5 Mid-point Semester Activities to Refresh and Encourage Students to Stay on Track

At this point in the semester, you know your students fairly well, as well as the level of their English Language Arts skills. Whether you're looking for ways to jump-start student motivation in your class or looking to add some fresh ideas to your classroom, this post will give you some new topics to keep things moving in a positive direction until the end of the semester. This time of the semester is also a great opportunity for teachers to review their curriculum planning maps. What skills have you assessed so far and what skills do you plan on assessing next? Students can also have a say in this, so check out the post and find out how!

 1. Goal Setting

At this point in the year, students can begin to reflect on their progress so far. They can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, as well as review the academic skills they have learned so far and what they would like to build on. Setting goals is an easy and meaningful life skill for all students. In addition to students creating their own learning goals, you will also now have the perfect addition to your parent-teacher conferences. Click HERE to grab a FREE printer-ready reflection that you can give your students!

2. Team-Building Activities

One of my favorite activities to complete in the second half of the semester is a group novel study. From start to finish, it takes about 4-5 weeks (this includes the reading of the actual novel). What I like about this team-building activity at this point in the semester is the fact that students are fairly comfortable with each other (compared to the first half of the semester). This project allows students to work in groups and re-create the novel that they read, while showcasing their understanding. Click HERE to read more about the project in its entirety.  

See below for student examples:

3.  Writing Skills

This is a great time in the semester to build on writing skills. Reviewing and practicing writing skills can influence the quality of writing in general. The following are some skills that I tend to focus on more so after the second part of a semester: grammar, vocabulary, spelling, sentence structure, and sentence construction. I can already hear my students complaining, but I encourage them to build on these skills because they are important in everyday life. Writing, in general, is an effective form of communication and eventually, what employers will seek in their employees (our students). 

To assist with building engagement on these topics, I created some interactive resources that can help build writing skills for students: grammar, essay writing, and paragraph writing. 

Like many skills, the best way to improve on writing is to practice. Here are a few easy ways to get started:

• Write letters to friends or family
• Join a journalism club
• Practice free writing 
• Hold a class writing workshop
• Write an article for a local newspaper 
  
  

4. Bring in a Guest Speaker

Bringing in a guest speaker to a class immediately sparks engagement. Whether it is an opportunity to learn about someone in the school, community, a particular career, or learning some life lessons, guest speakers are a great way to create a shared experience for all members of a classroom. 

How do guest speakers motivate and encourage students?

• They spark ongoing conversations
• They turn passive learning into active learning
• They offer new perspectives 
• They may trigger positive, emotional responses
• They boost confidence and morale 
  
  

5.  Reading Skills 

At this point in the semester, I like to give my students the opportunity to select readings of their choice - whether it be short stories or novels. Personally, what I like about an independent novel study, is that it gives students an opportunity to delve into a topic, genre, character or theme a bit more that would be of genuine interest to them.  By offering students the opportunity to select a book of choice, it will not only encourage daily reading in the classroom (and possibly outside of the classroom), but it will also pique their interest!

 If you're looking for a quick and easy printer-ready independent novel study, click HERE! 

Looking for more great ideas? Check these out from the ladies at the Coffee Shop:

BookTok Activity from Tracee Orman 

3Ways to Boost Student Engagement from The Daring English Teacher 

Strategies to Teach the Elements of Fiction

Let's talk elements of fiction, those building blocks for literary analysis.  You've got some fantastic mini-lessons that you deliver with enthusiasm, and the students who stick with you can parrot back definitions like plot, setting, character, and theme. However, the minute you ask them to apply those terms to a story, to actually analyze them, things go south. Why is that? Could it be that the mini-lesson, no matter how expertly presented, is not enough? What if you had some creative strategies to teach the elements of fiction, ones that lead to deeper learning and engagement?

Read on, and I'll share some that do.

The Traditional Approach Doesn’t Always Stick

Here's the thing: When we rely on definitions, charts, and quizzes to teach the elements of fiction, students might learn the words, but they rarely internalize the meaning. They can tell you what tone is, but not why it matters. They might identify the setting, but they can’t explain how it's important to the conflict or to the message the author wants to impart.

