasion map with the conclusion of your essay.

2. Sequence Chart

A sequence graphic organizer is a tool that helps visualize the order of steps of a process or a timeline of events, etc. It can also be used for note-taking, lesson planning, and essay writing.
How to use it
Step 1: Identify the steps in the process or event.

Step 2: Using a sequence chart arrange these steps in sequential order.
Template
Graphic Organizers for Reading

3. Story map

A story map can be used to identify the different elements such as characters, character plots, themes, techniques, etc. in a book students are reading. It's a useful tool that teachers can integrate into the lesson to improve students' comprehension.
How to use it
Step 1: Read the book and understand it well.

Step 2: Discuss the different significant elements that were involved in the story. These could be the characters, setting, problem and solution, etc. You can fill the story map during the discussion.

Step 3: Once the map is complete you can discuss each element individually.

4. Biography graphic organizer

This is a tool that assists with understanding a character from a novel, autobiography or movie or a historical figure more in-depth. It brings attention to various important factors about a person's life.
How to create it
Step 1: Gather as much information you can about the character you are studying. You can also refer to online resources, or ask from teachers or experts.

Step 2: As you analyze the information you have gathered, isolate the facts that stand out or you think are important.

Step 3: Use your biography graphic organizer to lay out the information in a presentable way. You can add images to make it more comprehensible as well.

5. KWL chart

KWL chart is used for gathering information from student's prior knowledge or experience. This 3 column chart captures the before (what the reader already knows), during (what the reader wants to learn) and after (what the reader learned) stages of reading.
How to use it
Step 1: Get students to brainstorm around the selected topic and write down everything they know about it in the K column.

Step 2: Ask them to generate a list of questions about what they want to know in the W column of the chart.

Step 3: During or after reading the book/ lesson get them to answer these questions in the L column.

Graphic Organizers for Teaching

6. Learning map

Learning maps visually depict the key takeaways - skills, ideas, knowledge - students should get from a lesson. It usually provides a high-level view of the lesson/ unit/ course that is to be studied and the connection between its different components. Students can also use learning maps in the classroom for note-taking.
How to use it
Step 1: At the center of the map, write down the topic (i.e. name of the lesson or unit)

Step 2: Brainstorm ideas and information related to it. Write these down on branches emerging from the center. Make sure that you place them in a way that makes sense to teach or in a logical sequence around the center.

Step 3: Add connectors between these elements and add labels to highlight the kind of relationship between them.

Learning map template (Click on the template to edit it online)

Learning Map Template (Click on the template to edit it online)

7. Analogy graphic organizer

The analogy graphic organizer uses analogy to help students identify similarities and differences between a new topic and a topic that they are already familiar with.
How to use it
Step 1: Select a topic/ concept that the students already know and is analogous in certain aspects to the new topic

Step 2: Introduce the new concept and get the students to read and discuss it

Step 3: Using an analogy graphic organizer, ask the students to brainstorm and write similarities and differences between the two topics.

Step 4: Based on the completed graphic organizer, ask the students to write a brief description of the new topic

Analogy Graphic Organizer (Click on the template to edit it online)

8. Vocabulary graphic organizer

This tool can be used to assess the vocabulary knowledge of students. You can create graphic organizers including various elements to help students learn new words, and learn antonyms and synonyms.

9. Problem-solving organizer

Problem-solving graphic organizers can be used to improve the problem-solving skills of the students. It helps students identify and evaluate solutions to problems.
How to use it
Step 1: Identify the problem and write it in the problem box

Step 2: Ask students to then write down why they think it is a problem in the first place

Step 3: Get them to brainstorm all possible solutions along with the pros and cons relates to them.

Step 4: Once they select the best possible solution, ask them to list down all its possible consequences

Step 5: Students can then make suggestions to improve the selected solution further

10. Math Graphic Organizer

Math graphic organizers are used to describe math concepts graphically to students. It helps with simplifying and solving complex math problems.
How to use it
Step 1: Select the math problem you want to identify and a relevant graphic organizer that you can use to solve it.

Step 2: Invite your students or colleagues to collaborate as you wish.

math graphic organizer template (Click on the template to edit it online)

Graphic Organizers for Learning

11. Timeline graphic organizer

Timeline diagrams are a type of graphic organizer that shows a sequence of events in chronological order.

They come in handy when studying history as you can use it to display major historical events that occurred during a period of time along with important details such as dates and locations in which they took place.

In addition, timeline charts can also be used to show the progress of something (i.e. growth of a business) or changes.
How to use it
Step 1: Identify the different events and the sequence of order in which they took place.

Step 2: Use a research on your target audience to arrange them chronologically

Step 3: Include significant details such as dates, locations and other additional information as needed.

12. T chart

T charts allow students to study two facets of a topic. For example, disadvantages and advantages, pros and cons, differences and similarities, etc.
How to use it
Step 1: Draw a T chart and write down the two areas you want to brainstorm around on each column head.

Step 2: Write down facts on each column as you carry out your brainstorming.

13. Hierarchy chart

Hierarchy charts visualize the elements of a system, organization or concept from its highest position to the lowest. Students can use this tool to understand the superordinate and subordinate categories of a topic and the relationship between them.
How to use it
Step 1: Identify the most important element under the topic you are studying. Write this down at the top of the hierarchy chart.

Step 2: List down the second layer of sub-elements stemming from the first component you have identified. Add a third and fourth as necessary.

Step 3: Connect these with lines to show how they are connected to each other.

14. Star diagram

Star diagrams are used to organize the characteristics of a chosen topic. It can also be used to brainstorm around new topics.
How to use it
Step 1: Select the topic you want to study and write it down in the center of the star diagram.

Step 2: Write down the characteristics or attributes related to the central topics on each point of the star. Adjust the points of the star depending on how many traits you write down.

Graphic Organizers for Brainstorming

15. Cluster diagram

Cluster diagrams can be used to facilitate a brainstorming session or structure idea generation and even to help with exploring new topics.
How to use it
Step 1: Pick your topic of interest to explore. This should be placed in the middle of the diagram.

Step 2: Brainstorm around this main idea and come up with sub-topics related to it. Place them around the center.

Step 3: Brainstorm around each of the sub-topics and write down related ideas around them.

Step 4: Add as many layers as you want. However, use color-coding to emphasize each branch of thought. This will make it easier for you to read and understand the cluster diagram.

16. Lotus diagram

Lotus diagram is an analytical tool that can be used to breakdown broader and more complex topics into smaller components for easy understanding. It can be used for brainstorming and studying new topics.
How to use it
Step 1: Draw a 3×3 grid in the center. On the square in the center, write down the main topic to be explored.

Step 2: Write down the related sub-topics around it as you brainstorm.

Step 3: Draw 8 more 3×3 grids around the one in the center. Each of these can be used to write down facts that you brainstorm around each subtopic.

17. Cause and effect graphic organizer

This type of graphic organizer shows the causes and effects of an event. The cause is the reason why something has happened, and effect is the result of what has happened. Visualization helps clearly understand the different cause and effect relationships.
How to use it
Using a cause and effect graphic organizer, identify the causes and effects related to the problem you are studying or writing about. There could be several models of cause and effect events, such as one cause leading to one effect or multiple effects, or multiple causes leading to one effect or multiple effects.

One cause leading to several effects

Several causes leading to one effect (You can use a fishbone diagram here)

Each cause having one related effect

One cause triggering another cause that leads to another

18. Mind map

A mind map is a tool that helps capture the free flow of thought and is widely used for brainstorming around topics. Additionally, it can also be used to organize and group information about a topic.
How to use it
Step 1: Write down the topic you are brainstorming around in the center.

Step 2: On branches emerging from the middle, write down brainstormed ideas/ thoughts.

Step 3: Expand each sub idea with more facts. You can keep on adding more information to your mind map until you have enough.

Graphic Organizers for Compare and Contrast

Here we have listed 19 types of graphic organizers for teaching and learning. Based on their varied purposes, you can utilize them in reading, writing, researching, brainstorming, and analyzing. Best of all you can use our Compare and Contrast Chart Maker to draw them.

19. Double bubble map

The double bubble map is one of the popular thinking maps. It is much like a Venn diagram and is used to identify similar and different qualities between two things.
How to use it?
Step 1: Write down the two ideas/ topics you are comparing in the two bubbles in the center.

Step 2: As you brainstorm and analyze the topic, write down the differences in the bubbles radiating from the center.

Step 3: Write down the similarities in the bubbles that are common to both topics.

20. Venn diagram

Another graphic organizer that helps you visually represent a comparison of differences and similarities between two subjects, is the Venn diagram. What makes it different from the is that it can include more than two topics and one common area.
How to use it
It works similar to the double bubble map.

Step 1: Write down the topics being compared on the top of each circle.

Step 2: Writ down the differences or unique characteristics inside its own sector avoiding the overlapping area.

Step 3: List the similarities in the common area.

Add to Our List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students

Although we have covered 19 types of graphic organizers in this post, there are plenty more that can be useful to our users. Know more? Mention in the comments section below to keep expanding the list of ultimate graphic organizers.

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The Ultimate List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students | Creately

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19 types of graphic organizers for reading, writing, teaching, learning and brainstorming. Explained with editable templates for graphic organizers."

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Use Loom to record quick videos of your screen and cam. Explain anything clearly and easily - and skip the meeting. An essential tool for hybrid workplaces.

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Anyone should be able to read the definition and understand what is happening.

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Use sandwich sized containers and colored sand so the kids can practice their spelling etch-a-sketch style

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Operational Definitions_ Clearly Define the Behavior – Master ABA

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9  operational definitions of commonly occurring behaviors

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This struggle is possible only because dehumanization, although a concrete historical fact, is not a given destiny but

the result of an unjust order that engenders violence in the oppressors,

which in turn dehumanizes the oppressed.

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Enjoy the best Clint Smith Quotes at BrainyQuote. Quotations by Clint Smith, American Writer. Share with your friends.

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If you only hear one side of the story, at some point, you have to question who the writer is.

Clint Smith

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL)_ A teacher’s guide

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Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a girl could want: dresses; a home filled with servants in Mexico; and the promise of one day presiding over El Rancho de las Rosas. But a tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and her mother to flee to Arvin, California and settle in a farm camp. There, they confront the challenges of work, acceptance, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression.

Spanish edition (Esperanza Renace) Audio book edition, Listening Library

Awards and Honors

Pura Belpré Medal - Jane Addams Children's Book Award - The Willa Cather Award - Américas Award Honor Book - ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults - Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year - NY Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing - IRA Notable Book for a Global Society - NCSS Notable Book for Young People - Jefferson Cup Award Worthy of Note - Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist - Smithsonian Best Book of the Year - Southern California Judy Lopez Memorial Award - Arizona Young Adult Book Award

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Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a girl could want: dresses; a home filled with servants in Mexico; and the promise of one day presiding over El Rancho de las Rosas. But a tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and her mother to flee to Arvin, California and settle in a farm camp.

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So, what's the novel that made you fall for reading? Was it Milton's Paradise Lost or Jane Austin's A Walk To Remember? You probably know all about the book you love. But what about others? What if you need to know your students' reading preferences? It may be helpful to conduct a reading interest survey.

So, if you are a teacher or an educator trying to nurture reading habits among your students, conducting reading interest surveys can help.

We have compiled some of the best survey questions and methods to gauge respondents' reading interests.

Reading Interests Survey: The Definition

Questions in the reading interest survey are aimed at eliciting information about what makes people pick up a book. This survey form is helpful for educational institutions to gather data about their students' reading habits, including their preferences and concerns. Experts created this survey example so they can easily tailor the survey to their specific needs. For instance, in a reader's survey, students are asked several questions. As a result, the instructor can utilize a reading program based on their answers.

Making reading a habit should be a priority for everyone. Additionally, it helps you stay current with the times. A voracious reader consumes any text that adds to their body of knowledge, not only novels. But not everyone thinks of reading as something they can do in their spare time.

RELATED: Inspiring Survey Ideas To Tap into Smarter Decisions in 2023

9 Must-Have Reading Interest Survey Questions

Now that you are well aware of what reading interest surveys are and their significance. It's time to talk about the survey questions that will provide the desired results. We have chosen ten survey questions about reading interest based on our knowledge and research.

Without this question, no reading interest survey can be successful.

When teachers do free surveys of students' reading choices, this is one of the first things they ask, and the responses are always good! By doing this, kids are not obligated to be perfect and can speak the truth as they see fit. Therefore their opinions are never sugarcoated. And that's exactly what's needed to answer this inquiry.

You may find out what kinds of books a student prefers to read by including this question in your surveys of reading interest.

Now, try offering options like a book with numerous pictures and plenty of words or a book with crossword puzzles to an elementary kid instead of just fictional or non-fictional. These choices will pique their curiosity much more.

The student's interests would be highlighted by this question, and based on those interests, reading material or books may be chosen for the student.

The most effective way to study for a test is to read the notes or study material available on websites like StuDocu, and often, students who study in this way perform well on tests. When a student chooses another option, however, you will realize the amount of work involved in bringing out the reader within them.

You could tell the occasional readers from the non-readers with the help of this inquiry.

You can eliminate the distractions that cause your kids to become distracted when reading by understanding what causes them to become distracted. By doing this, you are allowing your children to develop a habit of reading.

This question ought to be included in surveys of older kids' reading preferences since they would respond more thoughtfully and honestly than students in elementary school. According to their responses, you may create a reading schedule that works for them.

Teachers or counsellors can devise outstanding reading regimens for participants based on the answers to this question.

Here, the choices of fictional, historical, book, etc., would be relevant. This question will help you, as a teacher, understand your students' reading preferences and the kinds of books they enjoy.

However, the books they read will also have some influence on their personalities. Therefore, before assisting children with their reading habits, you should also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various reading materials and genres. You may do that based on the results of this reading interest survey.

With the help of this survey question, you may evaluate the students' degree of comprehension.

This question is excellent for following a reading assignment, including a variety of novels, since it allows you to gauge how effectively the kids respond to each book's messages.

You may also propose books with a similar message to help them advance their reading habits based on the justifications they give for selecting the "greatest book."

Would it come from a blog post or website recommendation, advice from parents or friends, or just browsing the bookstore?

Your respondents' book choices reveal a lot about their personalities and the people they value the most-this aids in creating a reliable reading routine.

How To Conduct A Survey For Reading Preferences?

Let's get straight to the facts. There are three ways to conduct this survey.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has become increasingly dependent on technology and the internet. In all sectors, including schools, online surveys have become more popular for collecting information.

This modification was a welcome improvement in how surveys on reading interests were handled. However, things are changing so rapidly that online polls may soon replace paper ones entirely.

And, if you are looking for a platform to create stunning surveys, SurveyPoint can be the answer. It's easy and inexpensive to set up a survey, send it out, and keep tabs on responses in real-time with this handy online form builder tool.

RELATED: Top Fun Questions To Make Surveys Enjoyable

Having students fill out a reading interest survey on paper makes it easy to group them according to their preferences. In this way, children who are just starting to write or who are shy about putting pen to paper can still participate by drawing their comments.

Students in primary schools benefit greatly from paper surveys since their teachers typically read the questions aloud to them before collecting their responses.

This enables the teacher to provide the kids with some more assistance. When students are unsure what to write, they can add examples to clarify the questions.

Decide on the Most Appropriate Questions for Your Reading Interests Survey

Using the survey results as a guide, you can modify the reading assignments to meet the needs of your students better. Finding out what your kids read is as easy as choosing the relevant questions from a survey of their reading interests. These survey questions can be used as-is or adapted to fit your specific needs.

You may now begin running your next survey with the help of SurveyPoint, which includes everything you need to conduct reading interest surveys. With this tool, you can save a lot of time since it comes with a variety of premade survey forms.

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create online survey quizzes and polls for free

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Reading Interests Survey Questions To Asses Students - SurveyPoint

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So, what's the novel that made you fall for reading? Was it Milton's Paradise Lost or Jane Austin's A Walk To Remember?

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So, what's the novel that made you fall for reading? Was it Milton's Paradise Lost or Jane Austin's A Walk To Remember? You probably know all about the book you love. But what about others? What if you need to know your students' reading preferences? It may be helpful to conduct a reading interest survey.

So, if you are a teacher or an educator trying to nurture reading habits among your students, conducting reading interest surveys can help.

We have compiled some of the best survey questions and methods to gauge respondents' reading interests.

Reading Interests Survey: The Definition

Questions in the reading interest survey are aimed at eliciting information about what makes people pick up a book. This survey form is helpful for educational institutions to gather data about their students' reading habits, including their preferences and concerns. Experts created this survey example so they can easily tailor the survey to their specific needs. For instance, in a reader's survey, students are asked several questions. As a result, the instructor can utilize a reading program based on their answers.

Making reading a habit should be a priority for everyone. Additionally, it helps you stay current with the times. A voracious reader consumes any text that adds to their body of knowledge, not only novels. But not everyone thinks of reading as something they can do in their spare time.

RELATED: Inspiring Survey Ideas To Tap into Smarter Decisions in 2023

9 Must-Have Reading Interest Survey Questions

Now that you are well aware of what reading interest surveys are and their significance. It's time to talk about the survey questions that will provide the desired results. We have chosen ten survey questions about reading interest based on our knowledge and research.

Without this question, no reading interest survey can be successful.

When teachers do free surveys of students' reading choices, this is one of the first things they ask, and the responses are always good! By doing this, kids are not obligated to be perfect and can speak the truth as they see fit. Therefore their opinions are never sugarcoated. And that's exactly what's needed to answer this inquiry.

You may find out what kinds of books a student prefers to read by including this question in your surveys of reading interest.

Now, try offering options like a book with numerous pictures and plenty of words or a book with crossword puzzles to an elementary kid instead of just fictional or non-fictional. These choices will pique their curiosity much more.

The student's interests would be highlighted by this question, and based on those interests, reading material or books may be chosen for the student.

The most effective way to study for a test is to read the notes or study material available on websites like StuDocu, and often, students who study in this way perform well on tests. When a student chooses another option, however, you will realize the amount of work involved in bringing out the reader within them.

You could tell the occasional readers from the non-readers with the help of this inquiry.

You can eliminate the distractions that cause your kids to become distracted when reading by understanding what causes them to become distracted. By doing this, you are allowing your children to develop a habit of reading.

This question ought to be included in surveys of older kids' reading preferences since they would respond more thoughtfully and honestly than students in elementary school. According to their responses, you may create a reading schedule that works for them.

Teachers or counsellors can devise outstanding reading regimens for participants based on the answers to this question.

Here, the choices of fictional, historical, book, etc., would be relevant. This question will help you, as a teacher, understand your students' reading preferences and the kinds of books they enjoy.

However, the books they read will also have some influence on their personalities. Therefore, before assisting children with their reading habits, you should also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various reading materials and genres. You may do that based on the results of this reading interest survey.

With the help of this survey question, you may evaluate the students' degree of comprehension.

This question is excellent for following a reading assignment, including a variety of novels, since it allows you to gauge how effectively the kids respond to each book's messages.

You may also propose books with a similar message to help them advance their reading habits based on the justifications they give for selecting the "greatest book."

Would it come from a blog post or website recommendation, advice from parents or friends, or just browsing the bookstore?

Your respondents' book choices reveal a lot about their personalities and the people they value the most-this aids in creating a reliable reading routine.

How To Conduct A Survey For Reading Preferences?

Let's get straight to the facts. There are three ways to conduct this survey.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has become increasingly dependent on technology and the internet. In all sectors, including schools, online surveys have become more popular for collecting information.

This modification was a welcome improvement in how surveys on reading interests were handled. However, things are changing so rapidly that online polls may soon replace paper ones entirely.

And, if you are looking for a platform to create stunning surveys, SurveyPoint can be the answer. It's easy and inexpensive to set up a survey, send it out, and keep tabs on responses in real-time with this handy online form builder tool.

RELATED: Top Fun Questions To Make Surveys Enjoyable

Having students fill out a reading interest survey on paper makes it easy to group them according to their preferences. In this way, children who are just starting to write or who are shy about putting pen to paper can still participate by drawing their comments.

Students in primary schools benefit greatly from paper surveys since their teachers typically read the questions aloud to them before collecting their responses.

This enables the teacher to provide the kids with some more assistance. When students are unsure what to write, they can add examples to clarify the questions.

Decide on the Most Appropriate Questions for Your Reading Interests Survey

Using the survey results as a guide, you can modify the reading assignments to meet the needs of your students better. Finding out what your kids read is as easy as choosing the relevant questions from a survey of their reading interests. These survey questions can be used as-is or adapted to fit your specific needs.

You may now begin running your next survey with the help of SurveyPoint, which includes everything you need to conduct reading interest surveys. With this tool, you can save a lot of time since it comes with a variety of premade survey forms.

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create online survey quizzes and polls for free

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Reading Interests Survey Questions To Asses Students - SurveyPoint

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So, what's the novel that made you fall for reading? Was it Milton's Paradise Lost or Jane Austin's A Walk To Remember?

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Five Fun Creative Writing Exercises for Secondary ELA

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Creative writing is a skill that can be expanded and applied to many other areas of the secondary ELA curriculum, like analyzing text or creating out-of-the-box arguments. The best exercises are those that are engaging and stick with students for the rest of their learning experiences.

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Activities for Remote Creative Writing Classrooms // Purdue Writing Lab

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The Purdue University Online Writing Lab serves writers from around the world and the Purdue University Writing Lab helps writers on Purdue’s campus.

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7 Fun writing activities for reluctant writers - Literacy Ideas

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The Purpose: Give your students the chance to improve their dialogue writing skills, and to work on their understanding of character development, in this fun activity which combines writing with the use of a series of visual elements. The Process: There are two ways to do this activity.

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Great creative writing teachers are very passionate about literature, and because of them many of their students will continue to pursue creative writing outside of school. Those teachers also impact learners because of the great creative writing activities they use to get the students' imaginations to run free.

"There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place." - J.K. Rowling

Here are some creative writing activities and prompts that will honor your students' imaginations. Let them free their muses to soar.

Creative Writing Activities To Explore

This terrific list of activities come from Marcus Roskilly in the UK:

Free Writing-5 minutes to write on a "spark word" determined by the teacher. Then pair and share.

Flying Balls-Bouncy Castle balls with an opening sentence written on each. Toss a random one to a student who continues the "ball rolling" with a further thought or another sentence on the first. The ball is then tossed to another student who does the same.

Modelling-Show them examples of good, interesting writing. Key in on students' interests.

Character-Show random pictures of people from the Internet. Develop a character from the image using prompt questions provided by the teacher.

Skills Lessons-Teach writer's craft elements in chunks and focus on specific ones at a time. Examples are dialogue, developing setting, conflict, narrative point of view, etc.

Music-Play low-volume atmospheric instrumental background music while students are working.

Learning Outcome and Success Criteria-Helping them know and understand the goal or outcome they are striving for and where they are going allow them to stay focused.

Other Engaging Approaches

Here are some select creative writing activities from Caroline Swicegood

Life is Not Like a Box of Chocolates: Use the prompt: "Life is like a box of..." You fill in the blank and go from there.

No-Send Letters: If you know you'll never send a letter to someone of your choice, what would you write on it?

Raising Voices: Teacher creates character names, ages, and occupations, and assigns one character to each student. They create a monologue for that character.

Mixing Up Metaphors: Brainstorm overused metaphor phrases. Replace the last word of each metaphor with something creative and unexpected.

Found Poetry: Camera scavenger hunt around the campus-locate signs, labels, notes, words and snap pictures. Compile pictures in class and compose poetry (or create a collage) using only those words.

Creative Writing Prompts

Some prompts from Buzzfeed's 23 Of The Most Creative College Essay Prompts From 2014-2015:

"You've just reached your one millionth hit on your YouTube video. What is the video about?"

"If you were to write the story of your life until now, what would you title it and why?"

"What's a question that has changed how you understand the world? What changed?"

"Design your own three-and-a-half week course and describe what you would do."

"A good story starts with a good beginning. Get us hooked in the first 150 words."

