The Responsive Classroom

The following information is borrowed from http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about/aboutrc.html

The Responsive Classroom is an approach to elementary teaching that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe school community. The goal is to enable optimal student learning. Created by classroom teachers and backed by evidence from independent research, theResponsive Classroom approach is based on the premise that children learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills. The approach therefore consists of classroomand schoolwide practices for deliberately helping children build academic and social-emotional competencies. Guiding Principles Seven principles, informed by the work of educational theorists and the experiences of practicing classroom teachers, guide theResponsive Classroom approach:  The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.   How children learn is as important as what they learn: Process and content go hand in hand.   The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.   To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.   Knowing the children we teach-individually, culturally, and developmentally-is as important as knowing the content we teach.   Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education.   How the adults at school work together is as important as their individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community. Since 1981, thousands of classroom teachers and hundreds of schools and school districts have used the Responsive Classroom approach to help create learning environments where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. In urban, rural, and suburban settings nationwide, educators usingResponsive Classroom practices report increases in student learning, motivation, and responsibility, and decreases in problem behaviors. Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 organization in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, is the developer of the Responsive Classroom approach and offers professional development services and publications for educators. Classroom Practices At the heart of the Responsive Classroom approach are ten classroom practices: Morning Meeting - gathering as a whole class each morning to greet one another, share news, and warm up for the day ahead Rule Creation - helping students create classroom rules to ensure an environment that allows all class members to meet their learning goals Interactive Modeling - teaching children to notice and internalize expected behaviors through a unique modeling technique Positive Teacher Language - using words and tone as a tool to promote children's active learning, sense of community, and self-discipline Logical Consequences - responding to misbehavior in a way that allows children to fix and learn from their mistakes while preserving their dignity Guided Discovery - introducing classroom materials using a format that encourages independence, creativity, and responsibility Academic Choice - increasing student learning by allowing students teacher-structured choices in their work Classroom Organization - setting up the physical room in ways that encourage students' independence, cooperation, and productivity Working with Families - creating avenues for hearing parents' insights and helping them understand the school's teaching approaches Collaborative Problem Solving - using conferencing, role playing, and other strategies to resolve problems with students Schoolwide Practices Schools implementing the Responsive Classroom approach schoolwide typically adopt the following practices: Aligning policies and procedures with Responsive Classroom philosophy - making sure everything from the lunch routine to the discipline policy enhances the self-management skills that children are learning through theResponsive Classroom approach Allocating resources to support Responsive Classroomimplementation - using time, money, space, and personnel to support staff in learning and using the Responsive Classroomapproach Planning all-school activities to build a sense of community- giving all of the school's children and staff opportunities to learn about and from each other through activities such as all-school meetings, cross-age recess or lunch, buddy classrooms, and cross-age book clubs Welcoming families and the community as partners - involving family and community members in the children's education by maintaining two-way communication, inviting parents and others to visit and volunteer, and offering family activities Organizing the physical environment to set a tone of learning - making sure, for example, that schoolwide rules are posted prominently, displays emphasize student work, and all school spaces are welcoming, clean, and orderly

The Jigsaw Method

The jigsaw method of teaching is an interesting and exciting alternative to the more traditional practice of giving a lecture on a topic, followed by assigning students a task to work on independently. For those who are unfamiliar with the jigsaw method, a brief description can be found below:

A teacher splits students up into small groups (typically 4-6 students per group). These original groups are known as "home" groups. Each student in the home group is given a different topic or subject that they must become an "expert" on. The teacher provides the necessary materials and the students then separate into their "expert" groups. Here they work with students from the other home groups who were given the same topic to become an expert on. The students must then work together while using the supplied information and materials to learn as much as they can about their specific topic. For example, one group may need to become an expert on the Boston Tea Party, while another may need to become an expert on the Stamp Act. The teacher monitors each group to ensure students are kept on task and to answer any questions. After a set amount of time, or when the teacher determines that all students have had sufficient time to complete the task, the students reconvene in their home groups. Here they essentially become the teacher and discuss their newly acquired knowledge in their area of "expertise". 

The jigsaw method has several benefits. First of all, students must work together with their peers in order to gather as much information on their topic as possible. This encourages cooperation with peers. They must then communicate what they have learned to their classmates within the home group. In order to do this effectively, students should take notes or use graphic organizers. This helps students learn how to organize information and present it in a clear and concise manner. It also forces students to really pay attention and learn the material to the best of their ability, because they do not want to return to their home group and be the only one who is not an "expert" on their topic. The novelty of the assignment may also encourage students to pay more attention or ask more questions as they may feel more comfortable doing so in the safety of a small group. It also can allow the teacher to be able to cover a wide range of topics in a relatively brief period of time. For these reasons and more, the jigsaw method of teaching is something that all teachers should try at least once.

How to Address a Wide Range of Skills and Abilities in Your Classroom

As elementary school teachers, we are given students with a wide range of skills and abilities, and to be effective we must learn how to address the needs of each of these students. Some students will be below level, some at level, and others above level in whatever subject we are teaching, and it is imperative that we identify each child's strengths and weaknesses so that we can adapt our teaching style and modify our lessons to best serve the unique needs of each student. This can be a difficult feat, especially in large classes. Below are some ways that we as teachers can address the various skills and abilities present in the classroom. 