That’s because these methods ask students to just name story elements rather than explore how they work in a narrative. And when learning stays at that surface level, it fades fast. I’ve seen it happen a hundred times: students ace the “elements of fiction” test in September and struggle to analyze short stories in October. They know the terms, but they can’t transfer the knowledge.

Look at it this way: imagine an artist learning how to mix colors by reading a handout and doing a quiz, but they never touch any paints. Or, picture a baseball player memorizing terms like line drive, pop fly, and grounder, but they never pick up a bat. This would never happen, of course, but yet...that's what often happens in school: students memorize terms without actually using them.

Does that mean we skip the minilessons? Absolutely not. Students need a solid foundation before they can build on it, so starting at the beginning doesn’t just make sense; it’s necessary. I am not encouraging you to skip the traditional approach, just that you add to it. After you do those opening lessons on the elements of fiction, try some of these creative ways to help your students understand how they work. 

Let Students Play with Story Elements

When we give students opportunities to play with the elements of story, we actually open the door to deeper learning. I've had the greatest success with using activities and challenges to engage and drive home meaning. These challenges aren't distractions from academic rigor, either; they’re how it happens.

Let me explain.

Instead of giving a test on the elements of fiction, get students to manipulate story elements to illustrate their understanding. You might ask your students to change a setting, rewrite a scene from another point of view, or craft a short piece of fiction that builds tension. When they do tasks like this, they engage in complex and creative thinking. They analyze cause and effect, evaluate choices, and synthesize ideas. They’re doing the kind of high-level reasoning that leads to genuine understanding, as well as more engagement.

And you don't get this from worksheets and tests.

Here are some strategies you can use to try this approach, and if you're looking for ready-to-use resources, you can find them here.

Elements of Fiction Write-a-Rounds 

Remember those stories you used to write in school where the teacher would start a story and then each person added a sentence? It often devolved into complete silliness, but everyone was engaged and giggling. 

You can harness the fun part of this activity and teach your students about the elements of fiction, too. After they have learned about setting, for example, put them in groups of four or five. Give each student in the group a different starter sentence and the task of creating a setting. After each student writes the next sentence, they pass their sheet to the student on their right, who adds a third sentence. You repeat this process until each student has written at least on sentence on each sheet of paper.

Once they have all done this, students retrieve their original sheet to read over what was written. They need to ensure that each sentence their groupmates added is on topic: does it help to create the setting or not? Did they capture the point of view? They can debate this within the group and spend some time revising the paragraphs. 

Next, they can choose their best paragraph to share with the class, and you can have a little competition, something that often sparks more interest in the activity. This write-a-round also lends well to a gallery walk. 

👉🏻 Grab my Elements of Fiction Write-a-Round Activity here.

Stations Activities for Exploring Elements of Fiction

 

Stations are one of my favorite activities because they help students focus on a task, and they provide opportunities for movement, which is always a good thing.

For example, my Scary Story Stations had an amazing effect on my students’ understanding of how the elements of fiction work together to create meaning. It’s a fun activity to do in the Halloween season, but it can be done at any time of year; I don’t think Stephen King is only read in October!

You can use stations to zero in on one element of fiction as well. Create a different task at each station that allows students to focus on one aspect of the element. For example, if you're working on tone, you could have different excerpts from fiction at each station, and students would have to identify the tone. They could also use the mentor texts to do some of their own writing.

My new Creating Character Stations ask students to pick a character "type" and then they rotate around the stations, creating short scenes that help develop the character. They are given a handout with strategies for creating character and time to experiment with the process.

Teach the Elements of Fiction with Plot Surgery

Plot surgery is another fun way to get students to think about what they have learned about the elements of a story - and to do some critical and creative thinking. 

To do this, give them a story that falls flat for whatever reason. It could be a breakfast-to-bed story with no focus, one with no conflict or resolution, one with underdeveloped characters, or a combination of issues. Students first need to diagnose the issues and then decide how they can fix them.

This is far more engaging than doing a plot diagram, and can also be done in a stations format, by individuals or groups. Check the activity out here. 

Another activity similar to plot surgery is one that has students choose their own ending to a short story. Give them an unfinished narrative and ask them to write the ending. You can have them focus on any element of fiction that you want - character, conflict, resolution, etc. Or, of course, you can ask them to use a combo!

