The first month of school is filled with so many new adventures. There is so much to do regarding setting up classroom routines. We don’t start teaching content until a few weeks into the school year. Up until that time, we see what new our students can do. We generally assess reading and writing and review math. This is a great way to get to know your students so you can plan your lessons for their needs. Here are nine free activities we use for the first month of school.
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7 Fantastic Ways to Create Classroom Community
Have you ever seen those students that just work together in a classroom like a well-oiled machine? Have you ever dreamt of a classroom community full of harmony where students are on track and work together to learn in the best possible environment? It can happen, but building a caring classroom community doesn’t happen by chance.
We work hard teaching our students how to work together, how to care about each other and how to create a strong community of learners. Come read some of the ways we do this in our classroom.
[Read more…] about 7 Fantastic Ways to Create Classroom CommunityHow to Use Collaborative Tasks to Create Classroom Community
One of the most effective classroom management strategies is the classroom community you build with your students. We start our school year with collaborative tasks to help students get to know each other. These activities help students learn to communicate and build trust. Collaborative tasks help students learn to work together toward the classroom community they want to achieve.
Come learn more about how we use collaborative tasks in our classroom.
[Read more…] about How to Use Collaborative Tasks to Create Classroom CommunityMake Wellness Lessons a Priority in Your Classroom
When the health and wellness curriculum just becomes a list of things to teach, it really misses the mark. If the goal of health and wellness lessons are to teach student life-long ways to take care of themselves, it should be woven throughout their days at school in addition to explicit teaching. We’ve evaluated some of the ways we put our wellness lessons front and centre in our classroom.
[Read more…] about Make Wellness Lessons a Priority in Your ClassroomHow to Set the Noise Level in Your Classroom
Do you ever feel your classroom just keeps getting louder and louder until you want to take your ears off? As your students get more comfortable, the noise level can get out of hand. Of course, the activity going on in your room can often impact the noise, but your body language and your tone of voice play a bigger role than you may realize. This is a real experiment we tried on our students.
[Read more…] about How to Set the Noise Level in Your ClassroomWhy You Should Revive Old Playground Games
Are you looking for something quick, easy and fun to do in the gym or outside at recess? We’ve been searching for games that students can play that don’t require a lot of equipment and or are simple enough that students can play them on their own with adult support. Playground games are the answer!
Students love older playground games that seem new to them. Even something as basic as teaching students a new chant to use while skipping can boost engagement. Read more to learn how we use playground games to build relationships, get in some physical activity and have some fun!
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