1. Understand that different students learn in different ways: Remember Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences, and do your best to integrate as many different types of strategies to address as many learning methods as possible. For example, some students learn best through hands on activities and manipulation of objects (Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence). These students would benefit from various manipulatives such as counting blocks for addition or letter cards for spelling out words, or the use of centers. Others learn best through visualizing, drawing, or sketching things out (Visual/spatial Intelligence). These students could benefit from educational posters in the classroom, use of graphic organizers, or even being allowed to doodle during lessons, as this can actually help them absorb information being presented more effectively. Still other students work best by working with others (Interpersonal Intelligence). Group activities in which students work together to solve problems, reading groups,  or the Jigsaw method would benefit these types of students.
2. Modify assignments based on students skill levels: It seems obvious that a student who is one year below grade level should not expected to be complete an assignment designed for a student who is one year above grade level. Unfortunately, this happens regularly in many classrooms. In order to ensure that all students are receiving assignments that are appropriate for their ability, it is vital that teachers modify and individualize the work given to their students. For example, when giving a multiple choice test, you can reduce the number of answer options for certain students who are easily overwhelmed. When giving a reading assignment, you can use a highlighter to focus the students attention on important pieces of information needed to answer questions. Another option is to design unique assignments based upon student ability. For example, have assignment A for students below level, assignment B for students at level, and assignment C for students above level. 
3. Design and present high interest activities and assignments: Think about reading a newspaper. Do you read every single article, or do you look for headlines with a topic that is of personal interest to you? How about going to a bookstore. Do you walk in and blindly pick out a book without any idea of what it is about, or do you take your time and read the back of the book to make sure that it is something that interests you? The answer of course is that we want to read things that interest us, and what interests us may not interest someone else. If we as adults should not be expected to read things we find uninteresting or downright boring, why is it we expect our students to read passages or book that are not of interest to them? If we want our students to be enthusiastic about learning, we as teachers must take the time to develop lessons that our students will be excited about and that will hold their attention over a 30-60 minute period. This is important for all students, but especially important for students who are above or below grade level, as they can become more easily frustrated by typical, boring worksheets. By designing activities that they find interesting, they will be more likely to focus and work to their utmost ability.

Images of Transcripts/References/Certification

Multiple Intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences was first introduced in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner. This theory suggests that basic IQ tests are too limited to measure true intelligence. According to Dr. Gardner, there are 8 types of intelligence, and everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. The 8 types of Intelligences are listed and described below.

Linguistic Intelligence 

Strengths:  capacity to use words effectively, whether orally or in writing 

Strategies:  learn best by verbalizing, hearing, seeing words 

Logical Mathematical Intelligence 

Strengths:  capacity to use numbers effectively and reason well 

Strategies:  conceptualize it, quantify it, or think critically about it 

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence 

Strengths:  expertise in using one’s whole body to express ideas and feelings, and 

facility in using one’s hands to produce or transform things 

Strategies:  dance it, build a model of it, or find some other hands-on activity related to it 

Musical Intelligence 

Strengths:  capacity to perceive, discriminate, transform, and express musical forms 

Strategies:  sing it, chant it, find music that illustrates it, or put on background music 

while learning it 

Spatial Intelligence 

Strengths:  ability to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to perform 

transformations upon those perceptions 

Strategies:  draw, sketch, or visualize it 

Interpersonal Intelligence 

Strengths:  ability to perceive and make distinctions in the moods, intentions, 

motivations, and feelings of other people 

Strategies:  work on it with another person or group of people 

Intrapersonal Intelligence 

Strengths:  self-knowledge and the ability to act adaptively on the basis of that 

knowledge 

Strategies:  relate it to a personal feeling or inner experience 

Naturalist Intelligence

Strengths: Notices patterns and things from nature easily and has keen senses and observes and remembers things from his or her surroundings easily.

Strategies: Conduct lessons outside, bring nature into the classroom

The effective teacher will provide opportunities for students with all types of intelligence to shine. 

Implementing Learning Centers in the Classroom

Learning centers can be a great alternative to more traditional types of work given to students. Some of the benefits of learning centers include:

1. Students will engage in more hands on type of activities, and as a result they will find the lessons presented to be more stimulating and exciting.
2. Students can become more actively involved in the learning process. Several choices can be offered at each center, so students can choose the activity that they find to be the most interesting.
3. At certain centers students must work together to be successful, and this promotes cooperation and develops skills related to working well with others.
4. Centers can be designed or modified to provide activities for students with a wide range of skills and abilities. In other words, they can easily be modified to meet students unique and individual needs. 
5. Several subject matters or concepts can be covered in a relatively short amount of time. For example, you can have a math center where students must match word problems on one card with the answer on another card, a reading center where students can choose a short story to read and then make a picture of their favorite part of the story, a writing center where students are presented with several silly headlines and then must write a newspaper article based on the headline of their choice, and a science center where students can conduct a simple science experiment. Students can be given 20 minutes at each center, and so in an hour and a half (10 minutes added for transition time between centers), 4 different topics can be covered.
6. The fact that students will be changing activities every 15-30 minutes will help ensure that no one will become bored or frustrated with any one activity.

While centers can be very fun for students, it is important to note that they can take a good deal of time to prepare. It is also vital for the teacher to spend time at each center to ensure that students keep on task and are behaving appropriately. The first few times you try centers things may seem chaotic, but over time students will become more familiar with how centers work, and they will begin to really look forward to having the opportunity to work with their peers doing hands on activities in a small group environment. 

Strategies for Dealing with Discipline Dilemmas

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of teaching is preventing students from behaving in ways that disrupt the flow of a lesson. One student acting out can have a domino effect, with other students either copying the negative behavior, or losing focus and shifting their attention away from the task at hand. Below I will discuss some strategies for dealing with these types of disciplinary dilemmas. 

