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Blogs on Upper Elementary (3-5)

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Don't Reinvent the Wheel: Seven Tips for New Elementary Teachers to Save Energy, Time and Tears
Otis KriegelMay 13, 2013
Tags Best Practices, New Teachers, Primary (K-2), Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5)

There are so many things a new teacher needs to know before he or she gets into the classroom, most of which have absolutely nothing to do with the Common Core Standards. These are skills teachers learn the hard way, through trial and tears. But it doesn't need to be that way. Here are seven tips that can help new teachers get off to a good start and help them to be more effective on day one (not day one hundred and eighty-one).

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One Size Does Not Fit All: Engaging Families Next Year by Soliciting Feedback Now
Joe MazzaMay 9, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), Principals, Upper Elementary (3-5)

As we near the end of the school year, it's time to take stock of our efforts in teaching, learning and leadership, and how well they’ve worked. We should also be looking at what has or has not worked in regards to engaging all of the families in our school community.

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Free Apps to Support Vocabulary Acquisition by ELLs
Monica BurnsMay 8, 2013
Tags 1:1 Implementation, English-Language Learners, Primary (K-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), English Language Arts

One of my favorite aspects of integrating technology into instruction is the availability of resources to support students with different learning needs. Students who are struggling can benefit from the excitement and engagement offered by a tool like the iPad. Teachers of English-Language Learners (ELLs) can use technology to promote growth in their students. Developing a strong vocabulary is an important area of focus for ELLs who are building their reading comprehension. Educators use a variety of strategies to grow readers in their classroom, and there are many free iPad apps that support vocabulary acquisition.

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Building Social and Emotional Skills in Elementary Students: So Similar
Randy TaranMay 2, 2013
Tags Diversity, Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Upper Elementary (3-5)

This is part eight of the nine-part series from the Project Happiness curriculum. We are looking at important factors that influence the happiness and social and emotional learning of elementary school age children, helping students learn life skills, manage emotions, and increase empathy. Each blog features one letter of the acronym HAPPINESS:

  1. H = Happiness
  2. A = Appreciation
  3. P = Passions and Strengths
  4. P = Perspective
  5. I = Inner Meanie/Inner Friend
  6. N = Ninja Mastery
  7. E = Empathy
  8. S = So Similar
  9. S = Share Your Gifts

In this post, we will explore recognizing what we have in common.

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A Year at Mission Hill: Like a Family and Behind the Scenes
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)May 1, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

The video series A Year at Mission Hill has continued to encourage discussion, gather support, and inspire offshoots of wonderful new content, like "Line One, Page One," a compelling and poetic video produced by UK Filmmakers Veez Nixon and Christian Britten for Ashoka's Start Empathy Initiative, as part of a video series to complement Mission Hill. And if you haven't seen it yet, it's also worth a visit to the excellent Prezi on Mission Hill, which continues to expand as more chapters are released.

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Social, Emotional Learning: Instructional Support Goes Online
Maurice EliasApril 30, 2013
Tags Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

The community of implementers of SEL and related programs is growing. And the capacity of individuals to leave their workplaces to congregate for extensive training and sharing opportunities seems to be diminishing. These and other realities are creating an imperative to use the Internet as a vehicle for providing support for instruction and other aspects of implementation necessary to sustain and reinforce instruction.

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Building Social and Emotional Skills in Elementary Students: Empathy
Randy TaranApril 26, 2013
Tags Classroom Management, Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Upper Elementary (3-5)

This is part seven of the nine-part series from the Project Happiness curriculum. We are looking at important factors that influence the happiness and social and emotional learning of elementary school age children, helping students learn life skills, manage emotions, and increase empathy. Each blog post features one letter of the acronym HAPPINESS:

  1. H = Happiness
  2. A = Appreciation
  3. P = Passions and Strengths
  4. P = Perspective
  5. I = Inner Meanie/Inner Friend
  6. N = Ninja Mastery
  7. E = Empathy
  8. S = So Similar
  9. S = Share Your Gifts

In this post, we will explore Empathy.

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How Fourth Graders Are Achieving World Peace
Homa TavangarApril 15, 2013
Tags Current Events, Game-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5)

In 1978, John Hunter introduced a complex, immersive, interactive, collaborative, geopolitical game to his elementary school students. In 2011, he gained a global following when he delivered a TED talk about his 30-year experience of "Teaching with the World Peace Game." The talk was shared far and wide as millions were moved by his example of hands-on teaching. And millions began thinking about how to bring out the best in every child through an aspiration for something greater than even the most powerful on earth have yet to achieve -- peace.

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To Improve School Climate, Examine Recess
Jill VialetApril 11, 2013
Tags Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Upper Elementary (3-5), Physical Education

As we look at ways to create environments that allow teaching and learning to thrive, it's time to take a long, hard look at the critical role of recess in our schools. Recess has the potential to transform schools, and groups are finally speaking out about the powerful role it has in the school day, including the American Academy of Pediatrics which, earlier this year, released a policy statement to this effect.

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How More Social and Emotional Learning (and Less Academics) Actually Builds Academic Success
Scott McFarlandApril 5, 2013
Tags Classroom Management, Primary (K-2), , Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Maine

With all of the high-stakes testing in our schools, and the resulting judgments and consequences for students and teachers, it is no wonder that schools are taking time away from activities like recess, breaks, art, music... to spend more time on academics. Yet I believe, based on what I have seen in schools, that we should move in the opposite direction, and take time out of academics in the early elementary years to focus on making students feel safe, secure, and confident in the classroom, in other words making them ripe for learning.

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