From Memorizing to Mastering

When students experience narratives from the inside out, everything changes. They start making connections between stories, genres, and their own writing. They notice how tone, structure, and character all work together to create meaning. That’s when you know the elements of fiction lessons have stuck.

Teaching the elements of fiction shouldn’t feel like dragging students through a checklist. When we invite them to create, analyze, and experiment, the terms take on meaning, and students begin to see stories the way writers do: as a series of choices that shape emotion and meaning.

If you want some activities that use these creative strategies to teach the elements of fiction, check out:

• Elements of Fiction Write-a-Rounds
• Creating Character Stations
• Conflict: Choose Your Own Ending
• Plot Surgery Activities
• SAVE and get the Bundle 💰

My friends at the coffee shop have some fun activities you can check out as well:

• Tracee Orman: Elements of Fiction Flip Book
• Presto Plans: Elements of Fiction Escape Room
• The Daring English Teacher: Literary Elements Review Game

Thanks for reading! 

Jackie in Room 213

Teaching Writing in the Age of AI: Focused Revision Strategies for the Classroom

By The Daring English Teacher

If you’ve ever felt like you were two steps behind your students when it came to technology, please know that you are not alone. In today’s ever-changing world, teachers are finding that they must adapt and adjust to technological advances, particularly when it comes to AI in the classroom, especially when it comes to teaching and assigning writing and essays.

I’ve changed how I teach, assign, and practice classroom writing more since the end of 2022 (when ChatGPT was released) than I had in my 15 years of teaching before that. ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence models have forced educators to rethink how we do almost everything in the classroom.

A couple of school years ago, I switched from writing essays in Google Docs to only having in-class writing assignments in a lockdown browser. I start with paragraphs at the beginning of the year, and slowly, we work our way up to teaching and assigning complete essays. And while that works and helps me stay a half a step ahead of students on the technology front, it isn’t entirely conducive to the natural writing process, particularly with essay revisions.

One of the best ways for students to grow as writers is by revisiting their older work and revising it. Revision helps students see that writing is a process and that there is always room for improvement. Additionally, students develop as writers when they learn to revise their work in meaningful ways. So, this school year, I tried something new for writing revisions, and I am thrilled with the results.

Focused Writing Revisions 

One mistake I am definitely guilty of making is assigning too big of a writing task for my students before they are ready for it. And oftentimes, assigning essay or paragraph revisions falls in the same category—it is just too much for students to handle. When we tell our students to revise their essays, that task can be quite overwhelming. So many students will wonder where to even start.

Instead, providing students with a focused revision assignment is more beneficial because, rather than focusing on the entire essay, students concentrate their efforts on small, select revisions that truly make a difference. Additionally, these types of revision activities also stick with students for future writing!

Before assigning a revision activity, I teach my students focused writing lessons. One of my favorite ways to help students improve as writers is to learn how to write stronger commentary sentences. My Writing Spotlight: Commentary Writing lesson is a great starting point to help students graduate from “This quote shows…” to more advanced writing styles.

In addition to teaching the lessons in my Writing Spotlight lesson series, I also like to teach my students about parallel structure and sentence structure.

After spending a couple of days teaching my students a focused writing lesson, I had my students go back and revise a paragraph they had written earlier in the year. And honestly, the older the writing assignment is, the better, because your students have grown so much since their older writing assignments. I created this revision activity and printed it double-sided for students. You can grab a PDF version of this revision activity for free right here! You can also receive an editable Google Doc version that you can customize to your assignments here!

Sign up here to receive an editable version of this activity!

Avoid the Entire Piece

Another reason this revision activity was so beneficial is that I didn’t require students to revise everything. They only revised three sentences: the thesis statement, an evidence sentence, and a commentary sentence. Additionally, I also wanted my students to write an additional commentary sentence to help them see how additional analysis can strengthen their writing.

On the paper, students wrote their original sentences, and then right next to them, I had them write their revised sentences. This helped the students see the improvement side by side!

Add in Reflection

For this revision activity, I wanted to get them thinking about the how and why behind their revisions to encourage them to actively think about their writing. I also had them explain why they made the revisions they did, how the revisions improved their writing, and what they will focus on in the future.

Self-revision isn't the only way to conduct revisions in class, though. Another great way to help students grow as writers is to complete peer revisions in class. When I facilitate peer editing in my classroom, I like to alternate between using a peer editing checklist and peer editing stations.