"What one invention would you uninvent if you could, and why?"

Pro Tip: You'll find even more great activities and prompts for learners to finely tune their writing skills within our most popular book ever, The Critical Thinking Companion.

Teachers who display an infectious passion for great creative writing can inspire us to great heights. They will know how to tap into students' genius. It might take a simple interesting prompt that spurs their imagination.

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The Best Creative Writing Activities For Engaging Your Learners

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Great creative writing teachers are very passionate about literature, and because of them many of their students will continue to pursue creative writing outside of school. Those teachers also impact learners because of the great creative writing activities they use to get the students' imaginations to run free.

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Middle school writers are full of imagination and creativity, and teachers can honor that while teaching writing conventions.

There's something extraordinary about middle school writers.

Maybe it's the tension of existing between childhood and adulthood and their ability to articulate this tension. Maybe it's their fully intact imaginations and natural inclination to creatively express themselves. Whatever it is, they're capable of astounding us and each other if we teach them well.

What I've learned to be true about teaching writing to middle schoolers is rooted in the importance of both coaching them on the conventions of writing in English and giving them room to be who they are.

What I've Learned

1. Choice is crucial, but students need help choosing: When students are able to follow their interests and curiosity, it's more likely that their writing will be honest and compelling. However, if left to their own devices, students sometimes begin writing about topics that don't lead them anywhere.

Before writing, students should brainstorm and have the opportunity to talk with you-and their peers, if possible-about their ideas. They'll need your help discerning which idea would yield the most engaging writing for them. Your guidance is invaluable.

2. Clichés are fantastic for teaching creative expression: Middle schoolers often use clichés, in the belief that using them makes their writing better. When we define clichés for them and explain the better choice of describing familiar things in fresh, unique ways, students begin taking more risks in their writing.

A colleague gave me the idea to create a cliché graveyard for my classroom-a poster cut into the shape of a gravestone that we add clichés to as we identify them. This makes hunting for clichés fun, and each time we bury a cliché, students come up with new creative descriptions. Theirs are always better.

3. Simple rubrics make a huge difference: Rubrics let students know what you're looking for in their writing, and middle schoolers are most attentive to rubrics that include as little text as possible.

I list vertically the five to 10 elements (title, lead, thesis, etc.) that I assess on the left side of the rubric, and horizontally along the top I include four simple categories: AWESOME, Pretty good!, OK..., and a crying emoji. More text can overwhelm students and limit you when you're grading.

4. Students should interview published writers: Middle schoolers learn a ton about the craft of writing when given opportunities to interview published writers. Thankfully, many writers are happy to visit classrooms and meet with students for free. Visits by video call also work.

Before a visit, students should read a small selection of the writer's work and prepare five to 10 questions on that work and the writer's process. As a class, they should ask their questions and take notes on what the writer says. It's amazing how much ground they can cover in one class.

5. They need to name their strengths and weaknesses: When meeting with students one on one, begin by asking them to identify the strengths and weaknesses of whatever piece they're working on. Students can often name the strengths of their writing, but you still need to encourage them to be specific: "What makes this sentence work well?"

It's more difficult for them to name weaknesses. "I just don't like this part," they'll say. Again, your job is to help them be specific.

The more students are encouraged to name the strengths and weaknesses of their writing, the more self-sufficient they become as writers.

6. We can embrace the quirks: It's important to teach students the terminology and structures of English grammar so that they understand what you mean when you discuss the makeup of a sentence. And generally a writer should know the rules of the language before breaking them.

However, middle schoolers sometimes create sentences with peculiar characteristics that look and sound striking but are grammatically incorrect. Because they haven't fully internalized English grammar, they're still playful with the language.

On these occasions, I've found it helpful to allow them to break the rules but also let them know how they're doing so. This way, grammatical conventions aren't forgotten-they're purposefully ignored to help students develop a voice on the page.

7. Letting them try on different writing styles is invaluable: A great way to help students develop their writing voices is to let them imitate others. When students read short pieces by authors with distinctive voices and as a class identify how-on the sentence level-the writing is unique and interesting, they learn practical ways to infuse writing with personality.

If given opportunities to use these styles in their own writing, students are one step closer to understanding how to make their written work more representative of who they are.

8. They need to consistently ask themselves two questions: Middle schoolers often leave important ideas off the page because they either assume you know they're talking about or haven't pushed themselves to think critically about what they're saying.

If during class and in your comments you consistently challenge students to answer "How?" and "Why?" they learn to be more thoughtful and thorough in all of their writing. These simple metacognitive questions lead to fuller, more sophisticated thought processes for them and stronger pieces of writing for others to read.

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8 Truths About Teaching Writing to Middle Schoolers

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Middle school writers are full of imagination and creativity, and teachers can honor that while teaching writing conventions.

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Graduation Speech

Betsy from Spark Creativity suggests an alternative to the final exam: the graduation speech exam.

Part of developing life-long learners is teaching students to reflect on what they have learned.

In this speech, Betsy isn't even looking for flash; she wants students to reflect on the books they have read. Can students draw conclusions and inspiration from literature? If this alternative to the final exam will work for you, check out Betsy's post.

Creative Responses to Reading

Reading and writing naturally fit together, and Melissa from Reading and Writing Haven provides Five Creative Responses to Reading. She details more than simple reading responses.

For both fiction and nonfiction, Melissa explains how booksnaps, poetry, one-pagers, journal prompts, and music analysis can bring meaning to what students read. These writing activities will not only encourage student choice, but also stretch students' creativity.

As a reading specialist, Melissa always shares ways differentiated reading and writing strategies will support students.

Embedding Quotations

Embedding quotations might seem dry, but students will need to cite material in creative writing endeavors! Liz from Teach Writing created activities and games to liven the experience of blending quotes.

Her idea of personifying punctuation is a great example of the engagement she brings. For instance, she has her students create a Twitter chat between the period, parenthetical citation, and the quotation marks. (I want to play!)

Comma: Hold on period, not time for you yet! #CommasAreImportant.

Liz has turned a mundane task into a creative writing task all its own. Check out LIz's idea for bringing freshness to an important skill in her post Creative Activities and Games for Citing and Embedding Quotations.

Prompt Sticks

Meredith from Bespoke ELA uses prompt sticks to review the school year. But! She outlines the process so thoroughly that these creative writing activities can be expanded for various reflections:

Furthermore, Meredith suggests asking students to create the questions, which make it the perfect opportunity to get students thinking what they learned as writers.

Collaboration Activities

For years, I taught a creative writing course. To make such a class work, students must collaborate. Getting that classroom environment takes intentional practice which is why I love (Amanda Write Now) Amanda's post about supporting effective writing partnerships.

Amanda includes a sample anchor chart and a conferencing checklist. Students really benefit from that modeling and from simply having a starting point. I also like how Amanda stresses that you must make time for this in class.

Building collaborative space must be intentional!

Creative Writing Overall

As for myself? Aside from writing at Language Arts Classroom, I teach full-time. The first activities I complete in a creative writing course are to set the tone and build a collaborative community. I want students to see creativity in all areas of life, from wardrobe choices on television to the containers at restaurants.

Once we have a strong foundation, we discuss who tells stories. I use "The Danger of a Single Story" to get students talking. My largest message is that I want every single student to write because their thoughts are important.

I cover creative writing activities for high school and build off the idea that we all are creative in our own ways.

There you have it! Six creative writing activities that for you to inspire students.

Related Posts
Reduce Your Grading Time Literary Analysis Writing 9 Ways to Get Secondary Students to Enjoy Writing
About the Author

Lauralee Moss is creator Language Arts Classroom and author of The English Grammar Workbook.

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Creative Writing Activities for High School - TeachWriting.org

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Betsy from Spark Creativity suggests an alternative to the final exam: the graduation speech exam . Part of developing life-long learners is teaching students to reflect on what they have learned. In this speech, Betsy isn't even looking for flash; she wants students to reflect on the books they have read.

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Audience Participation and Presentation Rubrics

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Audience Participation and Presentation Rubrics

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How to Create a Rubric: Introduction

Perhaps you have never even thought about the care it takes to create a rubric. Perhaps you have never even heard of a rubric and its usage in education, in which case, you should take a peek at this article: "What is a rubric?" Basically, this tool that teachers and professors use to help them communicate expectations, provide focused feedback, and grade products, can be invaluable when the correct answer is not as cut and dried as Choice A on a multiple choice test. But creating a great rubric is more than just slapping some expectations on a paper, assigning some percentage points, and calling it a day. A good rubric needs to be designed with care and precision in order to truly help teachers distribute and receive the expected work.

Steps to Create a Rubric

The following six steps will help you when you decide to use a rubric for assessing an essay, a project, group work, or any other task that does not have a clear right or wrong answer.

Before you can create a rubric, you need to decide the type of rubric you'd like to use, and that will largely be determined by your goals for the assessment.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. How detailed do I want my feedback to be?

2. How will I break down my expectations for this project?

3. Are all of the tasks equally important?

4. How do I want to assess performance?

5. What standards must the students hit in order to achieve acceptable or exceptional performance?

6. Do I want to give one final grade on the project or a cluster of smaller grades based on several criteria?

7. Am I grading based on the work or on participation? Am I grading on both?

Once you've figured out how detailed you'd like the rubric to be and the goals you are trying to reach, you can choose a type of rubric.

Step 2: Choose a Rubric Type

Although there are many variations of rubrics, it can be helpful to at least have a standard set to help you decide where to start. Here are two that are widely used in teaching as defined by DePaul University's Graduate Educational department:

1. Analytic Rubric: This is the standard grid rubric that many teachers routinely use to assess students' work. This is the optimal rubric for providing clear, detailed feedback. With an analytic rubric, criteria for the students' work is listed in the left column and performance levels are listed across the top. The squares inside the grid will typically contain the specs for each level. A rubric for an essay, for example, might contain criteria like "Organization, Support, and Focus," and may contain performance levels like "(4) Exceptional, (3) Satisfactory, (2) Developing, and (1) Unsatisfactory."​ The performance levels are typically given percentage points or letter grades and a final grade is typically calculated at the end. The scoring rubrics for the ACT and SAT are designed this way, although when students take them, they will receive a holistic score.

2. Holistic Rubric: This is the type of rubric that is much easier to create, but much more difficult to use accurately. Typically, a teacher provides a series of letter grades or a range of numbers (1-4 or 1-6, for example) and then assigns expectations for each of those scores. When grading, the teacher matches the student work in its entirety to a single description on the scale. This is useful for grading multiple essays, but it does not leave room for detailed feedback on student work.

Step 3: Determine Your Criteria

This is where the learning objectives for your unit or course come into play. Here, you'll need to brainstorm a list of knowledge and skills you would like to assess for the project. Group them according to similarities and get rid of anything that is not absolutely critical. A rubric with too much criteria is difficult to use! Try to stick with 4-7 specific subjects for which you'll be able to create unambiguous, measurable expectations in the performance levels. You'll want to be able to spot the criteria quickly while grading and be able to explain them quickly when instructing your students. In an analytic rubric, the criteria are typically listed along the left column.

Step 4: Create Your Performance Levels

Once you have determined the broad levels you would like students to demonstrate mastery of, you will need to figure out what type of scores you will assign based on each level of mastery. Most ratings scales include between three and five levels. Some teachers use a combination of numbers and descriptive labels like "(4) Exceptional, (3) Satisfactory, etc." while other teachers simply assign numbers, percentages, letter grades or any combination of the three for each level. You can arrange them from highest to lowest or lowest to highest as long as your levels are organized and easy to understand.

Step 5: Write Descriptors for Each Level of Your Rubric

This is probably your most difficult step in creating a rubric.Here, you will need to write short statements of your expectations underneath each performance level for every single criteria. The descriptions should be specific and measurable. The language should be parallel to help with student comprehension and the degree to which the standards are met should be explained.

Again, to use an analytic essay rubric as an example, if your criteria was "Organization" and you used the (4) Exceptional, (3) Satisfactory, (2) Developing, and (1) Unsatisfactory scale, you would need to write the specific content a student would need to produce to meet each level. It could look something like this:

Organization
Organization is coherent, unified, and effective in support of the paper's purpose and
consistently demonstrates
effective and appropriate
transitions
between ideas and paragraphs.

Organization is coherent and unified in support of the paper's purpose and usually demonstrates effective and appropriate transitions between ideas and paragraphs.

Organization is coherent in
support of the essay's purpose, but is ineffective at times and may demonstrate abrupt or weak transitions between ideas or paragraphs.

Organization is confused and fragmented. It does not support the essay's purpose and demonstrates a
lack of structure or coherence that negatively
affects readability.

A holistic rubric would not break down the essay's grading criteria with such precision. The top two tiers of a holistic essay rubric would look more like this:

6 = Essay demonstrates excellent composition skills including a clear and thought-provoking thesis, appropriate and effective organization, lively and convincing supporting materials, effective diction and sentence skills, and perfect or near perfect mechanics including spelling and punctuation. The writing perfectly accomplishes the objectives of the assignment.

5 = Essay contains strong composition skills including a clear and thought-provoking thesis, but development, diction, and sentence style may suffer minor flaws. The essay shows careful and acceptable use of mechanics. The writing effectively accomplishes the goals of the assignment.

Step 6: Revise Your Rubric

After creating the descriptive language for all of the levels (making sure it is parallel, specific and measurable), you need to go back through and limit your rubric to a single page. Too many parameters will be difficult to assess at once, and may be an ineffective way to assess students' mastery of a specific standard. Consider the effectiveness of the rubric, asking for student understanding and co-teacher feedback before moving forward. Do not be afraid to revise as necessary. It may even be helpful to grade a sample project in order to gauge the effectiveness of your rubric. You can always adjust the rubric if need be before handing it out, but once it's distributed, it will be difficult to retract.

Teacher Resources:

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Wondering how to create a rubric for your classroom? Check out the six steps you need to design an effective rubric to assess your students' next essay or project.

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What is a rubric?

A rubric is a great tool for teachers because it is a simple way to set up a grading criteria for assignments. Not only is this tool useful for teachers, it is helpful for students as well. A rubric defines in writing what is expected of the student to get a particular grade on an assignment.

Heidi Goodrich Andrade, a rubrics expert, defines a rubric as "a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work or 'what counts.' " For example, a rubric for an essay might tell students that their work will be judged on purpose, organization, details, voice, and mechanics.

A good rubric also describes levels of quality for each of the criteria. These levels of performance may be written as different ratings (e.g., Excellent, Good, Needs Improvement) or as numerical scores (e.g., 4, 3, 2, 1) Under mechanics, for example, the rubric might define the lowest level of performance as "7-10 misspellings, grammar, and punctuation errors," and the highest level as "all words are spelled correctly; your work shows that you understand subject-verb agreement, when to make words possessive, and how to use commas, semicolons and periods."

Why use rubrics?

According to Heidi Goodrich Andrade:

Rubrics help students and teachers define "quality."

When students use rubrics regularly to judge their own work, they begin to accept more responsibility for the end product. It cuts down on the "am I done yet?" questions.

Rubrics reduce the time teachers spend grading student work and makes it easier for teachers to explain to students why they got the grade they did and what they can do to improve.

Parents usually like the rubrics concept once they understand it, and they find rubrics useful when helping with homework. As one teacher says: "They know exactly what their child needs to do to be successful."

Involve your students

Understanding a Rubric: Arrange the students into groups of four or more and give them the rubric you will be using for a particular task. Tell the students to discuss the task you have given them and create quick samples of papers which would receive marks in each of the categories. The groups will then present their results to the whole class.

Creating a Rubric: It is a good idea to involve your students in creating their own rubrics for classroom assignments. A student who can write the rubric for a math problem knows the whole process inside and out, and he/she can apply the knowledge and skills learned from the process to future assignments.

How do I create a good rubric?

Sometimes it's not possible to find an appropriate existing rubric to use or modify. To create your own rubric, follow these steps.

1. List the criteria that will be used in assessing performance in the first column.
The criteria you use should be related to the learning outcome(s) that you are assessing. For example, a musical performance might be rated for intonation, rhythmic accuracy, and tone quality and an oral presentation might be rated for content, organization, delivery and language. Be sure that your criteria are explicit. "Neatness" would not be a good criterion because the term "neat" is not explicit enough. What is neatness?You may want to look at some actual examples of student work to see if you have omitted any important criteria.

2. Determine your performance ratings / levels in the first row.
Examples of performance ratings may be:

Descriptors (In Progress, Basic, Proficient, Advanced)

Numbers (1,2,3,4)

3. Write a description for each performance level.
Describe the different levels of performance that match each criterion. You may want to start with the best and worst levels of quality, and then fill in the middle levels based on your knowledge of common problems. It may be helpful to sort examples of actual student work into three piles: the very best, the poorest and those in between. Try to articulate what makes the good assignments good and the poor assignments poor.

4. After use, evaluate and revise rubric as needed.

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Rubric Tool - Use this tool to set up a grading criteria for assignments.

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Using Positive Discipline Techniques in the Classroom | Study.com

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Positive discipline is a more effective way to manage misbehaving students in the classroom, rather than using punishment or rewards. It allows…

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The Honor Level System: Discipline by Design

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Here are eleven techniques that you can use in your classroom that will help you achieve effective group management and control. They have been adapted from an article called: "A Primer on Classroom Discipline: Principles Old and New" by Thomas R. McDaniel, Phi Delta Kappan, September 1986.

1. Focusing

Be sure you have the attention of everyone in your classroom before you start your lesson. Don't attempt to teach over the chatter of students who are not paying attention.

Inexperienced teachers sometimes think that by beginning their lesson, the class will settle down. The children will see that things are underway now and it is time to go to work. Sometimes this works, but the children are also going to think that you are willing to compete with them, that you don't mind talking while they talk, or that you are willing to speak louder so that they can finish their conversation even after you have started the lesson. They get the idea that you accept their inattention and that it is permissible to talk while you are presenting a lesson.

The focusing technique means that you will demand their attention before you begin. It means that you will wait and not start until everyone has settled down. Experienced teachers know that silence on their part is very effective. They will punctuate their waiting by extending it 3 to 5 seconds after the classroom is completely quiet. Then they begin their lesson using a quieter voice than normal.

A soft spoken teacher often has a calmer, quieter classroom than one with a stronger voice. Her students sit still in order to hear what she says.

2. Direct Instruction

Uncertainty increases the level of excitement in the classroom. The technique of direct instruction is to begin each class by telling the students exactly what will be happening. The teacher outlines what he and the students will be doing this period. He may set time limits for some tasks.

An effective way to marry this technique with the first one is to include time at the end of the period for students to do activities of their choosing. The teacher may finish the description of the hour's activities with: "And I think we will have some time at the end of the period for you to chat with your friends, go to the library, or catch up on work for other classes."

The teacher is more willing to wait for class attention when he knows there is extra time to meet his goals and objectives. The students soon realize that the more time the teacher waits for their attention, the less free time they have at the end of the hour.

3. Monitoring

The key to this principle is to circulate. Get up and get around the room. While your students are working, make the rounds. Check on their progress.

An effective teacher will make a pass through the whole room about two minutes after the students have started a written assignment. She checks that each student has started, that the children are on the correct page, and that everyone has put their names on their papers. The delay is important. She wants her students to have a problem or two finished so she can check that answers are correctly labeled or in complete sentences. She provides individualized instruction as needed.

Students who are not yet quite on task will be quick to get going as they see her approach. Those that were distracted or slow to get started can be nudged along.

The teacher does not interrupt the class or try to make general announcements unless she notices that several students have difficulty with the same thing. The teacher uses a quiet voice and her students appreciate her personal and positive attention.

4. McDaniel tells us of a saying that goes "Values are caught, not taught." Teachers who are courteous, prompt, enthusiastic, in control, patient and organized provide examples for their students through their own behavior. The "do as I say, not as I do" teachers send mixed messages that confuse students and invite misbehavior.

If you want students to use quiet voices in your classroom while they work, you too will use a quiet voice as you move through the room helping youngsters.

5. Non-Verbal Cuing

A standard item in the classroom of the 1950's was the clerk's bell. A shiny nickel bell sat on the teacher's desk. With one tap of the button on top he had everyone's attention. Teachers have shown a lot of ingenuity over the years in making use of non-verbal cues in the classroom. Some flip light switches. Others keep clickers in their pockets.

Non-verbal cues can also be facial expressions, body posture and hand signals. Care should be given in choosing the types of cues you use in your classroom. Take time to explain what you want the students to do when you use your cues.

6. Environmental Control

A classroom can be a warm cheery place. Students enjoy an environment that changes periodically. Study centers with pictures and color invite enthusiasm for your subject.

Young people like to know about you and your interests. Include personal items in your classroom. A family picture or a few items from a hobby or collection on your desk will trigger personal conversations with your students. As they get to know you better, you will see fewer problems with discipline.

Just as you may want to enrich your classroom, there are times when you may want to impoverish it as well. You may need a quiet corner with few distractions. Some students will get caught up in visual exploration. For them, the splash and the color is a siren that pulls them off task. They may need more "vanilla" and less "rocky-road." Have a quiet place where you can steer these youngsters. Let them get their work done first and then come back to explore and enjoy the rest of the room.

7. Low-Profile Intervention

Most students are sent to the principal's office as a result of confrontational escalation. The teacher has called them on a lesser offense, but in the moments that follow, the student and the teacher are swept up in a verbal maelstrom. Much of this can be avoided when the teacher's intervention is quiet and calm.

An effective teacher will take care that the student is not rewarded for misbehavior by becoming the focus of attention. She monitors the activity in her classroom, moving around the room. She anticipates problems before they occur. Her approach to a misbehaving student is inconspicuous. Others in the class are not distracted.

While lecturing to her class this teacher makes effective use of name-dropping. If she sees a student talking or off task, she simply drops the youngster's name into her dialogue in a natural way. "And you see, David, we carry the one to the tens column." David hears his name and is drawn back on task. The rest of the class doesn't seem to notice.

8. Assertive Discipline

This is traditional limit setting authoritarianism. When executed as presented by Lee Canter (who has made this form a discipline one of the most widely known and practiced) it will include a good mix of praise. This is high profile discipline. The teacher is the boss and no child has the right to interfere with the learning of any student. Clear rules are laid out and consistently enforced.

9. Assertive I-Messages

A component of Assertive Discipline, these I-Messages are statements that the teacher uses when confronting a student who is misbehaving. They are intended to be clear descriptions of what the student is suppose to do. The teacher who makes good use of this technique will focus the child's attention first and foremost on the behavior he wants, not on the misbehavior. "I want you to..." or "I need you to..." or "I expect you to..."

The inexperienced teacher may incorrectly try "I want you to stop..." only to discover that this usually triggers confrontation and denial. The focus is on the misbehavior and the student is quick to retort: "I wasn't doing anything!" or "It wasn't my fault..." or "Since when is there a rule against..." and escalation has begun.

10. Humanistic I-Messages

These I-messages are expressions of our feelings. Thomas Gordon, creator of Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET), tells us to structure these messages in three parts. First, include a description of the child's behavior. "When you talk while I talk..." Second, relate the effect this behavior has on the teacher. "...I have to stop my teaching..." And third, let the student know the feeling that it generates in the teacher. "...which frustrates me."

A teacher, distracted by a student who was constantly talking while he tried to teach, once made this powerful expression of feelings: "I cannot imagine what I have done to you that I do not deserve the respect from you that I get from the others in this class. If I have been rude to you or inconsiderate in any way, please let me know. I feel as though I have somehow offended you and now you are unwilling to show me respect." The student did not talk during his lectures again for many weeks.

11. Positive Discipline

Use classroom rules that describe the behaviors you want instead of listing things the students cannot do. Instead of "no-running in the room," use "move through the building in an orderly manner." Instead of "no fighting," use "settle conflicts appropriately." Instead of "no gum chewing," use "leave gum at home." Refer to your rules as expectations. Let your students know this is how you expect them to behave in your classroom.

