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As you prepare for your next staff meeting, look at your agenda. Do you have self-care activities for staff meetings listed? Staff meetings are a great time to create a positive work environment through self-care activities. Whether 1 on 1 or in large groups, a meeting break with fun self-care activities can go a long way towards
Meet interior designer Bunny Williams and get a preview of the cutting room, potting porch and gallery she designed for the FLOWER showhouse.
Asking the right questions in the right way One of the shorthand ways of explaining what governance focuses on is to say it’s about ‘Doing the right things in the right way’. This…
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A Resident Council is an important part of any long term living community. Resident Council Meetings empower residents to voice their concerns, exercise their rights, and play a part in the decision-making process within their own home. Meetings may be monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly, depending on the wishes of council members.
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By Presto Plans With the pressure for secondary teachers to meet curriculum expectations in such a limited time, building a classroom community can sometimes be put on the back burner. What many teachers don’t realize is that by intentionally taking time to build a positive community in your classroom, you can ease the challenges of classroom management, improve student attitude toward learning, and create an environment where students feel welcomed and supported. Below are my 5 favorite ways to build classroom community in middle and high school. Establish a positive classroom community by having students complete short activities that encourage kindness, collaboration, teamwork, expression, and the sharing of ideas and opinions. These challenges don’t need to take up a lot of time. Have them last 5-10 minutes. They can be used daily as a bell-ringer, weekly as a fun Friday activity, or even randomly when you finish class a few minutes early! How it works: The teacher sets up a "Classroom Challenge" bulletin board display that includes 20 hidden activity prompts. Once a challenge is revealed, the teacher finds the corresponding activity, passes it out to the class, and they are ready to go! Here are a few of the prompts I include in my challenge to give you an idea of the types of activities can help build community: • Write a thank you card for someone you appreciate. • Talk for one minute to a partner about the topic you receive from your teacher. • Write a top 10 list on the topic of your choice. • Imagine you are stuck on a deserted island. Pick one book, one movie, and one other item to bring. • Play a game of 20 questions with a partner. You know that nostalgic feeling you get when you are reminiscing with your friends about times past? Bring that into your room with “Classroom Throwbacks.” Students use small cards to write down funny, interesting, and memorable moments that happen within the classroom and put it in the “Classroom Thowbacks” jar/box. You can have students fill out the cards randomly, or you can pass them out from time to time, put students in small groups, and have them fill the cards out with a couple memories. Once the throwback jar starts to accumulate some cards, you can begin sharing them in class. You might consider sharing one a week for a “Throwback Thursday” activity. Grab this free resource by clicking here. I once had a principal who left notes of appreciation (and a small treat) in teachers’ mailboxes for little things she had noticed them doing (staying late at school working, helping out at an after-school event, giving extra help at lunch etc.). It was such a small gesture, but it had a dramatic impact on the morale of the staff. Build this same kind of morale in your classroom by finding ways to celebrate your students for the things you see them doing that deserve some praise and appreciation. There are lots of ways you can do this. You can post student work in your classroom, call or email parents to brag up those students who don’t often get a pat on the back, or even have a student of the month/week display for those who deserve special recognition! I also like to keep funny cards tucked away in my desk for those occasions where a student surprises or impresses me. Ask for volunteers for “student paparazzi”. Their job is to take pictures of students in the classroom and send them to you via email to print and post. Of course, students should only take pictures when you deem it appropriate. They could take some before and after the bell rings or during a class activity (when appropriate and with permission) or at the end of the period if class finishes up a couple minutes early. When you post the pictures in your classroom, consider framing them! I pick up low-cost frames at the dollar store and put them in different locations in my classroom (on the wall, on my desk, on the desk at the front of my room, on a bookshelf). No need to go use expensive photo paper. Simply print the pictures on regular letter paper to fit the frame's size (pictures below from the classrooms of @CamilaCdipietro and @Tarafarah7) Framed photos create a home-like, family atmosphere where students feel welcomed and accepted. If you have a classroom website or social media account, you could also post the pictures there as long as you have parent media release permission forms. Providing students with an opportunity to reflect on the positive moments of the week and look forward to the next week is another way to help foster classroom community. One way you can do this is by starting a weekly tradition called “Friday 5-4-3-2-1”. Students fill out the sheet by jotting down 5 things that made them smile, 4 words to describe the week, 3 things they have planned for the weekend, 2 things they learned, and 1 goal they have. Give students a few minutes to fill it out and have them share with a partner, a small group, or have a whole class discussion. If you’d like to try this out with your students, you can download it for free here. You can also choose to make up your own 5 prompts, as a blank version is included! Just write the prompts on the board and students can fill it out. Looking for more ways to promote class community? Find more ideas below! Student-Teacher Conferences from The SuperHERO Teacher Classroom Community Bell-Ringers from The Daring English Teacher The Kindness Project from Room 213 Do you have any other ideas for fostering a positive classroom community? Click the comments button at the top of the post and share your ideas! SaveSave SaveSave
This meeting notes template - with examples and simple guidelines - can help you easily create meeting notes that are actually useful!
