Leading Up to Winter Break

We are so close to having a break! Also, I always find that once we make it to winter break, the rest of the school year flies by somehow. This first chunk of the year is often the hardest in so many ways. Once the routines are established and community is built, the rest of the school year can feel more manageable. But every year and every class is different.

The lead up to winter break can be so exciting and often coincides with snow days, winter concert or assembly practices, lots of illnesses/sharing germs, and other disruptions, so your students will definitely react to everything that is going on. Keep in mind that some kids do not like breaks as they miss school and really thrive on routine, or might not have secure access to food at home or a stable environment for so many reasons. I always openly acknowledge to my students that I have mixed feelings about whatever my plans will be, letting them know I’ll miss our wonderful daily routine together, I might be nervous about traveling (especially during the pandemic) or my baby not sleeping in a new place, but I’m also looking forward to seeing family. Modeling processing and acknowledging mixed feelings can be very helpful if any of your students are anxious or similarly conflicted.

I’m sure this goes without saying, but remember that not everyone celebrates holidays, be it Christmas or any holiday. I’ve always provided family surveys at the beginning of the year so families can share any traditions that are important to them, and I will ask my students about family traditions, but try not to assume that they are centered around Christmas or winter. Snowflakes or festivity around snow (this is the season of hoping for snow days after all) is a great way to bring some seasonal festivity into your class without using religious symbols. Holidays can be hard for some families, especially anyone who has recently suffered a loss or a big change. And again, some families don’t celebrate, so assuming that everyone does might make students feel left out or alienated. 

Some festive activities that I’ve used in the past to get through December and channel some of my students’ excitement/restlessness/general energy are below.

• Making snowflakes to decorate the classroom. You can make this as academic or artistic as you like - we’ve written adjectives on snowflakes, used them for a Math lesson, written poems on them, or used art supplies to embellish them!

• Coming up with “gifts” for people in the building. While cards are great, what else can we do for others? Students are very creative and will think of acts of kindness and appreciation that will surprise and amuse you.

• Share family winter traditions! If possible, invite family members to join. I’ve done this in person or over Zoom and both ways were lovely. 

• Have a hot cocoa and reading party! We’ve let students bring in stuffed animals or pillows and spent the morning before the school winter concert reading. It’s such a nice calm way to head into the break and gives you an opportunity to catch your breath and make sure every student has something to read at home over the break.

• Read Elijah’s Angel: a Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen (again, you know your students, so if you do have students who don’t celebrate who might feel alienated by this book, find something else to read!). I love that this book models sharing what feels comfortable for you and your family and navigating this while caring for friends. 

• Clean and organize to get ready for the break/new year! I’ve found that students LOVE cleaning up the classroom especially if you allow them to use cleaning supplies. They can work in teams and each be responsible for one part of the room, or have the reward of using a duster somewhere in the classroom once their desk or personal area is clean and organized.

• Learn about Winter Solstice Traditions around the world. 

• Learn about Human Rights Day. This is also a nice counterbalance to a focus on presents or possessions.

• Do some prep work to make coming back in January easier for all of you. This might include laying the groundwork for some good activities by talking through some ideas with your students and physically getting some things ready to make it easier on yourself. 

  • I often have students write New Year’s Resolutions in January and I always make those copies in December so I have at least one activity ready to go when I come back. 

  • Another fun activity for coming back to school after a break is writing book reviews or book recommendations. I tell students we will do this when we return and then they have an extra incentive to read over the break!

Happy December and almost winter break to all the teachers (and students)! Hope you have some time to rest and take a deep breath as well as moments with loved ones and delicious food. 2022 has been quite the year.

Human Rights Day

Saturday is Human Rights Day! From Human Rights Day 2022 | OHCHR, “Every year on 10 December, the world celebrates Human Rights Day, the very day when, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).”

While you won’t be at school on Saturday, you can still have your students learn about Human Rights Day. I would start by asking my students what they know about human rights. Let students reflect and share out, and then share this definition (or modify it to make it work best for your students): 

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. 

I’ve paraphrased for students that human rights are the things that every human being is entitled to have.

Next, I would ask students what rights they think are the most important. 

They can make lists in small groups and compile a list of the 5 most important rights. Expect a lot of discussion and negotiation - it is hard to choose just 5! Once they have agreed upon a list, they can share out to the whole class and/or post their list somewhere in the classroom.

Next, use a read aloud or watch, listen, or read about the UDHR more here.

Two picture books that I’d recommend are: 

We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures (image above)

I Have the Right to Be a Child

After learning more about the UDHR, ask students if they would change their list or if there are any rights they are thinking about now that they didn’t consider earlier.

Then, give students an opportunity to share their learning or act! Remember that human rights are applicable to so many situations and can provide a helpful lens for students to think about injustice or action. Some ideas for further learning or actions are:

• Make your own zine and see ARTE’s UDHR & UPR zine here! ARTE is a great organization and resource, in general, but especially on Human Rights Day.

• Human Rights Education - Amnesty International

• Human Rights Text Set on Newsela

• 13 Teaching Ideas on Human Rights - Facing History & Ourselves

• ABC: Teaching Human Rights – Practical activities for primary and secondary schools - Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Happy Human Rights Day!

Subscribe to our blog:

Thanksgiving Activities, Gratitude, and More

It’s November! We made it through most of the Fall and the election! Thanksgiving (and a break!) is around the corner, so sharing some reminders and activities. Here are some from the past: Thanksgiving & Native American Heritage Month Resources & Reminders. 

Always center Native American perspectives however you address Thanksgiving in your classroom (and in general). For example, you and your students could look at the Native Land map to see whose land you're on and emphasize that they are still here. You could research the tribe whose land you are on and find out about where they are living now.

Also, show students the table depicting original tribal names and note that many tribal names were changed by white settlers. 

Learn about land acknowledgements by watching Land Acknowledgement | Molly of Denali.  (Sidenote, Molly of Denali is a great example of representation, own voices, and a genuine character that has typical trials and tribulations as all kids do. Alaskan Native voices are involved in all aspects of production and research shows positive effects on children’s use of informational text after watching the show.)

You and your students can think about creating a land acknowledgement at your school or in your community. However, keep in mind the limitations of land acknowledgements, and talk to students about how they should just be the first step and DO NOT and CANNOT undo or “fix” past wrongs. For a more in depth analysis from a Indigenous perspective, listen to this story from Oregon Public Broadcasting: As land acknowledgments become more common, Indigenous people grapple with next steps - OPB

A new picture book that is a re-telling of the story of Thanksgiving is Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story. There are discussion guides online, but unfortunately the book is sold out and won’t be back in stock before Thanksgiving. However, something to keep in mind for next year! 

I try to incorporate gratitude into my classroom all year, especially towards people in the building who take care of us. There are many studies about the positive effects of gratitude and students love putting good energy out there and planning surprises or pick-me-ups for others. 