Overall, this revision assignment was a huge success in my class. Not only did I see significant improvement, but I also observed my students pausing to take a moment and really think about and reflect on their writing. After all, isn't that what we are aiming for as teachers?

Additional Resources:

The Future of ChatGPT and AI in the ELA Classroom by Tracee Orman

Teaching Thinking and Writing in the Age of AI by Room 213

Tips for a Successful Parent/Teacher Conference

 

By Tracee Orman

I remember my very first parent/teacher conferences. I was so nervous. All of the high school teachers were lined up in the cafeteria at lunch tables and parents rotated from teacher to teacher in 10-minute intervals. I had 167 students that year and one was my superintendent's son. 😅 While it was nerve-racking and overwhelming, I survived and learned many lessons from the experience that I'd love to share with you.

Here are some essential tips, I believe, for running a successful parent/teacher conference:

1. Be Over-Prepared

Don't just be prepared, be over-prepared! Have access to the following before conferences start:

    • Students' grades: Have either online access or preferably a print-out with a breakdown of each assignment score that the parent can take with them. Parents want to see that their child is making progress. It also gives them an opportunity to ask questions about individual scores and missing assignments, if any. If a student has not turned in an assignment or it's late, it's a perfect opportunity to point it out and go over your late work policy (if you have one).

    • Writing samples: I prefer to have shorter writing responses to share with parents because there isn't much time for them to read more lengthy essays. 

One of my absolute favorite writing samples I love to assign students right before conferences is a letter home. In their letter, they should tell their parent(s)/guardian(s) how they are doing, what their favorite things about school and our class specifically, and how they are doing in class. It puts the responsibility and ownership for their current grade on THEM. If they have any incompletes, zeroes, or less-than-stellar grades in the gradebook, now is their time to explain to their parents/guardians WHY. I have found when students do this, they do actually come to a self-realization about their performance in class. I've even had students confess that they talk too much and maybe they shouldn't sit next to their best friend. I allow the parent/guardian to keep the letter. If you wish to see how I structured this, download this assignment here FREE:

Other writing samples I like to include for parents to browse are journal entry responses or responses to many other writing prompts. The point is to have a variety of responses so the parent can not only learn something about their child, but also see how they write. 

    • Reading diagnostic and/or benchmark score: If you haven't given your students a reading diagnostic test yet, now is the time. You'll want to be able to share with parents where they fall, the areas they need to improve, and the steps you're going to take to get there. I have packs for each grade level and the answer sheets show which areas students need to improve based on their incorrect answers. 

    • Reading fluency score: If your school has an RTI program, chances are the facilitator will have reading fluency scores for each student. If not, it's not a bad idea to have this data for both yourself and parents. I have pre-made reading fluency assessments and rubrics you can find here. You can repeat the fluency assessment periodically throughout the year to track improvement.

    • List of books, plays, short stories, poems, and non-fiction materials: Have a list of every single thing your students will read this year available. This is to protect yourself from any challenges, but also to be 100% transparent with parents/guardians. Also let them know that that list is subject to change as you try to incorporate relevant materials you think your students would like. This is a perfect time to explain why you read and teach certain materials and give them the opportunity to ask questions about it. I have found when I was teaching The Hunger Games and had some parents ask about the violence in it, I took that opportunity to explain that it's very similar to how Shakespeare used violence in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and even Romeo and Juliet to convey how wrong it is. 

    • Copy of your syllabus: Whether it is online or in print, it's a great idea to have a copy of this available for parents so they know your unit/plan outline, your grading/attendance/behavior policies, and your contact information.

    • Other examples of student work: Daily work, bell ringers, homework; these can all be used to show a student's progress. 

2. Be Organized

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my first PT conference was not having all the student samples organized alphabetically and grouped together. I spent half my time searching for each student's work and with over 100 parents coming though, it was a nightmare. Here are some ways you can get organized before conferences:

    • Organize student work by name and class period: It will be much easier to find a student when your stack is organized alphabetically. Better yet, if you know ahead of time what order parents are coming (i.e. if they schedule a set time), have everything organized in order of appointment. 

