Book 1: "The Invisible Boy" by Trudy Ludwig

Brief Summary:

Book 1: "The Invisible Boy" tells the story of Brian, a boy who feels unnoticed at school. He is always left out of activities, but when a new student arrives, he starts to form a meaningful connection with others. This book is an excellent choice for discussing inclusion, empathy, and the importance of making every student feel seen and valued.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some ways we can help a student who feels invisible in the classroom?

2. How does Brian's life change when he is included? How does that make you feel?

3. What can you do to make sure no one in your classroom feels left out?

Book 2: "Nana Akua Goes to School" by Tricia Elam Walker

Resource 1: Edutopia - Building Strong Relationships with Students

Link: https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-strong-relationships-with-students?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhr6_BhD4ARIsAH1YdjDRqKDoLi4Fhek7zSYlR66NfNNtpC7c3jB3jLddcXqjj-qJv_dkr44aApbAEALw_wcB

Description: This article discusses how teachers can build authentic relationships with students using principles from psychology. It highlights strategies such as building proximity, asking students for help, making callbacks to shared experiences, and embracing authenticity. These methods help foster trust, support emotional health, and create a sense of belonging in the classroom, ultimately improving academic performance and student well-being.

Resource 2: YouTube - How to Build Relationships with Students

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FDtHN6Lwog

Description: This video provides practical tips on how to build positive and meaningful relationships with students. It emphasizes the importance of observing and listening to students, celebrating their differences, soliciting feedback, and offering support and encouragement. These strategies help foster a classroom environment where students feel valued and connected, promoting both academic and emotional growth.

Resource 3: Building Relationships with Students: 8 Ways to Connect

Link: https://www.pbisrewards.com/blog/building-relationships-with-students-8-ways-connect/

Description: This article provides 8 practical strategies for building positive relationships with students, such as greeting students each day, giving them a voice, and creating a respectful environment. These methods can enhance classroom management by fostering trust and cooperation, which ultimately leads to better student engagement and improved classroom routines.

Resource 4: TeachThought: 32 Ways to Build Better Relationships with Students

Link: https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/building-better-relationships

 Description: Teach Thought presents a list of 32 tips to help build better relationships with students. These include getting to know their personal stories, having conversations both inside and outside the classroom, valuing students as individuals, playing together, creating opportunities for success, and assuming the best in every student. These suggestions help create a positive and effective learning environment by prioritizing the students' needs and well-being.

Resource 5. Faculty Focus: The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships

Link: https://www.facultyfocus.com/tag/teacher-student-relationships/

Description: Faculty Focus offers articles, strategies, and research related to building strong teacher-student relationships. They highlight the importance of trust, understanding students' individual needs, and creating an environment where students feel safe to express themselves. The site provides evidence-based approaches to forming positive relationships that enhance student engagement and academic success.

Great as a first week activity to better get to know your students, and for them to get to know you. Students bring in items that they feel represent them, around 5-7. Encourage students to be creative with their choices. Teachers as well as peers can ask follow-up questions about the items. Teacher should set an example by having their own bag full of items to give them an idea of what to bring and what they might say. It can also be altered to be “Me in a Box” or “Me on a Board,” to give students options on how they wish to present themselves. Definitely relates to our topic of building relationships with students.

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Lesson Plan/Activities - green

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Start off the day by having a question written on the board for students to ponder and think about. Then once everyone is settled start having students share their answers. It not only gives you more insight into a students mindset, but also acts as a great conversation starter for the entire class.

An example questions would be "If you could invent a new subject that would be taught in school, what would it be and why?"

An exercise where teachers ask students a simple open-ended prompt: "I wish my teacher knew." Followed by students responding on an index card. As a teacher it allows you to learn the complexity within a student's life we may not be privy to. This prompt went viral when a 3rd grade teacher by the name of Kyle Schwartz shared some of her student's responses. She even wrote a book called "I Wish My Teacher Knew," on the lessons she learned from that one simple but very important prompt.

Book 2: "Nana Akua Goes to School" is about Zura, a shy girl nervous about Grandparents Day at school. Zura worries her classmates might laugh or be unkind because her grandmother, Nana Akua, has traditional African face markings. Nana Akua comforts her and decides to bring Zura's favorite quilt with African symbols to school. On Grandparents Day, they wear traditional clothing and share the meaning behind the facial markings and quilt. Nana Akua invites everyone to choose a symbol and explains its significance, helping the class appreciate her culture and bringing everyone closer together.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does Zura's relationship with her grandmother, Nana Akua, her feel more confident at school?

2. What role do the teacher and students play in making Nana Akua feel welcome during her visit?

3. How can learning about each other's backgrounds and traditions help students build stronger relationships with each other?