This breakdown project management Planner let’s you arrange all the things necessary for the perfect project. You are able to add all your ideas, concepts, costs, project delivery, Action plans and challenges. This planner will assure that things run smoothly with all the things needed. It allows you to take charge and deliver a project successfully. It’s the perfect way to plan for the project. Project Breakdown Planner,Project Delivery,Meeting Agenda,Project Planner,Ofifce Planner,Work Planner,Project Overview,Productivity Planner
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I love teaching the Elements of Literature! I think it's vital to students understanding what it takes to make a good story (long or short) so they are able to add it to their own stories. Today we expanded from Monday's foldable for PLOT. See the EofLit foldable. We created a page for the basic steps of PLOT: PLOT: sequence of events, cause/effect, conflict, relationships. *the storyline* EXPOSITION: meet the characters; learn about the setting (time & place; where/when); conflict/problem is introduced RISING ACTION: conflict(s) develop; suspense builds CLIMAX: turning point; character faces conflict; main character's attitude changes FALLING ACTION: loose ends are tied up; conflict(s) are being solved RESOLUTION: reasonable ending; conflict is "resolved" (taken care of Using the idea for Dinah Zike's "Layered Notebook Foldable, I created a 4"x6" box with a 1/2" border at the top. I was able to fit two on each page then photo-copied them onto six different colors (I chose "fall" colors...you can choose anything!). Each page supplied two students with boxes; I had them cut them out on the solid black lines. Then, I had them write the above terms and definitions on their papers (one on each paper for a total of six.) NOTE: I created an "Anchor Chart" of the basic page and had that on my whiteboard. I made copies of each page on an 8-1/2"x11" sheet of paper in the colors I wanted them to use and showed them how to layer them using magnets. I LOVED the Anchor Chart idea! {it was fun writing REALLY big! :) }Then we glued them in the Interactive Notebook, dated and titled it, then added it to the Table of Contents. All in all, I'd say it went well. It took about 30 minutes to complete (less if they focuses...more if they talked...). Anchor Chart and notes at the beginning of class. What it looked like by the end of class. Sample in the Interactive Notebook. Sample page layout. One-tab Layered Masters
A Flicker of Hope: Teaching Children How to Have Hope and to Ask for Help No comments Hope, Julia Cook, Picture Books, Read Aloud, Social Emotional Needs There are two kinds of books that I am constantly seeking out. They include books about individuality and books that help teach resilience and perseverance. So, when the National Center for Youth Issues reached out and asked if I would like to review A Flicker of Hope by Julia Cook, I jumped at the chance. I received this book for free to provide an honest review. All opinions expressed within this post are genuinely my own and impartial. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links. For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link. What's it about? A Flicker of Hope is Julia Cook's newest book. If you aren't familiar with Julia's work, do yourself a favor and get familiar with it. Her books are perfect for addressing a myriad of issues relating to kids' well-being and development. A Flicker of Hope is about a little candle whose flame isn't burning as bright as it once was. She constantly finds herself beneath a canopy of black clouds, which is dulling her flame. Little candle feels like giving up. This all changes when another candle approaches her and offers her words of encouragement, or hope. Little candle is reminded that she is important, that she has a special role to play in this world, and that she matters. She's also reminded that she isn't the only one who feels bogged down by troubles and that it's alright to ask for help. As her new friend gives her hope, little candle's flame begins to grow brighter, and eventually, she is able to share hope with others. Why is this message important? Having hope is a part of life. In fact, it's a necessary part of life. Without hope we have don't have perseverance, determination, or a sense of accomplishment. Our world is filled with high expectations, unkind people, naysayers, and other pressures. Hope helps us to overcome these adversities. Having hope can take us from a place of darkness to a place of light. It can free us and empower us to believe that better days are ahead. Sometimes, as a part of having hope and coping with the challenges of everyday life, we have to ask for help. While this may seem basic and obvious to many, the reality is, many kids struggle with this. Seeking help is interpreted as being weak or lacking knowledge. Or, it's downright scary. Kids need to know that reaching out to others is an important life skill. One that will benefit them more than they could ever imagine. Fostering the psychological and emotional development in children is important. If you haven't heard of the The National Center for Youth Issues, be sure to visit their site. They create resources that address the developmental needs noted above. They also provide adults with effective tools to help kids as they develop in these areas. What they do is important. Please visit their website to learn more. How will this book benefit me? Picture books are a classroom teacher's most powerful tool. Kids love to be read to. Even the bigger kids (this book is perfect for this age group). This book offers a means to facilitate important conversations about asking for help, valuing your strengths, and helping others to do the same. How can I use the book? Read it to your class and lead them in a discussion about having hope and asking others for help. You might create an anchor chart with them. Brainstorm a list of people they can turn to and how those people can help. Turn the book into an interactive read aloud. Meaning, you read the book and in doing so, engage your students in meaningful discussion about the text by asking questions. Be sure to plan this out ahead of time to maximize the effectiveness of your read aloud. After reading the book, have your students complete a reading response journal entry. They could write about a time when they reached out to someone for help, or a time they helped someone find hope. Or, they could write about why they think having hope is important. After reading the book, discuss the points noted on the organizer pictured below. Then, have students complete the organizer. Use this organizer to help students identify what hope is and what they can do to when they need hope. You can grab this free organizer by clicking here. Click here to see this book on Amazon. This book is a wonderful tool to have on hand. Sometimes it can be difficult to have conversations about psychological and emotional needs when your expertise is in differentiating math, or creating engaging reading lessons. However, more and more, our students need us to be able to address these needs, and a book like A Flicker of Hope, is a great way to help you facilitate this process. For more wonderful Julia Cook books, click here. DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:
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