    • Have a clean desk area and classroom: If you have conferences in your classroom, make sure your desk area is cleaned/clear and any surrounding area is uncluttered. Believe me, I am a type B teacher, and this is always a struggle for me. I have a tendency to have stacks upon stacks. But for conferences, I always try to have my area presentable. Just don't open a cupboard or the closet doors! 😆

    • Have a desk clock or watch handy so you can stay on track: Even going over time in one conference make you get off track the rest of the day/night. Apologize to the parents, but let them know when time is almost up and then when time is up. Tell them you are more than happy to schedule another meeting after school, if needed.

    • Have a sign-in sheet for parents: You will want to have a record of your meetings for future reference, so use a sign-in sheet when they arrive. It can simply include the student's name (since names do not always match), parent/guardian's name(s), and the date and time of meeting. This is helpful especially if you have walk-in appointments who did not sign-up in advance. Also, keep it in a file so you can go back and see who you met with. If you need a free printable, you can download one here:

   

3. Be Positive

Parents/Guardians love to hear something positive about their child. Make sure to compliment the student, preferably at the beginning of the conference. Begin with telling the parent/guardian you enjoy having their student in class. Then be more specific. I know in secondary when we have multiple sections and see 100+ students per day, it is hard to get to know everyone by the time conferences roll around. But if you know in advance which parents are coming in, make an effort to have a positive affirmation about that student. It can be as simple as the following:

    • "I appreciate how [student's name] is willing to speak up in class and answer questions."

    • "I'm impressed with [student's name] love for reading/writing/public speaking/etc."

    • "[Student's name] has a great work ethic and always turns his/her work in on time."

    • "[Student's name] gets along with his/her classmates and works well in groups."

    • "I appreciate how prepared [student's name] is for class every day."

The more specific you can be, the better. This is why getting to know your students at the beginning of the year is essential. If you haven't been able to, it's never too late to do some getting-to-know-you activities. They aren't just for the beginning of the year.

4. Ask Questions

Don't feel like YOU have to do all the talking. You can ask parents questions, especially if you are struggling to make a connection with a student or you feel like the student is struggling in class. Some questions you can ask:

    • "Does he/she seem to like school or my class? Does he/she ever talk about it at home?"

    • "What can I do to help him/her feel more comfortable in class?"

    • "What strategies have worked in the past to encourage positive behavior?"

    • "What kind of books does he/she like to read?"

    • "What topics is he/she interested in?"

5. Have a Plan for Struggling Students

Offer up opportunities for tutoring, intervention, help with make-up work, etc. You can also direct parents to online resources that may be available to your district. Try to offer positive encouragement and a plan for parents so they leave the meeting feeling encouraged.

6. Take Care of Yourself

Make sure to stay hydrated with water both leading up to and during conferences. Get up and stretch in between meetings, if possible. If you have a short break, try to take a quick walk around the building (or outside if it's nice outside to get some fresh air). It's easy to stay seated the entire time but so important to keep your blood flowing with movement. Hopefully your administration builds in meal times and bathroom breaks for you, but if not, do not feel badly if you have to excuse yourself. Most people will understand if you need a short break.

I hope these tips help you have the best experience with parent/teacher conferences. Feel free to check out our Instagram posts and share your thoughts with us!

How to Teach Grammar With Daily Bell-Ringers

By: Presto Plans

Let's face it ... grammar lessons have a bit of a reputation. Students perceived the unit to be dry and boring, and the large number of different grammar topics can feel overwhelming to tackle all at once. 

Over the years, I've found an effective approach to teaching grammar in middle and high school ELA. Rather than offer a standalone grammar unit, I now prefer to integrate grammar instruction in a bite-sized daily routine to be used throughout the year. After all, ELA is a marathon, not a sprint! I find a slow-and-steady strategy gives much-needed structure to my day and provides students with more consistent opportunities to practice and refine their grammar skills.

If you're wondering how to shake up your own approach to teaching grammar, here's how I incorporate daily grammar bell-ringers in middle or high school ELA!

Program Overview:

With a grammar bell-ringer routine, each week is themed around a central skill or grammar concept (such as capitalization). Students begin by exploring the concept. Then, throughout the week, they practice and apply their new skills through bite-sized tasks and activities. Grammar bell-ringers are designed to take only 5 to 10 minutes a day, which makes them a perfect warm-up for the rest of your class!

I like to prepare all my materials for the week at once - that way, I'm ready for a smooth start! Each week has a dedicated student handout that keeps learners focused and engaged!