Nikki Grimes expresses it so beautifully:

Find this poem on Twitter here. Use it to inspire students and/or yourself! Another fun idea is tiny gratitude stories from the New York Times. They asked Tell Us What You’re Thankful For, in Six Words in the past. I love these ideas for so many reasons, at the very least because there are plenty of mentor texts for students and it is something quick and easy (and FUN). Students could challenge others in the building to write one as well and add it to a wall or bulletin board.

See other Gratitude Activities We Love from our post last Thanksgiving.

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving. Hope your holidays are relaxing and filled with deliciousness!

Subscribe to our blog:

Teaching about Elections

Happy Election Day Eve! I know many of us are feeling a lot about the election, and waiting for the results will make for an anxiety ridden late night. I often end up staying up too late for inconclusive results, so I have learned to turn off the TV, put my phone down, and go to bed! 

Two years ago, when we were all waiting for the presidential election to take place, addressing the topic on everyone’s mind and Teaching the History of Voting Rights in the USA actually gave me some relief and channeled some of all of our nervous energy into learning about participating in democracy and civil rights. Also, students were excited to share the way many of their family members voted (by mail, early voting, etc). We read Granddaddy’s Turn, A Journey to the Ballot Box for that lesson, but another great picture book to use to start the lesson is Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Teaching is inherently political as you are always choosing what to teach, how to teach, whose voices to include, and more, but depending on your school situation and whatever is best for you and your students, you can also just teach about the process and answer student questions instead of leaning into the political discussion. Remember children pick up on the anxiety adults are feeling around them and they hear, see, and notice EVERYTHING. So giving them time to talk and process and put words to the feelings going on around them and for them is always helpful. 

Also, in case election results are rough, here is a reminder from an incredibly hard day in the past: Post-Election in 5th Grade.

Newsela has some great resources too. This article: What's at stake in midterm elections? Here's what to watch before Election Day could also be a great starting place as a way to give students background information, or this text set: Midterm Elections 2022: Introduction  would work for a more in-depth exploration.

Two books that I haven’t yet gotten the chance to read, but look intriguing and potentially good fits for an election related lesson are The President of the Jungle and Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America. For younger students, Grace for President or Duck for President have both worked well for me in the past.

One other thing to consider is talking to students about local elections, as the national elections often occupy most of the news coverage, but local issues might resonate with students more and give them more of an opportunity to relate to the lesson and see how things work in their community.

Some other useful election resources are below. The first link is a video I have not yet had the opportunity to share with students, but think it has potential for a lot of learning, discussing, and more. Some students might be very familiar with disenfranchisement of specific populations, while others will be shocked to know it takes place today.

Should People Convicted of a Crime Be Allowed to Vote?

2022 Election Teaching Resources for Midterms

The Election Collection | PBS LearningMedia

Teaching Resources for the US Elections - Facing History

Voting and Elections | Resources for a Civil Classroom

Subscribe to our blog:

Happy LGBT History Month

October is LGBT History Month! While the month has already started, it’s never too late to join in and introduce (or re-introduce) your students (and yourself) to some LGBT icons. As explained on their site, “Each day in October, a new LGBT Icon is featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources.” You can find out more in the 2022 Overview Video. Remember that LGBT History Month is a reminder only - we should be learning about LGBT people every day of the year. 

If students ask why LGBT people have a specific history month, just ask the question right back to them: why do YOU think we celebrate a specific history month for LGBT people? You can have them generate a list of names of LGBT people they’ve learned about at school in the past. I had a student ask why there wasn’t a “straight history month” and another student responded, “That’s EVERY month.” 

Also, don’t assume students know what LGBT stands for - go ahead and teach into it. If you think your students need more vocabulary instruction, the LGBT Resource Center provides some general definitions. Make sure your students have the language to ask questions and make connections!

Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of class time to spare - just telling students about the month and some of the icons featured is a great start! Introducing each icon could also be part of a sign in or morning routine. The videos for the icon of the day go live each day and are very brief. The site also has biographical information for each icon and links to other resources.

Subscribe to our blog:

Navigating Fall Holidays

Rebecca Nagle reminded me that it was suddenly fall and a perfect time to share resources and reminders for the upcoming holidays. Her tweet thread explains it beautifully and shares helpful resources. Our blog posts below share different strategies and ideas for addressing Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples Day), Halloween, and Thanksgiving in the classroom. 

We taught these lessons with elementary school students (3rd or 5th grade), but they can easily be adapted for older learners.

Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples Day): October 12th

Unfortunately, Columbus Day is still a federal holiday, although more and more communities have voted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead. We facilitated Columbus Day Debates with our students one year and led a Holiday Inquiry: Columbus Day another year. If you choose to have a similar debate in your classroom, make sure you have time for debrief and a more general conversation about critical literacy and historical narrative. The holiday inquiry post also shares how we celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day in our classroom.

Halloween: October 31st

Halloween is already a lot for elementary school teachers without adding racist or appropriative costumes to the mix. We found it really helpful to talk to students beforehand and share notes from our conversation with families so everyone knew what the expectations around costumes were before they got around to bringing anything to school. Prevention and preparation are key for Halloween! We also loved having our students investigate and analyze different commercial costumes and share out what they noticed. Read more at Holiday Investigations : Halloween! 

Thanksgiving: November 24th

Here are some Gratitude Activities We Love and Thanksgiving & Native American Heritage Month Resources & Reminders. The second post includes general tips to keep in mind when looking for resources about Native Americans, as well as some of our ideas for addressing Thanksgiving in our 3rd grade class that year. 

We also wrote this post earlier this school year to help frame your thinking as you choose books or other resources for your classrooms (and yourselves!): Choosing Nonfiction Resources Critically.

Happy October!

Subscribe to our blog:

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week, from the American Library Association (ALA) is September 18-24th this year. Their website has lots of ideas, resources, and more information. We worked with a wonderful librarian in the past who always recognized Banned Books Week with students and we learned a lot from her. While the ALA has been recognizing Banned Books Week for 40 years, this year librarians are facing unique challenges and a record number of book bans (or attempts). These book bans and attempts to control or limit curricula are affecting teachers as well on many levels. Here are some ideas for how to recognize and introduce this week to your students.

*Important reminder: Always support librarians! They are amazing humans who do everything under the sun for our communities. We always knew this, but it was reinforced yet again during the early days of the pandemic when libraries provided meals, technology, and resources for students, vaccine clinics, COVID tests, resources and support for people experiencing homelessness, access to books, computers, and information for all, and so much more. So many of us trace a love of reading aloud or books or learning to libraries and librarians. They are also incredible researchers and know (or can find out) about ANYTHING. School librarians do so much for kids and teachers and can be incredible allies and sources of support for us. Banned Books Week is a great opportunity to collaborate with your school or local librarian! 

I would start by asking students what they know about banning books and what banning books means. ALA provides these webinars, but a simple definition might be all you need to make sure everyone is on the same page (ha). I explain banning books as removing books or not allowing people to read or access certain books because of their ideas or content. You can add that book banning is a type of censorship as well, depending on your students’ ages and what you want to introduce.

