Classroom Methods Help to Engage Students in the Material “How do you have so much control in your classroom?” “How do you get 100% student participation?” “How do you activate the whole brain when teaching students?” These are some questions that can be answered by Whole Brain Teaching. Whole Brain Teaching is a high energy, highly […]
Category: Elementary
Science and Robotics Clubs
Afterschool Science Club Gives Students the Ability for More Hands-On Activities I started this program to get kids excited about science and learning. I send permission slips home with the fourth graders near the beginning of the school year. I make sure they know I will allow the first 30 students, that return their permission […]
Minecraft Camp Invites “Struggling” Students into School-Based Literacy Activities
Program Designed to Help Struggling Students with Literacy What: This activity took place in a Title I school in which over 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch and about 25% are identified as English learners. Because we receive federal and state money, we also have numerous government mandates to fulfill. Some […]
Use of “The Recovery Process” for Disruptive Classroom Students
The “Recovery Process” Allows the Teacher to Preserve the Classroom Learning Environment The “Recovery Process” is one of the nine-skills found in the multimedia training program, 9 Essential Skills for the Love and Logic Classroom. This process allows the teacher to preserve the learning environment when nothing seems to be working with the student. We […]
Student Led
Students Transform Into Leaders of Their Own Learning Through a Variety of Student Led Activities and Student Engaged Assessments As an EL Education school, we are constantly looking for ways to better serve our students and to learn and grow as educators just as we would ask our students to do. One way to create […]
Flocabulary
Online Music Videos Help Keep Students Engaged in the Classroom Flocabulary is a website that can be found at www.flocabulary.com and the free videos can be accessed from any classroom or home. Flocabulary music videos are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and can be incorporated in multiple subjects such as reading, math, language arts, science, […]
Grissom & Southside: Working Together
Students Encouraged to Give Back to Their Community Southside Middle School 7th and 8th grade teachers have implemented a collaborative and cross-curricular program to encourage students to contribute to the growth and development of their community and begin life-long habits of philanthropy. Once each month, students from the 7th and 8th grade honors program at […]
Classroom Economy
Classroom Jobs Teach Students About Economics This best practice was developed to meet the second grade economic standards. It begins by teaching the content and introducing vocabulary words: needs, wants, producers, consumers, goods, services, opportunity cost, save, spend, and donate. After the majority of the content has been addressed the students begin the interview and […]
Math Thinkers – Math Talkers
Students Learn to Try Multiple Strategies to Solve Math Problems Young students learn how to explain their math reasoning and thinking using math strategies. Students can verbalize how they solve math problems and share their thinking process. Multiple strategies are taught and students have choices and voice in what strategy they use. Students are encouraged […]
A Great Way to Integrate: Language Arts and Social Studies Combined
Two Departmentalized Teachers Integrate Lessons to Help Students Become More Engaged Two departmentalized teachers share how they integrate their subject matter to make lessons meaningful for their students. There are strategies, lessons, and tips on how they easily manage their cross-curricular planning. Challenges or Obstacles: Challenges can occur if you are sharing the subjects mentioned […]
Student Led Conferences
Student Led Parent-Teacher Conferences Increase Student Confidence Student Led Conferences facilitate student articulation of learning, student-engaged assessment through review and reflection, and parent engagement. As parent-teacher conferences transition to parent-teacher-student conferences, students become a part of the conversation and become involved in the process of reflecting on their progress. After parents and students understand that both […]
Sensory Circuits
Bringing a School Together to Increase Motor Ability in Students Upon a new assignment to this elementary building, the Occupational Therapist quickly became aware that there were options to help the teachers. The Occupational Therapy strategies needed to be developed and planned with administration support and teacher input. A program was developed for the […]
Golden Beads: A Golden Ticket for Teaching Math
Use of Beads Helps to Introduce Mathematical Concepts The Golden Beads are used to give a concrete introduction to the decimal system. The Golden Beads, like all Montessori materials, are very tactile, attractive, and easy to understand. The material consists of: “unit” beads, which are just individual bead “tens” bars, which are made of 10“unit” […]
Student Led Book Clubs
Book Club Allows Students to Take Ownership for Their Reading Book Club was originally created through collaboration with a third grade teacher(me) and fifth grade teacher who were seeking a way to empower students to have meaningful discussions on complex texts that were being read in class. When Book Club was first created, the whole […]
Brain Breaks with GoNoodle
Implementation of Break Breaks Develops Students Memory and Fluency in Common Core Subjects GoNoodle is a free website that can be found at www.GoNoodle.com and can be accessed from any classroom or home. GoNoodle works with Common Core subject experts to create brain breaks that develop memory and fluency in math, spelling, and vocabulary in the form of […]
Co-Teaching
Implementation of a Co-teaching Model Enhances Small Group and Individualized Instruction for Students From 2013-2015 the first grade team at Burris Laboratory School implemented a co-teaching model. All first grade students are taught together using differentiated teaching methods. Teachers use whole group, flexible small group, and one-on-one instruction. Groups are identified through the use of […]
WIDA English Learner Standards and School-wide Professional Development
Staff Meetings Increased Teachers’ Knowledge of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Rhoades Elementary, in the MSD of Wayne Township, Indianapolis, is a Title I building with approximately 25% of our students identified as English learners. With Indiana’s adoption of the College & Career Ready and WIDA ELD* Standards, it became increasingly important to build […]
Results with Readers Workshop in First Grade
Reading Workshop Helps Develop Life-Long Passionate Readers Readers Workshop in our classroom is an extended period of time during our Language Arts Block devoted to reading and responding to literature. A mini lesson begins the workshop everyday. Children are then released to their “book nook” to read literary and informational text at their level and […]
Have You TITHED?…Taught In The Hallway Every Day?