• Be sure that all students are actively engaged at all times:  This sounds more difficult than it actually is. Put simply, this just means that all students within the class should have something to be doing/working on at all times throughout the day. The majority of discipline problems occur when students are unoccupied, so logically it would follow that keeping students busy would result in less instances of behavior problems. During a lesson, students should be engaged. It is often during times of independent work or tests that problems can arise. If a student finds a task too difficult to do on their own they may decide to act out in frustration or boredom. In this instance, you may want to have that student work with another who finds the task easier. Another option is to quietly tell the child to only focus on the first few problems. This will prevent them from becoming overwhelmed by amount of work to complete. Students finishing an assignment early can also lead to disruption. After making sure the student has checked over his or her work, you should make sure they have something to do. Below is a link to my page about activities for early finishers.

          Activities for Early Finishers

• Move around the room and make eye contact with students: If students know you are checking on their work and actively monitoring their behavior, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are undesirable. Students are more likely to pass notes, whisper to their neighbor, play with something in their desk etc. when they suspect their teacher is not paying attention. Touching a students desk as you pass will let them know of your presence, and eye contact will let them know you are paying attention to what they are doing. By moving around the room you can prevent many discipline problems before they begin.
• Be Prepared: Any teacher can tell you about what can go wrong if you are unprepared for a lesson or activity. In order for students to be on task, you as the teacher must provide them with the materials and instructions to do so. If you do not have the materials ready, or if the directives are anything but  clear, students will become restless or confused and will be more likely to act out. Of course, there are always instances where even the most carefully planned lesson can go wrong, but as long as you do your best to be prepared for the day you will keep these instances to a bare minimum. 
• Be in control of your behavior: Always remember that as a teacher you are a role model for your students. By exhibiting control over how you react to instances of negative behavior, you are providing your students with a framework of how to deal with similar situations they may encounter in their own life. Besides this, it is important to remember that you are in charge of you class, and when you over-react or lose your composure, you have allowed the students to take control.
• Be Proactive: You can prevent behavioral issues before the day/period even begins. For example, play soothing music as the students enter your classroom. This will help establish a relaxed atmosphere from the start. You can also begin the class by playing the silence game. Standing out in the hall and greeting your students as they enter will immediately make a difference as they will know you are paying attention and ready to get the day started. 
• Make a connection with each student: Being a teacher is about more than teaching lessons. It is about getting to know your students and establishing positive relationships with them. Get to know your students through discussions during downtimes, or by giving students a personal interest worksheet to fill out on the first day of school. Being aware that John is a Red Sox fan and Samantha loves Harry Potter books can go a long way when it comes to student behavior. If a student believes you care about them, they will be less likely to want to cause you any problems or disrupt your class.

By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you will likely see the instances of negative behavior in your classroom reduce drastically. 

Involving Parents in the Classroom

As teachers, it is important to recognize that parents are very concerned about what is happening in their child's classroom. There are many ways to keep parents informed about the daily and weekly events that are happening, such as newsletters and teacher websites, however, it is also important that parents feel comfortable and welcome within the classroom itself. Below are some ideas about how to involve parents in the classroom.

Have a parent tutor a student.

Invite a parent to be a guest speaker: Have a students father or mother come in to discuss what they do for a living, and allow children to ask questions.

Have a parent come in and read their favorite book from childhood.

Invite parents to be volunteer teachers assistants, and work with children one on one or in a small group capacity.

Have a parent do a lesson for the class with their child as the assistant. The lesson can be a traditional math or reading lesson, or involve a parents personal interest such as crafts or cooking. Point out to students that concepts from math, reading, and science are all involved in many daily activities. For example, a cooking lesson involves fractions (measuring ingredients), reading and comprehension (following a recipe), and science (the chemical reactions that take place during the cooking process).


Perform a classroom play and invite parents to attend. The play should be short (8-12 pages) so that students do not need to remember too many lines. Remember, this is a class project, not an official school sanctioned play, so it should be kept simple. Both parents and students will get a kick out of this activity. 

Most of the time the posts you see on this blog will be written by me, however, if I find an article online that I think is particularly interesting or informative, I will post it on here. The following article is courtesy of www.inspiringteachers.com and was written by Emma McDonald and published by Education World.

How to Involve and Engage Students

Student misbehavior isn't always about bad attitudes and "keeping reps" (reputation). Many times student misbehavior in the classroom happens because of boredom. When students are bored in class their brains begin to wander and they start thinking, "I wonder what would happen if I…" Then the little disruptions begin. The little disruptions pile up and turn into large disruptions. This scenario can go on and on until everything is out of control. What can we do about this kind of behavior?

Keeping students involved and engaged in activities is the very best solution. When students are excited about their learning, they are motivated to pay attention in class. You get excited because your students are actually paying attention. The students sense your excitement and get even more motivated to stay in your class. The positive effects continue to pile up. However, it isn't always easy to keep students involved and engaged. Below are a few tips and ideas to help you along.

First of all, paper/pencil worksheets are not engaging activities. Do they keep students busy? Yes. Are they motivating? No. Reading the textbook aloud and then answering questions at the end of the section is not an engaging activity. Does it take up the whole class period? Yes. Is it motivating and exciting to students? No. While these activities deceptively look like they keep students involved and engaged, in reality they do not. In fact, you can generally meet the same goals and objectives with different activities.

Activities that involve and engage students are ones where they are manipulating the information physically and mentally. Students need to be moving around, working in groups, and discovering information for themselves. Reading along, taking notes, listening to a lecture, or copying vocabulary words are all passive learning activities. Instead you want to get students actively thinking and moving. How can you accomplish this? You need to start thinking "out of the box."

Do you have a lot of worksheets in your school/district curriculum? How might your students gain the same information in a more engaging manner? Break students into groups and give each group different questions from the worksheet. The group must answer their questions, create a half-poster that illustrates the answers, and then present the information to the class. Students could use graphic organizers such as a web, Venn Diagram, or T-chart to present the information. Your students might want to create a rhyme, poem, or song to help other students remember the information.