Make ample use of praise. When you see good behavior, acknowledge it. This can be done verbally, of course, but it doesn't have to be. A nod, a smile or a "thumbs up" will reinforce the behavior.

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Here are eleven techniques that you can use in your classroom that will help you achieve effective group management and control. They have been adapted from an article called: "A Primer on Classroom Discipline: Principles Old and New" by Thomas R. McDaniel, Phi Delta Kappan, September 1986. 1.

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A good teacher is never without a good plan for discipline in the classroom. Ask any teacher and you'll know that good behavior management can go a long away. To help with managing student behavior, here are a few discipline strategies for teachers to keep in mind:

Discipline with Dignity
All students need to be treated with dignity. Even when a student is being disciplined, he or she needs to retain dignity. Private reminders and conferences with the child will preserve his or her dignity and yours.

One of the best things to remember concerning disciplining students is that they win whenever they get you to "lose your cool." Take your time when students "push your buttons" and decide carefully on your response. In this way, you will not behave in a way that you will regret later.

Teach Students Responsibility
Students need to be taught that they are responsible for their own behavior. If a student does not follow the rules, it is best for natural or determined consequences to take their course whenever possible. When parents and others intervene, they take the responsibility for the student's behavior away from the student.

Exercise Break
One of the best favors you can do for your students and yourself when students get wiggly and cannot seem to concentrate is to take an exercise break. One good time for a break like this is about 45 minutes before lunch. Take your students outside for 5-7 minutes of exercise led first by yourself, and then, after they know the exercises, the students. This is not to replace physical education, but it is a quick chance to do some specific physical activity when students need it most.

Another variation on this is to use low impact aerobics for children in the classroom. One caution is that many of the shoes the students wear to school might be dangerous for exercise routines. If this is the case, you might want to encourage students to bring some tennis shoes to school for their exercise breaks.

Reward Good Behavior
A good discipline system should also include positive reinforcement for good behavior. Award certificates, badges, or simple, sincere verbal praise can keep good behavior on track and build self-esteem.

There are, of course, many more strategies for student discipline, and what may work for one teacher may not work for another. What discipline techniques have you found to be effective in your classroom?

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Student Discipline Strategies for Teachers

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A good teacher is never without a good plan for discipline in the classroom. Ask any teacher and you'll know that good behavior management can go a long away. To help with managing student behavior, here are a few discipline strategies for teachers to keep in mind: Discipline with Dignity All students need to be treated with dignity.

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Communicating with parents: strategies for teachers 

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Communicating with parents: strategies for teachers 

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If I can be transparent for a moment and say, as a teacher, parent communication has always been difficult for me. I have always been able to foster good relationships with my parents but finding a strategy that I can maintain when my teacher life gets hectic has always been a challenge that I continue to work through.

I'll be transparent for a moment and say, as a teacher, parent communication has always been difficult for me. I have always been able to foster good relationships with my parents but finding a strategy that I can maintain when my teacher life gets hectic has always been a challenge that I continue to work through.

Below, I have compiled some great communication ideas that I have used myself or I have seen fellow teachers use with success. Remember to consider the way(s) that you like to communicate and the way(s) your parents like to communicate. If you are not a phone person do not promise to call parents weekly because you will become inconsistent. Conversely, if you have a parent who never checks their email do not make all of your communications through email. Find a balance that fits your communication style and considers the families and students that you serve.
→ Download our PBIS Toolkit
Parent Communication Strategies

Give a survey

At the start of the school year, possibly during Open House, add a question on your parent surveys that asks families the way they prefer to receive communication. This way you will know how parents respond best. Some parents do not use email but they will respond to a text message right away. During this time also share with parents the best ways they can reach you.

Remind

Remind is an app that allows teachers to send messages to families that can be received by email, text message or directly through the app. I have used Remind in my own classroom. It is a simple, quick and effective way to communicate with your whole class or to follow up with parents about a specific student. You can use Remind for behavior updates or general school or class information. Remind is also good because you can send attachments and images along with your message.

Get a room parent

This is by far one of the best things I ever had when I was a teacher. A good room parent can bridge the communication gap between teachers and parents in a major way. A room parent can help teachers coordinate parties and events in your class and get volunteers when an after-school activity is coming up. Room parents are good for organizing the social aspects of the classroom. Make sure you do not share any academic or behavioral information with your room parent about other students in the class; they are best used to manage the fun activities so you can focus on the other aspects of the classroom. When choosing a room parent, choose a parent who is reliable and organized.

Weekly Newsletter

Weekly newsletters are a great way to keep families up-to-date on what is happening in school and your class. Consider giving parents the option to receive the newsletter in paper form or as an electronic copy via email. Keep your newsletter simple, prioritizing the most important information and making maintenance on a weekly basis manageable. A good rule for email communication is to allow yourself 24 hours to respond to any parent inquiry. Share this rule with parents at the start of the year so they know what to expect with email communication.

Text Messages and Google Voice

I have found text messages to be a great way to share quick information with parents. At the start of the year, I will input all of my parent's phone numbers in my phone so I can contact them when necessary. Google Voice is a great option if you also like using text messages but would prefer to keep your cell phone number private. You can register for a Google Voice number and call directly through your phone. Google Voice is also great because you can set do not disturb limits on your phone number. Let parents know the window of time they can expect text messages from you in the evening and on the weekends. Share this rule with parents at the start of the year so they know what to expect with text communication.

Calls home for good news

You would be surprised how an unplanned call home with some good news can make the difference between you and your parents. Families are used to receiving phone calls when their student is off task, a positive phone call home is a boost of positive energy for the student and their family.

Have a quick chat at drop off or pick up

I have found that if you are able to manage, based on the family's schedule, a quick conversation at drop off or pick up can really make a difference with building rapport and communicating with parents.

Make a home visit

This is a fantastic way to build a relationship with your parents and students. Students love seeing their teachers outside of school and seeing them at their house is even better! This is definitely a time commitment especially if you serve many students or if you have students that live throughout your city but, if you can manage, visiting students at home is a wonderful way to open the lines of communication with your students and their parents.

Create a class Facebook page

Facebook is a great way to stay connected to parents and keep them updated about what is happening in your classroom. You can post pictures and update families through the page. Make sure that the page is private and only accessible to the families in your classroom. Also set norms for appropriate ways to communicate in the group. Make sure that you have gotten parent permission to post images of students in your class.

The most important thing that I have found with parent communication is consistency. Whichever way(s) you choose to communicate with parents make sure you are able to maintain the practice throughout the year. Building a strong relationship with families makes all the difference when you need to have difficult conversations about academic or behavioral progress. In addition, be sure to set clear guidelines with families about how and when they can communicate with you. Developing a relationship of mutual respect is important for student success.

Here at Kickboard we have seen school culture transformed because of effective parent communication. We also have the tools and resources to support communication with parents in a way that promotes positive school culture. to learn more about how Kickboard can support positive parent communication in your school.

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9 Popular Parent Communication Strategies & Ideas

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If I can be transparent for a moment and say, as a teacher, parent communication has always been difficult for me. I have always been able to foster good relationships with my parents but finding a strategy that I can maintain when my teacher life gets hectic has always been a challenge that I continue to work through.

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Keep in mind that what may seem like reluctance doesn't always mean families don't wantto be engaged in their child's education. Many families would like to be more involved. But some families may face significant barriers like unpredictable work schedules or immigration concerns. For other families, their past experiences may make them feel that the school itself is creating barriers.

Reaching all familiesbegins with meeting them where they are emotionally. They may have varied feelings about family-school partnerships or have other priorities (like health issues) in their lives. Emotionally meeting families where they are requires empathy, asking questions, and sharing that you have a common interest in their child's education.

Here are some common barriers you can break down to better engage with families-and how to start doing it.

Barrier 1: Unspoken Expectations About Family Engagement

Some families may not see it as their place to be highly involved in their child's education. They may think it's their responsibility to get their child to school, and it's the teacher's job to teach skills and knowledge. In many cases, that doesn't mean a family is trying to avoid responsibility. It could be a cultural difference. Or it could be a sign of respect and trust in you as the teacher.

Research shows that parents who are explicitly invited and encouraged to take part in their child's education are more willing to do so, and they feel more confident that their participation can have an impact. That involvement could take the form of supporting their child at home or being a part of school activities.

Let families know you want to work with them toward your shared goal of helping their child thrive. Be explicit in letting them know that they play a critical role in meeting that goal.

Begin your relationship by introducing yourself and asking to learn more about their family and their student. During that time, ask them how they prefer to keep in contact.

Ask families how they'd like to be involved and what information they need to support their child's learning.

Barrier 2: Inflexible Work Schedules

According to one literature review, parents and caregivers who have more flexibility, stability, and predictable work hours at their jobs tend to be more engaged. That's because they can be.

But many families may have trouble getting time off from work to come to IEP meetings and other school events or conferences. They may have inflexible or unpredictable work schedules. Many parents and caregivers who work hourly-rate jobs may not be able to financially afford to take time off. Others may work night shifts and rely on getting sleep while students are at school. And many parents and caregivers may not have access to email or the ability to take a phone call at their job.

Offer the option of having meetings over the phone or via video conferencing instead of in person.

When it's time for parent-teacher conferences, offer early morning or evening meeting times if your schedule permits.

Consider keeping in touch with families using messaging on a communication platform like Remind or Participate. You can use these tools to send quick updates about student progress.

Let families know that the U.S. Department of Labor has said that parents and guardians can use the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) intermittently to attend IEP meetings.

Consider meeting in a mutually convenient public location, like a library or a community center. (Check your school's policies on this before moving forward with this type of plan.)

Barrier 3: Limited Resources

Even if family members are able to take time off from work to visit the school, getting to the school can put a strain on their resources. For instance, parents and caregivers might have trouble arranging childcare for their other children. Or they might have difficulties with transportation, including limited access to a car or mass transportation. All of these factors can make it hard for families to participate in school events or meetings.

Talk with your administration about the possibility of providing bus, train, or subway passes for families.

Suggest organizing a carpool for families to attend school events.

Video record your back-to-school-night presentation and email it to all families after the event. That way, families who couldn't make it in person can still access the same information.

Ask your school's administrator about collaborating with agencies like a local recreation center to provide childcare during parent-teacher conferences. Or check with your district to see if some high school students can watch your students' young siblings at your school in exchange for community service hours.

Offer opportunities to engage that don't involve coming to the school. For example, ask families if they'd like to help with the classroom newsletter or cut out materials for you if you send them home with their child.

Barrier 4: Shared or Complicated Custodial Situations

Some students split their time between their parents' homes. Other students are being raised by grandparents or other family members, or they're navigating the foster care system. A family member who seems hard to engage may not be on your class email list because the child moved into their home after the start of the school year. In other cases, a parent or caregiver may not get notices that are sent home because it's not their day with their child.

If you're unsure about the educational rights of a parent or foster parent, work with your school's social worker or counselor to get a clear answer.

Ask the family who needs to be kept in the loop about school events, meetings, and other announcements. You may need to add more than one family member to your email list or to send an extra copy of a notice or a report card to separate households.

Barrier 5: Cultural Differences or Immigration Concerns

It can be challenging for families of English language learners (ELLs) or immigrant students to interact with their child's teacher and school. A language barrier may deter some parents and caregivers from engaging with the school. There may also be cultural differences, like the view in some cultures that asking questions of the teacher is disrespectful. And some families may hold beliefs that having a struggling learner or a child with a disability is not something that should be talked about.

In other cases, families may have concerns about their immigration status. Those families may be afraid to engage because they don't feel safe or are unsure whether they can trust the school.

Read these six strategies for partnering with families of English language learners.

Use an interpreter to communicate with families, if possible. Ask your school administration how to request one. Try to avoid using students as interpreters between you and their families.

Know your students' rights. They not only have civil rights, but also rights to privacy and an education, regardless of their immigration status.

Know that schools and bus stops are currently " sensitive locations." This means that the Department of Homeland Security recognizes them as places where immigration enforcement shouldn't take place unexpectedly and without proper approvals.

Barrier 6: Prior Negative Experiences With Schools

Families of students who learn and think differently may come to you with years of negative experiences with the education system. They may feel intimidated by, angry at, or mistrustful of teachers and schools.

Keep in mind that some learning and thinking differences are genetic and run in families. There may be generations of family members who have their own negative associations and emotions about their experiences in school. They may feel as though they don't have the skills to support their child academically.

Acknowledge past negative experiences if families bring them up. Let them know that your goal is to work together collaboratively and respectfully.

Offer information in multiple formats, such as short videos, visual instructions, and printed information. Keep in mind that for some families, a lot of text may be overwhelming. Be as concise as possible and avoid using jargon.

Use neutral language when talking about a student's struggle with learning. Using the Universal Design for Learning framework can help you talk about learner variability and explain that you know all students have strengths and challenges. Let families know you work to support all learners and address their challenges to help them thrive.

Developing relationships with your students' families isn't always easy. But it's an investment that can lead to improved student achievement and trust, as well as improvements in communication with families. Want more information?

About the Author

About the Author

Amanda Morin&nbsp

worked as a classroom teacher and as an early intervention specialist for 10 years. She is the author of The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education. Two of her children have learning differences.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Timothy King, EdD&nbsp

founder of Crowning Moments, is the director of exceptional student education for Flagler County Schools in Florida.

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How to Break Down Communication Barriers Between Teachers and Families

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Keep in mind that what may seem like reluctance doesn't always mean families don't wantto be engaged in their child's education. Many families would like to be more involved. But some families may face significant barriers like unpredictable work schedules or immigration concerns.

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Parents and guardians play an essential role in elementary school learning, but effectively reaching them can be an ongoing challenge for even veteran elementary school teachers.

From offering a simple smile to fostering a sense of trust, below are nine tips key to effectively communicating with parents.

Be warm.
A little friendliness goes a long way, especially when it comes to elementary school parent-teacher communication. Whether you're communicating via email, text, or in person, be warm, be welcoming, and offer encouragement. When you see parents in person, smile, shake hands, and make eye contact.

Be positive.
Effective communication between parents and teachers starts with positivity. When contacting a student's parent or guardian, start out by saying something positive about him or her. Like friendliness, a little positivity goes a long way.

Foster a sense of trust.
The basis of effective communication with parents also starts with trust. It's essential for parents to trust their child's teacher. When speaking to parents, assure them that everything you discuss is confidential and that as an elementary school teacher, you always have your students' best interests at heart.

Communicate often.
Also make sure to communicate often! A common mistake amongst elementary school teachers, as well as secondary educators, is simply not communicating enough, or only reaching out when there's a problem. Communicate regularly with parents and they won't be on high alert when they hear from you!

...and in forms that work for parents and guardians.
One size does not fit all when it comes to parent-teacher communication, in elementary school and otherwise. From apps, message boards, and email to social media, texting, and phone calls, find out what communication tools work best for parents and guardians, then stick with it.

Make parents feel valuable.
Great parent-teacher communication, especially in elementary school, starts with making parents feel valuable. All parents and guardians have something worthwhile to offer your classroom, whether it's helping at an event or speaking to students about their occupation. Encourage them to participate and share their strengths.

Acknowledge involvement.
Parents are not required to participate in their child's education. Whether it's a parent or guardian taking the time out of his or her day to meet with you or participating in school events, it's important for elementary school teachers to acknowledge contributions and express thanks.

Ask questions (and listen!).
When talking to elementary school parents, ask questions. Not just about your students' study habits, but about their interests. Listen and absorb the information. Ask follow-up questions. You'll be surprised how much you can learn about not only your students, but their families, too.

Don't make assumptions.
No teacher, elementary or otherwise, should ever make assumptions about a student's home life. Don't assume a student lives with two parents or any parent at all. Also don't assume that English is a parent or guardian's native language. Be mindful of the fact that families come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.

Reach students and families with skills from a BS in Elementary Education

Whether you study on campus or online, a bachelor of science (BS) in elementary education will provide you with the foundation you need to become a successful certified elementary school teacher. The right program, however, will go beyond the basics of elementary education by equipping you with strategies to forge positive relationships and communicate effectively with parents and families.

Walden University's online BS in elementary education program prepares educators to engage with students and families to promote healthy development and learning. Ideal for busy professionals and aligned with national professional standards and licensure requirements, its unique online format enables those with work and family commitments to earn a bachelor of science in elementary education from the comfort of home.
Discover how Walden's online BS in elementary education program can prepare you to support the growth and learning of all children in today's highly diverse classrooms while effectively communicating with their families.

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effective communication between parents and teachers

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Effective parent-teacher communication is key to elementary education. Boost communication with these 9 easy tips.

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At a glance

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is an approach schools use to promote school safety and good behavior.

With PBIS, schools teach kids about behavior expectations and strategies.

The focus of PBIS is prevention, not punishment.

Many kids struggle with behavior in school. When schools react only with punishment, students don't learn the skills they need to improve. That's where positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) comes in.

PBIS is a proactive approach schools use to improve school safety and promote positive behavior. The focus of PBIS is prevention, not punishment.

With PBIS, schools teach students positive behavior strategies, just as they would teach about any other subject. All students learn about positive behavior, including kids with IEPs and 504 plans.

PBIS recognizes that students can only meet behavior expectations if they know what the expectations are. Everyone learns what's considered appropriate behavior. And they use a common language to talk about it. Throughout the school day - in class, at lunch, and on the bus - students understand what's expected of them.

According to research, PBIS leads to better student behavior. In many schools that use PBIS, students get fewer detentions and suspensions. They also earn better grades. And there's some evidence that PBIS may lead to less bullying.

About the author

About the author

Andrew M.I. Lee, JD is an editor and attorney who strives to help people understand complex legal, education, and parenting issues.

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What Is PBIS? Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

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PBIS is an approach schools use to improve student behavior. It focuses on prevention, not punishment. Learn about PBIS rewards, principles, and the three tiers of PBIS.

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by Jonathan C. Erwin

1. What are the two general approaches to student motivation?

2. List examples of external motivation used in your school or your classroom. What are some of the problems associated with external motivation?

3. How and why has the view of student-teacher relationships changed in recent years? What effect might external motivation strategies have on student-teacher relationships? What are the implications for your classroom and school?

4. In your own words, define each of the five basic needs of William Glasser's Choice Theory that internally motivate all human beings. What are the characteristics of these needs? Discuss the implications of this model of intrinsic motivation for the classroom.

Chapter 2: Survival in the Classroom

1. What are some of the real and perceived threats that may be a regular part of your students' school experience? What are the effects of threats, real or imagined, on student learning, according to brain research? What can teachers do to offset these threats?

2. What are some additional ways that you can help your students meet their immediate physical needs or reduce their anxiety?

3. How do procedures and routines relate to the need for survival in the classroom? What specific procedures do you already use that are effective? What procedures from Chapter 2 might enhance your classroom environment?

4. What other strategies might help develop a sense of order, safety, and security in the classroom?

Chapter 3: Love and Belonging in the Classroom

1. Why might teachers want to spend time developing positive relationships with and among their students?

2. Of the dozens of team building activities in this chapter, list and discuss the five or six that would work best with your students.

3. What is the rationale for using cooperative learning strategies? What are some of the common complaints about or pitfalls of using cooperative learning?

4. How do the strategies listed in Chapter 3 avoid the common pitfalls of cooperative learning? List and explain the three or four strategies most likely to work with your students.

5. What are the purposes of class meetings? Describe the three-step format for developing class meeting questions. What are some of the guidelines or rules for class meetings?

6. What is a class meeting topic that would be suitable for your students? Develop questions that would encourage students to define and personalize the topic as well as challenge their thinking about the topic.

Chapter 4: Power in the Classroom: Creating the Environment

1. What are some ways of giving students a voice in your classroom?

2. What are the benefits of engaging students in the development of a class constitution?

3. How might you engage students in generating some of the curriculum?

4. What is the difference between praise (and other rewards) and recognition? What kinds of recognition would be suitable for your own students?

5. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the suggested ways to help students gain a sense of empowerment in the classroom. Which three or four would be most appropriate for your students?

Chapter 5: Power in the Classroom: Strategies for Student Achievement

1. What is the difference between "schooling" and "education?" Is there any part of your curriculum that would fit into the "schooling" category? Choose two learning units you will teach this year and discuss how you might help your students understand how the knowledge and skills they will learn will be useful to them in the short or long term.

2. If possible, work with a team of four for this activity. First, assign each member one of the SAVI components to focus on (Somatic, Auditory, and so forth). Next, the members review the section of Chapter 5 that addresses their component. Third, each member chooses five strategies from the section that he or she was assigned. Finally, each member of the group teaches the rest of the team the five strategies he or she chose.

3. In what ways can we empower students through effective assessment practices?

4. What is the rationale for creating a competency-based classroom? What might be some of the challenges in doing so? How might you overcome those challenges?

Chapter 6: Freedom in the Classroom

1. What rationale is there behind providing students with freedom in your classroom? What is the difference between freedom and license?

2. Discuss the two general types of freedom. What strategies provide students with freedom from? What freedom to strategies might you use with your students?

3. Think of a learning unit that you will teach this year and, choosing from the 132 performance tasks listed, list those that you might offer your students as assessment choices.

Chapter 7: Fun in the Classroom

1. What rationale is there for intentionally making fun a regular part of your classroom?

2. In teams of four (if possible), divide up Chapter 7, with each team taking responsibility for one of the following sections of the chapter:

physical games

mind games

drama games

fun and games

Have each member choose four activities or games from their section and teach them to the rest of their group. If possible, have each member lead the others through the activity or game.

3. Which strategies from this chapter will work best for the students you work with?

Unit Planning Guide

1. Turn to Appendix B: I-Five: A Guide for Developing and Maintaining Personal and Role Involvement. Choosing from the strategies listed in Appendix A: I-Five Strategies* list the strategies (and page numbers) you will use in the coming school year to

Develop behavioral guidelines.

Clarify roles.

Create a sense of community.

Empower students.

Maintain a needs-satisfying environment.

Next, place a check next to each strategy under "Basic Needs Addressed," making sure that all five needs are addressed at least once somewhere on the guide. Remember, some strategies meet more than one need.
*Note: Those designed for these purposes will have a B or an O listed under the I-Five Column.

2. Individually, with a co-teaching partner, or with a team, develop an I-Five Unit using Appendix C: The I-Five Unit Guide. Again, choose strategies from Appendix A: I-Five Strategies.* After giving your unit a title, identify the specific learning objectives for the unit, and list two or three essential questions you would like your students to keep in mind throughout the unit and be able to answer at the end. Then, for each phase of the I-Five Unit: Introduction, Instruction, Integration, and Implementation, list the strategies you will use to accomplish the goals listed in the left column. Check the needs that the strategies address in the right columns. Try to address all five needs in each of the learning phases.
*Note: Appendix A designates the learning phases each strategy is best designed for.

The Classroom of Choice: Giving Students What They Need and Getting What You Want was written by Jonathan C. Erwin. This 222-page, 6" x 9" book (Stock #104020; ISBN 0-87120-829-6) is available from ASCD for $21.95 (ASCD member) or $26.95 (nonmember). Copyright 2004 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.

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An ASCD Study Guide for The Classroom of Choice: Giving Students What They Need and Getting What You Want

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by Jonathan C. Erwin What are the two general approaches to student motivation? List examples of external motivation used in your school or your classroom. What are some of the problems associated with external motivation? How and why has the view of student-teacher relationships changed in recent years?

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Although a career working with children can be fun and rewarding, it is not without challenges. One of these is managing challenging behaviour. Although there are many strategies out there to help manage behaviour, occasionally you will need to gather information and evidence to help you understand the context of behaviour in relation to the student's environment. This will help you develop an effective approach.

In this article, we will outline the ABC recording method, and how using it might help you analyse the behaviour of children you work with. We provide a handy downloadable chart which you can print off and use as part of your strategy.

What is the Antecedent Behaviour Consequence (A-B-C) model?

A-B-C or ABC recording is a way of collecting information to help determine the function of a child's behaviour. It does this by breaking down your observations into three elements:

Antecedents (A): what happened directly before the behaviour occurred.

