Here are some of our all-time favorite classroom quotes, as spotted on Instagram. 1. Be the leader in a school of fish. 2. Be a pineapple. Stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside. 3. We have a ‘latte’ to be thankful for. 4.
If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough. 11. None of us is as smart as all of us. 12. From small beginnings come great things. 13. Make today so awesome yesterday is jealous. 14. Look with kindness and you will find wonder .
I always tend to use one way more than the other. Instead of saying ‘nine oh five’ I will say ‘five past nine’ or simply ‘five past’ if I think the hour is implicit.
The first time I used it, it worked really well. Different colors indicated whether to use past/after and to, and the numbers on the outer ring showed whether to say ’10 to…’ or ’50.’
Divide the class into two, three or four teams. (Depending on the size of the classroom.)
It’s easy to transfer this activity to smaller groups of students by giving the groups a mini whiteboard (or a laminated piece of blank paper/card.
Common words that describe the ways your characters move (such as ‘run’, ‘sit’ and ‘walk’) have many vibrant alternatives. Explore these alternatives:
Even when a character isn’t moving a lot can be going on. Instead of ‘they sat’, you could use a verb that describes characters’ mental or emotional states and other qualities.
Actions involving the voice – speech and laughter – also have many descriptive alternatives (for alternative dialogue tags specifically, see this blog post ).
Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.
Auditory processing is how our brain interprets the sounds we hear, it doesn’t have anything to with our actual ability to hear. It lets us compute directions or repeat back a joke we just learned. It’s the “thinking” our brain does about what we’re hearing, and it’s quite complex.
Auditory processing difficulties can vary from child to child because of how complex the process is, and for lots of kids like myself, it doesn’t necessarily impact learning.
Auditory processing difficulties can affect anyone, although I’ll tell you there’s a strong genetic component. My mom shows some difficulties, but in different ways, she doesn’t “tune-out” when watching/reading something else. But, my oldest son does!
According to KidsHealth.org, Auditory Processing Disorders affect about 5% of all kids and are hallmarked by a difficulty in learning to talk because they may not distinguish different sounds they’re hearing. Kids with this disorder struggle to follow directions and learn in environments where there is any noise at all.
Of course, I don’t want any of that to scare you, chances are your child doesn’t have an auditory processing disorder. But, what I do notice, as an occupational therapist, is that lots of kids have a low to moderate level of difficulty with it and nobody knows that it’s a piece of the puzzle.
The good news is that auditory processing can significantly improve! For kids with a disorder or significant difficulties that are affecting their learning, speech, or social skills, it’s important to get an evaluation with a speech therapist that has experience treating these challenges.
Simple Calming Activities for Active or Overwhelmed Kids to Start Today!
It’s easy to get in an instructional rut when you stand at the same place near the board all day long.
Cut down on conversations about bathroom/water/pencil sharpening/etc by teaching kids to use sign language to request permission: use sign language to indicate your answer back: yes, no, or wait.
A lot of the talking most of us do throughout the day is related to student behavior, and most of the time, we’re wasting our breath. Resist the urge to lecture students every time someone forgets their materials, interrupts your lesson, or makes an inappropriate noise.
Instead of saying to a group, “Nice work over here, I like the strategy you used for ___”, ask the kids to reflect on their own work: “Tell me how your group has chosen to solve ___.” Instead of telling a child, “Take a look at #3, that answer is incorrect” say, “Would you tell me how you got the answer for #3?” Not only will these questions get kids talking instead of you, kids will also have the chance to reflect on and articulate their learning..
It’s tempting to say important points and instructions a couple of different ways to make sure every child understands, but that strategy can backfire when it’s overused. Kids learn that it’s okay to tune you out because you’ll repeat everything you say.