The Happy Learning Den

Sunday, February 9, 2020

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING BELONGS IN OUR SCHOOLS

Hi again, friends!

I don’t know about you, but it feels like the focus within classrooms has been centered on assessments for at least 15 years. How students perform on state exams are supposed to tell the story of student achievement—or at least, most of the story.

However, more and more research has discovered that social and emotional learning (SEL) is essential for student success. But teachers already knew that!

Children have a difficult time achieving academic success when they do not know how to interact appropriately with others. Bullying, emotional outbursts, and fighting can make it hard for any child to focus on the academic skills taught in the classroom. Such issues can also take time away from the dedicated educator and administration, forcing them to spend more time on disciplining students. It is in these moments where social and emotional learning can make a difference.

Social-emotional learning can positively impact students, teachers, and school districts. Students learn the skills needed to self-regulate and constructively work toward solutions that benefit them in the classroom. We, as a nation, need to educate children holistically. Multiple benefits are often seen with SEL. It promotes a favorable school climate and students have increased academic success. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) nurtures a climate that is inviting, participatory and caring for all learners. With SEL, you help children develop the social skills that will serve them for their lifetime.

An added benefit is that you may have fewer disciplinary issues, which leads to students becoming more motivated in the classroom. Our students need more than simply academic knowledge to thrive. They need transferable soft skills that will allow them to understand others and work collaboratively to achieve desired outcomes. By providing tools for students to learn to manage their emotions and problem solve can allow them to better contribute to our schools and communities. By implicitly teaching SEL, there is an opportunity for educators, administrators, and school districts to make a positive impact on communities for years to come.

I have created a series of lessons and activities that I have used in my classroom the past few years. These have all had an incredible impact on student behavior and academic success. Frequently I hear from colleagues about how "student x's" behavior is much different in my room that in a previous class. I am not a better teacher. However, I use my SEL plans and activities in my classroom weekly. That is what has made all the difference.

If you are interested in seeing my SEL lesson plans and activities, you can click HERE and go directly to my TPT store.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

Do you have any questions about incorporating SEL into your classroom? Leave your comment or question below, and I will do my best to answer you!

Until we meet again,

Sandra @The Happy Learning Den

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Math Test Prep and Review

Hi friends,

Do you feel like pulling out your hair? Are your students chewing up their pencils? Do you just want to scream every time someone talks about "the test?" Do you feel like you are drowning?

Test Prep causes serious stress for teachers and students alike. You wonder what standards you have covered. You think about lessons students have missed due to absences and gaps in understanding. You worry that students won’t remember the concepts you taught early in the year. This is completely normal! A couple of years ago, I changed the way I approached test prep and test review. Today I would like to share my system, and maybe it will help you too!

1. Don’t wait until “testing season” to prepare. Spiral review is your friend. Take a few moments each day to go back to topics covered earlier in the year and do a quick review on the topic. I make one copy of my 5^th grade Math Test Prep for All Year Bundle (shameless plug!) and each morning before we start math, my students take out dry erase boards and work through the problems at their desks. You can use these packets or choose problems from your textbook. Don’t spend a ton of time doing this. Just 4-5 problems each day is perfect. I like to review the chapter we previously covered when working on a new chapter. This way the previous content stays fresh in their brains.

2. Task Card Scoot. You can use task cards you already have or even quickly write out your own problems on note cards. I do have over 50 sets of reading, math, and science task cards (another shameless plug!) in my Teachers Pay Teachers store if you need more. I place the cards onto student desks and they solve the problem on their the dry erase board. Next they put their answer on a lined sheet of paper. Then, move one space to the left to complete the next problem. I continue with this until all the questions have been completed. This is a fast and fun way to assess who has it and who needs a little more work. If you don’t have large enough dry erase boards, just have students use an extra piece of paper to work the problem out as they scoot around the room.

3. Keep it fun! Students don’t need to sense the added stress of testing. Try to keep the spiral review and test prep as fun as possible. Turn questions into games. Let students get up and move (play Scoot, 4 Corners- if they think the answer is A, they move to one corner, B, another corner, etc.) Students will appreciate you for making review easier and less stressful.

4. Track the data. Keep track of which students have mastered each standard as you move throughout the year. It doesn’t have to be a huge task. You can just make a pencil and paper list or create an excel sheet. I like to use the Checklists included in each Standards and Scales resource because it is quite simple in its approach.

I keep these in a binder; one sheet for each standard per student. It is easy to take a quick look and see which students need help with which standard. I have Fifth Grade Florida Standards and Scales for Reading and Math, as well as Common Core Standards and Scales for Math in my store. And to be honest, Common Core Standards and Florida Standards are basically the same.

While I do currently teach 5th grade, and make what I need in the classroom, I do make other resources for other grade levels, that my colleagues request. Plus, I differentiate almost everything for my students based on what is needed, so I have multiple levels of test prep.

I have bundled everything for greater savings:

3rd grade Test Prep

4th Grade Test Prep

See you next week!

Sandra @ The Happy Learning Den

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Please, Stop Talking!

Hi friends,
Do you find yourself telling your students to stop talking? Do you find it's like tug-of-war?

Unwanted chatting is near the top of the list of my frustrations as a teacher. Although I don’t consider it a severe misbehavior, it does still disrupt learning. It’s tricky, because it’s hard to figure out why it’s happening and why none of the strategies you try seem to work. (Even strategies that worked with a previous class may not work again.) Sometimes, it seems so out of control that it can make you question whether stopping the constant chatter is even possible.

The truth is, you can fix excessive chatting and expect silence whenever you need it. But you need a game plan.

Here’s what I do:

# 1 DEFINE SILENCE

I know it sounds RIDICULOUS, but many students just don’t know what it means. They don’t know what it looks, feels, and sounds like. It’s a foreign concept to them. Therefore, you must define silence for them—what it is and, more important, what it isn’t—and let them experience it. Model what they should look like while working independently or listening to lessons. You will need to model this Every. Single. Day. until your class can be silent when you give a signal. Be consistent. Eventually, they will follow through with what you expect. But some groups of students do need more practice than others. Make them prove they get it.

There must be complete understanding of what silence is according to your definition before you can ask them to replicate it.

#2 EXPLAIN WHY

Your students need to know the why of your decisions and then this will cause them to be more accepting and supportive of your wishes. Make sure that you EXPLAIN how silence benefits them and why it is a good thing! They need to know that the ability to concentrate for long periods of time is a critical skill that is key to their learning.

#3 TEACH A SIGNAL

This is an incredibly powerful strategy. For the times when you require silence, like while you’re teaching a lesson or they’re working independently, teach your students a hand signal—a thumbs down sign or anything you like—they can use if a neighbor turns to talk to them. Students using the sign are not allowed to speak to the other student, look at them, or make any other gesture. They just hold up their signal and continue working.

When the student who was talking sees the signal from his/her classmate gets back to work immediately, then you will not need to step in and give a consequence. This is one of those strategies that I have found to work extremely well in the moment.

#4 ENFORCE IMMEDIATELY

Your students need to understand that no talking really means no talking. If your class does get uncontrollably chatty, and everyone is talking while you’re trying to teach or they’re trying to work, then stop the lesson in its tracks. Wait for silence, go back to the previous transition, and state your expectations again. Review your definition of silence. Don’t show any frustration. Don’t lecture, plead, or complain.

Just prove you’re a person of your word.

I hope you find this technique helpful,

-Sandra @ The Happy Learning Den