Behaviour (B): the specific action(s) or behaviour of interest.

Consequences (C): what happened directly after the behaviour occurred.

Thinking of behaviour in these terms helps to understand why a child is behaving in a particular manner. This allows more meaningful interventions rather than just trying to prevent the behaviour itself.

Once collected, ABC information can provide some valuable insights on its own. It can be used informally by you to identify patterns of behaviour and subsequently develop effective management strategies. This can be applied in all sorts of settings, from parents at home, to teachers in the school classroom.

More formally, ABC information can be used as just one part of a larger ' functional behaviour assessment '. These functional assessments of behaviour may be carried out by specialists as part of the process of addressing challenging behaviour for children with autism or learning disabilities, as recommended in NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines (links in Further Reading).

History and Context of the ABC model

Fundamental theory

Breaking down behaviour into antecedents, behaviours and consequences has its roots deep within behavioural psychology of the 20 th century. B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) described this as the 'three-term contingency' of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is the theory that learnt behaviours can be encouraged by positive reinforcement, or discouraged through withholding positive reinforcement or applying punishment. It makes the crucial link between the behaviour itself (which occurs due to a trigger/antecedent) and the consequences after the behaviour occurred.

Application of theory

This concept underpins the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) which originated in the 1950s. ABA subscribes to the general modern view that all behaviour has a purpose o r function. ABA attempts to reduce the occurrence of challenging behaviour by understanding this function, then changing the antecedents, consequences, or both. It also aims to replace challenging behaviours with those of a more socially accepted function. For example, giving a child coloured cards to obtain attention from a teacher instead of standing up and shouting out.

Although closely linked to autism intervention, ABA principles form the basis of behaviour management strategies in a wide range of settings from home to healthcare. There are even whole books dedicated to using ABA for behaviour management within general school classrooms.

Modern iterations and extensions of ABA include the development of the functional assessments, function-based intervention and implementation of positive behavioural support (PBS) systems that we know today.

How ABC charts developed

ABC charts arose from a need for better methods for recording direct behaviour observations. The ABC method was first described by the applied behavioural scientist Sidney Bijou in a 1968 research paper (though note that the terms 'ABC analysis' or 'ABC chart' and the like, were coined later).

At the time, this paper was revolutionary in influencing the way behaviour was recorded. Previous behaviourists often described observations as a running narrative of events without any separation. Applying the A-B-C structure broke these narratives down into a series of events defined by triggers, actions and consequences.

Bijou emphasised the importance of doing this over multiple timepoints, and recording behaviours without inferring any emotional significance. Crucially, working with the ABC method of recording enabled patterns to be more easily identified and better integration of observational work with experimental work.

Modern usage of ABC charts

Recording behaviour through ABC charts is now common practice among many professions addressing challenging behaviour. Several reports suggest using ABC charts to help identify patterns behind challenging behaviour in the classroom environment. (See primary schools, secondary schools, general classroom, and the Further Reading section at the end of this article).

The use of ABC charts can be particularly valuable for those individuals who may struggle to articulate themselves. In these circumstances, behaviour - including self-injurious behaviour - may be serving as a way for the individual to communicate their wants and needs. This includes people recovering from brain injury, people with dementia, children with special educational needs (SEN) and individuals with autism.

The ABCs in more detail

All ABC charts record the core components of antecedents, behaviours and consequences. Below, these are discussed in more details, with some examples for each element.

Antecedents

Antecedents are the events that directly precede the observed behaviour and are also known as 'triggers'. They may include:

Being asked to stop or start specific tasks or activities, e.g. task transition.

A particularly easy or difficult assignment/activity.

Independent work.

Group work.

Being told 'no'.

Loud noises or bright lighting.

A comment or action from another child.

Absence of attention (e.g. teacher diverted to another student, or peers working quietly and not looking at the child).

Being in 'free-play' (no instructions or guidance).

Praise.

It is also important to consider antecedents that are not immediate and include the wider environment. These 'slow' triggers are noted at the start of a recording session, and could include:

Time of day (influencing hunger and energy levels/tiredness).

Medication.

Routine disruption.

Family events such as new sibling or bereavement.

Specific people/children being present.

Consequences

Consequences may serve to maintain, decrease or increase the frequency of behaviour depending on whether they are positive or negative. Typical consequences could include:

Repeat of request by teacher or other adult.

Being given a choice.

Behaviour being ignored (no action).

Item or toy taken away/received.

Time-out/sent out of class.

Reprimand by teacher or other adult (negative attention).

Praise or reassurance from a teacher or other adult (positive attention).

Consequences may also serve as an antecedent to another behaviour and need to be recorded as such. For example:

Pupil asked to put book away

Pupil ignores request

Request repeated, with deliberate eye contact

Repeat of request to put book away, with deliberate eye contact

Pupil puts book away

Praise

Behaviours

The behaviour is the action which the child takes. When describing behaviour in the context of ABC the aim is to be precise and specific. For example, 'threw book on floor', 'ignored request and carried on playing with toy', 'tapped pen loudly on desk', 'spoke without putting hand up', 'got up from chair'.

Behaviour is commonly thought of as having one of four functions (often referred to using the acronym SEAT):

Sensory - it feels good.

Escape - from environment or situation.

Attention - from others (adults or peers).

Tangible - access to a specific thing, such as a toy or food.

When analysing ABC data, you can look to see if the same behaviour often results in a particular consequence. For example, if biting another child keeps resulting in the bitten child surrendering a toy to the 'biter', then this behaviour has a 'tangible' function. With this knowledge, an appropriate intervention can be devised to encourage the use of a more appropriate behaviour to serve this function (teaching the child to ask nicely), and discourage the use of the biting behaviour (ensure toy is removed from the biter).

The same behaviour may serve alternate functions in different contexts. This is why it is important to collect information on the antecedents and consequences each time the behaviour happens, so you can consider the function for each occurrence.

When is it useful to apply the ABC model?

There are many strategies and techniques for managing challenging behaviour in children. You can find some helpful advice in our Hub article ' How to Deal with Challenging Behaviour in the Classroom '.

However, sometimes your go-to strategies may not be working. You might have difficulties with a particular child, or there could be a certain class-wide behaviour which frustrates you. In these circumstances, it could be useful to conduct your own informal ABC analysis to help you really get to the root of the problem.

You might also be asked by your school or another colleague to fill in an ABC chart for a particular pupil if they want to track how a child behaves throughout the day across different subjects or classrooms. If this is the case, make sure you have a clear definition of the specific behaviour that they want you to monitor (if applicable).

For example, instead of 'becomes aggressive', you could have this clarified as 'uses hands, feet, body or objects against others in a forceful way' and/or 'deliberate use of language (verbal or nonverbal) directed at others in a harmful or threatening manner'.

ABC analysis is very useful when you need to manage behaviour of children who have special educational needs (SEN), learning difficulties or autism, where challenging behaviour often presents as the result of an unmet want or need. You can conduct your own informal ABC analysis at any time, however if you have serious behaviour concerns you should also approach your school SENCO or behavioural support team for help and advice.

Our Challenging Behaviour training course is recommended for professionals who want to have a better understanding of how to respond to the behaviour of the children that they work with. The course includes a series of activities for you to complete in order to help you relate the information given to your setting.

Why Should I Use an ABC Chart for Challenging Behaviour?

An ABC chart is one of many types of behaviour recording, but it is often appreciated due to its simplicity and the depth of information it provides. Using an ABC chart as an observational tool helps you to analyse the circumstances and consequences of a child's behaviour. This helps form strategies of behaviour management that are person-centric, and ensures the needs of the individual are fully met. This is important because if the underlying reason for the behaviour is not identified and addressed, then problems may manifest themselves in additional challenging behaviours.
Some benefits of using an ABC chart include:

Recording behaviour on multiple occasions, enabling you to see patterns.

Checking for wider triggering context for problem behaviour, for example, being hungry or tired.

Identify situations when the challenging behaviour is most likely to occur so you can take steps to avoid these situations, or know what to expect if the situation is unavoidable.

Identifying and eliminating any positive consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

Identifying consequences which motivate the child, which you can then use to encourage desirable behaviours.

Establishing a plan for moving forward

At the end of collecting ABC observations, review your data and try to formulate a summary statement about the function of the behaviour (for example, using 'SEAT'). Additionally, try to draw conclusions about the potential triggers and identify any reinforcing consequences of the behaviour. It is a good idea to share this with colleagues to get a second independent opinion about your thoughts. You can then start to plan behaviour management strategies.
Helpful questions to consider during this process include:

Does the unwanted behaviour often occur at similar times during the day? What does this tell you?

Does the behaviour occur most often with a particular antecedent/trigger?

What changes could you make to your classroom or teaching methods to avoid particular antecedents?

If tracking multiple behaviours, do they occur with similar antecedents or consequences?

Looking at the antecedents and consequences, what is the most likely function for each instance of the behaviour? Is it often the same function?

What behaviour would you like to see instead?

How can you teach or explain this replacement behaviour to the child?

How can you develop 'good' consequences that will reinforce a preferred behaviour, and how do they relate to the original function of the behaviour?

How can you remove the 'good' consequences if the unwanted behaviour is displayed again in the future?

Was the behaviour deliberately provoked by others - are there other children you also need to consider?

Do you need any additional support to manage the behaviour?

Example Use of an ABC Chart (Case Study)

Here we provide an example of how ABC analysis can help develop a successful behaviour support plan for a child exhibiting challenging behaviour. Use the drop-down to expand the text.

Example details

Taking care with conclusions

One thing to take care with when using ABC charts is the possibility for false conclusions. This is because the ABC data you collect is correlational, not causal, so you can't be totally certain that the associations you make relating behaviours to functions and triggers are correct. In most cases, you will be able to draw meaningful conclusions. But, if you find an intervention strategy is not working, try some other ideas or collect some additional data. Don't forget to use your school's support system if needed.

Using ABC charts to identify things that work

Although the majority of examples for using ABC charts focus on developing strategies for managing challenging behaviour, they can be used effectively in positive ways. For example, you could use an ABC chart to gather information on consequences which seem to positively reinforce good behaviour. Everyone is an individual, so knowing what motivates a particular child can help you to create effective rewards for good behaviour.

Additionally, you could identify antecedents that seem to result in a desirable behaviour. For example, you might find that hand raising rather than calling out occurs more often when the student is reminded of this at the start of the lesson, and positive praise is given each time.

Free ABC Chart for Behaviour Template

Below you can download our ABC chart template to help you collect data in an organised and meaningful way. You can print out our chart and have it in a handy location on your desk or wall, so you can fill it in upon the occurrence of a behaviour, and have the relevant information in one convenient place.

How to fill in the chart

Firstly, define the specific behaviour you want to address and which is causing you most issues. ABC charts are most commonly used to track just one or two target behaviours at once, because it allows you time to record each instance whilst also managing a class or group. However, you can monitor multiple challenging behaviours in an individual or one particular behaviour across a whole class if you wish.

If you have a classroom assistant, you may want to explain what you are doing to them and ask them to help you record the behaviour.

Next, decide when you will take records. It might be too much to fill in the ABC chart throughout the whole day - if so, you could choose a particular lesson when you know the behaviour is likely to occur.

When you are ready to fill out the chart, make sure you keep it in an easily accessible place. Note down the time, then detail the antecedent and consequence each time the behaviour(s) occur as objectively as possible.

When observing a high frequency behaviour, it can be useful to create a system to record common antecedents and consequences using letters or numbers to save time. For example, consequence A: time out, B: choice given to student, C: reprimand, D: attention from peers, etc.

How often you should use it

To use an ABC chart effectively it is recommended to collect data several times, or until you are able to see patterns emerge.

One guide suggests that for a single target behaviour, observations should be carried out over 2-3 sessions, depending on the frequency of the behaviour. If you aim to record multiple behaviours, you will need more data to draw meaningful conclusions - ideally between 3 to 7 school days. (Reference: Martella et al., 2012).
Click the button below to download your free ABC chart template now: This article has outlined the background and theory behind the ABC model of behaviour and provided you with some practical information on how you can use an ABC chart to monitor challenging behaviour. Hopefully this will aid you in developing more effective, meaningful interventions. Finally, we provide you with a template ABC chart which you can download and print for your own use.
What to Read Next

Further Reading and References

This article was written using many different sources. In addition to the links in the article, you may find the following references of particular interest:

NICE guidelines for addressing challenging behaviour of children with autism or learning disabilities. They recommend that practitioners should try to 'develop a shared understanding about the function of the behaviour'. In sections 1.5.9 (learning disabilities) and 1.4.7 (autism), requirements of functional assessments of behaviour are outlined to include information such as time of occurrence, triggers and consequences/reinforcers. ABC charts are an efficient way to gather this information.

Moreno, G. (2011). 'Addressing challenging behaviours in the general education setting: conducting a teacher-based Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA)'. Education 3-13, vol 39(4), p.363-371. Available from: link. This article discusses how applying the principles of FBA, including use of A-B-C recording, can be useful for teachers in the classroom for students both with and without learning disabilities. It also provides practical advice on conducting analysis and developing subsequent behaviour intervention plans.

Martella, R.C., et al. (2012). 'Functional Behaviour Assessments and Behaviour Support Plans.' Chap. 4 in Comprehensive behaviour management: individualized, classroom, and schoolwide approaches, p.110-145. California: SAGE Publications, Inc. Available from: link. Provides detailed information and context on use of FBA in schools to aid behaviour support plans. Guidance on how to perform A-B-C analysis can be found on page 124.

Moxley, R.A. (1998). 'Why Skinner is difficult'. The Behaviour Analyst, vol 21(1) p.73-91. Available from: link. This is a historical overview of the influential work of B.F. Skinner, explaining the origins and development of the theory of operant conditioning and the three-term contingency (viewing behaviour through antecedents and consequences).

Mendres, A.E.; Frank-Crawford, M.A. (2009). 'A Tribute to Sidney W. Bijou, Pioneer in Behavior Analysis and Child Development: Key Works That Have Transformed Behavior Analysis in Practice'. Behaviour Analysis in Practice, vol 2(2), p.4-10. Available from: link. This article explains the importance of Bijou's development of A-B-C recording in the context of modern behaviour analysis.

Bijou, S.W.; Peterson, R.F.; Ault, M.H. (1968). 'A method to integrate descriptive and experimental field studes at the level of data and empirical concepts'. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis. Vol 1(2) p.175-191. Available from: link. This is the original paper describing the method of ABC analysis and observation. The origin of ABC charts can be seen on page 178.

Gore, N.J.; McGill, P.; Toogood, S. et al. (2013). 'Definition and scope for positive behavioural support'. International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support, vol 3(2), p.14-23. Available from: link. Discusses positive behavioural support (PBS) as a strategy for managing challenging behaviour in relation to the UK systems for multiple school or care settings and people with a variety of needs. Explains the roots of PBS in applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and use of functional assessments.

The University of Kansas 'Special Connections' Website. Available from: link. This website contains a lot of practical advice on strategies to manage behaviour, including the use of functional assessments, ABC charts, positive behaviour intervention plans and case studies. The resource was developed to aid teachers, parents and other practitioners in supporting students with special educational needs, but the information is applicable to many other settings as well.

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ABC Chart for Challenging Behaviour: Free Template

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Recording behaviour through ABC charts is now common practice among many professions addressing challenging behaviour. We provide a free ABC chart, here.

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In their book, Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals, Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook identify "co-teaching as a specific service delivery option that is based on collaboration." As a service delivery option, co-teaching is designed to meet the educational needs of students with diverse learning options.

Students at all academic levels benefit from alternative assignments and greater teacher attention in small-group activities that co-teaching makes possible. Co-teaching allows for more intense and individualized instruction in the general education setting increasing access to the general education curriculum while decreasing stigma for students with special needs. Students have an opportunity to increase their understanding and respect for students with special needs. Students with special needs have a greater opportunity for continuity of instruction as the teachers benefit from the professional support and exchange of teaching practices as they work collaboratively.

Co-teaching involves two or more certified professionals who contract to share instructional responsibility for a single group of students primarily in a single classroom or workspace for specific content or objectives with mutual ownership, pooled resources and joint accountability. (Friend & Cook 2016)

Six Approaches to Co-Teaching

1. One Teach, One Observe. One of the advantages in co-teaching is that more detailed observation of students engaged in the learning process can occur. With this approach, for example, co-teachers can decide in advance what types of specific observational information to gather during instruction and can agree on a system for gathering the data. Afterward, the teachers should analyze the information together.

2. One Teach, One Assist. In a second approach to co-teaching, one person would keep primary responsibility for teaching while the other professional circulated through the room providing unobtrusive assistance to students as needed.

3. Parallel Teaching. On occasion, student learning would be greatly facilitated if they just had more supervision by the teacher or more opportunity to respond. In parallel teaching, the teachers are both covering the same information, but they divide the class into two groups and teach simultaneously.

4. Station Teaching. In this co-teaching approach, teachers divide content and students. Each teacher then teaches the content to one group and subsequently repeats the instruction for the other group. If appropriate, a third station could give students an opportunity to work independently.

5. Alternative Teaching: In most class groups, occasions arise in which several students need specialized attention. In alternative teaching, one teacher takes responsibility for the large group while the other works with a smaller group.

6. Team Teaching: In team teaching, both teachers are delivering the same instruction at the same time. Some teachers refer to this as having one brain in two bodies. Others call it tag team teaching. Most co-teachers consider this approach the most complex but satisfying way to co-teach, but the approach that is most dependent on teachers' styles.

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Six Approaches to Co-Teaching - State Education Resource Center

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In their book, Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals, Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook identify "co-teaching as a specific service delivery option that is based on collaboration." As a service delivery option, co-teaching is designed to meet the educational needs of studen...

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Paper airplanes fly across the room. Students race between desks. You can't get a word in, as they yell over you.

Disruptive behavior doesn't have to be this dramatic, like a movie scene you'd watch in a media literacy lesson, but poor classroom management will almost assuredly elevate your stress and burnout rates.

Unfortunately, a 2019 report indicates that teachers overwhelmingly report a lack of professional development support in improving classroom management. Despite this unideal situation, there are straightforward and effective classroom management approaches you can implement by yourself. These approaches can enhance prosocial student behavior and academic engagement, establishing an orderly learning environment.

Available as a downloadable list to keep at your desk, below are 20 research-backed classroom management strategies and techniques.

Use the ones that best appeal to your situation and teaching style.

Universal classroom management strategies for educators

These 20 classroom management techniques have shown to improve classroom behavior, build relationships for a better classroom community, and foster a positive classroom environment where student learning is the number one collective goal.

Try these effective classroom management strategies with your students to become a happier, more effective teacher.

1. Model ideal behavior

Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many studies show that modelling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations.

A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation with an administrator, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:

Use polite language

Maintain eye contact

Keep phones in your pockets

Let one another speak uninterrupted

Raise concerns about one another's statements in a respectful manner

After, start a class discussion to list and expand upon the ideal behaviors you exemplified.

2. Let students help establish guidelines

Encourage all students to help you build classroom expectations and rules, as you'll generate more buy-in than just telling them what they're not allowed to do.

This is especially essential for new teachers. Near the start of the school year or during the first day of a semester, start a discussion by asking students what they believe should and shouldn't fly in terms of appropriate behavior.

At what points are phones okay and not okay? What are acceptable noise levels during lessons?

This may seem like you're setting yourself up for failure, but -- depending on the makeup of your class -- you may be shocked at the strictness of some proposed rules. Regardless, having a discussion should lead to mutually-understood and -respected expectations for your classroom culture.

3. Document rules
Don't let your mutually-respected guidelines go forgotten.
Similar to handing out a syllabus, print and distribute the list of rules that the class discussion generated. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to them. And when a student breaks a rule, it'll be easy for you to point to this document.

You'll likely want to post these rules up in your classroom - if you haven't already - for occasional reference. If you're feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information, too.

4. Avoid punishing the class

Address isolated discipline problems individually instead of punishing an entire class, as the latter can hurt your relationships with students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize other classroom management efforts.

Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:

"Do you have a question?", not "Stop talking and disrupting other students"

"Do you need help focusing?", not "Pay attention and stop fooling around while I'm talking"

This basic approach will allow you to keep a friendly disposition, while immediately acknowledging inappropriate behavior.

5. Encourage initiative

Promote growth mindset, and inject variety into your lessons, by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short presentations to share take-away points. Almost inevitably, you'll have some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they'd like to get ahead from time-to-time.

For example, if you're reading a specific chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the following one too. When they deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next chapter on your behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.

6. Offer praise

Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study.

When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:

Inspire the class

Improve a student's self-esteem

Reinforce rules and values you want to see

Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students to repeat positive behavior. Let's say a student exemplifies advanced problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem. Praising his or her use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues to use these tactics. Not to mention, you'll motivate other students to do the same.

7. Use non-verbal communication

Complement words with actions and visual aids to improve content delivery, helping students focus and process lessons.

Many differentiated instruction strategies and techniques are rooted in these communication methods. For example, running learning stations -- divided sections of your classroom through which students rotate -- allows you to deliver a range of non-spoken content types. These include videos, infographics and physical objects such as counting coins.

8. Hold parties

Throw an occasional classroom party to acknowledge students' hard work, motivating them to keep it up.

Even if it's just for 20 or 30 minutes, they should be happy with snacks and a selection of group games to play. Clarify that you're holding the party to reward them and they can earn future parties by demonstrating ideal behavior, collectively scoring high on assessments and more.

9. Give tangible rewards

Reward specific students at the end of each lesson, in front of the class, as another motivational and behavior-reinforcement technique.

Let's say a few students are actively listening throughout the entire lesson, answering questions and asking their own. Before the class ends, walk over to their desks to give them raffle tickets. So others can learn, state aloud what each student did to earn the tickets. On Friday, they can submit their tickets for a shot at a prize that changes each week -- from candy to being able to choose a game for the next class party.

10. Make positive letters and phone calls

Keep students happy in and out of class by pleasantly surprising their parents, making positive phone calls and sending complimentary letters home.

When the occasion arises, from academic effort or behavioral progress, letting parents know has a trickle-down effect. They'll generally congratulate their kids; their kids will likely come to class eager to earn more positive feedback. This can also entice parents to grow more invested in a child's learning, opening the door to at-home lessons. Such lessons are a mainstay element of culturally-responsive teaching.

11. Build excitement for content and lesson plans

This one works well no matter the grade level: elementary school, middle school or high school. Start lessons by previewing particularly-exciting parts, hooking student interest from the get-go.

As the bell rings and students settle, go through an agenda of the day's highlights for the whole class. These could include group tasks, engaging bits of content and anything else to pique curiosity. For example, "Throughout the day, you'll learn about:"

How to talk like you're a teacher (sentence structure)

Why you don't know anyone who's won the lottery (probability)

What all the presidents of the United States have had in common (social analysis)

The goal of this classroom management technique is to immediately interest students in your agenda and thereby dissuade misbehavior.

Ready to make learning an exciting adventure?

Use Prodigy to boost classroom engagement and excitement with two captivating learning games for math and English!

12. Offer different types of free study time

Provide a range of activities during free study time to appeal to students who struggle to process content in silence, individually.

You can do this by dividing your class into clearly-sectioned solo and team activities. In separate sections, consider:

Providing audiobooks, which can play material relevant to your lessons

Maintaining a designated quiet space for students to take notes and complete work

Creating a station for challenging group games that teach or reinforce standards-aligned skills

Allowing students to work in groups while taking notes and completing work, away from quiet zones

By running these sorts of activities, free study time will begin to benefit diverse learners. This should contribute to overall classroom engagement.

13. Write group contracts

Help student group work run smoothly and effectively by writing contracts that contain guidelines, having everyone sign.

Group contracts should be based on expectations that students have for each other, and you have for them. You can gather the class's thoughts by holding a discussion about what the ideal group member does, and how he or she acts. Once you've written the contract, encourage students to come up with consequences for violating expectations.

By having them sign a fresh version of the contract before each group task and project, you're empowering them to hold each other accountable.