Do you have chronological information that students must remember? Type out the information and cut it up into strips. Give each pair or group of students an envelope with the strips. Have them work together to put the events in order. This could also work with the steps of a math problem or science experiment. Let students paste the strips onto construction paper.

Have students retell a section of the textbook as a short children's story. Tell it from the point of view of one of the elements or participants. Use a round-robin story. Break students into groups. Each group is assigned a section in the chapter. One student starts writing the "retelling". After a minute or two, pass the paper to the next student who continues the story. Keep rotating the paper around the group until the entire section is retold in a story. Set a timer to help everyone stay on track.

Create mobiles that represent information. When students read a novel or a section in the textbook, have them draw pictures that illustrate the concept or events and hang it on a mobile. Make a class paper chain of information. Each student writes one fact on a strip of construction paper. Have the class stand in front of the room. The first student reads their strip and then folds it in a circle while you staple it. The next student reads their fact and then attaches their strip to the chain. Continue through the entire class.

Give students "clues" to look for items in the classroom that relate to your topic of study. Put students on a "scavenger hunt". Once they find the item, they must explain why it is on the scavenger hunt. Let students go on a road trip. Place different stop signs around the school or classroom with an activity or reading passage. Students must "travel" to each place and complete the activity (idea courtesy of Beaver Elementary). Give students a "passport" that must be stamped at each "stop" on their trip.

Let students make artifacts from a culture they are studying or give a speech as a famous historical person or a character from their novel. Give students the opportunity to act out 5 plus 3 or 10 divided by 5. Create centers for students to visit and complete an activity that meets one of your learning objectives.

These kinds of activities get students moving both physically and mentally. Before you know it you'll hear complaints like, "Is it time to go already?" and "I'm not finished," from your students. But those kinds of complaints are music to the ears. It isn't easy to create these activities and plan out the details. You have to provide structure and you have to constantly monitor and guide students as they work. You won't have perfect products in the beginning and will have to stress the importance of turning in work that reflects "personal best." It takes time and it takes effort. But when you start hearing those complaints, you'll know that it was well worth doing.

Activities for Early Finishers

Different students have different abilities and strengths, so it is only natural that some activities will be easier for certain groups of students. This can lead to some students being finished earlier than others. We all know that when students have time that is unoccupied, they are more likely to talk to classmates or act out in other, possibly disruptive ways that can distract other students who are still working. That is why it is important to have activities ready for students who complete assigned work early. Below are listed several possibilities that can be used to deal with this common situation.

• Make an "I'm Through, What Can I Do" packet: I did this for the students in the ASLA at Thomaston Center School. The packet included a wide variety of activities ranging from brain teasers to logic puzzles to calculator activities to word searches. The packets were placed on a table in the back of the room, and any student who finished early could go to the back of the room and work on the silently. 
• Have students read a book from home or the library
• Complete unfinished work: Throughout the day there will always be times when a student, for one reason or another, is unable to complete an assignment on time. If they are able to finish another assignment earlier, they can then go back and complete their prior assignment. 
• Study for upcoming exams: Extra study time is always a good idea
• Do extra credit assignments: These can take the form of anything from a one page book report to Marcy Cook pages to scribble stories to multiplication pages.
• Work at predetermined centers: At the beginning of the week assign groups of students to a particular center that they can go to if they finish their work early. Centers can include an art center, a computer center, a center where students can listen to stories through headphones, or a writing center.
• Provide students with a one stop activity center: This idea can be very fun for the students, however a lot of prep time and materials are required. You can buy a plastic cabinet with 15-30 separate drawers. Number each drawer, and inside each one put a different activity. At the beginning of the day randomly pass out cards with corresponding numbers, and when students finish an assignment, they can get an activity from the box with the number they received. 

Integrating Technology Into the Classroom

In today's ever changing world, technology seems to be developing at a rapid pace. School systems are now using computer programs to print report cards online, e-mail is quickly becoming the preferred method of communication between people of all ages, and students are getting their information for school projects from the internet instead of the library. Whether we approve of these changes or not, the fact is that computers, digital cameras, the internet, and i-devices are a major part of our modern world, and in order to keep up with the times and prepare our students for jobs in a technology savvy world, it is vital that we integrate them into our curriculum. Below are listed just a few examples of ways in which we can do this.

1. Take your students on a WebQuest: If you are unfamiliar with WebQuests, the following link will take you to a site that will describe them in detail. It also provided the types of thinking processes used during both short and long term WebQuests.

What is a WebQuest?

Put simply, a WebQuest is an assignment that requires students to find information and answer questions through research on a specific topic by using the internet. Good WebQuests present the student with a specific topic, as well as the questions to be answered, and links to where the information can be found. It is then up to the student to use the provided links to complete the Quest by performing the required steps and answering the appropriate questions/completing the required activities. WebQuests can be simple enough to be completed by 1st or 2nd graders, or complex enough to be given as assignments for college students.

Pre-made WebQuests can be found online, and there are plenty of resources for teachers about how to make your own WebQuest. The following links provide examples that are designed for elementary students.

A Bug Safari

So You Want to Compete in the Olympics

Native American Stories

The following links will take you to websites listing several WebQuests per page

WebQuests for students in grades K-4

WebQuests separated by Subject Area

WebQuests divided by age range

Note: In researching this topic I discovered there are many links that are no longer working. Be sure to make sure that the WebQuest you are interested in having your students do is actually working before assigning it to avoid any upset students :) !

2. Use a BrainPop video to introduce and enhance your lesson: BrainPop is a great site that has hundreds of short animated videos covering a wide variety of subjects including Science, History, and Math. Student's love the animation and the humor in the videos, and the information is presented clearly and concisely. There is even an optional quiz you can do together with your class to test comprehension. Follow the link below to go directly to the web page.