Historical book bans are also a great entry point, but of course so much depends on the grade level you teach. With elementary school students who developmentally are not ready to differentiate between ten years ago and one hundred years ago (both were a long time ago/potentially before they were born!), I usually find it best to either stick to the present or use a few international historical examples (this timeline is very helpful) for upper elementary. 

You can also ask students why they think someone might ban a book. They will have lots of ideas! Next, have students analyze who or what ideas are represented in and who is writing and illustrating frequently challenged children’s books. Looking at representation (either through characters, ideas, author or illustrator) might lead students to notice certain trends and wonder why so many books by or about LGBTQIA+ people and/or people of color were targeted. This is an activity students of any age can do - younger students could look at picture book covers and share what they notice.

Newsela also has articles about book banning, but some are only available if you have a school subscription. I also enjoyed the book Ban This Book a lot and really recommend it for middle grade readers. 
The ALA provides many other ideas about how to get involved and share how you’re celebrating. However you celebrate, happy reading and remember to appreciate a librarian next (every) week!

Subscribe to our blog:

Back to School Night Tips!

Back to School Night Tips 

Oh back to school night (BTSN!), it’s not my favorite time if I am being honest. It feels so stressful to have to present a set up room and school year plan when you’re just trying to get your footing and get the kids situated.. Then suddenly you are on display for parents and guardians and tons of questions! Whew. It’s a lot. Here are some tips for BTSN that help us make it feel a little more successful. 

At the heart of it, BTSN can feel like the first day of school for guardians and is their main (sometimes only) peek into what school looks and feels like for their kiddos. With that in mind, the goals for BTSN for me remain:

A) Invite them into our world and affirm we are on the same team for their child/ren

B) Communicate my expectations of them and how communication will work for the year 

C) Stay afloat for myself amidst juggling the beginning of the year set up with the kids!

So without further ado, here are my top 10 tips for BTSN: 

1. Name tags, welcome station 

   • It gives people something to do, it helps connect names to faces for you, it lets parents mingle, too. 

2. Combine with another class if possible 

   • If you share a lot of the same information it can be really nice to do it this way and tag team! 

3. Kids work / something up - have them help with this lift!

   • Having the kids make their name art, get to know you’s etc and having that up is always helpful. It gives everyone something to look at and the families a peek into the kiddo’s transition into the start of the year. 

4. A slideshow/ppt 

   • It’s easiest for the visuals, the slew of info, and to keep you on track.

   • It’s also professional vibes and clear/something you can refer back to or share if you need to!

5. Communication about how you will communicate for the year in the ppt/ slideshow

   • This is its own point because this is SO important! Communication is at the crux of everything. Letting families know you don’t email during the day (you are with their kids!) or that meetings are to be scheduled for the phone first, then in person, or you turn your email off at 5pm and check it the next morning before work.. Whatever your boundaries are and communication style is, it is essential to let them know what to expect ahead of time. It’ll keep you in check, too:).  

6. Pack your water bottle 

   • A fidget! For health! For a break when you need to pause before answering a question! 

7. We are a team! 

   • Saying this multiple times during the evening and that you are excited to be on this team with them for the year is always a good idea. It’s a special relationship and team to be on! 

8. Have a firm end time , don’t linger 

   • If you linger, you can be stuck forever and it can be turned into who can grab you for a parent teacher conference after back to school night dance.. Whatever time the event is supposed to end, say that at the beginning, give 10 and 5 minute warnings, and wrap up and pack up when it is time to go! You have to teach the next day! 

9. Have plans for the next day/morning set 

   • This is a lifesaver if you can do it. BTSN is a long night during chaotic back to school time. Any way you can make the next morning easier for yourself is a kind thing to do for your future self <3. 

10. Have a treat at home 

    • Any treat will do! You deserve it. 

    • I promise I don’t work for them but I’m currently non-dairy thanks to breastfeeding and a baby whose body currently doesn’t like dairy and these Trader Joe's Hold the Dairy are delicious, just sayin’! 

Sending you all our bestestest right now. We know this is a chaotic time of year even just getting the basics going. Remember good enough is good enough! 

<3

Beginning of the School Year Fun

Happy Back to School! I know many schools are starting early this year, so if you already started school, congratulations on making it through the first day/week(s)! The first couple weeks are always so incredibly draining. I am not in a classroom this fall for the first time in many years so I am missing the first day anticipation and exhaustion! I’ve always loved setting up my classroom and writing students’ names on everything. 

Usually, I join my students in writing a letter to myself on the first day of school. It’s always fun to look back on and be surprised about your assumptions, emotions, thoughts, fears, and hopes. I also have shifted to asking students to share a moment of joy or deliciousness instead of something they did this past summer. It’s more inclusive and avoids isolating students who didn’t travel or don’t feel comfortable sharing. I often model by sharing about eating something I cooked or something a family member or friend cooked for me. It’s more relatable and starts a conversation about food which is of course always a win for me..

If you are still setting up your classroom (especially your library) or thinking about curricular materials/read alouds, here is your Reminder: Representation Matters! If you are in one of the many states restricting and threatening teachers, carefully chosen read alouds might be a subversive way to allow all students and families to feel comfortable in your classroom, but I know many schools or districts are grappling with increased book banning as well. 

I know many teachers who are still feeling a lot from last year on top of navigating new laws, book bans, and so much more. Try to think about ways to joyfully connect with students and rejuvenate yourself. A fun game that led to a few minutes of students giggling often uplifted me to get through another day of hybrid learning during the first year of the pandemic. Remember it’s important for kids to connect with each other as well. Building community is always key, but even more so this year after all of this isolation and disruption of the past few years. 

One easy win is to get students’ names and faces up in or around your classroom as soon as possible. I like to have students “create their name” and take photos of them with their name creation on the very first day of school, then print the photos and put them on our bulletin board. It has some many benefits: it makes me feel happy, is great for visiting families to see (if you have an in person back to school night this year), and most importantly, helps  students feel ownership over the classroom space. Name creation is also a high success activity to help students settle into being back at school.

When we went back to school last fall, students were really struggling to get through the full day for the first few weeks. We would consult and realize we needed to have quiet time to help them calm down and keep it together until dismissal. Often 5-10 minutes of quiet time after lunch or recess will end up saving a lot of teaching and learning time in the long run as it minimizes redirection later. My students loved the peaceful music and the freedom to choose any quiet activity they could do independently at their desks.

One other tool that always helped me is roadmaps and checklists. They are always helpful, but especially when settling into new routines and getting used to being back in school. I had a student who really struggled to stay engaged and kept asking what would happen next and when it was time for recess or lunch, so I gave him a personalized schedule in a whiteboard pocket so he could keep track himself and check off each class period when it was completed. He loved the tool and stopped asking for constant updates and was able to enjoy whatever was happening once he was freed from the anxiety of not knowing what to expect.. At the very least, writing a “roadmap” detailing each step of the lesson/period on the board helps me stay on track! It is also so useful for co-teachers or anyone else who comes into your classroom. My third graders loved reading the roadmap, checking things off, and adding something celebratory at the end if we finished (who doesn’t love a 30 second dance break?) all our tasks. They also loved when I had acronyms or used previously taught vocabulary words so they felt “in the know” and could explain what something meant to visitors. They also knew we would start every single lesson together by reading the roadmap and that routine really worked for them. It’s a great way to model organization, goal setting, and planning.