14. Assign open-ended projects

Encourage students to tackle open-ended projects -- projects that don't demand a specific product -- to allow them to demonstrate knowledge in ways that inherently suit them.

This starts by giving the class a list of broad project ideas, asking each student to choose one. Be sure to provide a rubric for each project that clearly defines expectations. By both enticing and challenging students, you should notice they'll:

Work and learn at their own paces

Engage actively with appropriate content

Demonstrate knowledge as effectively as possible

With these benefits, students may actually look forward to taking on new projects.

15. Give only two scores for informal assessments

Recall a time you saw a big "F" in red ink on your work. You were probably too upset to review mistakes and feedback, and so are your students when they see the same.
So, consider avoiding standard marks on informal and formative assessments.
Instead, just state if a student did or did not meet expectations. Then, provide struggling students with a clear path to improve. For example, pair classmates who didn't meet expectations with those who did, giving them a review and practice activity. When strugglers are confident they understand key concepts, encourage them to tell you. Provide a new assessment, allowing them to prove their competency.

Classroom management strategies for individual students

16. Use EdTech that adjusts to each student

Give students who struggle to process your content opportunities to try educational technology that adapts to their needs.

There are many games and platforms that use adaptive learning principles to detect a given student's skill deficits, serving them content to help overcome them.

For example, Prodigy Math adjusts its content to help students in grades 1 to 8 address their trouble spots. It also offers feedback to help them solve specific mistakes, as they answer questions that use words, charts, pictures and numbers.

The best bit? Teaching tools are all available at no cost to educators and schools.
See the student experience below!
Educators, access at no cost

17. Interview students

Interview students who aren't academically engaged or displaying prosocial behavior to learn how to better manage them.

While running learning stations or a large-group activity, pull each student aside for a few minutes. Ask about:

What helps them focus

Who they work well with

Their favorite types of lessons

Their favorite in-class activities

Which kinds of exercises help them remember key lesson points

Note their answers to come up with activities and approaches that engage them, thereby limiting classroom disruptions.

18. Address inappropriate or off-task behavior quickly

Avoid hesitation when you must address inappropriate or off-task behavior, especially when a student breaks a documented rule.

Acting sooner than later will help ensure that negative feelings -- whether between students or you and a student -- won't fester. Failure to act can result in more poor behavior, leading to needlessly-difficult conversations.

But keep in mind: It's usually best to talk to the student in private. Research shows that punishing students in front of peers has "limited value."

19. Consider peer teaching

Use peer teaching as a classroom management strategy if you feel your top performers can help engage and educate disruptive and struggling students.

Peer teaching activities, such as pairing students together as reading buddies, can be especially beneficial for students who suffer from low confidence and poor interpersonal skills.

Authoritative research states tutors improve self-esteem and interpersonal skills by giving feedback. Tutees realize benefits because they can ask questions and receive immediate clarification. A later study of at-risk students echoes these advantages. Although you should spend time teaching peer tutors how to properly communicate with tutees, you'll likely find the benefits are worth the work.

20. Gamify personal learning plans

Motivate students on personal learning plans by gamifying those plans, as studies - such as recent research from South Korea - indicate this will continuously engage and incentivize them.

Consider gamification strategies such as:

Adjusting your scoring system -- Give experience points (XP) -- along with traditional scores -- on tests and assignments, setting a goal for the student to reach a certain amount of XP per unit. For example, if a student scores 60% on a quiz, give him or her 6,000 XP. You can also award XP for completing extra assignments, participating in class or anything else that shows effort to learn.

Using stages -- Refer to topics and units as stages. The former terms have clear connotations for you, but students may not see how they fit together. If they're gamers, they'll understand that reaching the next stage requires overcoming precursory challenges. Emphasize this by framing certain tasks as prerequisites to reach the next learning stage.

If these strategies work especially well for individual students, you should see similar success by using them as class-wide student management techniques.

Classroom management strategy FAQs

What is the best classroom management style?

According to Diana Baumrind's work, a clinical psychologist known for her research on parenting styles, some educators believe an authoritative classroom management style may the best one. This type of high control, high involvement classroom management style is characterized by strong expectations of appropriate behavior, clear understandings of why certain behaviors are acceptable and others not acceptable, and warm student-teacher relationships.

However, there is no specific approach that has been proven to be the most effective. So you may wish to review The Classroom Management Book by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong which includes a variety of solutions that can be easily implemented. Every group of students has varying needs and will likely need a unique approach to help every student bring his or her best self to the classroom and be ready-to-learn every single day.

What are the four components of classroom management?

Implementing the top four components of classroom management from the start will set you and your students up for success all year long. They are:

Classroom design - be intentional about how you set up your desk, your students' desks, bulletin board displays, devices and other aspects of your classroom. Thoughtful classroom design can help create a safe and welcoming learning environment.

Rules/discipline - to create a safe and caring school community, develop classroom rules your students understand and - hopefully - respect. While it may not be fun, be sure to communicate that breaking classroom rules will have concrete yet fair consequences.

Scheduling/organization - being on time, keeping on task and staying organized will help set up your lessons (and your students' learning) up for success.

Instructional technique - while you may not have the flexibility you'd like when it comes to content and curriculum, you should have the freedom to choose how you teach. For example, 8th grade students may prefer a lecture-style lesson with small group discussions while 3rd grade students may prefer learning math with a digital game-based learning platform. Observe how your students learn best and use the classroom management strategies and techniques to teach your lessons.

Why is classroom management so important?

When done effectively, classroom management is important for three main reasons. It:

1. Creates and sustains an orderly learning environment in the classroom

2. Improves meaningful academic learning and fosters social-emotional growth

3. Increases students' academic engagement and lowers negative classroom behavior

Final thoughts about these classroom management strategies

These class-wide and one-on-one approaches to classroom management largely work across subjects and grade levels. Implementable without admin and parent support, they should empower you to establish an orderly - yet friendly and engaging - environment.

Look forward to better teacher-to-student and student-to-student interactions as a result.

Looking for a fun way to engage and reward your students? Try Prodigy Math! Aligned with curricula for grades 1 to 8, students will practice key skills while also exploring an exciting fantasy world.

Plus, you'll get access to free teacher tools that help you differentiate math content, send assessments and collect student insights - in just a few clicks.

Educators, access at no cost

Paper airplanes fly across the room. Students race between desks. You can't get a word in, as they yell over you.

Disruptive behavior doesn't have to be this dramatic, like a movie scene you'd watch in a media literacy lesson, but poor classroom management will almost assuredly elevate your stress and burnout rates.

Unfortunately, a 2019 report indicates that teachers overwhelmingly report a lack of professional development support in improving classroom management. Despite this unideal situation, there are straightforward and effective classroom management approaches you can implement by yourself. These approaches can enhance prosocial student behavior and academic engagement, establishing an orderly learning environment.

Available as a downloadable list to keep at your desk, below are 20 research-backed classroom management strategies and techniques.

Use the ones that best appeal to your situation and teaching style.

Universal classroom management strategies for educators

These 20 classroom management techniques have shown to improve classroom behavior, build relationships for a better classroom community, and foster a positive classroom environment where student learning is the number one collective goal.

Try these effective classroom management strategies with your students to become a happier, more effective teacher.

1. Model ideal behavior

Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many studies show that modelling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations.

A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation with an administrator, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or other relatable topic, be sure to:

Use polite language

Maintain eye contact

Keep phones in your pockets

Let one another speak uninterrupted

Raise concerns about one another's statements in a respectful manner

After, start a class discussion to list and expand upon the ideal behaviors you exemplified.

2. Let students help establish guidelines

Encourage all students to help you build classroom expectations and rules, as you'll generate more buy-in than just telling them what they're not allowed to do.

This is especially essential for new teachers. Near the start of the school year or during the first day of a semester, start a discussion by asking students what they believe should and shouldn't fly in terms of appropriate behavior.

At what points are phones okay and not okay? What are acceptable noise levels during lessons?

This may seem like you're setting yourself up for failure, but -- depending on the makeup of your class -- you may be shocked at the strictness of some proposed rules. Regardless, having a discussion should lead to mutually-understood and -respected expectations for your classroom culture.

3. Document rules
Don't let your mutually-respected guidelines go forgotten.
Similar to handing out a syllabus, print and distribute the list of rules that the class discussion generated. Then, go through the list with your students. Doing this emphasizes the fact that you respect their ideas and intend to adhere to them. And when a student breaks a rule, it'll be easy for you to point to this document.

You'll likely want to post these rules up in your classroom - if you haven't already - for occasional reference. If you're feeling creative, you can include the rule list in a student handbook with important dates, events and curriculum information, too.

4. Avoid punishing the class

Address isolated discipline problems individually instead of punishing an entire class, as the latter can hurt your relationships with students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize other classroom management efforts.

Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:

"Do you have a question?", not "Stop talking and disrupting other students"

"Do you need help focusing?", not "Pay attention and stop fooling around while I'm talking"

This basic approach will allow you to keep a friendly disposition, while immediately acknowledging inappropriate behavior.

5. Encourage initiative

Promote growth mindset, and inject variety into your lessons, by allowing students to work ahead and deliver short presentations to share take-away points. Almost inevitably, you'll have some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they'd like to get ahead from time-to-time.

For example, if you're reading a specific chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the following one too. When they deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next chapter on your behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.

6. Offer praise

Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral performance, according to a recent research review and study.

When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:

Inspire the class

Improve a student's self-esteem

Reinforce rules and values you want to see

Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students to repeat positive behavior. Let's say a student exemplifies advanced problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem. Praising his or her use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues to use these tactics. Not to mention, you'll motivate other students to do the same.

7. Use non-verbal communication

Complement words with actions and visual aids to improve content delivery, helping students focus and process lessons.

Many differentiated instruction strategies and techniques are rooted in these communication methods. For example, running learning stations -- divided sections of your classroom through which students rotate -- allows you to deliver a range of non-spoken content types. These include videos, infographics and physical objects such as counting coins.

8. Hold parties

Throw an occasional classroom party to acknowledge students' hard work, motivating them to keep it up.

Even if it's just for 20 or 30 minutes, they should be happy with snacks and a selection of group games to play. Clarify that you're holding the party to reward them and they can earn future parties by demonstrating ideal behavior, collectively scoring high on assessments and more.

9. Give tangible rewards

Reward specific students at the end of each lesson, in front of the class, as another motivational and behavior-reinforcement technique.

Let's say a few students are actively listening throughout the entire lesson, answering questions and asking their own. Before the class ends, walk over to their desks to give them raffle tickets. So others can learn, state aloud what each student did to earn the tickets. On Friday, they can submit their tickets for a shot at a prize that changes each week -- from candy to being able to choose a game for the next class party.

10. Make positive letters and phone calls

Keep students happy in and out of class by pleasantly surprising their parents, making positive phone calls and sending complimentary letters home.

When the occasion arises, from academic effort or behavioral progress, letting parents know has a trickle-down effect. They'll generally congratulate their kids; their kids will likely come to class eager to earn more positive feedback. This can also entice parents to grow more invested in a child's learning, opening the door to at-home lessons. Such lessons are a mainstay element of culturally-responsive teaching.

11. Build excitement for content and lesson plans

This one works well no matter the grade level: elementary school, middle school or high school. Start lessons by previewing particularly-exciting parts, hooking student interest from the get-go.

As the bell rings and students settle, go through an agenda of the day's highlights for the whole class. These could include group tasks, engaging bits of content and anything else to pique curiosity. For example, "Throughout the day, you'll learn about:"

How to talk like you're a teacher (sentence structure)

Why you don't know anyone who's won the lottery (probability)

What all the presidents of the United States have had in common (social analysis)

The goal of this classroom management technique is to immediately interest students in your agenda and thereby dissuade misbehavior.

Ready to make learning an exciting adventure?

Use Prodigy to boost classroom engagement and excitement with two captivating learning games for math and English!

12. Offer different types of free study time

Provide a range of activities during free study time to appeal to students who struggle to process content in silence, individually.

You can do this by dividing your class into clearly-sectioned solo and team activities. In separate sections, consider:

Providing audiobooks, which can play material relevant to your lessons

Maintaining a designated quiet space for students to take notes and complete work

Creating a station for challenging group games that teach or reinforce standards-aligned skills

Allowing students to work in groups while taking notes and completing work, away from quiet zones

By running these sorts of activities, free study time will begin to benefit diverse learners. This should contribute to overall classroom engagement.

13. Write group contracts

Help student group work run smoothly and effectively by writing contracts that contain guidelines, having everyone sign.

Group contracts should be based on expectations that students have for each other, and you have for them. You can gather the class's thoughts by holding a discussion about what the ideal group member does, and how he or she acts. Once you've written the contract, encourage students to come up with consequences for violating expectations.

By having them sign a fresh version of the contract before each group task and project, you're empowering them to hold each other accountable.

14. Assign open-ended projects

Encourage students to tackle open-ended projects -- projects that don't demand a specific product -- to allow them to demonstrate knowledge in ways that inherently suit them.

This starts by giving the class a list of broad project ideas, asking each student to choose one. Be sure to provide a rubric for each project that clearly defines expectations. By both enticing and challenging students, you should notice they'll:

Work and learn at their own paces

Engage actively with appropriate content

Demonstrate knowledge as effectively as possible

With these benefits, students may actually look forward to taking on new projects.

15. Give only two scores for informal assessments

Recall a time you saw a big "F" in red ink on your work. You were probably too upset to review mistakes and feedback, and so are your students when they see the same.
So, consider avoiding standard marks on informal and formative assessments.
Instead, just state if a student did or did not meet expectations. Then, provide struggling students with a clear path to improve. For example, pair classmates who didn't meet expectations with those who did, giving them a review and practice activity. When strugglers are confident they understand key concepts, encourage them to tell you. Provide a new assessment, allowing them to prove their competency.

Classroom management strategies for individual students

16. Use EdTech that adjusts to each student

Give students who struggle to process your content opportunities to try educational technology that adapts to their needs.

There are many games and platforms that use adaptive learning principles to detect a given student's skill deficits, serving them content to help overcome them.

For example, Prodigy Math adjusts its content to help students in grades 1 to 8 address their trouble spots. It also offers feedback to help them solve specific mistakes, as they answer questions that use words, charts, pictures and numbers.

The best bit? Teaching tools are all available at no cost to educators and schools.
See the student experience below!
Educators, access at no cost

17. Interview students

Interview students who aren't academically engaged or displaying prosocial behavior to learn how to better manage them.

While running learning stations or a large-group activity, pull each student aside for a few minutes. Ask about:

What helps them focus

Who they work well with

Their favorite types of lessons

Their favorite in-class activities

Which kinds of exercises help them remember key lesson points

Note their answers to come up with activities and approaches that engage them, thereby limiting classroom disruptions.

18. Address inappropriate or off-task behavior quickly

Avoid hesitation when you must address inappropriate or off-task behavior, especially when a student breaks a documented rule.

Acting sooner than later will help ensure that negative feelings -- whether between students or you and a student -- won't fester. Failure to act can result in more poor behavior, leading to needlessly-difficult conversations.

But keep in mind: It's usually best to talk to the student in private. Research shows that punishing students in front of peers has "limited value."

19. Consider peer teaching

Use peer teaching as a classroom management strategy if you feel your top performers can help engage and educate disruptive and struggling students.

Peer teaching activities, such as pairing students together as reading buddies, can be especially beneficial for students who suffer from low confidence and poor interpersonal skills.

Authoritative research states tutors improve self-esteem and interpersonal skills by giving feedback. Tutees realize benefits because they can ask questions and receive immediate clarification. A later study of at-risk students echoes these advantages. Although you should spend time teaching peer tutors how to properly communicate with tutees, you'll likely find the benefits are worth the work.

20. Gamify personal learning plans

Motivate students on personal learning plans by gamifying those plans, as studies - such as recent research from South Korea - indicate this will continuously engage and incentivize them.

Consider gamification strategies such as:

Adjusting your scoring system -- Give experience points (XP) -- along with traditional scores -- on tests and assignments, setting a goal for the student to reach a certain amount of XP per unit. For example, if a student scores 60% on a quiz, give him or her 6,000 XP. You can also award XP for completing extra assignments, participating in class or anything else that shows effort to learn.

Using stages -- Refer to topics and units as stages. The former terms have clear connotations for you, but students may not see how they fit together. If they're gamers, they'll understand that reaching the next stage requires overcoming precursory challenges. Emphasize this by framing certain tasks as prerequisites to reach the next learning stage.

If these strategies work especially well for individual students, you should see similar success by using them as class-wide student management techniques.

Classroom management strategy FAQs

What is the best classroom management style?

According to Diana Baumrind's work, a clinical psychologist known for her research on parenting styles, some educators believe an authoritative classroom management style may the best one. This type of high control, high involvement classroom management style is characterized by strong expectations of appropriate behavior, clear understandings of why certain behaviors are acceptable and others not acceptable, and warm student-teacher relationships.

However, there is no specific approach that has been proven to be the most effective. So you may wish to review The Classroom Management Book by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong which includes a variety of solutions that can be easily implemented. Every group of students has varying needs and will likely need a unique approach to help every student bring his or her best self to the classroom and be ready-to-learn every single day.

What are the four components of classroom management?

Implementing the top four components of classroom management from the start will set you and your students up for success all year long. They are:

Classroom design - be intentional about how you set up your desk, your students' desks, bulletin board displays, devices and other aspects of your classroom. Thoughtful classroom design can help create a safe and welcoming learning environment.

Rules/discipline - to create a safe and caring school community, develop classroom rules your students understand and - hopefully - respect. While it may not be fun, be sure to communicate that breaking classroom rules will have concrete yet fair consequences.

Scheduling/organization - being on time, keeping on task and staying organized will help set up your lessons (and your students' learning) up for success.

Instructional technique - while you may not have the flexibility you'd like when it comes to content and curriculum, you should have the freedom to choose how you teach. For example, 8th grade students may prefer a lecture-style lesson with small group discussions while 3rd grade students may prefer learning math with a digital game-based learning platform. Observe how your students learn best and use the classroom management strategies and techniques to teach your lessons.

Why is classroom management so important?

When done effectively, classroom management is important for three main reasons. It:

1. Creates and sustains an orderly learning environment in the classroom

2. Improves meaningful academic learning and fosters social-emotional growth

3. Increases students' academic engagement and lowers negative classroom behavior

Final thoughts about these classroom management strategies

These class-wide and one-on-one approaches to classroom management largely work across subjects and grade levels. Implementable without admin and parent support, they should empower you to establish an orderly - yet friendly and engaging - environment.

Look forward to better teacher-to-student and student-to-student interactions as a result.

Looking for a fun way to engage and reward your students? Try Prodigy Math! Aligned with curricula for grades 1 to 8, students will practice key skills while also exploring an exciting fantasy world.

Plus, you'll get access to free teacher tools that help you differentiate math content, send assessments and collect student insights - in just a few clicks.

Educators, access at no cost

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20 Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques [+ Downloadable List]

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Paper airplanes fly across the room. Students race between desks. You can't get a word in, as they yell over you. Disruptive behavior doesn't have to be this dramatic, like a movie scene you'd watch in a media literacy lesson, but poor classroom management will almost assuredly elevate your stress and burnout rates.

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Looking for some tried and true classroom management strategies that will actually work in your classroom? Look no further. They're all here.

Classroom management was a huge struggle for me when I first started teaching. Okay, struggle is putting it a bit nicely. It may or may not have escalated to the point that I found myself crying in the back hallway because I just couldn't face my first period class.

But thankfully that's not the end of the story. With the help of amazing mentors The First Days of School, consistent practice, and a huge dose of God's grace, I finally found some classroom management strategies that actually worked and eventually turned things around.

And, oh what a joy to finally get to the point where my class was (for the most part) controlled, focused, on task, and learning effectively!

I was teaching, my students were learning, and it was amazing.

That's where you want to be, too, right? I mean, none of us got into teaching because we couldn't wait to deal with classroom management issues! We want to actually teach. To see those light bulbs go off. To make a difference.

But in order for that to happen, we have to create a conducive learning environment, and that requires a strong foundation of great classroom management techniques.

In this post, I'm compiling all of my best classroom management strategies with links to explore each in more detail. I hope they'll be helpful for you!

Ready to dive in? Here's some of the topics we'll be covering in this article:

Classroom management strategies to
DEVELOP THE RIGHT DEMEANOR

To be an effective teacher (and be any good at classroom management), you have to have the right demeanor. That boils down to a few main things:

Don't get fooled into thinking you have to choose between being nice or being strict. You can be both, and I'd argue you must be both.

Go deeper: What to Do If You're Told You're Being Too Nice

2. Focus on being respected rather than being liked.

We all want our students to like us, but if we make that our goal, we're going to run into some serious classroom management problems. Instead, focus on earning your students' respect and creating a learning environment where they can learn and grow.

Go deeper: If You want Your Students to Like You

3. See yourself as your students' mentor, not their friend.

We all want to be there for our students, support them through challenges, and make a real difference in their lives. But if you think that being their friend is the way to get there, you're going to create more problems than you solve. Instead, view yourself as your students' mentor. This means you're there to help, support, and guide them, but there's clear respect, not a peer-to-peer relationship.

If you'd like more help putting together your plan, consider joining us in Classroom Management 101. In this self-paced online course, we'll walk you step-by-step through the process of developing and then implementing a strong classroom management plan.
Click here to find out more about Classroom Management 101.

Once you have your plan ready, it's time to put it in place. But it's not enough to simply say "okay, this is what we're going to do." Here's some ideas for what to do instead:

If you're trying to turn things around mid-year, use a classroom shake-up to force a bit of a reset. In a classroom shake-up, you change something in your classroom - whether it's switching up a routine or physically changing something in the room. The purpose is to grab your students' attention and get them to ask what's going on - to show not just tell them that things will be different. Then, you can explain the new procedure/expectation.

Find out more: How a Shake-Up Can Revolutionize Your Classroom Management Plan.

Teaching strong procedures is one of the most important classroom management strategies ever. It's not enough to simply tell students what to do. You have to invest the time into training and practicing. I recommend a 4-part process for teaching procedures: explain, practice, correct, and redo. I explain all four parts in this article here: How to Teach Procedures that Your Students Will Actually Follow.

Executing your new classroom management plan is not going to magically solve all your problems. You also need to be ready to deal with the issues when they arise. Here's some strategies to help you do that:

The advice "don't sweat the small stuff" has its place, but it certainly does not work when you're trying to start the school year right, reset your classroom, or teach a new procedure. I wish we could let the little things go, but, honestly, if you do, the little problems don't stay little. They grow into bigger and bigger problems. (Believe me. I've learned this lesson the hard way, too.)

Instead, be looking for the first problem and deal with it right away. That doesn't mean you lambast the kid or slap him with a detention for saying one word. But it does mean that you kindly address the issue - every time. It could be as simple as reminding them of the correct procedure and asking them to redo it. As you consistently deal with the small problems, students will see that you actually mean what you say and will get used to following class guidelines.

Go deeper: Read more about the why we need to deal with problems while they're still small.

It is so hard to be consistent, but consistency is a huge key to classroom management success. Simply decide what you are going to do and then do it. Consistently. And if you miss one time, don't let that derail you. Determine to get back on track the next opportunity you get.

Read more: How to Be More Consistent in Your Classroom Management

As important as consistency is, sometimes we need to break from our plan and give a student some grace. The question is - how do we know when to stick to our classroom management plan and when to give grace? Well, the key is to always do what's best for the student, not what's easiest for us. We talk more about it in the article below:

Go deeper: 4 Questions to Know When to Give Grace as a Teacher

We tackle in-depth how to handle various classroom problems from chatter and blurting to outright disrespect to class clowns in Classroom Management 101. Find out more about the complete classroom management course here.

