Mindful Moments in the Classroom: Creating a Space for Coping Skills and Self-Awareness

Sometimes, there are just too many things for me to manage in a day!  Seriously.  I want to do it all!  But, more often than not, the day flies by and I find myself reflecting back thinking things like, "I should have given my students more (insert: breaks, transition time, movement, mindful moments, sensory activities, coping skills, etc.).  Ugh... I want to do better!

Well, today, I thought of ONE thing I could change.  One thing I could take off my plate.  One little gift I could give my students...  

Instead of 'leading' our mindfulness activities in class, I found a way to facilitate them!  

Now my students will be more self-directed, have more freedom of choice, and will be able to practice coping-skills and self-regulation!

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Teaching TRAITS, using Classification and Dichotomous Key!

If you have ever taught Physical and Behavioral Traits (or Adaptations), then you know some students struggle with differentiating between the two!

We are getting ready to launch into our unit on TRAITS LS3-1, LS3-2, LS4-2.  Before we begin, I like to pull out my Classification Unit to engage and elicit background information... 

WOW!  It is such a powerful way to start this unit!

Check it out here!

Homophone Activities: Commonly Confused Words!

I have a secret mission in teaching... 

to make sure my students can spell these commonly confused homophone words:

* To, too, two
* There, their, they're
* Your, you're
* Its, it's

This year, I upped my game! 

We not only learned about each type, read books, and practiced...

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Constructed Response--Writing about Reading (Freebie)

If you are looking for a simple and straightforward way to teach essay-writing, then Constructed Responses are it!

It is important for students to understand what it means to "construct" an essay or response.  You will want to spend some time talking about the art of building your ideas, while using evidence directly from the text. 

CONSTRUCTION TIME!

  

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Responsive Classroom Management: Books, Signals, Rules, Consequences--FREE Printable Poster!

Download a FREE Printable Poster!

Teachers KNOW how critical effective classroom management is!  

The best classrooms employ strategies, which utilize both SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL skills, in order to achieve high ACADEMIC success.

Responsive Classroom is an approach to teaching, which (when well-constructed) leads to improved classroom behavior and academic growth.  

According to Responsive Classroom, "Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach to teaching that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental awareness."  This helps educators to "create safe and joyful learning communities where students develop strong social and academic skills and every student can thrive."  

I have been using Responsive Classroom strategies for over 17 years!  

Check out my TOP THREE book recommendations and Responsive Classroom Management Posters!

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Mindfulness: Practicing Mental Health & Well-Being, FREE Printable

Click Here for a FREE Printable Poster

If you work with children who struggle with anxiety, self-regulation, or stress, then teaching mindfulness practices are for you.

Schools all over the world are now training teachers and support staff to teach mindfulness techniques--and to practice themselves for mental health well-being. 

{This post may contain affiliate links to materials I recommend. If you purchase something using these links I may receive a small commission.}

Why Mindfulness in the Classroom?

According to the Positive Psychology Program: 

Mindfulness helps students and staff manage their stress more effectively and work through it more quickly. Frequent mindfulness practice—even micro-sessions of a few minutes or less—imparts health benefits. Research suggests that mindfulness programs can improve cognitive performance as well as resilience to stress.

Summary Posters & Graphic Organizers: FREE Printables!

Summarizing teaches students how to integrate the most important (main ideas) from their reading, in a meaningful way!

*Updated April 2019!

Download These FREE Printable Posters

Summarizing strategies can be used across almost every areas of learning.  They help students recall and synthesize important information!  

{This post may contain affiliate links to materials I recommend. If you purchase something using these links I may receive a small commission.}

These posters provide a clear structure and support for both fiction and nonfiction summarizing, by using the 5Ws (and H).