Brainpop

3. Use a digital camera or video recorder to make a scrapbook of special events: Events such as  holiday parties, guest speakers, assemblies, after school activities, plays, talent shows, concerts, sporting events etc can be recorded or photographed. With the assistance and supervision of a teacher, students can be given the responsibility of using the cameras, and what they capture can then be uploaded to the school website for viewing, or used to make keepsake videos/scrapbooks given to students at the end of year.

4. Involve your students in creating/maintaining a class website: Almost all schools now have their own website, and teachers are given the ability to create their own page to inform parents of what is happening in the classroom, and to remind students of upcoming assignments etc. There is no reason that students can become involved in the process as well. Students can take photos or videos of class events, provide links to fun and educational websites they enjoy, choose clipart/photos to spruce up the website etc. Students who have a hand in creating their class website will also be more likely to visit it and use the resources provided by both their teachers classmates.

5. Go on an Internet Scavenger Hunt: Internet scavenger hunts are fun for students, and they can be used in a variety of ways. The simplest reason to send your class on an Internet scavenger hunt is to enhance their knowledge of how to search for specific information on the Internet. It is also possible to use Internet hunts to reinforce student knowledge of topics presented in class. For example, if you are doing a lesson on Egypt, a scavenger hunt can be created that focuses on information about pyramids, mummies, geography, religion etc. A few examples are listed below.

Simple Internet Scavenger Hunt

History Hunt

Language Arts Hunt

Note: In case you are wondering what the difference is between WebQuests and Internet Scavenger Hunts, WebQuests focus on one particular question or subject, while Scavenger Hunts are much more broad as far as the topics and questions that are asked.

5 Alternatives to Typical Book Reports

Lets face it, book reports can be boring. We ask our students to read a book and then have them summarize what they read in a few pages. Students who read books with hundreds of pages not only find it difficult to try to pick and choose the important events, but they can also become frustrated with having to do something that they find to be a chore rather than something in which they can express their creativity. I believe that if you give a child an assignment they can get excited about, they will do a much better job because they will actually want to do it. Below are 5 alternatives to a classic book report that will not only be more interesting for the child to work on, but will be also be more interesting for you as the teacher to look over and grade.

1. Make a Diary/Journal for a Main Character- Students can create a diary from the perspective of one the primary characters in the book. This is a great way to help children step into another persons shoes and think on a higher level, as they must truly understand and relate to the character they choose. The student can discuss a key event that happened in the story from the perspective of the character it happened to, and in the process they will begin to understand the emotions and feelings that character experienced on a deeper level.

2. Make a 3D Journal for a Main Character- This will take more time and effort than writing a basic journal as described above, however it can also be a very cool assignment. Students will be challenged to create and present key items or events from the story that will then be shared with classmates. For example, if children read Charlotte's Web, they can make a model web with the well known quote "Some Pig", or bring in items from a local fair and relate them to the fair that Wilbur attends. If a student reads Harry Potter they can make their own wand, or bring in homemade snacks from Honeydukes, or make a model of Hagrid's hut.

3. Make a Movie Poster - Another alternative is to use a large poster board. Student's can make a movie poster featuring key characters and events from the story, and then discuss them in a presentation. What follows is a worksheet that can be handed out to students for a movie poster project for the popular young adult novel "Among the Hidden":

Among the Hidden is a book that would make a great movie.  For this project you will become the producer for the movie.  As the producer, you are responsible for choosing actors to star in the movie version of the book.  Then, you are to create an original poster for the movie.  Posters should show your best effort, and include the information listed below:  

Movie Poster - Use poster board or some similar material to create your project.  Your project should be neat and colorful, show your best effort, and reflect the fact that you have read and understand the book.  Your project should have all the elements listed below, as well as any additional information and ideas you would like to include.  Be as creative as you like.  Originality is always a plus.  The most important thing is that your project shows that you have read and understand the book. 

Title - Many movie titles are the same as the book; however, sometimes a producer chooses to change the title slightly.  This decision is up to you.  If you choose a new title, be sure it relates to the book in some way.  Your title should be big, and really stand out.

Casting - Choose your actors carefully.  Your poster should include the names of the actors you have chosen to play the main characters in the book.  As you pick the actors, be sure to think about the character traits and physical characteristics that match the character from the book. 

Catch Phrase - Your poster should also have a catch phrase.  It should be prominently displayed, and should relate to the book.  A catch phrase is designed to grab people’s attention as the by.  This example, “This Christmas The More…The Scarier!” Is a clever play on words using a commonly used phrase.

Artwork - Your poster should be neat, colorful, and visually appealing.  You are free to use any medium you like when creating your poster, but be sure to use all the space.  (Don’t leave large areas blank.)  Here are some suggested mediums:  Paint, markers, pictures from magazines or found online, photographs, glitter, scrapbooking materials, etc.  Be creative and have fun. 

General Information - You poster may also include information about the rating of your movie, the name of the producer (you), and the director you would like to direct your movie.  (A good way to choose a director is to research a movie you like and see who was in charge of direction)


4. Make a short play/skit based on a key/favorite event from the story- The student cant make a script for a play based on an important part of the book. This type of project would be best for a small group of students who can each play a character. It would also work well for older students who would be capable of writing a script. If a student would like to do this project on their own, they can write the script and act it out on their own, or simply hand it in to the teacher for a grade.


5. Make a Diorama- Always a favorite of students and teachers because they can vary from incredibly simple to extremely detailed, dioramas are great alternatives to book reports. Use a shoe box and other art materials to construct a scene from the book. Or be more creative and use materials found in nature such as rocks, twigs, leaves, moss etc to make a miniature nature scene. The options are limitless!