TIP: If you keep your students' grammar bell-ringer work in a dedicated folder in the classroom, you can quickly do periodic spot-checks. This helps you see if they have mastered each concept, or if you need to go back for further review.

Monday Mastery:

On Mondays, students begin to master the grammar skill for the week. I like to briefly introduce each concept directly with a quick, two-slide presentation. Directly teaching students about the relevant grammar rules and reviewing clear examples of each concept sets them up with the foundation for the rest of the week!

From here, I find students benefit from a bit of practice time. After you finish the lesson, students can spend a few minutes creating personal examples of each grammar concept and reviewing their notes. They can refer back to their examples and notes as they complete the rest of the weekly activities!

Tuesday Task:

For Tuesday's activity, students apply the weekly grammar concept in context by completing short, skill-based tasks. These tasks can include identifying errors, choosing the correct form, or rewriting sentences. 

For example, when focusing on capitalization, I might provide students with several sentences where names, proper nouns, or sentence beginnings are not capitalized and have them correct the errors. To wrap up, students can review their work with a peer or check their responses during a class discussion.

Wednesday Writing:

I notice that sometimes, middle and high school students are able to identify and correct grammar issues in provided examples, but this learning does not always transfer to their own writing. This is why I like to provide an authentic, intentional opportunity for students to focus on grammar as part of the writing process.

On Wednesdays, students deepen their understanding of the week's targeted grammar concept. Quality writing prompts allow students to express their own voice, extend their writing skills, share creative ideas, and allow them to practice new concepts in a structured and low-stakes way.

Thursday Team-Up:

One of my favorite tricks to teach grammar in middle school ELA is to incorporate opportunities for play into each week's task. I especially recommend allowing students to apply the week's concept through a game or collaborative activity! For the Thursday Team-Up, students work together in pairs or small groups to complete an escape room-style puzzle, centered on the week's grammar topic.

Each challenge is set up to reinforce students' understanding of the week's targeted grammar skill. Working together, they must identify grammar errors related to the weekly concept hidden within the challenges. Once the challenge has been completed correctly, a mystery code is revealed that will help them “escape!"

Friday Fix-Up:

As the week wraps up, I like to incorporate one final learning activity to help students focus on their grammar learning. During the Friday Fix-Up, students read a high-interest paragraph and reinforce their

learning by identifying and correcting errors related to their weekly grammar topic. 

Imagine your students reading about:

• Intriguing laws from around the world, while identifying the correct use of to, too, and two

• Changes in the ways people have listened to music throughout history, while fixing comma splice errors

• The processes involved in making chocolate, while converting passive voice to active voice

This final activity helps solidify students' grammar skills in a real-world context and allows them one more opportunity to practice before moving on to a new concept next week!

Over the course of the week, students will have implemented their skills in increasingly challenging ways, so that by Friday, students are able to synthesize what they have learned and demonstrate their understanding.

Ready to try out grammar bell-ringers in your ELA classroom? Learn more about the full-year program by clicking here!

For more great ELA skill-building activities, check out these tips and resources from my friends at the Secondary English Coffee Shop!

5 Authentic Ways to Teach Grammar by Room 213

Sentence Combining Bell-Ringers by The Daring English Teacher

Grammar Mistakes Flip Book by The Classroom Sparrow

No Prep Grammar Usage Visual Aids by Tracee Orman

Build relationships with your students ALL year

 

New teachers are repeatedly told that it's essential to establish strong relationships with their students, and I am one of the voices contributing to the chorus. This is because I know relationships are the foundation on which you will build your ability to manage and engage your students. Building that foundation deserves time and effort. It also requires cultivation all year long, not just at the beginning. But HOW do you do that? What exactly can you do to create a strong climate and to build relationships with your students all year, not just in the first days of class? I'm going to give you the why first, and then a whole bunch of strategies for the how.

Time spent on relationship-building is never a waste

Recently, I read a post in a Facebook group where a new teacher was asking how much time to spend on getting-to-know-you activities. I was shocked, I must say, at how many teachers jumped in, calling them a waste of time. Others stated that they didn't do them because they wanted students to know from the beginning that their class was rigorous. 

I have to disagree with both of these reasons. Getting-to-know-you activities are not a waste of time, and they do not indicate that your class will be "slack." In fact, they are an essential tool for classroom management.