Wishing all teachers and students a joyful and peaceful start to the school year (or as close to one as possible for you). I hope you find some moments of humor and are kind to yourself during this exciting and intense time. Happy Teacher New Year!

Subscribe to our blog:

Choosing Nonfiction Resources Critically

As I said in this post, choosing nonfiction (or any) resources critically is SO IMPORTANT, so here are some do’s and don’ts when looking for mentor texts or any type of media for students to consume.

• Look at publication dates.  In general, older (sometimes “classic”) books tend to have stereotypical portrayals of people of color and gender roles (and more). Also, sometimes “classic” books are viewed with nostalgia and problematic and/or factually incorrect depictions are excused by saying “it was a different time.”

  • Some examples: Little House on the Prairie, George and Martha (George dresses up as an “Indian”).  

  • We are not saying you cannot use these books, but be prepared to address the problematic images, language, or events.

• Avoid anything stereotypical, overly simplistic, or cartoonish (think of the Cleveland Indians logo).

• Look at IMAGES closely in the media. Does every African person look the same? Are they hanging out with animals or somehow depicted as less “modern” than white people? What messages are the images sending?

• Ask yourself these questions (as applicable):

  1. Who wrote this piece? (Even Encyclopedia Britannica articles can be used as examples of problematic language/bias). Use the resources list and look FIRST for own voices on the topic. 

  2. What is the time period? 

  3. Is the history accurate? How do I know? 

  4. How does the author/illustrator present gender?

  5. What does the author's word choice indicate?

  6. (Some of these questions are from Tips for Choosing Culturally Appropriate Books & Resources About Native Americans).

• Be mindful of the language used (by the resource and by you).

  1.  If you aren’t sure what language to use or what word is best when referring to a particular identity or community, do some research! Or present multiple options to students and make it clear that people choose how they like to be represented and how they want to be addressed or what they would like to be called. 

  2. Watch out for evasive language or euphemisms (for example, enslaved people went on a trip). 

  3. Be mindful of false equivalencies (my personal pet peeve when reading the news). 

  4. Look out for passive voice that is used to obscure the actor. For example, “African-Americas were attacked when they tried to register to vote” instead of “white people attacked African-Americans when they tried to register to vote.” 

  5. Read and listen closely for normalization or assuming that a dominant identity is the default. “It’s okay to be a different color” assumes that there is a default color, instead of saying that all or any colors are okay.

• Think about how the historical context is presented and if it is tied to the present at all. This is a little more abstract, but ask yourself, what message is this text sending (or potentially reinforcing) about the world today? For example, Native Americans are still here - they should not only be spoken of in past tense. Resistance movements should not be idealized as “fixing” the problem. Always watch out for white savior figures!

*These are general recommendations and guidelines to help frame your thinking as you choose new resources or look for mentor texts, not hard and fast rules. When in doubt, ask for help! There are so many wonderful book lists out there (we have complied so many so this blog is one place to start).

Subscribe to our blog:

Getting Ready for Back to School

How is it August already? As we gear up for “teacher new year,” we have lots of beginning of the year activity ideas for you to start getting to know your students and building community. We also have some invaluable beginning of the year tools & tips from the past, as well as great  read aloud ideas for back to school and more specific back to school activities for distance learning. One reminder I need every school year is these computer tips: how to rollout the great (but challenging) tool!

However, before you start thinking about all the wonderful exploration and learning you will do with your students, you need to set up your classroom and get yourself ready for the year. Honestly, after the past few years, none of us feel ready and I know many of you could use another few summers for some more unwinding time. This school year comes with its own uncertainty and although we have learned to be exceedingly flexible and creative since March 2020, it is still stressful and challenging. Many of us are going to new schools or back to our familiar schools with a lot of new colleagues. I (Nina) moved to Chicago and am taking some time at home, so am not planning and prepping for a classroom new year which is simultaneously feeling happy and sad. I hope to stay involved through some consulting work so I don’t feel completely adrift from the classroom.

One thing that stuck with me last year was the feeling of being away from how I wanted to teach due to restrictions and logistics. I learned to make small changes that helped me feel like I was getting closer to my ideal teaching situation. Taking a step back, refreshing yourself by trying to remember what you always loved about being in the classroom or what felt “just right” with classes in the past, and being clear about how and what you would be teaching if you could is a necessary and (in my experience) helpful reflection. Once you have gotten there, start with just one thing you can do to get closer to that. For me, taking students outside to play a game on Friday afternoons helped me with my frustration of needing to be in desk pairs all facing forward instead of the more collaborative groupings I used in the past. Small changes can make a big difference!

Some resources for setting up your classroom and any partnerships or collaboration you will be doing this year are this amazing Inclusive Classroom Practices List from Rosetta Lee. If you don’t know about Rosetta Lee, you are really missing out! She is wonderful and her website has so many helpful resources). Another resource that I’ve found helpful in the past is this Co-Teaching Beginning of the Year Checklist that I created when working as the Co-Teaching Facilitator at my former school. Even if you are not officially co-teaching, you are collaborating with other adults all the time, and laying out expectations and norms for these working relationships will really benefit you later this year. I wrote a post in 2018 with some Co-Teaching and Collaboration Tips, so I hope that is useful as well!

I hope you find some joy in setting up and starting up this new school year and get to enjoy the last few weeks of summer.

Nonfiction!

I know it is the middle of summer, but I finally had time to reflect on and write about one of my favorite units in both reading and writing: nonfiction! I’ve tried out many different kinds of nonfiction units over the years and while I still love our Biographical Essays: Researching People Who Inspire Us unit, I have enjoyed the students’ enthusiasm and engagement in all of them. 

Nonfiction literacy is so important. It ties into media literacy and understanding and learning about the world around you, is a life skill (you will always need to understand and explain information!). There are so many facets to it between learning about facts vs opinion, critical literacy, synthesizing information, and more. But most of all, it is fascinating and FUN.

Some essential elements: you MUST have great mentor texts (we had a lot of success with Pink is for Blobfish by Jess Keating, fun and unexpected biographies, and were amused and enthralled by the Disgusting Critters series by Elise Gravel). I should (and hopefully will) write a separate post about choosing resources critically, but in the meantime, just a reminder to consider perspective/voice/stereotypes/bias especially when thinking about biographies or informational texts that talk about the past. It’s key to show students that there is variety in types of nonfiction as too many people write off nonfiction because they’ve only been exposed to textbooks or “boring” books. Remember research is a fascinating challenge! You can use many different types of materials (people, books, articles, photos, videos, other graphics like maps) to discover more about something. We wrote a post about Learning Through Photos and another post about how we used photographs as primary sources in our Black History Lesson: Sit Ins.