Remember these are just a few of the options you can offer to your students. Below find a link to a website that features MANY more alternatives:


More Alternatives to Book Reports

Activity to develop descriptive writing

Here is a quick and fun activity you can do 2 or 3 times a week in order to enhance your student's ability to write descriptive sentences. It can be done with students of any age, although older students who are more creative and capable of thinking outside the box will obviously come up with more interesting descriptions.

1. Write down the names of various objects on Index cards.
Ex. Apple, Bus, Radio, Cat, Pizza, Telephone, School, Computer etc

2. Give each student one of the Index cards, face down on their desk

3. Pass out a piece of paper, a half or even quarter sheet should be fine

4. Have the students look at their word and write it down at the top of their paper. Then have them come up with a detailed description of the object without using the word itself. Young students (2nd - 4th grade) can just write basic descriptions.

Ex. Apple = A delicious red fruit my mom peels and uses when cooking pies in the Fall.

Bus = A big yellow car with black wheels that brings me to school

Older students (5th graders and older) can be challenged to make descriptions that will be more abstract.

Ex. Apple = Sweet  and delicious crimson orb, often skinned and sliced to be baked within a doughy dessert.

Bus = A large, yellow metal container that rolls along the road and transports students to places of learning.

5. Once the children have finished making their descriptions, collect the index cards and papers. Mix them up and then read the descriptions to the students, who must guess what the object being described is.

The 5th grade students in my ASLA at TCS really enjoyed this activity.

Limerick Lesson

One of my favorite lessons I did as a student teacher was on limericks. I am a huge poetry fan so this was right up my alley. The first thing I did was write a limerick on the board and have the students read it. I then asked them what they noticed about it. Answers included that lines 1,2, and 5 rhymed with each other, as did lines 3 and 4. They also noticed that lines 1,2 and 5 where longer than lines 3 and 4. I then had the children count the syllables in each line and I wrote the numbers at the end of the lines. They could see that lines 1,2, and 3 had about 8 syllables while lines 3 and 4 had about 6.

Next I passed out a worksheet with limericks that were missing some of the words at the end of the line. For example:

There once was a giant named Paul
Who stood over 30 feet ________.
       Mean old Mrs. Fig
       Said "We think you're too _________!"
Said the giant "I think you're too ________

A vampire who called herself Bilk
Hated blood so instead she drank ________.
           She would drink it for hours
           Even if it was ________
While she sat in her cape made of ________.

The students would have 5-10 minutes to read the poems and fill in the blanks with words that both rhymed and made sense. I was amazed at the variety of words the children were able to come up with for some of the limericks provided.

Next I split the children up into groups of 2 and gave each group an envelope containing a limerick that had been cut into its individual lines. The groups had to read the individual lines and figure out the original order of the limerick. When they thought they were done I checked to make sure they were correct, and then they pasted it on a piece of paper and read their poem to the class.

Finally it was time for the students to make a limerick of their own. In order to help them I provided a basic format they could use on the board, and we briefly brainstormed some easy to rhyme words. The following are some of the actual limericks that the students came up with.

There once was a ghost named Mooky
Who acted incredibly kooky
The children were scared
Although they didn't care
That Mooky was not very spooky

There once was a barbie named Wump
Who woke up with a one foot high lump
She screamed at her sight
And cried all through the night
Then she threw herself out in the dump

There once was a girl named Cher
Who loved her thick long blonde hair
She took long showers
that lasted for hours
Then decided to find what to wear

Reinforcers for Elementary Students

The following list is courtesy of Applebaum Training Institute

• Listening to stories/music on tape or CD player with earphones
• Working in an art corner with special art materials
• Audio taping a story for the class to listen to. note: I actually was required to do this for a class at the University of Bridgeport, and it was very fun. I would recommend doing this for your children, whether you are a teacher or not.
• Getting a drink without asking for permission
• Being allowed to clean the whiteboard. note: Believe it or not , kids love to clean whiteboards. They get to spray the cleaner and stand on a chair to wipe it off with paper towels. I have kids in my classes ask me all the time if they can wash the board at the end of the day.
• Being a helper for the teacher, secretary, librarian etc for 15 minutes at a predetermined time of day
• Being able to read magazines/book at a special area of the room
• Tutoring a younger student in the school
• Taking important messages to the office/other teachers
• Extra talking time at the end of a lesson

The following are reinforcers I  have seen other teachers use, or have used myself

• Provide students with tickets for weekly raffles. Winners get to choose an item from the class treasure box
• Provide play money to students for weekly or monthly auctions. The students can then use their money to bid on items chosen by the teacher.
• Use beans/marbles etc to fill up a reward jar. Small handfuls can be earned for individual positive behaviors, while large handfuls can be earned for positive behaviors displayed by the entire class. Once the jar is filled the class will earn a predetermined reward such as a classroom party, extra recess, extra gym etc.
• Homework passes or free snack coupons which can be used in the lunchroom
• Small candies such as jolly ranchers, blow pops, etc

10 Ways to Build Student Self-Esteem

The following (underlined) tips are courtesy of Applebaum Learning Institute. I have provided more information after each tip.

