The books my students are reading now in their book groups are all chosen to reflect a theme of two cultures meeting, and either valuing one another or devaluing one another. In King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry, a prized Arabian stallion is sent as a gift to the King of France — but…
The Power of a Deadline
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the students’ progress on their all-about books was moving along much more slowly than I expected. I took a day or two to closely observe their progress and thought about strategies that might encourage them to try to get more down on the page during independent writing…
Reflecting on Integrity
Integrity is definitely the most difficult of the Quaker values to discuss with children. This is partly because while it’s about being good and doing the right thing, it’s particularly about trustworthiness and inner honesty, so that’s complex. It’s also, in some ways, more about intent than actions, which is likewise complicated to talk about…
Taking Notes
One new skill my class has been focusing on recently is taking notes. Elementary school isn’t usually a time when people think of note-taking as an important skill, but then again, the kids have been taking notes in one way or another for years: writing an interesting fact from Time for Kids on a post-it,…
Show-and-Share — Something Brand New
Show-and-share is something the students eagerly look forward to every week. Show-and-share is a whole-class sharing activity in which one student after another takes the center stage and talks about what they brought in from home. The audience then asks a couple of questions. There are many benefits for kids in presenting their show-and-share to…
Growth Mindset
A noncognitive skill I have been trying to promote among my students is a growth mindset. Children (and adults) who believe that their effort can affect outcomes and improve their abilities are more likely to take risks, try new things, and persevere. They are also more likely to be successful on challenging tasks. Those who…