Organization plays a huge role in successful classroom management. Mostly because if you're not organized, you get flustered, add chaos to your classroom, and create lulls that students have to fill with something (and we all know that something is typically not so good). So, here are some classroom management strategies to help you be more organized:

It's easy to spend so much time creating a beautiful classroom that you end up dropping the ball on its actual functionality. Check out these important tips for setting up your classroom: Setting Up Your Classroom: 9 Practical Things You May Not Have Thought Of

Keeping track of who has and hasn't turned in what can be a nightmare - but not if you have a good system. Here's some tips to help you track your missing work: Simple Solutions to Track Missing Work

Your classroom will run more smoothly if you're not trying to do everything yourself. So get your students involved by delegating more responsibility to them. Ask yourself, "What am I currently doing that my students could do instead?" We go into detail about how to give students meaningful classroom jobs here.

I hope you've found these classroom management strategies helpful, but the truth is that classroom management is nuanced. Unfortunately, one missing element can throw everything off and frustrate your best intentions.

That's why we've created Classroom Management 101 - the complete, organized system that ensures you don't miss any of the crucial elements necessary for successful classroom management. We'd love to have you! You can get all the details here:
Find out more about Classroom Management 101.

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30 Powerful Classroom Management Strategies You Can Implement Right Away

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Looking for tried and true classroom management strategies that will actually work in your classroom? Look no further. They're all here.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Examples of Formative and Summative Assessments

Both forms of assessment can vary across several dimensions (Trumbull and Lash, 2013):

Informal / formal

Immediate / delayed feedback

Embedded in lesson plan / stand-alone

Spontaneous / planned

Individual / group

Verbal / nonverbal

Oral / written

Graded / ungraded

Open-ended response / closed/constrained response

Teacher initiated/controlled / student initiated/controlled

Teacher and student(s) / peers

Process-oriented / product-oriented

Brief / extended

Scaffolded (teacher supported) / independently performed

Recommendations

Formative Assessment Ideally, formative assessment strategies improve teaching and learning simultaneously. Instructors can help students grow as learners by actively encouraging them to self-assess their own skills and knowledge retention, and by giving clear instructions and feedback. Seven principles (adapted from Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2007 with additions) can guide instructor strategies:

Keep clear criteria for what defines good performance - Instructors can explain criteria for A-F graded papers, and encourage student discussion and reflection about these criteria (this can be accomplished though office hours, rubrics, post-grade peer review, or exam / assignment wrappers). Instructors may also hold class-wide conversations on performance criteria at strategic moments throughout a term.

Encourage students' self-reflection - Instructors can ask students to utilize course criteria to evaluate their own or a peer's work, and to share what kinds of feedback they find most valuable. In addition, instructors can ask students to describe the qualities of their best work, either through writing or group discussion.

Give students detailed, actionable feedback - Instructors can consistently provide specific feedback tied to predefined criteria, with opportunities to revise or apply feedback before final submission. Feedback may be corrective and forward-looking, rather than just evaluative. Examples include comments on multiple paper drafts, criterion discussions during 1-on-1 conferences, and regular online quizzes.

Encourage teacher and peer dialogue around learning - Instructors can invite students to discuss the formative learning process together. This practice primarily revolves around mid-semester feedback and small group feedback sessions, where students reflect on the course and instructors respond to student concerns. Students can also identify examples of feedback comments they found useful and explain how they helped. A particularly useful strategy, instructors can invite students to discuss learning goals and assignment criteria, and weave student hopes into the syllabus.

Promote positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem - Students will be more motivated and engaged when they are assured that an instructor cares for their development. Instructors can allow for rewrites/resubmissions to signal that an assignment is designed to promote development of learning. These rewrites might utilize low-stakes assessments, or even automated online testing that is anonymous, and (if appropriate) allows for unlimited resubmissions.

Provide opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance - Related to the above, instructors can improve student motivation and engagement by making visible any opportunities to close gaps between current and desired performance. Examples include opportunities for resubmission, specific action points for writing or task-based assignments, and sharing study or process strategies that an instructor would use in order to succeed.

Collect information which can be used to help shape teaching - Instructors can feel free to collect useful information from students in order to provide targeted feedback and instruction. Students can identify where they are having difficulties, either on an assignment or test, or in written submissions. This approach also promotes metacognition, as students are asked to think about their own learning. Poorvu Center staff can also perform a classroom observation or conduct a small group feedback session that can provide instructors with potential student struggles.

Instructors can find a variety of other formative assessment techniques through Angelo and Cross (1993), Classroom Assessment Techniques (list of techniques available here).

Summative Assessment Because summative assessments are usually higher-stakes than formative assessments, it is especially important to ensure that the assessment aligns with the goals and expected outcomes of the instruction.

Use a Rubric or Table of Specifications - Instructors can use a rubric to lay out expected performance criteria for a range of grades. Rubrics will describe what an ideal assignment looks like, and "summarize" expected performance at the beginning of term, providing students with a trajectory and sense of completion.

Design Clear, Effective Questions - If designing essay questions, instructors can ensure that questions meet criteria while allowing students freedom to express their knowledge creatively and in ways that honor how they digested, constructed, or mastered meaning. Instructors can read about ways to design effective multiple choice questions.

Assess Comprehensiveness - Effective summative assessments provide an opportunity for students to consider the totality of a course's content, making broad connections, demonstrating synthesized skills, and exploring deeper concepts that drive or found a course's ideas and content.

Make Parameters Clear - When approaching a final assessment, instructors can ensure that parameters are well defined (length of assessment, depth of response, time and date, grading standards); knowledge assessed relates clearly to content covered in course; and students with disabilities are provided required space and support.

Consider Blind Grading - Instructors may wish to know whose work they grade, in order to provide feedback that speaks to a student's term-long trajectory. If instructors wish to provide truly unbiased summative assessment, they can also consider a variety of blind grading techniques.

Considerations for Online Assessments

Effectively implementing assessments in an online teaching environment can be particularly challenging. The Poorvu Center shares these recommendations.

References

Nicol, D.J. and Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006) Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education 31(2): 2-19.

Theall, M. and Franklin J.L. (2010). Assessing Teaching Practices and Effectiveness for Formative Purposes. In: A Guide to Faculty Development. KJ Gillespie and DL Robertson (Eds). Jossey Bass: San Francisco, CA.

Trumbull, E., & Lash, A. (2013). Understanding formative assessment: Insights from learning theory and measurement theory. San Francisco: WestEd.

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Examples of Formative and Summative Assessments Examples of Formative and Summative Assessments Formative Summative In-class discussions Instructor-created exams Clicker questions Standardized tests Low-stakes group work Final projects

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Top Tech Tools for Formative Assessment | Common Sense Education

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Find the right formative assessment tools for your classroom. These digital tools range from discussion (e.g., Piazza, TodaysMeet) to quizzing, polling, and student responses (e.g., Kahoot, Formative) to interactive lessons and videos (e.g., Nearpod, Flipgrid).

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Summative Assessment Video

In the video, viewers learn about the critical role that a variety of summative assessments play and the importance of strategic data use. Summative assessments provide cumulative snapshots to evaluate and report on student learning.

Summative data can help illuminate areas of strength and gaps in curriculum and instruction, and especially for student subgroups. Reporting summative results provides information to families and the general public. Summative data should never be used as the only indicator of success for a student or a school.
Key messages from the video:

Summative assessments are designed to evaluate and report on cumulative student learning

Data from summative assessments:

are derived from a variety of sources, not just standardized or statewide tests

can answer whether ALL students have met the standards successfully

should be used strategically with formative and interim data to inform teaching and learning

provides key information for conversations around student learning

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Are All of Our Students Meeting the Standards? Summative assessments are designed to evaluate learning by providing cumulative snapshots, often but not exclusively through standardized assessments that are typically school-, district-, or state-centered, and that answer "are all of our students meeting the standards?"

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Formative Assessment Video

In the video, formative practices are used to adjust instruction and promote ongoing reflection for BOTH students and teachers. This deliberate process occurs in the teaching and learning cycle to transform student learning and improve outcomes with these four critical steps:

Gain a deep understanding of learning goals

Envision proficiency in each standard

Designed by teachers

Feedback is used to adjust instruction

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What comes next for student learning? Formative assessment or formative practices play a critical role in strategic assessment systems. They are designed to quickly inform instruction by providing specific and immediate feedback through daily, ongoing instructional strategies that are student- and classroom-centered, and that answer "what comes next for student learning?"

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If you are looking for ideas to teach PARAGRAPH WRITING, you are in the right place! It is part of a STEP-BY-STEP WRITING® series of mini-lessons for writer's workshop designed to scaffold through the writing process. Paragraph writing will extend through three posts (lessons 5 topic sentences, 6 relevant details, and 7 closing sentences). Now that your students are WRITING COMPLETE SENTENCES using the previous mini-lessons, they are ready to learn how to write a paragraph!

PARAGRAPH GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

To begin, show students a hamburger or turkey or vegan burger 😋 anchor chart. Tell them that you will be using a burger to explain how to write a paragraph. This will introduce all three lessons on paragraph writing and give them a visual. Get ready to write juicy paragraphs by learning about:

The topic sentence is the top bun. It introduces the main idea of the paragraph. The relevant details talk about that main idea. It is the meat and veggies of the burger. The closing sentence is the bottom bun. It finishes the paragraph. Having this visual will help them "see" how to put a paragraph together!

MINI-LESSON #5 TOPIC SENTENCES is the first mini-lesson for paragraph writing.

Paragraphs need to have topic sentences. It is a way of organizing and expressing the main idea of the paragraph! (That is why I use MAIN STREET for the visual. Main Street-Main Idea. Get it?) This is the top bun of the burger!
A topic sentence:

Answers questions like why, how, or where.

Has supporting sentences or relevant details.

Can prove, explain, or describe something.

Prompt example: What is your favorite season?

Paragraph: Fall is my favorite season. The weather is perfect for outside activities. I like going on hikes with my brother and fishing with my dad. I look forward to the smell of a fire and the taste of burnt marshmallows. I love fall weather!

Notice the underlined sentence is the topic sentence. It is the main idea of the paragraph. Everything else in the paragraph refers to fall being the favorite season. There are details that follow to answer "why" it is the favorite season.

This is the perfect time to introduce INDENTS! Point out paragraph indentions in text books or stories to reinforce this lesson! Indents are when you move the first line of a paragraph to the right and create a space.

It is usually 5 letter spaces.

The first sentence of every paragraph should be indented to show where the paragraph begins.

The rest of the sentences should be lined up on the left. If using notebook paper, these sentences should line up on the pink or red line.

If using interactive notebooks, create something similar to the following. Students should take notes and give examples. This will provide them with an amazing reference to flip through when writing paragraphs in the future. When I walk around during a writing assignment and notice students who forgot to add a topic sentence, I remind them to use their notebooks. It works wonders! It is an effective tool to use in small groups and reteaching too.

If using a digital format, you can still have students write with interactive notes by having them move pieces and filling in text boxes!

Provide students with practice. Practice, Practice, Practice! I like to scaffold the practice. First, students should identify topic sentences in paragraphs. Then students can write their own topic sentences. This can be done by giving writing prompts and only writing the topic sentence for each prompt. It can also be saved for the following lessons, so students can build paragraphs from the prompts. When all three lessons are completed, they will have all the components of a paragraph for those specific prompts! Use graphic organizers to keep flow of the lessons.

Task cards and self-check slides are a great way to give students extra practice in centers or at home.

Do you want your students' topic sentences to have Rockin' Beginnings? This can be used to differentiate in your classroom as well. Use the following anchor chart to help students write better topic sentences. I usually wait to introduce this skill with essay writing, but sometimes there are students who are ready earlier!

Provide a prompt or have students brainstorm ideas for a paragraph. Then they can use these ideas to write a paragraph using a topic sentence. It is OK that you haven't covered the other paragraph writing skills yet. You are only looking at the topic sentence! OR give students a paragraph without the topic sentence and have them add the topic sentence.

After everyone is finished, students can present their paragraphs in groups or whole group and other students can point out the topic sentence. Discuss why it is a topic sentence. Is it the main idea of the paragraph?

Whole group idea: As students are reading their paragraphs, ask other students to hold a hand up to their ears when they hear the topic sentence. It may help keep their attention!

This will be used at the end of paragraph writing. Have students work independently on writing a paragraph. Use a rubric to assess their skills in paragraph writing. Then record their progress. Each time you grade paragraph writing, record it on the same form. This will be helpful when forming small instructional groups and review.

I hope this helps with your instruction! GET READY TO TURN YOUR RELUCTANT WRITERS INTO ROCKSTAR WRITERS®!

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Hello! Welcome to one of our writing mini lessons! Now that your students are WRITING COMPLETE SENTENCES, it is time to transition into paragraph writing! These lessons are broken down into 3 mini lessons 5-6-7- Topic Sentences, Relevant Details and Closing Sentences.

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Hello and Welcome. Here you will find high school writing worksheets pdfs, plus writing prompt and journal page pdfs.

There are tons of great activities and tools you can use to make sure your high school students are excelling in school-but one of the absolute best options is to have them write in a journal on a regular basis.

To help support you in your efforts to provide your kids with the writing skills they need, we offer you the following free writing resources. Some of the resources are writing worksheets and others are printables. We also share a link to one of our favorite writing worksheet resources for high school students.

If you need fun ways to support your kid's writing skill development, you have come to the right place. We welcome you and hope you enjoy the resources on our blog.

Writing Worksheets for High School Printables

More Free High School Writing Resources

Writing Prompts for High School (This is where you can find the prompts from the printable pdf and discover even more great writing information for your high school child.)

The high school years are a confusing time-because they're the first time when teens really begin to establish who they are, figure out what they believe, and find their places in the world. That's why high school teachers have such a great responsibility to help their students sort through the confusion and complexities as they work to better understand themselves. With that in mind, we've designed a unique set of 35 thought-provoking writing prompts especially for the high school classroom.

These prompts dig a little deeper than most and afford students a special opportunity to reflect on who they are and what they truly want from this life. As they write and reflect on concepts like art, regret, life's greatest mystery, and the things that make them happy, students will have the chance to get better acquainted with their own ideas and values-and with the individual traits they have to share with the world.

Use this all-new set of great writing prompts for high school students to help your class unravel and clarify their most important ideas!
31 Creative Writing Prompts for Teenagers
The power of journaling is truly universal. It can have an impact on people of all ages and from all walks of life-and there is no one who can't benefit from exploring his or her thoughts on the written page. However, this is especially true for teenagers who often find themselves caught up in jumbled mixes of thoughts and emotions and without enough outlets through which they can express them.

That's why we've developed these 31 creative writing prompts for teens that ask students to write and reflect on their own lives and experiences. As they tackle topics like their future goals, the greatest challenges they face, and the qualities that make them unique individuals, teens will benefit from the opportunity to get to know themselves in a new way-all while also improving their writing skills, their ability to analyze and explain, and their creative thinking.

Ultimately, the benefits of journaling for high school students are as multi-faceted as the students themselves!

Take a look at this collection of high school printable ela worksheet.

Let's Write Creatively

Creative writing sounds inherently as though it should be easy-after all, the word "creative" expresses a sense of freedom and possibility that other, more restrictive forms of writing don't have.

However, sometimes the lack of boundaries makes it even more difficult to begin writing. Kids are sometimes confused by assignments that don't have many rules, and they may struggle to begin writing creatively.

The following five tips get the creativity flowing and encourage kids to think outside the page.
1. Promote New Experiences
Encourage kids to pursue other interests besides writing. While it might seem counter-intuitive that the first creative writing tip suggests doing anything but writing, alternative experiences actually promote greater creativity once students return to their desks. Kids who struggle with writing can find inspiration by enjoying their favorite activities and trying new things.
2. Don't Worry About Perfection
Perfection is the greatest enemy of creative writers everywhere. When a person writes about things that matter deeply to him or her, it's only natural to care about the quality of the finished product.

However, people shouldn't worry about perfection during the early stages of writing.

High students who worry too much about getting a sentence exactly right may become frustrated easily and associate the negativity they feel with writing as a whole. Instead, encourage your kids to write freely at first and to get as many ideas down as possible. They can go back later and correct mistakes during the editing process.
3. Write about What You Love
Though you might be tempted to give students a particular writing assignment, sometimes it's best to sit back and let them write about whatever they love most.

Encourage your high schoolers to take a general topic and spin it in any direction that interests them. Most kids will have much more to say and will feel more comfortable writing when they are able to discuss familiar and enjoyable topics.
4. Focus on the Senses
Sensory writing is interesting writing-and focusing on the senses can also help students who are struggling to get started. Give your eighth-grade writers a setting or situation and ask them to describe what a character experiences through the lens of the five senses. What does the view look like? What noises does the character hear-shouting or the rustling of leaves? Are there any smells in the air? Can the character taste anything-flavored lip balm or perhaps a delicious apple pie? What is the character touching?
5. Set Small Goals
Small, realistic goals for assignments also help kids who are struggling with creative writing. Encourage kids to write for 10 minutes daily or to compose one or two paragraphs. With an end goal in sight, even students who dislike writing will know what they can expect and will have an easier time completing the task. As students get more comfortable with writing, you can slowly increase the length of assignments-and watch as their creativity increases at the same time.

If you enjoyed these High School Writing Worksheets and resources, please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. I appreciate it!

Until next time, keep on practicing those writing skills with your high schoolers...

Sincerely,
Journal Buddies Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator

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Hello and Welcome. Here you will find high school writing worksheets pdfs, plus writing prompt and journal page pdfs. There are tons of great activities and tools you can use to make sure your high school students are excelling in school-but one of the absolute best options is to have them write in a journal on a regular basis.

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There are many prewriting strategies you can use to help your students get ready to write. Here is a list of 11 and how to use them.

Teaching writing can be a daunting task, but by breaking the writing process up, you're students will be more successful.

The best place to start writing instruction is with prewriting - and lots of it! I've collected a list of prewriting activities - defined and with examples - to help you get started.

What is prewriting?

Let's start with a quick definition of prewriting:

Prewriting is part of the writing process in which the writer gathers ideas, explores the writing prompt, generates thoughts, and organizes them.

It is an opportunity for writers to expand their ideas about a prompt and think creatively and critically about what they want to say.

Why is it important to the writing process?

We often short-change prewriting activities, but they are so valuable!

Prewriting allows students to explore, test, and generate ideas. They provide students with ways to organize and expand on their writing.
Have you noticed this?
Students often pick their first idea and run with it.

And it's often very difficult to get them to even look at other ideas. They are set with that first one! But often our first idea isn't the best - we want our students to think critically and creatively.
Try this:
Incorporate more prewriting strategies as you plan your writing tasks.

Ask your students to complete at least two (or more!) different prewriting activities before they begin drafting.

I want my students to start drafting when they are ready to go...with the ideas and the organization ready to burst out! I tell them that I want the paper to write itself. That can happen when they've done prewriting.

We want writing to be an act of discovery, and prewriting can help students get there. By trying out several activities, they can discover what they want to write about.

How to use prewriting strategies effectively

Always model what you want students to do.

Whether they are working on expository writing or a creative writing prompt, prewriting is going to make the writing process so much easier.

For example, if students are writing narratives, start your own right along with them. Show them how you would brainstorm or cluster.

Additionally, show students how you can "throw away" an idea. This will often lead them to a deeper, more creative approach to the topic. I always say, "throw away your first two ideas."
Help them find discovery in their prewriting.
Writing is a form of discovery. We uncover how we feel, what we remember, what is important to us when we write.

As you model your own prewriting graphic organizer, share what you discover. It certainly doesn't have to be monumental or personal.
Do more than you think is necessary.
Your students may all have ideas for what they want to write about as soon as you provide the prompt. However, don't skip the prewriting! It will help your students organize their thoughts, come up with details, and fill in gaps.
Use prewriting activities as an opportunity to conference.
Go over prewriting activities (no matter how messy) to confer with your students. You will be quickly be able to see how ready they are to begin drafting, if they have a viable topic, and if the topic is too big (as is often the case).

What are some of the best prewriting strategies?

Brainstorming

What it is: Brainstorming is probably the most familiar prewriting activity. It is simply a "brain dump" of ideas about a topic.

How to use it: The writer simply writes down all the ideas that pop into her head as she considers the topic. Don't try to self-edit or speculate on the idea, just get it down.
Then what?
After brainstorming, the writer will see ideas that "want" to group together. He may find himself gravitating to one idea over the others. Pay attention to these things.

Students may want to complete a clustering prewriting activity after brainstorming.

Clustering

What it is: Clustering is gathering ideas and thoughts into categories.

How to use it: Look at the prompt and determine some big categories that might fall under the topic.

Students can write the ideas in circles (like a cluster). It's helpful to label the clusters or color code them.

Use this technique after students have done some brainstorming or freewriting. This will allow them to create categories and pull ideas more easily.

Then what: After clustering students may be ready to start organizing ideas. A simple outline is ideal for this.

Free writing

What it is: Free writing (sometimes spelled as one word) is simply writing about an idea for a specific period of time. It can be a stream of consciousness or in response to a prompt.

How to use it: Use freewriting as a way for students to dive in and explore a prompt or topic.

Set the time (start with maybe 5 - 7 minutes) and have your students write continuously. They shouldn't worry about spelling, grammar, organization - they are just getting their thoughts down on paper.
Then what?
After freewriting, students might want to complete a looping activity.

What it is: Looping is the perfect prewriting strategy to use after students have done freewriting. When using this technique, they'll chose an idea from their freewriting to explore on a deeper level.

How to use it: Go back to the freewriting and choose a word, sentence, or phrase that interests them or that they think might make a good topic. Write that word, sentence, or phrase at the top of a new page, set the timer, and have students write about that topic until the timer goes off.

Then what? After looping, students may want to try clustering or even outlining.

What it is: Listing is just a simple list of ideas. This is a great prewriting activity for students who really don't know what to write about.

How to use it: I think it's easiest to put the topic or key word from the prompt at the top of the page. That makes it easy to stay focused on the prompt.

Allow students to create as many different lists as they like.

For example, if you prompt is to write about a time when you learned something, students may create lists that are titled, "school," "family," "sports." This will help them narrow their topic.

Then what? Once students have a list, they have choices! The natural next step is for students to choose an item from the list that they feel some energy or excitement about. Use it for freewriting, brainstorming, or even clustering.

What it is: Mapping (or diagramming) is a great visual organizational prewriting activity that helps students see relationships. Writers create a concept map of how different elements fit together.

How to use it: In its simplest form, this prewriting technique entails using shapes, symbols, colors, arrows, and lines. Start with the main idea in the center, and look for ideas that connect or are important.

By the end of a mapping prewriting activity, students should have a "bird's eye" view of what their topic entails. This is really helpful in determining if the topic is too big.

Then what? After mapping, the next logical question is - "Is my topic too big?"

Use your writing conferences to determine if their topic is too big. This is helpful in preventing students from getting overwhelmed with drafting.

What it is: We're all familiar with a standard outline form - a prewriting outline is an abbreviated form of that.

How to use it: Outlining is a great tool once students have completed some other preliminary prewriting. If they have done clustering or listing, they have items they need to categorize.

When you ask your students to outline for a writing project, remember that the outline itself isn't the goal. You want your students to move from the prewriting activity to drafting, so don't make the outline a complicated lesson. Keep it simple.

Then what? Once students have completed an outline, they should be ready to write a draft. An outline will guide them through their essay.

What it is: The 5 Ws and 1 H are what journalist use - it's the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a topic.

How to use it: Have students address each question. If they find they can't answer a question, this may be a spot where they need to fill in with research.

Encourage students to ask more than just one question for each word.

For example, a student writing an expository essay on choosing a pet, she might ask: "Why is a pet important?" "Why should you research different types of pets?" "Why are pets beneficial to humans?"

Then what? This is another prewriting strategy that is very helpful in determining if students have narrow enough topic. A student could write an entire paper on just the question "Why are pets beneficial to humans?"

As students see the questions they are generating about their topic, they will often find that there are several topics they'd like to write about. This is wonderful! Students will see that they have a topic ready for their next assignment.

Journaling

What it is: Using journaling as a prewriting activity is similar to freewriting. Students write about the topic. It is different from freewriting where the focus is to keep writing. Responding to a prompt in a journal is more intentional.