• Watch for and recognize positive behaviors. This can range from praising the student verbally for their behavior, to giving a student a ticket for a weekly raffle, to giving the student a small piece of candy if appropriate. 
• Create experiences that foster success for students who need them. In other words, if a student is struggling with something and is becoming frustrated, make sure to give them an assignment that they can be successful with the next time.
• Provide opportunities for students to show their special talents and interests. During a long term subbing job in a fourth grade classroom I used this strategy. I noticed a girl who would do origami during lessons. After reminding her that she needed to focus on the lesson at hand, I kept her after class that day and made a deal with her. I told her that if she could prevent herself from doing origami during lessons for the week, I would allow her to conduct her own origami lesson for the class. She was very excited about this, and sure enough she earned her teaching time. The child's mother was also delighted that I had handled the situation in such a positive way.
• Make sure that students always know what is expected. This should start from day one when making the classroom rules. It should continue throughout the year. Rubrics for major assignments are a good way to ensure that students know what they must do. 
• Recognize Improvement. I have seen teachers who have students of the week and students of the month. Monthly award ceremonies can also be held to recognize those students who have made improvements.
• Use cooperative learning activities so that each students has friends. This is important when establishing a sense of community in your classroom, and providing opportunities for students to work together can help to foster this. It is also a great opportunity for students who may be weak in one academic to shine in another area.
• Put sticky notes on the child's work that say things like "Good job!" Little acknowledgments like this can go a long way!
• Encourage students to be responsible in decision-making. 
• Set aside time for communication between yourself and the student to "get to know them."This should occur naturally in lower grades where you are spending large amounts time with your students. It can be a good idea to schedule a "lunch time with the teacher" once a week for individual students in order to get to know them better. This will make students feel more comfortable with the teacher, and further establish a positive learning environment.
• Set aside time for students to pursue individual interests.  Set aside a time once a week for a student to be the "teacher" and discuss/lead a lesson based upon a personal interest. 

Relaxation/Anti-Anxiety Techniques for Students

The following tips are courtesy of the Applebaum Training Institute

• Play relaxing music
• Diffuse anxiety with a joke
• Start quizzes and tests with an easy questions
• Have a silly/fun question in the middle of tests
• Have a class pet (This can be anything from a fish to a stuffed animal) 
• Provide students with stress balls to to squeeze

The following tips are ones that I have observed/used in the class

• Allow students to stand up by their desks during tests so they feel less confined
• Reduce the number of questions on tests. Remember that 15-20 questions on a test can give you just as much information as 40-50 questions, provided that all required topics/concepts are covered.
• Let students fold paper in half and just focus on one half at a time
• During open house, make bookmarks out of construction paper and have parents draw pictures and write positive/motivational sayings on it. Allow students keep these on their desks during tests and lessons

Context Clues/Sentence Editing

Something I did in order to give the students in my After School Learning Academy practice with context clues was to create a story that I believed would hold my classes interest. Many of the reading samples given as practice in the classroom are dry and the students are unable to relate to them. For this reason I decided to make my own writing samples which I believed they would enjoy and, hopefully, would actually make them want to practice context clues. The following are the first 3 parts of my story.

#1

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm clock woke Amanda from a deep sleep. She had been having a wonderful _______ about a gigantic mountain made of rocky road ice cream. She could almost _______ the chocolate on her tongue. She was sorry to have to get out of bed and get ready for another day as a 5^th grader at Alumni Central School. As she pulled back the curtains, she was momentarily blinded by the bright shimmer of the ______ shining through the window. It looked like it was going to be another ___________ , cloudless day. Amanda could hear her stomach growling and realized she was very __________. The wonderful _________ of breakfast came wafting from the kitchen into her room. The delicious scents of cinnamon and bacon were irresistible, and she ______ down the stairs as fast as her legs could take her.

            “Good morning honey!”, said her mom, “Ready for the big math test today?”.

            Suddenly Amanda felt as she were going to be ________. Her face got hot and her stomach felt as if it were twisting into _______ like the ones she had learned to tie at summer camp. How could she have forgotten to ________ for the test? Her  __________, Mr. Snyder, had reminded her how important this exam would be. Even worse, anybody who failed would miss the big field trip to Harvest Farm to pick plump, freshly harvested ___________ to carve for the big Halloween dance. The fear she felt must have been visible to her mother, because she gave her a disappointed glare.

            “Oh no! Don’t tell me you didn’t study for the test? I reminded you when you got home, and I even suggested you tie a string around your wrist so you wouldn’t __________.”

            Amanda looked at the green piece of _________ hanging around her arm and wanted to _________ at the top of her lungs to release the frustration she felt. Suddenly the delicious smell of breakfast seemed terrible and all she wanted to do was get back into her warm, cozy bed and pull the ________ tightly around her. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen. She had to face the fact that in 10 minutes the ______ would be rolling up outside to take her to school, and she would have to take the test. The ride would be terrible, but at least she could get a few minutes of studying in before she arrived at ________. Once she got there, the teachers would not allow her to study any more. They could be so unfair that way. You would think they would want her to study, but just last week her best ________ Tamara had gotten yelled at for studying for her Social Studies test when she was supposed to be doing her morning work.

            After eating a piece of French toast and bacon (her mother had made her), she slowly ________ to the door and turned the knob. The sun seemed to mock her with its bright glare. It was so unfair! why should the weather be so wonderful when she felt so __________. One thing was for sure. This day could not end soon enough.

            10 minutes later Amanda was in the back seat of the bus with her Math book on her lap, doing her best to get in a few extra __________ of study time. It was hard to concentrate. The other students were having such a good time, __________ at each others jokes and making plans about what cool new __________ would be coming to the local Showcase Cinema that weekend.

            It was not long before the familiar sight of Alumni Central came into view. Today it looked less like a school and more like a house of horrors. Amanda imagined huge, black __________ crawling up the walls, and weaving a gigantic sticky, white __________ upon the wall in order to trap her for their dinner. Suddenly she heard a loud howl that sent shivers down her spine. She was frozen in her tracks like a deer caught in headlights. No matter how hard she tried to run, her _______ would not move. Suddenly she saw a pair of bright red _________ staring out at her in the darkness. Slowly the creature began to take shape. It was a werewolf, and it was absolutely ___________, its head touching the ceiling and its body filling the hall. It had sharp, white _________ that gleamed like pearls, and it’s __________ smelled horrible, as if it had not brushed it’s teeth for weeks (Did werewolves brush their teeth anyway?). The hairy monster slowly made its way towards her, its arms outstretched, its hands grasping for her. Suddenly it called out to her.