While we love essays and the painted essay especially (as detailed in this post that’s also linked above), there are many ways to share nonfiction and talking about cool facts is the first one! Let students talk about what they learn. Research or reading nonfiction does not have to be silent independent work. Finding our more should be joyful, collaborative learning with lots of opportunities to share. We once wrote books in groups about different countries in Africa, and students were so excited to share what they learned with other groups and pool their research together within their group. They also used a lot of resources that were not books or written texts, like videos, photos, maps, and people (whom they interviewed).

Also, don’t insist that everything needs to be shared in a written format. Nonfiction books use all kinds of graphics and sometimes they are more effective than explaining something in words. We allowed our students to find a certain number of photos online and explicitly taught into what makes a good illustration or accompaniment to some text, using lots of mentor texts and examples of different kinds of graphics. Read our review of One Word From Sophia by Jim Averback to hear about a wonderful read aloud to introduce using different graphics.

What I’ve learned from teaching nonfiction over the years is that CHOICE is huge here. Students are already so knowledgeable about so many things, so let them use their expert status at school too! We had our students write all about books and our only caveat was that their topic had to be something they knew a lot about and that was appropriate for school. They are excited to share what they know about something they care about, we all get a reminder about how reading and writing are fundamentally communication tools above all else, and we (teachers) get to be amused by all the hilarious and creative topics, details, and facts students generate.

Subscribe to our blog:

Sending You Peace & Summer Wishes

SUMMER! We all need 20 of them. At least. 20 Summers for everyone. 

There’s really nothing we can add to the noise of takes on this past year, be it from school struggles to the pandemic to gun control to racism or sexism or transphobia...I’ll stop my list there, there’s just been so much. 

We know you of all people know it has been a loooooong year(s). 

And yet. Have you been getting emails about summer PD? (our list of free ones in case you have the bandwidth, included!) Goals for next year? Meetings already scheduled?? I know I personally can’t imagine most of us are available for anything else in our buckets. So I thought I’d share something non-teaching related during these burnt out, violent times. And not in an everything is cheery way toxic positivity way, but a keeping ourselves afloat and looking for moments of light to reach for as humans type way. So here is —- a few places we find inklings of peace as we wish you peace this summer. 

• Poetry - Always. I’ve been really enjoying listening and reading The Slowdown with Ada Limón each morning

• A read aloud - with someone you love or students. A shared story is such a balm for us. I finished up Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH with my students at the end of the year and we found so much comfort in it. 

• Music - changes a space on the outside but also what’s rattling in the spaces of our insides. I know music is super personal, but just in case might I suggest Luiz Bonfa or Liniker (one of my all time faves)?? 

• Outside time. This includes: laying outside alone / laying outside with my big dog/ yoga outside/ a walk outside / gardening...outside. You get the point. Gardening has especially been a boon for me, which I suppose makes sense being in the work of celebrating growing. I’m finding I am especially grateful for seeing tangible growth, the quiet, moving my body in all kinds of ways as I heft things around and weed, and the way in which I can make gardening as simple or as convoluted (and nerdy!) as you want. I currently have an obscene amount of poppies everywhere and am big into learning the hummingbirds and bee varieties in my yard. 

•  And finally, I’m sure you totally saw this one coming: A rainbow maker.

Full transparency I absolutely do not work for them and consumption will not, of course, fill our voids. But this rainbow maker has been delighting my family and providing us with moments of being genuinely present, peaceful, and curious together. Sometimes something that makes us in awe of the little intricacies of the world (or the super big ones like stars! Light! The sun!) is grounding in its own right. We’ve been laying down on the bed and watching the rainbows floating around and listening to the light tick of the solar powered gears..  and we daydream/ chat about properties of light/ relax...

 Well, most of us. One of our cats goes ham chasing the rainbows. That’s also fun.

That’s it. Sending you inklings of peace wherever you’re finding it. And cheering for you for just being you each day (unrelated to the work you do or anything else). Go you, being you. May some peace be with you this summer.

Summer Professional Development Ideas

Happy July! I (Nina) hope you’ve had some time to rest and reflect on the school year. I’m home with a baby, so no summer professional development (PD) for me this year, but traditionally summer is the time for me to learn about something new, attend a conference, talk to other teachers, and get new ideas and inspiration. If you had a really rough school year (or just a “regular” school year because teaching is so hard!) and you need time away from teaching however that might look for you, I also completely understand that. 

One other thing to mention is that a lot of professional development is really expensive and it can be hard to get a spot. These two things combined make it inaccessible for so many teachers. As a private school teacher, I’m lucky to work at a school that has a budget for PD and pays for travel, accommodation, meals allowance, etc. We are also permitted to request time off for PD during the school year, which I feel was very difficult when I taught public school. This is key as so much great PD is offered during the school year. Currently, many conferences and workshops are still online, which is great for making them accessible to more teachers as there are no travel costs involved and you don’t have to worry about childcare or pet sitters or anything like that. But after teaching on Zoom, I have a hard time with Zoom workshops. I never want to turn my camera on and I inevitably get distracted unless I am presenting or have some sort of dynamic role.

Free or (relatively) affordable PD options:

Museums often have a lot to offer and they are often free for public school teachers. In DC, between the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Humanities, and more, there are a lot of free or stipend-based opportunities. Unfortunately, most of them require advance application, but you can still sign up for a lot of museum based workshops or webinars for free. Special shout out to the National Museum of the American Indian that has really amazing webinars available for free. You can watch previously recorded ones as well. From their site, “Webinars are designed to support education professionals in learning approaches to incorporate more complete narratives about Native American histories, cultures, and contemporary lives into their teaching.” 

Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) has virtual workshops that only cost $15 per participant.

Really Great Reading free! Science of Reading summer training. We are huge supporters of SOR and if you have the energy, any practice with improving our literacy instruction skills is truly one of the key game changers for supporting ALL students. This one is great because it has three levels so you can work your way through the whole program and get tools for a range of ages. 

Newsela has a lot of webinars, many of which include actual teachers as presenters. They are free if you create a free account.

Common Sense Media provides free professional development for teachers. You can also become a Common Sense ambassador or recognized educator.

The IRIS Center (through Peabody College at Vanderbilt University) is offering free PD certificates for educators through December 2022! They offer self-paced and self-guided modules focused on topics related to special education and teaching students who are English language learners (and more!).

Facing History and Ourselves has different PD options including one time workshops, videos of teachers teaching, and webinars or courses. Not all of their options are free, but many are and they offer payment assistance.

Depending on what curricular and instructional tools or programs you/your school or district use in your classroom, many platforms and curricula offer PD and much of it is free or offered by/through certain school districts. I’ve attended workshops for Seesaw, Fundations, Engage NY/Eureka Math, IXL Math, and more. If you have something new you will be working with or want to try next year or want to refresh your skills and learn some new tricks for a tool you’ve been using for some time, summer is a great time to learn more and have time to practice and experiment. I wrote a post about useful virtual tools here. Many of these tools have free teacher training or even programs to become a certified teacher for that platform.