How to use it: Allow students to respond to a prompt in their journals or writing notebook. They may want to jump right into an idea they have about the prompt and begin developing their ideas.

Many teachers like to use morning warm ups that include writing prompts. Students can go back to these prompts and expand them for a larger writing activity.

Using a journal to respond to a writing prompt can also help students dig into their feelings and opinions about a topic.

Using a journal also helps with "writing as discovery." As students write in their journals, they often discover what it is that they want to say, how they feel, and why something is important (or not) to them.

Then what? Like other prewriting activities, a journal response to a prompt isn't going to be a first draft. Students can go back into their response and pull ideas, images, and thoughts that they want to include in a draft.

Students often write their thesis statement in the conclusion of a journal entry! So be sure that students write a concluding paragraph.

Pros & cons list

What it is: Students create a list of arguments in favor and opposition to a prompt.

How to use it: This prewriting strategy works well with and persuasive writing activities. Even though students may be arguing one point or another, having a list of pros and cons can help them see where they need to strengthen their argument and where they can attack their opposition.

Have students make an actual list with two columns. One column in favor and one column opposed.

It can also be helpful for students to work in pairs with one person arguing one side and bring up all the opposing ideas.

Then what? After completing a pro/con list, students might be ready to work on their thesis statement. Where do they stand on this topic?

Once they've determined that, you may want them to create a brief outline that will guide their writing, or you may want them to complete a Venn diagram to dig deeper into the issues.

Venn diagram

What it is: A Venn diagram is two intersecting circles that illustrate how two things are different and alike. (want to know why a Venn diagram is always capitalized? Here's your answer!!)

How to use it: There is nothing like a Venn diagram to compare and contrast. And it is so simple to use.

Students can draw the diagram right into their resource book and fill it in.

Like the pro/con list, a Venn diagram makes an argument clear to students. Unlike a pro/con list, the diagram helps students see commonalities. Another important aspect when writing an argument or persuasive essay.

Then what? After students have completed a Venn diagram, they might be ready to put together an outline. This will help them determine what they will write about and in what order.

They will also be ready to begin addressing and refuting their opposition.

Heart mapping

What it is: A heart map is a visual classification of something that holds a place in your heart.

How to use it: Begin by having students draw a heart. Be sure to provide a title or prompt for their heart map. This It could be something like:

things that I feel strongly about

important events

best / worst

what I value

let me convince you...

Have students divide the heart into sections and write one idea in each section. They can include a sentence further explaining each idea.

If you want to take this a step further, require that students include adjectives, prepositional phrases, or descriptive phrases.

Then what: Once students have completed a heart map, they can choose one of the ideas from their map to use as a spring board for writing.

Additionally, students can create a heart map each month, at the start of a new quarter, as a more focused prewriting activity - it's not a one-and-done activity.

As an added bonus, a heart map can be used multiple times for writing narratives, arguments, persuasive texts, poems...and more.

Ready to draft

Once your students have completed one or (hopefully) more of these prewriting strategies, they will probably feel ready to draft their essay.

When students feel like their essay will "write itself" you know you've provided them with solid prewriting activities that will make the final writing product more effective and easier for students to write.

You can find all 11 prewriting activities in this digital resource.

Or, if you're looking for a little extra help with the rest of the writing process, check out my shop!

With gratitude for all you do,

There are many prewriting strategies you can use to help your students get ready to write. Here is a list of 11 and how to use them.

Teaching writing can be a daunting task, but by breaking the writing process up, you're students will be more successful.

The best place to start writing instruction is with prewriting - and lots of it! I've collected a list of prewriting activities - defined and with examples - to help you get started.

What is prewriting?

Let's start with a quick definition of prewriting:

Prewriting is part of the writing process in which the writer gathers ideas, explores the writing prompt, generates thoughts, and organizes them.

It is an opportunity for writers to expand their ideas about a prompt and think creatively and critically about what they want to say.

Why is it important to the writing process?

We often short-change prewriting activities, but they are so valuable!

Prewriting allows students to explore, test, and generate ideas. They provide students with ways to organize and expand on their writing.
Have you noticed this?
Students often pick their first idea and run with it.

And it's often very difficult to get them to even look at other ideas. They are set with that first one! But often our first idea isn't the best - we want our students to think critically and creatively.
Try this:
Incorporate more prewriting strategies as you plan your writing tasks.

Ask your students to complete at least two (or more!) different prewriting activities before they begin drafting.

I want my students to start drafting when they are ready to go...with the ideas and the organization ready to burst out! I tell them that I want the paper to write itself. That can happen when they've done prewriting.

We want writing to be an act of discovery, and prewriting can help students get there. By trying out several activities, they can discover what they want to write about.

How to use prewriting strategies effectively

Always model what you want students to do.

Whether they are working on expository writing or a creative writing prompt, prewriting is going to make the writing process so much easier.

For example, if students are writing narratives, start your own right along with them. Show them how you would brainstorm or cluster.

Additionally, show students how you can "throw away" an idea. This will often lead them to a deeper, more creative approach to the topic. I always say, "throw away your first two ideas."
Help them find discovery in their prewriting.
Writing is a form of discovery. We uncover how we feel, what we remember, what is important to us when we write.

As you model your own prewriting graphic organizer, share what you discover. It certainly doesn't have to be monumental or personal.
Do more than you think is necessary.
Your students may all have ideas for what they want to write about as soon as you provide the prompt. However, don't skip the prewriting! It will help your students organize their thoughts, come up with details, and fill in gaps.
Use prewriting activities as an opportunity to conference.
Go over prewriting activities (no matter how messy) to confer with your students. You will be quickly be able to see how ready they are to begin drafting, if they have a viable topic, and if the topic is too big (as is often the case).

What are some of the best prewriting strategies?

Brainstorming

What it is: Brainstorming is probably the most familiar prewriting activity. It is simply a "brain dump" of ideas about a topic.

How to use it: The writer simply writes down all the ideas that pop into her head as she considers the topic. Don't try to self-edit or speculate on the idea, just get it down.
Then what?
After brainstorming, the writer will see ideas that "want" to group together. He may find himself gravitating to one idea over the others. Pay attention to these things.

Students may want to complete a clustering prewriting activity after brainstorming.

Clustering

What it is: Clustering is gathering ideas and thoughts into categories.

How to use it: Look at the prompt and determine some big categories that might fall under the topic.

Students can write the ideas in circles (like a cluster). It's helpful to label the clusters or color code them.

Use this technique after students have done some brainstorming or freewriting. This will allow them to create categories and pull ideas more easily.

Then what: After clustering students may be ready to start organizing ideas. A simple outline is ideal for this.

Free writing

What it is: Free writing (sometimes spelled as one word) is simply writing about an idea for a specific period of time. It can be a stream of consciousness or in response to a prompt.

How to use it: Use freewriting as a way for students to dive in and explore a prompt or topic.

Set the time (start with maybe 5 - 7 minutes) and have your students write continuously. They shouldn't worry about spelling, grammar, organization - they are just getting their thoughts down on paper.
Then what?
After freewriting, students might want to complete a looping activity.

What it is: Looping is the perfect prewriting strategy to use after students have done freewriting. When using this technique, they'll chose an idea from their freewriting to explore on a deeper level.

How to use it: Go back to the freewriting and choose a word, sentence, or phrase that interests them or that they think might make a good topic. Write that word, sentence, or phrase at the top of a new page, set the timer, and have students write about that topic until the timer goes off.

Then what? After looping, students may want to try clustering or even outlining.

What it is: Listing is just a simple list of ideas. This is a great prewriting activity for students who really don't know what to write about.

How to use it: I think it's easiest to put the topic or key word from the prompt at the top of the page. That makes it easy to stay focused on the prompt.

Allow students to create as many different lists as they like.

For example, if you prompt is to write about a time when you learned something, students may create lists that are titled, "school," "family," "sports." This will help them narrow their topic.

Then what? Once students have a list, they have choices! The natural next step is for students to choose an item from the list that they feel some energy or excitement about. Use it for freewriting, brainstorming, or even clustering.

What it is: Mapping (or diagramming) is a great visual organizational prewriting activity that helps students see relationships. Writers create a concept map of how different elements fit together.

How to use it: In its simplest form, this prewriting technique entails using shapes, symbols, colors, arrows, and lines. Start with the main idea in the center, and look for ideas that connect or are important.

By the end of a mapping prewriting activity, students should have a "bird's eye" view of what their topic entails. This is really helpful in determining if the topic is too big.

Then what? After mapping, the next logical question is - "Is my topic too big?"

Use your writing conferences to determine if their topic is too big. This is helpful in preventing students from getting overwhelmed with drafting.

What it is: We're all familiar with a standard outline form - a prewriting outline is an abbreviated form of that.

How to use it: Outlining is a great tool once students have completed some other preliminary prewriting. If they have done clustering or listing, they have items they need to categorize.

When you ask your students to outline for a writing project, remember that the outline itself isn't the goal. You want your students to move from the prewriting activity to drafting, so don't make the outline a complicated lesson. Keep it simple.

Then what? Once students have completed an outline, they should be ready to write a draft. An outline will guide them through their essay.

What it is: The 5 Ws and 1 H are what journalist use - it's the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a topic.

How to use it: Have students address each question. If they find they can't answer a question, this may be a spot where they need to fill in with research.

Encourage students to ask more than just one question for each word.

For example, a student writing an expository essay on choosing a pet, she might ask: "Why is a pet important?" "Why should you research different types of pets?" "Why are pets beneficial to humans?"

Then what? This is another prewriting strategy that is very helpful in determining if students have narrow enough topic. A student could write an entire paper on just the question "Why are pets beneficial to humans?"

As students see the questions they are generating about their topic, they will often find that there are several topics they'd like to write about. This is wonderful! Students will see that they have a topic ready for their next assignment.

Journaling

What it is: Using journaling as a prewriting activity is similar to freewriting. Students write about the topic. It is different from freewriting where the focus is to keep writing. Responding to a prompt in a journal is more intentional.

How to use it: Allow students to respond to a prompt in their journals or writing notebook. They may want to jump right into an idea they have about the prompt and begin developing their ideas.

Many teachers like to use morning warm ups that include writing prompts. Students can go back to these prompts and expand them for a larger writing activity.

Using a journal to respond to a writing prompt can also help students dig into their feelings and opinions about a topic.

Using a journal also helps with "writing as discovery." As students write in their journals, they often discover what it is that they want to say, how they feel, and why something is important (or not) to them.

Then what? Like other prewriting activities, a journal response to a prompt isn't going to be a first draft. Students can go back into their response and pull ideas, images, and thoughts that they want to include in a draft.

Students often write their thesis statement in the conclusion of a journal entry! So be sure that students write a concluding paragraph.

Pros & cons list

What it is: Students create a list of arguments in favor and opposition to a prompt.

How to use it: This prewriting strategy works well with and persuasive writing activities. Even though students may be arguing one point or another, having a list of pros and cons can help them see where they need to strengthen their argument and where they can attack their opposition.

Have students make an actual list with two columns. One column in favor and one column opposed.

It can also be helpful for students to work in pairs with one person arguing one side and bring up all the opposing ideas.

Then what? After completing a pro/con list, students might be ready to work on their thesis statement. Where do they stand on this topic?

Once they've determined that, you may want them to create a brief outline that will guide their writing, or you may want them to complete a Venn diagram to dig deeper into the issues.

Venn diagram

What it is: A Venn diagram is two intersecting circles that illustrate how two things are different and alike. (want to know why a Venn diagram is always capitalized? Here's your answer!!)

How to use it: There is nothing like a Venn diagram to compare and contrast. And it is so simple to use.

Students can draw the diagram right into their resource book and fill it in.

Like the pro/con list, a Venn diagram makes an argument clear to students. Unlike a pro/con list, the diagram helps students see commonalities. Another important aspect when writing an argument or persuasive essay.

Then what? After students have completed a Venn diagram, they might be ready to put together an outline. This will help them determine what they will write about and in what order.

They will also be ready to begin addressing and refuting their opposition.

Heart mapping

What it is: A heart map is a visual classification of something that holds a place in your heart.

How to use it: Begin by having students draw a heart. Be sure to provide a title or prompt for their heart map. This It could be something like:

things that I feel strongly about

important events

best / worst

what I value

let me convince you...

Have students divide the heart into sections and write one idea in each section. They can include a sentence further explaining each idea.

If you want to take this a step further, require that students include adjectives, prepositional phrases, or descriptive phrases.

Then what: Once students have completed a heart map, they can choose one of the ideas from their map to use as a spring board for writing.

Additionally, students can create a heart map each month, at the start of a new quarter, as a more focused prewriting activity - it's not a one-and-done activity.

As an added bonus, a heart map can be used multiple times for writing narratives, arguments, persuasive texts, poems...and more.

Ready to draft

Once your students have completed one or (hopefully) more of these prewriting strategies, they will probably feel ready to draft their essay.

When students feel like their essay will "write itself" you know you've provided them with solid prewriting activities that will make the final writing product more effective and easier for students to write.

You can find all 11 prewriting activities in this digital resource.

Or, if you're looking for a little extra help with the rest of the writing process, check out my shop!

With gratitude for all you do,

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11 Pre writing Strategies (and how to use them)

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There are many prewriting strategies you can use to help your students get ready to write. Here is a list of 11 and how to use them. Teaching writing can be a daunting task, but by breaking the writing process up, you're students will be more successful.

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*with examples*

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Writing is the language skill most similar to speaking because it requires students to be productive. Like speaking, writing provides students with the opportunity to express their ideas and feelings; this is also why many students enjoy writing and learning how to write well. The problem is that, unlike speaking, students cannot use facial expressions or other gestures to convey meaning to the reader. Careful teaching of adjectives, and other elements of writing such as the particular words and phrases used with each type of writing will help students in these areas

As with the other skills, writing requires practice, so at every chance you should provide students the opportunity to practice their writing skills. Provided here are guidelines for activities and strategies for writing. There are also lesson plans for writing essays.

Visit Modes of Writing (additonal information). Current Lesson offers a writitng topic as does the Previous Lesson Plans.

Visit our Site Map- Current Lesson for integrated skills lesson plans concerning current news topics.

Click here for previous Lesson Plans- Business Writing- Writing- Speaking- Listening- Vocabulary- Grammar- Charts & Organizers- Resources for Teachers.

The Paragraph Format

A paragraph is a basic unit of organization for writing a group of sentences that develops one main idea.

There are three parts to a paragraph: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

The Topic Sentence

The topic sentence is the most important sentence in the paragraph. It conveys the paragraph's main idea, and it controls and limits the ideas that can be discussed in that paragraph.

Supporting Sentences

Supporting sentences develop the topic sentence. They give the reader more facts about the main idea, including examples of the way the main idea works and reasons the reader should believe the claims the writer is making in the paragraph. All supporting sentences must be related to the topic sentence.

The Concluding Sentence

The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph and is called the concluding sentence because it signals the end of the paragraph.

The concluding sentence is similar to the topic sentence in that they are both general sentences. The concluding sentence can be written in two ways:

it can restate the topic sentence in different words or it can summarize the main points in the paragraph.

A concluding sentence often begins with "In conclusion...or In summary..." There are very good concluding sentences that can communicate the end of the paragraph without using these phrases.

Example of a Paragraph

An ongoing topic of discussion throughout the world today is the spread of American popular culture around the globe. Some people argue that this influence is a threat to national cultures. Other people believe that Hollywood films, popular songs sung in English, and fast food restaurants represent an emerging "world culture" that is not true American culture. In conclusion, I feel that by observing the cultures of other countries in the coming years, it will be clear as to which side of this argument proves to be true.

Outline of a Paragraph

Directions:

Before you write your paragraph, you should organize your ideas and write them down in an outline form. Use the following format as a guide.
I. Introduction Topic Sentence (Main Idea)
___________________________________

___________________________________
II. Body
Support: _____________________________

Support: _____________________________
III. Conclusion
Concluding sentence_______________________

The Essay Format

The Essay has three parts:
The introduction of an essay has two parts:
1. General statements

2. Thesis statement

General statements (sentences highlighted in green in the sample essay) give the reader background information about the topic of the essay. These statements should get the reader interested in the topic of the essay. The first two or three sentences of an introduction should make general statements about the topic, and they should lead up to the thesis statement. The number of general statements you will actually use in an introduction depends on how long your essay will be. Usually, you should have at least two or three general statements in an introduction.

The thesis statement (blue sentence) states the main topic of the essay and sets forth what will be said in the body paragraphs. The thesis statement is often the last sentence in the introduction. Sometimes it is followed by sentences describing the organization of the rest of the essay.

Supporting sentences develop the thesis statement. They give the reader more facts about the main topic, including examples. It also provides reasons the reader should believe the claims the writer is making in the thesis statement. All supporting paragraphs must be related to the thesis statement.

The last paragraph of the essay is the summary paragraph. It restates the thesis and supporting ideas in the body of the essay. The concluding paragraph is the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented.

The concluding paragraph should include:

1. a restatement of the thesis statement, using some of the original language

2. a summary of the main points from the body of the essay.

3. a final statement that signals that the discussion has come to an end.

Example of an Essay
Superstitions in My Country
"In the Middle East, especially Syria, where I come from, people believe in some superstitions. Some of these superstitions are so strong that they are almost customs. These superstitions are about protecting against evil and bringing good luck. Two of the most popular superstitions are concerned with the evil eye and throwing water. People believe that they must protect themselves from the evil eye of another person by putting turquoise beads in various places. A blue bead is pinned on newly born babies because babies are more vulnerable to an evil spirit and must be protected. Since houses must be protected too, a blue bead, usually with a horseshoe, is placed near the doorway for protection against someone with an evil eye. Also, if people have an item of special value like a car or sewing machine, they must protect it with a blue bead...In conclusion, certain superstitions have become rituals with the purpose of protecting and bringing good luck. Because people always want to be protected and have good luck, these age-old superstitions are as strong today as they were ages ago and probably will continue in the future."

Weaving It Together, Book 3, by Milada Broukal,
Essay Outline I. Introduction
General Statements: _______________________________________

Thesis Statement:__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________
II. Body
Topic Sentence:__________________________________________

Support:________________________________________________

Support:________________________________________________

Support:_______________________________________________

Topic Sentence:___________________________________________

Support:__________________________________________________

Support:_________________________________________________

Support:__________________________________________________
III. Conclusion
Concluding sentences:________________________________________

Tools For Writing

Brainstorming Techniques

Before writing about a specific topic, students need to get ideas about the topic. Brainstorming can be used as a pre-writing activity, to help students think of ideas for topics. Before they begin, place students in groups and give them a handout with the following information as a guide:

When you brainstorm, you try to get as many ideas about a specific subject as you can. This will help you to get started more quickly with your writing and it will save you time much later. Two popular methods of brainstorming are listing and graphic organizers.

Listing

Example of the Listing technique used to write about the topic of superstitions

1. Write down the topic at the top of your paper.

2. Make a list of all the words and phrases that come into your head about the topic.

Don't stop to think whether they are right or wrong or grammatically correct. Remember that you can always change the unwanted information later.

3. Rewrite your list, putting the same ideas together.

Lucky Number: number 7

Unlucky Number: number 13

Lucky objects: rabbit's foot, a cross/medal.

Unlucky objects: a broken mirror

4. From this list, write a draft about lucky and unlucky numbers or lucky and unlucky objects.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are great for stimulating ideas and for classifying information. There are many types of graphic organizers, each designed to help organize different information for a particular topic. One of the more popular ones is the spider map.
Spider Map By Write Design
1. Write your topic in the center of your paper and circle it.
Great links for Graphic Organizers (for Writing, Reading, and Vocabulary):
2. Draw lines from the topic to words associated with the topic

Education Oasis
Write Design Online
They offer charts for : 5 WHs questions and How, ABC Brainstorming, KWL Chart, Progress Report, and many more.
Real Classroom Ideas
Charts are more for the advanced learner. Styles: CerebralChart,, Fishbone Map, Spider Map and more.
FNO.ORG (vol. 7)
Helps teachers / learners set up a graphic organizer folder system for different graphic organizers.

Great organizers for young or beginning ESL learners. Large graphics.

TIPS: Punctuation, Grammar, Word Usage, Spelling,

Punctuation

CommasAlways use the serial comma between the last two items in a list of three or more joined by a conjunction: Example: Red, green, and blue.

Adverbial, prepositional, or participial phrases are typically set off with an introductory comma.

Example: In the interim, the law stands.

When independent clauses are joined by a conjunction (and, but, or), a comma usually precedes the conjunction

Periods Periods are almost always placed within quotation marks, even within single quotation marks that set off special terms at the end of a sentence.

Colons, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation marks follow closing quotation marks unless the question mark or exclamation mark is part of the quoted material.

Grammar

Avoid using the passive voice. The passive voice is formed by combining the conjugated form of the verb to be with the past participle.

Example:

Active: The judge decided the case.

Passive: The case was decided by the judge

Subject verb agreement
Postponing the actor, transforming the object into the subject, and adding wordiness through a prepositional phrase weaken writing in the passive voice.
Use of personal pronouns
Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs. But the indefinite pronouns make things interesting.
Use of reflexive pronouns
Pronouns are words "that are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context."A personal pronoun shows by its form whether it is referring to the speaker, the person or thing spoken to or the person or thing spoken of. Personal pronouns are useful because words do not need to be repeated.
Example: Use: Not: Pronoun reference George and myself are responsible for this state of affairs. Example: Use: Officer Schwartz, who arrested Helen Dean, said that Dean was drunk at the time. Gender neutral pronoun George and I are responsible for this state of affairs.
There is a tendency to use the reflexive pronoun myself when not appropriate or necessary.
Example:
Pronouns usually refer to other words, termed antecedents, which have come before the pronoun. It is imperative to assure that the antecedent reference is clear.
Not: Use of Subjunctive Mood A lawyer always bills his clients. "Example: Indicative The House and Senate agree on the budget. Split infinitives
Not: Officer Schwartz, who arrested Helen Dean, said that she was drunk at the time.

Gender-neutral wording is a preference, not a requirement. Legal pronouns were traditionally masculine when the gender was unspecified. In the last couple of decades, gender-neutral wording has been embraced in legal writing.
To boldly go where no man has gone before. Word Usage That or which?
Using he, his or him as common-sex pronouns is widely considered sexist. It is often possible to rewrite a sentence without the need for a personal pronoun.
Who or which?
Use: Lawyers always bill their clients.
Avoid jargon
Verb moods are the indicative, imperative and subjunctive. The indicative mood is used for factual statement. The imperative mood is used for commands. The subjunctive mood expresses a condition which is doubtful or not factual. The subjunctive mood "is most often found in a clause beginning with the word if. It is also found in clauses following a verb that expresses a doubt, a wish, regret, request, demand, or proposal.
Subject verb agreement
Subjunctive I f the House and Senate were to agree on the budget...
Avoid bias
Hardliners never believe it is allowable to split an infinitive. Others grammarians accept that verb phrases can be interrupted by a single word without disrupting the sentence. There is little consensus, but splitting an infinitive is allowable if it does not alter the intended meaning of the sentence.
Spelling
Example:
Names
"That is the defining, or restrictive pronoun, which the nondefining, or nonrestrictive." The elaborates, "that is used restrictively to narrow a category or identify a particular item being talked about; which is used non-restrictively-not to narrow a class or identify a particular item but to add something about an item already identified." When using which in these instances, it is preceded by a comma.
Example: Foreign Words
"To refer to a person either who or which can be used but they are not interchangeable. Who is universal; which is usually selective or limited."
Example: Hyphenation Mozart's Così fan tutte is still popular.
Jargon means special words or expressions that are used by a specific profession or group and are usually difficult for others to understand unless they are familiar with the group or profession. Example: legal jargon.

Adjective to verb transitions are not acceptable in formal prose. Noun to verb transitions occur more frequently but recently transformed words should be used cautiously if at all.