Math Students More Successful as Teacher Utilizes Instructional Activities During Transitional Times Throughout the School Day My students deserve the best education opportunities they can get. A lot of my students have been in need of more instructional time to practice and master math skills so that they can be successful in the classroom, on state […]
Integrating Science into Physical Education
Teaching Students About the Connections Between Physical Education and Science Helps Them to be Actively Engaged I focused on integrating science into our physical education program throughout the year. My goal is for students to be actively engaged in physical activity while learning about science. This year, the students had a chance to learn how […]
Classroom Engagement
Professional Development Session Helps Teachers to Improve Student Engagement After thoroughly reading Dr. Robert Marzano’s “The Art and Science of Teaching,” Storer staff members conducted a professional development session where we analyzed each chapter and provided each other with examples on how we can use this information throughout the school building. After this session, each staff […]
Making the Reading and Writing Connection
After School Program Helps Students with Reading and Writing Wes-Del Elementary Comp Camp was begun several years ago by Shirley Thacker. Comp Camp is held in the spring, fall, and in the summer as an after school program. Mrs. Thacker is a certified presenter with the Indiana Writing Project and has presented her information in Washington […]
Celebrating Me, Celebrating You: We Are Alike and Different
Students Learn About Culture and Diversity This unit is literacy based, integrating culture and diversity. A center-based, hands-on approach is used to facilitate instruction and differentiation, while promoting tolerance, diversity, and acceptance. Children move from center to center in heterogonous groups. A class library is also available for self-selected reading of fiction and nonfiction texts […]
Online Professional Development
Ways to Enhance Teacher Development Sustained professional development time has been curtailed due to changes in school scheduling. In addition, there is an online course management tool (MBC) that was underutilized. Some professional development materials and discussion topics were presented via MBC. Teachers responded to pertinent topics such as cultural competency, engaging children from poverty, […]
Reducing Office Referrals for Targeted Students
Creation of a Progressive Discipline Plan Helps Keep Students in the Classroom Assistant Principals have reduced the number of referrals for targeted students who had 5 or more referrals during the previous school year. Students who have consistently violated school rules have missed instructional time due to office referrals, suspensions and parent meetings to address […]
Student Literacy Projects in the Virtual Setting
Literacy Projects Helps Virtual Learning Students The virtual learning world is still a new one. Many projects, and project ideas, begin in the brick and mortar setting. Teachers in the virtual world are always looking for ways to translate those projects into the virtual setting, especially when thinking of literacy projects for our elementary students. […]
Simple & Compound Machines
Using Science in Daily Life Through our unit on simple & compound machines students will “explore the significance of science in their lives”, have “hands-on inquiry that involves a series of steps with Questioning, Observation, Organizing Data, Explanation, Reflection, Taking Action,” and they will “integrate reading, writing, speaking, and math.” These objectives are listed as […]
Article of the Week
News Articles Help Students Develop Reading Skills The Article of the Week is based on a concept developed by educator Kelly Gallagher. Gallagher recognized that the chief reason his students were struggling with reading comprehension was due to their lack of prior knowledge. His solution was “Article of the Week.” Students are assigned a current […]
Literature Circles
Students Read Novels and Look at a Variety of Literary Elements Students pick a novel based on a variety of characteristics. The students are then separated into groups and read the novel with this group of peers. Each night the students are given a task to complete in order to help the group see the novel through […]
Interactive Notebooks In Middle School Language Arts
Interactive Notebooks Help Students Organize and Synthesize Information The purpose of the interactive notebook is to enable students to be creative, independent thinkers and writers. Interactive notebooks are used for class notes as well as for other activities where the student will be asked to express his/her own ideas and process the information presented in class. The purpose behind […]
Community Support at Wes-Del Elementary
Partnering with Community Organizations Shafer and Smith have partnered with numerous community organizations in an effort to meet the continuing needs of their students. They believe that through this partnership, their students will not only be supported academically, but will have both physical and emotional needs met as well. Submitted by: Tracy Shafer and Rachel […]
All Pro Dad’s Breakfast Program
Fathers Join Children for a Monthly Breakfast at School This practice is encouraging and increasing parental involvement by creating a forum for fathers to connect with their children. During this time, fathers and children set monthly goals for spending time together and sharing their feelings for each other. Fathers are given strategies for becoming the […]
Reciprocal Reading
Group Reading Encourages Continual Engagement Based on the four fundamental comprehension skills (summarizing, questioning, clarifying and predicting), this research-based approach challenges all readers to think within, about and beyond the text. Students work together collaboratively within a group and assume roles to complete the task at hand. Participation of all group members is essential for […]
Renaissance 4th-8th Grade Reading
Students Read an Impressive Variety of Literature and Share Their Findings The Upper Elementary Reading Program is one of the great strengths at Renaissance Academy. Students read an impressive variety of literature which they discuss in small book groups. The reading program is coordinated with the social studies curriculum, and also tied to the science […]
Responsive Instruction Plan
Changing School Diversity Creates a Need for Change At Orchard Park Elementary School in Carmel, Indiana, we are seeing increasing diversity in our school population. As the population changes, we are seeing more need for student services that help with academics, behavioral issues, social skills, and other areas related to issues of poverty, English as a […]
Brain Breaks: Energized for Learning
Giving Breaks Enhances the Brain Brain breaks introduce physical activity into the classrooms from the classroom teachers. It assists in transitioning students between classroom subjects and increases student engagement for further classroom functioning. With the guidance of the PE staff, teachers are given training modules and resources to assist with the brain break activities. These […]