Kristyn Corace shares more ideas here on the Really Good Stuff Blog.

Here are some great resources from Education World.

Waterford compiled a list of 20 free online professional development resources for teachers.

Below are some PD opportunities Gabby and I attended and wrote about in the past. All of them have an attendance fee which our school covered (our school also covered our travel and other costs.) We were also presenting or facilitating at a number of these conferences and were able to travel together, which is definitely more fun! They are sorted by summer or during the school year.

Summer:

The Art of Coaching Teams Institute (I attended this PD as part of my role as the Co-Teaching Facilitator).

NPS Diversity Institute! (Rosetta Lee ran the workshop the year I went and she was, as always, amazing and thought-provoking!)

Responsive Classroom Workshop 

Social Justice Tour to the Dominican Republic!

SEED 2016: Seattle!

SDE Differentiated Instruction Conference! 

School Year:

Presenting at NCTE 

Facilitating at the Asian Educators Alliance Conference 

Presenting at the Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference 

Northwest Teachers for Social Justice: Always Worth the Trip! (This conference is so amazing we traveled from DC to the Northwest twice to attend! It is online this year so no travel involved and the conference fees are very reasonable. Find out more here.)

Presenting at the Private Schools for Public Purpose Conference 

Our workshop at the Capitol Area Progressive Schools Conference 

​​Facilitating at the White Privilege Conference

Please share any professional development opportunities you’ve experienced that really stand out. And have a peaceful and restful summer!

Subscribe to our blog:

Summer Reading

We wrote about some of the ways we set students up for summer reading a few years ago, and I still am not a fan of forced or assigned reading. There is research that reading logs actually reduce students’ motivation to read and negatively affect their attitudes toward reading. And honestly, they are just annoying! Imagine having to log how long you read and how many pages you read when you are reading before bed to relax. This applies to summer reading as well. Assigning a book or list of books students must read takes the joy out of reading. It’s much better to give them freedom and encouragement to find something they want to read and (hopefully) enjoy it!

This has been a long, hard year for teachers, so it’s also really important that you find your own summer reading that is rejuvenating! When everything feels out of my control, I find detective novels or mysteries help me escape into another world and provide a solution that I can try to figure out or guess, but am not at all responsible for. Your summer reading does not have to be books about teaching or really anything “productive.” Just find something that you’re excited to read.

That should be your assignment for your students as well. We try to give customized, thoughtful book recommendations and get students into series through recommendations, book clubs, read alouds, and more. We also try to provide opportunities for students to review or share their thoughts on books in ways that are fun and genuine. When we taught 5th grade, we used Goodreads for this and it was really great as well as being on the computer so students loved using it. You can read more about how we introduced Goodreads to our students here. However, for younger students, we give opportunities to share book reviews, recommend books to each other, and create “shelfies” (see cover photo)! We drew our shelfies using this linked template, but students could also take pictures of themselves with books they enjoyed over the summer and share them with their teachers in the fall. 

Some do’s and don’ts that I’ve learned over the years are: definitely encourage public library use, have students think about their own reading goals and routines for the summer, and model and promote excitement around books, book reviews and recommendations, and reading all year long. Remember that listening to audiobooks is another way to read and a lovely way for a family or group of people to enjoy a book together. Avoid telling students they need to read books at a certain level or a certain number of books. If parents ask about summer reading, tell them to help students to find books they enjoy and make reading part of their daily routine (for example, reading before bed or reading after dinner) as a family, whether that means listening to an audiobook, reading aloud, or reading independently.. Remember that librarians are magic and always have amazing, customized book recommendations. 

Happy almost summer!

Subscribe to our blog:

Pride Books 2022

Happy Pride! Always important. Incredibly important this year. May we keep on keepin’ on to ensure we AND OUR CHILDREN can embody and explore and all be our full selves safely and lovingly. We humans are so diverse and contain multitudes. 

Here are some of our favorite books for Pride. I could go ON AND ON about queer and LGBTQIA+ type books and have written or posted about many in the past as I love to read them personally (especially MG/YA/ sci fi and graphic novel ones...send me your faves!) so I will try to keep this short and just give my current mood (spoiler, the current reading mood is on the lighter side of life) top picks but feel free to ask for more bonus ones! 

Baby:

Little Feminists: Families 

• So queer so amazing. Perfect for babies because it is photographs so they can enjoy it from a super young age. Perfect age with a baby book because the conversations that can stem from it and the families representation make it great for many years to come. All sorts of bodies (ages, colors, ‘genders’ etc), types of love, and to top it off- it’s so joyful! 

Picture book: 

• My Rainbow - so loving. Black mama love and acceptance. 

• Julian at the Wedding - so brown so queer so celebratory. The art is everything. 

MG

I’m choosing 12 year old MC’s for this category. 

• King and the Dragonflies 

  • Continues to rattle around my brain! So atmospheric, so beautiful. It takes its time where it needs to and yet has a great pace to it. There is death and it is on the heavier side/ will likely bring tears. 

• The Best At It- Rahul Kapoor is the vibe of MC I’d like to hear more from! 7th grader in a small town in the Midwest. 

YA

• It Goes Like This 

  • Who doesn’t love a bandmates story?? There’s love, fandom, growing up. It’s fun and cute and queer. 

Graphic Novels

• MG: The Breakaways! Such a fun summer vibe, so queer, sporty, and team-oriented. 

• YA: Heartstopper - I’ve recommended in the past but it is now a new Netflix show too and the author got to be incredibly involved. I haven’t seen it but it could be a bonus/added sell for the YA crowd as they head into summer. The series itself is so sweet. 

• Adult: The new SAGA is out!!! (very graphic series) but exceptional if you like wild world building, super queer, and super range of cast of characters. 

Adult:

• Guncle - The feel good summer escape we all need. 

  • 2 kids face a tragedy and have to go spend the summer with their gay Uncle. Everyone grows and learns more about themselves in the process, it’s endearing and fun. 

What I’ll Remember: Top 4 Silly Pranks & Other Foolishness

We’re almost there, we're almost there! As I’ve been thinking about what I’ll take with me from this school year, when I’m at my most positive (which is rare, especially these days to be honest!) I find myself holding onto the goofy moments of community with students. We’ve written about simulations we’ve designed to discuss inequity or how we incorporate representation into our curricula... but today I wanted to just highlight some foolishness we’ve done in the past, which are some of my favorite memories. 

1. The Annual Birthday Prank

To be perfectly honest, we keep kid birthdays low key. They become difficult to keep up with and there’s always the issue of off school year birthdays or inequities or over the top parental moves. However, we like to model how fun it is to celebrate others together. Our tech director is someone who helped everyone out, is a delightful human being, and we felt was often under acknowledged. We made it a tradition in our classroom to birthday prank him every year and it was always so fun. My favorite was when we made up this slideshow lesson we wanted to show the students and he helped us set it up before his birthday. On the day of his birthday we called his office alarmed that it wasn’t working OH NO PLEASE COME HELP! The students all hid in the classroom and we turned off the lights and when he walked in we turned on Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday, the kids shouted Happy Birthday, and projected a Soul Train dance line video that we all danced around to for 5-10 minutes and hung out. It was simple, free, and a blast. 

