Boost students' language arts skills and meet standards—without adding to your schedule! Do you start the day with Morning Meeting? If so, you can use some of that time to reinforce students' language arts learning. These fun, lively activities enable you to seamlessly integrate language arts into a daily Morning Meeting. You'll find language arts activities for each component of Morning Meeting—greeting, sharing, group activity, and morning message. From reading poetry with sound effects to pantomiming idioms to guessing which character someone's describing, these activities are varied, challenging, and confidence-building. Features that make them easy to use: Clear, step-by-step directionsCan be used with any curriculumFew or no materials requiredVariations and extensions for language arts lessonsActivities sorted by grade, but can be adapted for any grade This book helps you inspire students' interest in language arts and give them practice in key skills—all while enriching and enlivening your Morning Meetings.

Foster science learning with quick, fun, meaningful activities for kindergarten through 6th grade. Increase students' excitement about science, deepen content knowledge, and enhance science skills. The activities are easy to set up, require minimal materials, and are flexible enough to use at any time of day. Charts help you select activities by title, grade level, Morning Meeting component, science content, science standards addressed, and science discipline (physical sciences; life sciences; Earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and applications of science). For each of the 150 activities you will get: brief, easy-to-follow directions; open-ended questions to help students reflect on their learning; science content and standards covered; key scientific vocabulary to reinforce; ideas for variations and extensions (when applicable).

Promote a climate of trust, academic growth, and positive behavior by launching each school day with a whole class gathering. This comprehensive, user-friendly book shows you how to hold Responsive ClassroomMorning Meetings, a powerful teaching tool used by hundreds of thousands of teachers in K-8 schools. In the new edition of this essential text, you'll find: Step-by-step, practical guidelines for planning and holding Responsive Classroom Morning Meetings in K-8 classroomsDescriptions of Morning Meeting in action in real classrooms100 ideas for greetings, sharing, activities, and messages: some tried-and-true and some newUpdated information on sharingGuidance on adapting meeting components for different ages and abilities, including upper grades and English Language Learners.Explanations of how Morning Meeting supports mastery of Common Core State Standards, 21st century skills, and core competencies enumerated by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Bring joy and energy to math learning without adding to your already-packed schedule! Here are 150 fun and engaging math activities suitable for kindergartners to 5th graders, with math-themed ideas for all four Morning Meeting components: greeting, group activity, sharing, and morning message. Use these games, songs, chants, hands-on experiments, and more to inspire students' interest in math and help them practice skills. Each activity includes easy how-to steps; relevant NCTM content and process standards; specific math skills addressed; materials needed (all require few or no materials); tips on preparing students for success; math vocabulary to emphasize; and variations and extensions.

Enrich students' social studies learning in Morning Meeting! This book is ideal for getting K-6 students excited about - and deepening their understanding of - the world around them. The activities cover a wide range of topics, concepts, and skills, in geography, civics, economics, and more - all without adding to your already packed schedule. · Features clear, step-by-step directions · Can be used with any curriculum · Includes key vocabulary words · Provides variations and extensions for further learning · Activities are sorted by grade, but can be adapted for any grade

Simple changes in a teacher's language can bring about profound changes in students and classrooms. By paying attention to your words and tone of voice, you will: Increase students' engagement with academicsBuild positive communityMore effectively manage your classroom That is the message of The Power of Our Words, a book that has changed the teaching lives of tens of thousands of educators since it was first published in 2007. In this updated second edition you will find practical information to help you: Lead students in envisioning themselves achieving successUse questions that encourage deep and creative thinkingListen to students in ways that support their growthReinforce students efforts and remind or redirect them when they go off track. Throughout, you will find an increased emphasis on using teacher language to support academic engagement and critical thinking skills as called for in the Common Core State Standards. And an updated, livelier format makes this second edition even easier to read.

Your essential guide for teaching core competencies that every child needs for developing into a highly engaged, self-motivated learner. The Language of Learning offers a practical approach to teaching essential communication skills: Listening and understanding; Thinking before speaking; Speaking clearly and concisely; Asking thoughtful questions; Giving high-quality answers; Backing up opinions with reasons and evidence; Agreeing thoughtfully; Disagreeing respectfully.

Students learn more—and with more joy—when lessons connect with their lives and interests while challenging them to stretch and grow. In this book, you'll find practical, ready-to-use strategies for creating active and exciting lessons. You'll learn about: Partnering and grouping students for optimum learning Using interactive learning structures such as Maître d' and Swap Meets to support active learning Incorporating acting, drawing, debating, and more into daily lessons while still meeting rigorous learning goals Infusing lessons with choices in what or how to learn to increase students ownership of their learning Incorporating student self-assessment tools to help children monitor and evaluate their own work and identify ways to improve their learning Filled with lesson plans, precise directions for interactive learning structures, planning guides, and more!

Responsive Classroom practices have helped thousands of special area teachers for more than 30 years. Here you'll find practical suggestions, charts, planners, and examples from experienced special area teachers who use Responsive Classroom practices every day. You'll learn how to: Open and close each period in calm, orderly waysSet students up for success by modeling and practicing skills and routinesUse positive teacher languageEngage students more deeplyRefocus and recharge students with quick, fun, movement breaksRespond to misbehavior to get students back to learning

You're teaching fourth grade this year. What do you need to know? Mike Anderson gives you practical information about daily routines, furniture, and much more. After a concise review of fourth graders' common developmental characteristics, Mike explains how to adjust your classroom and your teaching to fit these common characteristics. The result: students can learn, and you can teach, with minimum frustration and maximum ease and joy. In clear, plain writing peppered with classroom stories and examples, Mike shares practical know-how on topics like these: Arranging a circle, desks, and tables; Choosing and storing supplies; Scheduling a child-centered day and teaching daily routines; Planning special projects and field trips that maximize learning and build community; Understanding the special concerns of fourth graders' parents and finding the best ways to communicate with them.