First, let's distinguish between icebreakers and getting-to-know-you activities. Icebreakers are often overused at staff meetings and PD sessions and are, let's be honest, the bane of an introvert's existence. If you want to use icebreakers - short activities that usually require students to stand, move, and talk to people they don't know well - keep those to a minimum and then move on to activities that help you get to know your students and to build a classroom community.

Why? When a student feels like you see them, when they know you actually care, they are less likely to act up in class and are more likely to engage. It's that simple. It does not mean they will always be perfectly behaved and the best students you've ever had, but a climate where everyone feels comfortable and welcome makes a big difference.

And that takes some time - time that is well spent and not wasted.

Climate Building at the First of the Year

First, learn your students' names quickly and use them often. This way, you can spark a sense of connection right away. Be at the door before and after class, so you can be ready to welcome your students into your world. This is the perfect time to get to know your students as people by talking to them about things unrelated to your course. Make this a practice all year, not just in the early days.

Once through that door, my first days of school activities serve a triple purpose: they introduce the course, build the climate for our class, and begin to review ELA skills.

Some teachers want to dive into content right away because they don't feel like they have time to waste. They also want students to know that theirs is a rigorous class. However, getting-to-know-you exercises and rigor are not mutually exclusive - especially if you start teaching content while you use them. 

For example, both of these beginning-of-the-year activities focus on climate building AND reviewing important ELA skills: Creating the Story of Our Class and an Introductions and Conclusions activity. Each one allowed me to start teaching while still getting to know my students.

Give Students a Voice in Setting the Climate

One of the first things I did with my students was to have a big discussion about what we wanted the climate of our class to be like - and I showed them right from the beginning that I wanted to give them some voice and choice during our time together. To do this, we worked together to set the expectations for the class. During this activity, students began to develop the skills they need to collaborate and share ideas, something they will be expected to do throughout the school year.  You get more details about that process here.

I also put the focus on expectations, not rules. This puts a more positive spin on behavior, especially if you model and reinforce the expectations that were set. And, when you can frame your reinforcement of these expectations positively, students react better because you are also building your relationship with them. This is a practice that you can use all year, not just at the beginning.

Build relationships all year:

Cultivating your relationships with your students is not just a task for the first days of school; in fact, it will pay dividends if you build relationships with your students all year. Here are some strategies you can use (click here to grab more details)

✱ Make it a regular habit to be at the door, greeting your students. Not only is this a friendly practice, but it is also the perfect time to have any private chats you might need to have with particular students.

✱ Pick three–five students a day that you will make a special effort to have a chat with. The chats don’t have to be long; it could just be a quick question on their way in the door. The point is that you are deliberate in making sure you spend a little time with each student. These should be positive in nature, rather than the discussions you may need to have about behavior or missing assignments.

✱ Share yourself and build in opportunities for times when students can share themselves too. Writing prompts, journals, etc, are excellent vehicles for this.

✱ Sit in on small group discussions and act as a participant. You're there to be part of the discussion, not to just listen in. This can be a powerful way to get to know them and model good discussion practices while you're there.

✱ Use your feedback to make a connection with your students. For example, if they are writing a narrative about when their first pet died, you can write a note that validates their feelings –oh, that must have been so hard – or that connects it to your own experience - I’ll never forget how I felt when my dog died.

✱  Ask them to help you solve problems. For example, if the class has been too noisy, or there's been too much phone use, put it to them: how can we solve this problem? Building a classroom code of conduct together can be very powerful for building climate and managing behaviour (Get ideas for this here and here).

✱ Admit when you "fail"; apologize when you need to. Both of these things model good human behavior to your students and help them see you as a person who wants to connect with them.

✱ Lighten up when you need to. Have a sense of humor. If they say something funny, take a minute to laugh, as long as it's not inappropriate. Take some time off for fun - you'll be able to make up that time if your students know when it's time to focus.

👉🏻 If you'd like to get more details about how you can build relationships with your students all year, click here for the download.

If you'd like some ready-to-use and engaging resources for relationship building, check these out:

Setting Classroom Norms Stations

The Story of Our Class

Teaching Resilience

 

Get more community-building ideas from

The Daring English Teacher

Presto Plans

Mrs Orman