2. Twin Day Prank 

We loved our principal’s assistant/ front desk extraordinaire/ receptionist. Twin Day during Spirit Week often comes with bumps and bruises with hurt feelings and left out moments. We guided our class (and made it seem like it was their idea, to be honest) to agree to the whole class being a huge set of ‘twins’ (I don’t know what you call 30 twins). We brainstormed what we could wear and how we could ALL match. The catch: we were all going to be our front desk extraordinaire. I know printing can be a pain at schools but this was worth it. We printed her face 34 times and each student wore a black top (some inside out) and sunglasses. We all fastened her face onto the front of shirts and surprised her in a big walking line of mini-mes to the front office. We took a group photo with her laying down in front like the queen she is and all of her ‘twins’ and it was hilarious and so memorable. She still has that photo framed to this day. 

3. The Surprise Class Pet 

I don’t know why (I do, I’m weird) but I love a quirky purchase (sigh, capitalism, I know I am working on it)! It has its perks sometimes though and that includes bizarre purchases that have resulted in memorable ‘class pets’. We never wanted to deal with changing the water for a fish or animal care in general but a class pet can be tons of fun. The image for this post is similar to what I brought back from a trip to New York one time. It was named and beloved. It was laid on, read to, had stories practiced to it during our storytelling unit before performances, was recreated in classroom art, and was the subject of a ton of jokes. We also had a large wooden painted parrot I brought back from Nina and my trip to the DR which was a hit and a fun class pet one year, too. 

4. Pomelo hat type challenges 

Challenges with no point (I mean, there is always a point, creativity, flexible thinking etc.) are a great punch of foolish fun. After sharing pomelos for Lunar New Year we had a tradition similar to Whose Line Is It Anyways of students trying to wear the Pomelo peels in the most fabulous way. Everyone got their picture taken with their style and neighboring teachers participated too. The creative ideas were endless and that class ended up liking those pictures so much they were their photos for most things that school year. There is nothing quite like a low stakes unconventional who wore it best or how can you use this prop challenge. 

Bonus Small Foolishness 

1. Tape in the door - a piece of clear tape across the door in the morning or at the end of the day and so foolish but also fun. Someone will walk into it. Someone will have a giggle. 

2. Surprise guests - inviting a special guest, someone special to do the read aloud (a favorite old teacher, a teacher of a different subject, an older student they all love, an author you’ve read the books of) is such a fun surprise treat. We are big on preparing our students for success with expectations etc, but sometimes these surprises are really worth it. 

3. Googly eyes.. Everywhere. I know this can be chaos. I will say though, that it makes a classroom a lot happier and kids will come up with added challenges for finding all of them or earning ways to add another one somewhere where other students have to find it. You can choose of course how to roll this out and think through the ways it will and can be a distraction, but I’ve had a blast with a very googly eyed classroom a few times. 

4. Food or art treat/party - especially at the end of a read aloud! Food is love! Food is memories! Food can be complicated money wise and allergies wise (and now COVID times wise) but even if it is just everyone getting a piece of fruit that was mentioned in the read aloud and eating it together, it can be a great memory to eat together and talk about food. We have also used this in the past as a way to put eager parents to work (have them go pick up food/bring in food and help with set up and clean up) and as a way to expose kiddos to a range of communities and cultures. 

5. As the year wraps up- making room cleaning (and having them help!!) fun. Music, raffle for classroom signs and posters etc for them to take home. 

6. Music in general - Like food, any memorable songs or class songs for a year create deep and lasting memories. Every time you hear that song or the kids do, they’ll remember that class or that moment. Dance parties, morning music, morning or closing meeting music, an original class music video (we’ve made a few of these, hilarious and worth it) all become soundtracks to your year. 

Potential Fun for Next Year 

• Kudos - we’ve done kudos at the end of each day as a way to celebrate one another. You can have yours be teacher led, choose one student to shout out whomever they want, or choose a few people, you know your class and what would be best management of course. We have a clap we do at the end that makes it feel a little more celebratory (ie: “I’d like to give a kudos to Ms. Sethi for helping me with my Math. Kudos on 2, 1-2”. Everyone together: *clap clap*)

• Class Logo - we’ve done this as part of our classroom contract at the beginning of the year along with redesigns and personal logos. Art is another way to have some fun and connect and having a class logo is something a few of our more artsy classes have taken pride in (and even put the class rules/values into)! One year we had kiddos so into it they asked us to make copies and then they all had them on their computers and in their lockers. Who needs a Nike swoosh when you have original awesome art like that?

End of the School Year Activities

Happy June! You made it! This has been quite the year, so now it is time to celebrate everything you all have accomplished together and have some fun! I have a number of different traditions or fun activities that I love for the end of the school year. We wrote a post a few years back with some of our favorites, but I have even more ideas that are listed below.

• Write a poem for your class! We had an introduction and conclusion stanza or two as well as two lines for each student. We definitely took liberties with the rhyming, but it’s something students really love and appreciate. We’ve heard about the poem as a fond memory or something students have held on to years after (we also gave each student a copy to take home).

• A photo slideshow is always fun and appreciated! It’s been harder with COVID, masking, being in two separate groups, etc, but I’ve learned that whatever photos you share, it’s more about the memories. I do make sure I have a photo of every student and as many adults from the building as possible so no one feels left out, but that’s usually not too difficult for me as I try to take photos all year. You can use different free online programs for slideshows or Iphoto or Google Drive/Slides.

• Tie dye! Last year, my school had t-shirts made to commemorate the uber challenging year we had all been through, so we tie dyed those shirts. We ordered a kit online and were able to do it all outside, although we had to rearrange our schedule a bit with the Music teacher so we could have multiple adults with the students in smaller groups. I’ve also tie dyed in the classroom with just 2-3 students at a time over an entire afternoon while other students worked on something else. It definitely helps to have a sink, but it’s not essential! You can ask students to bring in a t shirt from home and order some backups or even tie dye socks, headbands, scarves, or anything really. Last year, since we didn’t need students to bring in shirts from home, we were able to make it a surprise, and it was so exciting for our students (as you can see from the screenshot above).

• Ask for students' feedback! We wrote about this before here and here, if you’d like to see more details or comments from actual students. We’ve found that creating a Google form or something similar and allowing students to submit their feedback online really feels official and private for students. Some don’t write a lot, while others choose to share all of their opinions and thoughts. If nothing else, it’s great modeling of being reflective and caring about their opinions and voices.

• Have a class “auction” or giveaway for things around the classroom. You’d be amazed at how excited students get about “winning” charts from the year or other equally mundane objects! It is fun and it helps you start clearing your walls. I usually just do a raffle and pick names for each object. Students can pass and have their name go back in the jar or take an object and then later do a trade. It’s fun and brings out a lot of memories from the year about different activities, projects, and more.