Biased language that is either sexist or consciously or unconsciously prejudicial distracts and may offend readers

Example: Directionals such as toward, upward, forward, and backward are written without an added -s. Also many computers have a "spell-check" system you can use.

Possessives The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, while for plural nouns only an apostrophe is added.

Italics are used for short words or phrases in a foreign language if they are probably unfamiliar to readers. It is also a good idea to link to foreign words or phrases when possible.

The dictionary is the starting point for determining if compound terms should be hyphenated, spelled as two words or spelled as a single word. General rules for hyphenation of compound words and specific examples are provided in the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS).

Source: CMS Library English: Punctuation

Components for Literary Analysis

This is an excellent review of components for analyzing pieces of literature, to prepare students for writing analytical essays about a novel, short story or poem. Depending on the level of your students, you can decide how much you would like them to analyze the stories and poems they read.

Also note that some of the terms for Poetry can also be used to analyze novels, short stories and plays. Terms in brackets [ ] are ones I've added to the list.

'Students are asked to write literary analysis essays because this type of assignment encourages you to think about how and why a poem, short story, novel, or play was written. To successfully analyze literature, you'll need to remember that authors make specific choices for particular reasons. Your essay should point out the author's choices and attempt to explain their significance.

Another way to look at a literary analysis is to consider a piece of literature from your own perspective. Rather than thinking about the author's intentions, you can develop an argument based on any single term (or combination of terms) listed below. You'll just need to use the original text to defend and explain your argument to the reader."

Novel, Short Story, or Play

Themes - often explore ideas that are both cross-cultural and deeply rooted in the human condition [e.g., loneliness, coming of age, love, friendship, betrayal].

Character - representation of a person, place, or thing performing traditionally human activities or functions in a work of fiction

* Protagonist - The character the story revolves around.

* Antagonist - A character or force that opposes the protagonist.

* Minor character - Often provides support and illuminates the protagonist.

* Static character - A character that remains the same.

* Dynamic character - A character that changes in some important way.

* Characterization - The choices an author makes to reveal a character's personality, such as appearance, actions, dialogue, and motivations.

Look for: Connections, links, and clues between and about characters. Ask yourself what the function and significance of each character is. Make this determination based upon the character's history, what the reader is told (and not told), and what other characters say about themselves and others.

Point of View - pertains to who tells the story and how it is told. The point of view of a story can sometimes indirectly establish the author's intentions.

* Narrator - The person telling the story who may or may not be a character in the story.

* First-person - Narrator participates in action but sometimes has limited knowledge/vision.

* Second person - Narrator addresses the reader directly as though she is part of the story. (i.e. "You walk into your bedroom. You see clutter everywhere and...")

* Third Person (Objective) - Narrator is unnamed/unidentified (a detached observer). Does not assume character's perspective and is not a character in the story. The narrator reports on events and lets the reader supply the meaning.

* Omniscient - All-knowing narrator (multiple perspectives). The narrator knows what each character is thinking and feeling, not just what they are doing throughout the story. This type of narrator usually jumps around within the text, following one character for a few pages or chapters, and then switching to another character for a few pages, chapters, etc. Omniscient narrators also sometimes step out of a particular character's mind to evaluate him or her in some meaningful way.

Plot - the arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make up a story

* Foreshadowing - When the writer clues the reader in to something that will eventually occur in the story; it may be explicit (obvious) or implied (disguised).

* Suspense - The tension that the author uses to create a feeling of discomfort about the unknown

* Conflict - Struggle between opposing forces.

* Exposition - Background information regarding the setting, characters, plot.

* Rising Action - The process the story follows as it builds to its main conflict

* Crisis - A significant turning point in the story that determines how it must end

* Resolution/Denouement - The way the story turns out.

Setting - the place or location of the action. The setting provides the historical and cultural context for characters. It often can symbolize the emotional state of characters.

Structure - The way that the writer arranges the plot of a story.

Look for: Repeated elements in action, gesture, dialogue, description, as well as shifts in direction, focus, time, place, etc.
[Alliteration]
Poetry

Allegory - narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme.

* William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily- the decline of the Old South

* Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- man's struggle to contain his inner primal instincts
[Allusion]
* District 9- South African Apartheid

* X Men- the evils of prejudice

* Harry Potter- the dangers of seeking "racial purity"

Alliteration occurs when a series of words in a row (or close to a row) have the same first consonant sound.

For example, "She sells sea-shells down by the sea-short" or "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers" are both alliterative phrases.

In the former, all the words start with the "s" sound, while in the later, the "p's" take precedence. Aside from tongue twisters, alliteration is also used in poems, song lyrics, and even store or brand names.

Source: Dictionary

An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, a place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication.

Source wikipedia

Examples:

It has rained so long, it seems as though it has rained for 40 days and nights. (This is reference to Noah's Arc which is a well-known event.)

1.) Harriet Tubman was called the Moses of her time.

2.) To act or not to act, that was Maria's dilemma.

3.) The final game was John's Waterloo.

Source wikiAnswers

Connotation - implied meaning of word. BEWARE! Connotations can change over time.

* confidence /arrogance

* mouse/ rat

* cautious/ scared

* curious/nosey

* frugal/ cheap

Denotation - dictionary definition of a word

Diction - word choice that both conveys and emphasizes the meaning or theme of a poem through distinctions in sound, look, rhythm, syllable, letters, and definition

Figurative language - the use of words to express meaning beyond the literal meaning of the words themselves

* Metaphor - contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the meaning of a situation or theme without using like or as

◦ You are the sunshine of my life.

* Simile - contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the meaning of a situation or theme using like or as

◦ What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun

* Hyperbole - exaggeration

◦ I have a million things to so today.

* Personification - giving non-human objects human characteristics

◦ America has thrown her hat into the ring, and will be joining forces with the British.

Imagery - the author's attempt to create a mental picture (or reference point) in the mind of the reader. Remember, though the most immediate forms of imagery are visual, strong and effective imagery can be used to invoke an emotional, sensational (taste, touch, smell etc) or even physical response.

[The following terms are usually used in analyzing poetry.]
▪ Blood boil, mind-meld, well- loved
Rhythm - often thought of as a poem's timing. Rhythm is the juxtaposition of stressed and unstressed beats in a poem. Rhythm is often used to give the reader a lens through which to move through the work.

Meter - measure or structuring of rhythm in a poem

Foot - grouping of stressed and unstressed syllables used in line or poem

* Iamb - unstressed syllable followed by stressed

◦ Made famous by the Shakespearian sonnet, closest to the natural rhythm of human speech

* Spondee - stressed stressed

◦ Used to add emphasis and break up monotonous rhythm

* Trochee - stressed unstressed

◦ Often used in children's rhymes and to help with memorization, gives poem a hurried feeling

* Anapest - unstressed unstressed stressed

◦ Often used in longer poems or "rhymed stories"

▪ Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house

* Dactyls - stressed unstressed unstressed

◦ Often used in classical Greek or Latin text, later revived by the Romantics, then again by the Beatles, often thought to create a heartbeat or pulse in a poem

* The iamb stumbles through my books; trochees rush and tumble; while anapest runs like a hurrying brook; dactyls are stately and classical.

Structure - The pattern of organization of a poem. For example, a Shakespearean sonnet is a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter. Because the sonnet is strictly constrained, it is considered a closed or fixed form. An open or free form poem has looser form, or perhaps one of the author's invention, but it is important to remember that these poems are not necessarily formless.

Symbolism - when an object is meant to be representative of something or an idea greater than the object itself.

* Cross - representative of Christ or Christianity

* Bald Eagle - America or Patriotism
Article: Racism and Ignorance by Carol Spindel
* Owl - wisdom or knowledge

* Yellow - implies cowardice or rot

Speaker - the person delivering the poem. Remember, a poem does not have to have a speaker, and the speaker and the poet are not necessarily one in the same.
Procedure
Tone - the implied attitude towards the subject of the poem. Is it hopeful, pessimistic, dreary, worried? A poet conveys tone by combining all of the elements listed above to create a precise impression on the reader.

Source: Roane State Community College

Lesson Plans for Writing

These are handouts you can give to your students, as you teach them each different types of essay writing.

Level: High-intermediate to advanced.

Materials: Article, handout of the particular mode of writing learners are currently practicing, and the essay questions.

Objective: To increase students' awareness of the tools for writing, essay format, and the various modes of essay writing.

Pre-writing task: ask students if they understand what racism means; if in their countries, the sports teams have the names of aboriginal tribes; if some people in their communities object to these names. If students don't have any ideas, provide a definition for racism, then a few examples, along with examples of some U.S. teams that have names of Indian tribes ( The Redskins).

While-writing task: place students in groups and have them underline or high-light any new vocabulary words and look them up. Review the words as a class.
Article: What is Intelligence, Anyway? by Issac Asimov
Next, give students the essay questions. Each group chooses one question, and begins brainstorming ideas for an essay. Students should name the type of essay they are planning to write. For example, the first question could be a Narrative essay, explaining the reasons why colleges and universities began using Indian tribal names for their sports teams.

Then, as a class, discuss the ideas from each group, write some of them on the board.

Post-writing task: For homework each student chooses a question and writes an essay for that question.
Procedure
Students read their essays in class.

Directions: The following questions are based on the article Racism and Ignorance. Choose one question and write an essay, using one or more of the modes of writing.

In the United States American Indians continuously struggle for recognition and the rights afforded to non-Indians. For years, several well established universities have used the tribal names and symbols of Indians to represent the schools' athletic teams and their mascots. Recently several of these institutions have decided to change the names. However, many of the alumni of these schools have protested the name change.

1. In your opinion, why would the alumni of a university protest the name change of the school's athletic team from an American Indian name to one more neutral?

2. What rights are the aboriginal tribes of a country entitled to?

3. In your opinion, should these institutions contribute to scholarship funding for American Indian schools as a way to compensate for the misuse of the tribal names?

4. Do you think using the tribal names in a commercial way affects the people in the tribe? If so explain in what ways

Level: High-intermediate to advanced.

Materials: Article, vocabulary worksheet, handout of the modes of writing for reference, and essay question.

Objective: To increase students' awareness of the tools for writing, essay format, and the various modes of essay writing.
Writing Assignment for Asimov Article
Pre-writing task: ask students if they understand the meanings of I.Q., or intelligence; do they have similar types of tests in their countries, if so, what are they used for (to gain college entrance, or for a job position)

While-writing task: place students in groups give them copies of the article, and have them complete the vocabulary worksheet. Review the words as a class.

Next, give students the essay questions. Each group chooses one question, and begins brainstorming ideas for an essay. Students should have an idea of the type of essay they are planning to write.

For example, the first question could be a Compare and Contrast essay of why IQ tests are necessary vs. the reasons they are not necessary.
One Minute Essay
Then, as a class, discuss the ideas from each group, write some of them on the board.

Post-writing task: For homework each student chooses a question and writes an essay for that question.

Students read their essays in class.
Adjectives: Definition
In the article What Is Intelligence, Anyway? Asimov states, " My intelligence, then, is not absolute but is a function of the society I live in and of the fact that a small subsection of that society has managed to foist itself on the rest as an arbiter of such matters."

1. Write an essay in which you discuss the significance of this statement, and explain why you agree or disagree. Provide examples to support your answer.

2. Do you think that there is a distinction between being smart and being intelligent? Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the two.

Activities for Writing Practice

To Help students practice there are several activities you can use on a daily basis.

At the end of each class give students the following question and allow them one minute to free write. For students at a lower-level, allow 2-3 minutes. Collect the essays and review them, but do not mark them. For the next class review any errors that students made. Students usually like this activity.

Handout:

"In one minute summarize what you have learned in class today. Mention anything that was not clear to you, as well as any questions you may have about the topics discussed today. Write in complete sentences."
Writing Jigsaw
An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.
Additional Activities:
Here are some examples, the adjectives are bolded.

The wall broken wall was old.

The children look happy.

His hair was gray.

After, ask students to go through the photos and choose a picture. Have them write a description of the photo.

For your more advanced students, review Description writing here.

Bring in an article from a newspaper of magazine. Make sure that there are enough paragraphs to divide into the number of small groups of students. Give each group a paragraph. They are to read the paragraph, then write a summary. As a class, each group presents their part.

For younger students or beginners visit Scholastic Resources.

A collection of Writing lessons (high-intermediate-advanced) is available here.

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Writing is the language skill most similar to speaking because it requires students to be productive. Like speaking, writing provides students with the opportunity to express their ideas and feelings; this is also why many students enjoy writing and learning how to write well.

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*sample templates included*

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Types of Struggling Writers

Just like our students, not all struggling writers are the same. Some students struggle with writing because they are stuck for ideas. You know the kid...the one who proclaims, "I don't know what to write," then shrugs and stares blankly at you. Those are also often the students getting up to get another drink of water and staring at a blank page. These students struggle with getting started and knowing what to write about.

Other students struggle because their writing is disorganized and lacks structure. These students will often write, but their writing is disorganized and hard to follow. They often claim to be finished with a writing assignment before it is truely complete.

Finally, another group of students struggle with writing because they feel disconnected from the assignment. They may feel it is not relevant to them or they may not have the background knowledge or expertise to write on the topic.
With a little scaffolding and support, there are many strategies you can implement into your writing instruction to help support your struggling writers.
Stuck for Ideas
When students struggle with coming up with ideas about what to write about, try the following scaffolding tips:
1. Share Ideas before writing

Students orally share ideas before writing (with a peer, as a whole group, or even record ideas using a technology device) - This gets their creative juices flowing. Students who struggle with coming up with their own ideas might get inspired by their classmates' thoughts. Having students share ideas also helps to solidify and ground the idea so it isn't lost.

2. Collaboratively write

This is an opportunity for the whole class to get involved. Instead of having students start writing on their own, first, collaboratively write together as a class. Have different students share ideas to create a collaborative writing sample. This demonstrates for struggling writers how to approach the assignment and it provides them with ideas of what to write about.

3. Use sentence starters

These are really helpful for triggering ideas in struggling writers. Often times a student will say, "I don't know what to write about," and a sentence starter can help guide them with their writing.

4. Writing Warm-up

Writing warm-ups are great to help students get their creative juices flowing. They are also helpful to encourage students to write down their thoughts. Using a writing warm-up like Power Writing or Freewriting: (where students write without stopping or without worrying about spelling or grammar) their ideas can flow and they don't have to deal with writing paralysis.

5. Pre-writing

This is a critical step for helping struggling writers construct ideas. Using tools like brainstorms or Focus Storms, help students quickly get as many ideas as possible. The blank page can be daunting to a young writer who struggles with coming up with ideas. Brainstorming is a powerful tool to help writers flush out all the ideas and then a Focus Storm helps them to organize and fine-tune their ideas. This is also helpful because it is a visual for students to see that they have lots of ideas. If students ever get stuck for ideas, they can refer back to their brainstorm and focus storm.

Disorganization and Lack of Structure

This was one of my biggest struggles as a young writer. I had lots of ideas, but I rarely put them together in a coherent fashion. Instead, my writing was a disorganized, jumbled mess. Many young writers struggle with this aspect of writing, and these scaffolding tips are a best practice when teaching young students. Whether it is a paragraph or an essay, these strategies help support struggling writers in elementary school.

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12 Strategies to Support Struggling Writers in Elementary - TeachWriting.org

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Just like our students, not all struggling writers are the same. Some students struggle with writing because they are stuck for ideas . You know the kid...the one who proclaims, "I don't know what to write," then shrugs and stares blankly at you. Those are also often the students getting

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7 Fun writing activities for reluctant writers - Literacy Ideas

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The Purpose: Give your students the chance to improve their dialogue writing skills, and to work on their understanding of character development, in this fun activity which combines writing with the use of a series of visual elements. The Process: There are two ways to do this activity.

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Inside: Teaching writing DOESN'T have to be complicated! With these simple strategies, you can improve students' writing without having to work so hard.
rs. Braun?

I turned around to an outstretched notebook in a kid's hands.

"I don't know what to do next," said the student.

I leaned closer to decipher the 2nd-grade handwriting. Then with my most positive I'll-guide-you-on-the-right-path tone, I gave the student an idea to run with.

I straightened up, ready to move about the class, peering over shoulders, offering feedback as needed.

My bubble was abruptly burst.

Standing behind me was a whole line of kids that didn't know what to do next!

Have you been there, too? What you need are writing strategies for students that break down a complicated process into pieces they can tackle.

What follows are some of the best methods for teaching writing that I discovered over the years:

Use Mentor Texts

If you wanted to learn how to decorate your mantle, you might look for great examples on Pinterest and then try to make yours look like that.

Similarly, kids can look at the work of published authors to see how a pro writes.

Mentor texts are published pieces that serve as a good example of the type of writing you're helping your students to produce.

If you're teaching how-to writing, find books about making crafts, cooking, or other DIY topics. If you're teaching report writing, look at nonfiction books.

Read these books (or parts of them) to your students.

Talk as a class about the special features you notice.

Make a list of these features (how-to books have numbered steps, pictures to match, sequence, etc.)

Mentor texts serve as a blueprint for your students as they begin to write their own pieces.

Demonstrate

Cooking shows are popular because it's easy to watch how a good cook puts together a recipe and then do the same yourself. Writing demonstrations are similar.

Write in front of your students and think aloud as you're doing it. Thinking aloud is a research-based teaching strategy. You are the proficient writer in the room and you want your students to begin modeling their thinking processes after yours.

Some writing skills you might demonstrate are:

brainstorming topics to write about

creating a plan for writing

orally rehearsing sentences and then writing them down

stretching out sounds in words for spelling

rereading and editing writing

looking for places to add more interesting vocabulary

making a final copy that incorporates editing and revisions

Use Sentence Starters

Staring at a blank page can be so intimidating!

Help kids get started with a list of possible sentence starters. Here's an example list of sentence starters that work well for opinion writing.

Join my weekly newsletter and as a bonus, you'll get the sentence starter page pictured above. Just click here to download and subscribe.

Color Coding

(you can find the pictured graphic organizer HERE)

Use color-coding to make writing organization obvious and to connect a student's plan to their draft.

1. Assign a different color to each element of a piece.

2. Mark whatever planning graphic organizer you're using with these colors.

3. During drafting, underline the sentences for each section with the appropriate color.

This technique helps students make sure nothing is left out and that everything is in the right order

Integrate Vocabulary

One of the things we know about teaching vocabulary is that it's not enough to talk about a word once. It needs to be seen, heard, and used several times before it is mastered.

Writing is the perfect place to incorporate some vocabulary instruction.

Choose two or three words that might be useful to students for the topic they are writing about. Teach these words, give example sentences, and share sentences where students were able to work them in.

You can either teach the words before students write their rough draft or teach them before students revise. You may want students to keep a record of these words in a notebook.

Use a Rubric

There's no point in making kids guess what they're aiming for with their writing.

Research shows that when students have criteria against which to judge their writing, they begin to internalize that criteria and use it when they write new pieces.

Try teaching critique lessons where you share a few short pieces of writing with different strengths and weaknesses and evaluate them with students using a rubric.

Talk about what made a piece successful and what could be better about it. Invite students to use the successful techniques in their own writing. Click on the picture to get a free copy of a personal narrative rubric that I like to use.

Peer Conferencing

Many students find working with a partner to be very motivating.

It's important to carefully structure peer writing conferencing because it can get out of hand easily.

Set a specific goal such as helping each other check for capital letters at the beginning of every sentence, rereading to make sure each sentence makes sense, or looking for words that could be traded out for something more interesting.

Another way to structure peer conferencing is to use the "Love and a Wish" system. Students read each other's writing. Then they share one thing they loved about it and one thing they wished. For example, maybe they loved how their partner described the taste of their birthday cake and they wished there was more about the games that were played at the party.

Create an Incentive

Taking a piece of writing from the planning process all the way to a final draft is a lot of work. Find a way to celebrate that work to keep students motivated.

A chance to share their work is motivating to students. You can build in sharing while you're roving the classroom. At the mid-point or the end of the lesson, have a few students share how they revised a sentence to add an interesting word or the great hook that they chose.

You can give students time to share their work with a neighbor. This way everyone gets to share in a short amount of time.

Allow students to share writing in those 5-minute blocks of time you find every now and then when you finished something else early.

A favorite writing incentive in my classroom was the "publishing party." After a 5 week writing unit, each student chose their best piece and we all sat in a circle and listened to each other's work.

At the end, we toasted to our hard work with a small cup of apple juice. Parents would share with me that this simple celebration really motivated their child to work hard in writing so they would have something great to read to the class.

If you're looking for resources to help you teach writing, check out the classroom-tested products HERE:

Follow my literacy board on Pinterest for more ideas!

Follow Hannah @ The Classroom Key's board Literacy on Pinterest.

Author: Hannah Braun

https://www.theclassroomkey.com

Hannah Braun is a former teacher with 8 years of experience in the classroom and a master's degree in early childhood education. She designs engaging, organized classroom resources for 1st-3rd grade teachers.

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Inside: Teaching writing DOESN'T have to be complicated! With these simple strategies, you can improve students' writing without having to work so hard. rs. Braun? I turned around to an outstretched notebook in a kid's hands. "I don't know what to do next," said the student. I leaned closer to decipher the 2nd-grade handwriting.

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How to Use Graphic Organizers for Assessment | Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin

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I recently explained how to use graphic organizers to increase reading comprehension and later explained how graphic organizers help students improve their writing. This post will share why using graphic organizers for assessment is also important and will provide teachers with easy ways for teachers to offer students differentiated assessment tasks.

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Teachers are constantly engaged in the process of formative assessment. Without the regular use of formative assessment, or checks for understanding, how are teachers to know what each student needs in order to be successful in the classroom? Teachers have many strategies and tools from which to choose. Learn about a few below.

Exit Tickets - Exit tickets can be a great way to set up the next day's learning. Before students leave class, they can be asked for an "exit ticket" that provides insight into what they learned from the day's activities. For a digital exit ticket, try creating a Google Form that asks students about their thoughts on a lesson or have students create a short, three-panel comic strip outlining the day's most valuable key idea.

Graphic Organizers - Graphic organizers can be used to assess prior knowledge, record learning during a lecture or class reading, or organize knowledge after learning. Some examples include Venn diagrams, word/idea webs, or concept maps. Google Drawing, Gliffy, Bubbl.us, and Mindmeister are always great options for creating digital graphic organizers. For word clouds, try Wordle, Word It Out, or Word Mosaic.

Quick Write - With quick writes, you can ask students to respond to an open-ended question or prompt. This can be done before, during, or after the lesson. Some useful tools for this include Chatzy, Today's Meet, and Padlet. A few others to check out are Active Prompt and Lino. Don't forget to remind students to share something unique and not repeat a classmate's answer.

Quizzes - Quizzes assess students for factual information and concepts for which there is usually a single best answer. Quizzes are great for on-the-fly assessment. Socrative can be used for quick quizzes, as well as Kahoot!, which lets you build fun into your quizzes. Students can use computers, cell phones, or other devices to join in and answer the questions.

Recall - Recalling information allows students to list the most important concepts they learned or things that were meaningful to them. Try having students make a list - in words or simple phrases - and rank them in order of importance, like a Top Ten List. Try using List.ly or Listmoz to create digital lists.

Remember that the true value of doing formative assessments lies in what happens afterwards when you take the data and change your teaching strategies and processes to reflect what you've learned and to better serve each student.

If you want to learn about more formative assessment digital tools, join us on December 9, 2015 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Central for our Lunch and Learn webinar, free to members. Register HERE today!

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Five Fabulous Formative Assessments for Your Classroom * TechNotes Blog

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Teachers are constantly engaged in the process of formative assessment. Without the regular use of formative assessment, or checks for understanding, how are teachers to know what each student needs in order to be successful in the classroom? Teachers have many strategies and tools from which to choose.

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Simple Ways to Assess the Writing Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities

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Student writing can be evaluated on five product factors: fluency, content, conventions, syntax, and vocabulary. Writing samples also should be assessed across a variety of purposes for writing to give a complete picture of a student’s writing performance across different text structures and genres.…