            “Amanda,”. The creatures  _________ was that of a woman, and it sounded oddly human, not deep or threatening at all.

            “Amanda!” it called again. This time it was a little louder, as if it was trying to get her attention.

            “AMANDA! We’re at school. All your friends have gotten off the bus and I have to go pick up the elementary school children, so let’s get going here”.

            It was not the werewolf talking to her, it was her ____ _________, Kelly. 

#2

                                    Amanda’s Bad Day Part 2: Sentence Editing

            “Sorry” said Amanda hastily, grabbing her book bag and exiting the bus quickly. How could she have allowed herself to lose track of time like that? Sometimes her imagination really ran away on her. Well at least it had granted her a few moments of peace before she had to face her fears about the math test once again.

            To her relief she realized there were still some students walking through the doors of the school. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for tardiness. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, Amanda ran into the school and up the staircase that led to the fifth grade wing. As she approached her locker she noticed something big and purple stuck to it. Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats. “Amanda” was handwritten across the front in big, block letters. With a mix of excitement and confusion, Amanda removed the envelope from her locker. Suddenly she heard a scream.

            “AHHHHH! OMG you got an invitation to Michelle’s Halloween Party! You are so lucky. Did you know she only invites 13 people from the entire school? last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of abraham Lincoln. Miranda even used the information she learned to write a biography about him for Mr. Wilkinson’s class. Of course she did get a D on it, so the whole thing might have been bogus. Anyway, you are still super lucky.”

            “Uh, thanks,” said Amanda, still in shock from both the invitation and the surprise verbal assault from Jennifer.

            “We’ll don’t just stand their, open it up and see what it says already”. While a part of Amanda wanted to share the contents of the letter, a bigger part of her wanted the moment to be private. After all, it was her invitation. Shouldn’t she be able to read it in peace and privacy?

            “Sorry Jen. I need to use the bathroom before the bell rings, but I’ll tell you all about it at lunch ok. Later.” And with that Amanda ran to the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall, opened the envelope, and pulled out a purple piece of paper with silver writing. Hands shaking with excitement, Amanda began to read the letter.

A)Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope. decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats.

B)Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars, silver spiders, and black winged bats.

C)upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats?

D)No Change needed

A)last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln.

B)Last year I heard she hired a psychic, and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln!

C)Last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln!

D)No change needed

A)Well don’t just stand their, open it up and see what it says already.

B) Well don’t just stand there, open it up and see what it says already!

C)We'll don’t just stand there, open it up and see what it says already.

D) No change needed

A)Shouldnt she be able to read it in peace and privacy?

B)Shouldn’t she be able to read it in peace and privacy.

C)Shouldn’t she be able to reed it in piece and privacy?

D) No change needed

#3

Congratulations on being selected to be one of my 13 guests at this years Halloween celebration. As you know, it is truly an honor to be invited to this annual event. Last year I hosted a séance in which spirits of the dead were contacted, and the apparition of a Salem witch actually appeared to tell us her terrifying true story of murder and betrayal.  The year before that we went on a hayride through graveyards and haunted fields led by an expert historian who knew much about our towns horrific past, filled with death and deceit. As scare-tastic as my previous soirees have been, I can honestly tell you that this year’s event will be the most gore-ifying yet!

            Please arrive in front of the school at 8:00 P.M. on the evening of October the 31^st. At exactly 8:13 you will be picked up by one of 3 hearses. It would behoove you to be on time, for if you are not you may miss out on a once in a lifetime experience. I can’t tell you where you will be taken, for if this information got out others would undoubtedly crash our private party. All your parents need to know is that they can pick you up the next day at my house any time after 10:00 A.M.

            I look forward to seeing you. Have a wonderful day. And don’t forget to wear something SCARY!!!

                                                                                    Your horrifying host,

                                                                                                Tara

Amanda could feel her heart racing with excitement. This was going to be the best Halloween ever! Even the math test did not seem like a big deal anymore. So what if she forgot to study for one stupid math test. As long as she had the party to look forward to nothing else mattered. Suddenly the bell rang and Amanda hastily shoved the invitation into her book bag, ran out of the bathroom, and into Mr. Snyder’s class just as the ringing of the bell ceased.

            “Okay class let’s settle down. I need to take attendance.”

The sound of a strange, high-pitched voice made Amanda look up at her teacher. She couldn’t believe her luck. A substitute! Mr. Snyder never gave tests when he was out. She wouldn’t have to take the test after all. Suddenly Amanda’s bad day had become Amanda’s wonderful, perfect, spectacular, stupendous day. What Amanda did not know was that in just a few hours she would discover something that would all but ruin her moment of absolute contentment, and turn her smile into a grimace.

Use context clues to help you figure out what the bold words mean.

1.     Apparition

A.    Touch

B.    Voice

C.    Ghost

D.   Picture

E.    Candle

2.     Soiree

A.    Cake

B.    Party

C.    Car

D.   Dinner

E.    Game

3.     Behoove

A.    Punish

B.    Praise

C.    Hurt

D.   Benefit

E.    Feet

4.     Hastily

A.    Gently

B.    Angrily

C.    Happily

D.   Nervously

E.    Quickly

5.     Cease

A.    Begin

B.    Loud

C.    Stop

D.   Broke

E.    Ring

6.     Contentment

A.    Sad

B.    Happy

C.    Angry

D.   Frustrated

E.    Excitement

7.     Grimace

A.    Purple Monster

B.    Teeth

C.    Sadness

D.   Frown

E.    Scream