• Make memory books and/or provide time to sign yearbooks (if your school has them and they are accessible for everyone). My school, being an independent school, gives every student a yearbook. However, I still find making memory books a fun time to reflect on growth and fond memories. You can find various templates online (example here) or make your own that is tailored to your class! It always amazes me what students list as their favorite memories and it is fun to see what they write about their teachers. It’s also a great way to take stock of the year and remember that we all had our ups and downs.

• Take photos! This one really is as simple as it sounds - make sure to take photos of all of these joyful moments! I like to get some more whole class shots and candid ones of the students having fun. You can add them to the photo slideshow or even print some out for students. I’ve also made a private folder online that can be shared with parents in the past.

• Write notes for students: my co-teacher from the last three years started this tradition of writing notes for each student. We put a photo of the student from this year on the note as well, and we both write something about their year in our class. We’ve also given program assistants the opportunity to add their notes as well. We usually give these to students on the last day of school as a parting gift. I’ve done something similar with bookmarks in the past.

• Thank adults in the building who are often forgotten by families! This one is really important during the entire school year. Many of the people who are indispensable, keep us safe, take care of us, and keep the school running are often forgotten in the flurry of end of year thank yous. We always write notes to the people who clean up our room, take care of our building, take care of our health, and keep our school running. Make sure you know how to spell everyone’s name and how they prefer to be addressed. I often put up a photo gallery with names underneath to make sure students can make the name and face connection and spell names correctly.

• Fun projects:  Math, geography, reading, free write, and more! If you have time (we never do, but sometimes manage to squeeze something in) and freedom over your curriculum, try out an end of year project! Students love reflecting on the year and getting more time to independently study or learn about something they enjoyed. I’ve done these in many different ways and every classroom is different, but two things that really help set projects up for success are clear parameters and a sharing component. You can see the checklist for the Math project we did last year above as an example. CHIPS stands for capitalization, homophones, impressive effort, punctuation, and spelling.

• Savor your growth and how far you have come! If you wrote letters to yourselves or made new year’s resolutions or set any goals, now is a great time to revisit them and see how you surprised yourself and maybe even surpassed some goals. Make sure you do this for yourself as well, with or without your student. This was a tough year and you made it!

• Write letters to next year’s class of ___ graders/English students/etc. The advice will be hilarious and heartfelt.

• If you have some students who are anxious about the transition to a new grade or teacher (and you probably do), try to arrange some kind of meet and greet or tour of their future classroom if possible.

Congratulations teachers, it is almost summer! You did it!

Subscribe to our blog:

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I almost didn’t start writing this post because I don’t know what to say or recommend. While these ideas from a previous post still stand, none of them can combat the serious issues teachers and students (and families) especially are facing after over two years of intense challenges and tragedy. So many families are struggling with grief, teacher stress and burnout is rampant, and new guidelines recommend that all children 8 and older should be screened for anxiety due to pandemic effects.

None of my suggestions or ideas can “fix” this situation. So many factors are outside of our control, but what you can try to do is take care of yourself as much as possible. If that means taking a break from teaching or looking at a new school or new role, so be it. During the worst part of the pandemic for me, I found taking short walks outside could help me get through the day, but a lot of the issues affecting schools and teachers are structural and cannot be improved by taking walks, deep breaths, journaling, or something similar. As teachers, we are wired to frequently feel guilty about not doing enough for our students, but you cannot care for your students if you are not in a good situation. This probably means many teachers will leave this year. I personally have been thinking a lot about teaching private school versus public school and how the pandemic intensified the inequities in such a stark way. 

What we can do with students is talk about mental health and give them the space and vocabulary to share their feelings. As an adult, I feel stigma related to mental health challenges and the pressure to be positive even in very challenging situations. We can try to help our students avoid this same fate in the future by emphasizing that mental health is part of our overall health, asking for help is brave and vital, and giving students processes and words to try to express themselves. In the past, we had a lot of success with creating writing process maps with students and found that students who had self described anxiety or frustration around writing benefited. I also try to remind my students of resources for when we are feeling down or want to talk to someone. I know many schools don’t have resources for students other than teachers or family members, but if you are lucky enough to work at a school with a counselor or social worker, try to normalize asking them for help in a variety of situations.

I’ve witnessed really productive discussions by students about mental health and specifically how therapy helps them, mainly as a result of reading books with characters who see a therapist. Two that have really worked for my students are the Alvin Ho series by Lenore Look and Guts by Raina Telgemeier (all books listed are pictured above). Another one that I think would resonate with many students right now is Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh. I only recently read it and haven’t had the opportunity to share it with students yet. I could go on as there are so many books that might help students find words or parallels to share their feelings, but as every situation is different, so is each book. You can find more books that helped us in this regard in this previous post (also shared above). I’ve heard arguments that books about mental health difficulties are too “heavy” for children, but in my experience I’ve found students are more than capable of figuring out what books work for them and respond really well to books that they can genuinely relate to and might not always have a happy or neatly tied up ending.

For me, as much as teaching is challenging and at times during the past two years felt almost impossible (for example, teaching in person and on Zoom simultaneously before we had access to vaccinations), I did ultimately feel uplifted by the children. They can be so kind and so funny and sometimes that is enough to get you through the day. The back and forth nature of the year and responding to COVID scares meant that we were so excited to see each other when we could, and when we couldn’t, they were excited to see my baby over Zoom or show me their snacks, pets, toys, or other glimpses into their lives. 

Whatever your plans are for next year, you are so close to summer! Hang in there and I hope you can have some funny and joyful moments with your students in the next few weeks.

Subscribe to our blog:

Simulations and Investigations Compilation

Recently when sharing about our chapter in Anti-Oppressive Education in “Elite” Schools with Katy Swalwell’s class, we were asked about all of the simulations we have created and taught. This was not a question we could answer quickly during a brief Q&A, so we tried to compile them all here. We may have missed one (or more), but it is a good place to start! 

Some of these simulations were done with 3rd graders, 5th graders, and/or adults. Some posts talk about more than one simulation and how they go together. I also included some investigations and some inquiry work as it all goes together and I didn’t want to omit something based on a rigid definition of “simulation.” Of course, this is only a list of the ones we have written about that we have created so far, so I’m sure there will be more to add sooner or later!

Simulations:

What continent do you think they are from? Drawing humans to reveal internalized bias

Teaching Economics to Counter Bias (this post covers multiple simulations which are also listed individually below.)

Pom Pom Simulation

Factory Simulation

Sinking Ship Simulation: Who do we VALUE?

Econ 101: Wealth Distribution Simulation

Covenant Usurp Simulation: constructing a glimpse of forced assimilation for our students

Why we need to talk about race

Creating Our Class Contract

Investigations:

Holiday Investigations : Halloween! 

Pocahontas Investigation!

Valentine's Day (Investigation)

Holiday Inquiry: Columbus Day

Columbus Day Debates

Subscribe to our blog: