Online writing tools can engage and assist students in the writing process. These 5 free, interactive websites will help students brainstorm, organize, write, edit, and revise. And the best part? They’re all free to use! interactive writing websites
Engage your students in online literacy learning with these interactive tools that help them accomplish a variety of goals—from organizing their thoughts to learning about language—all while having fun.
Grammarly corrects hundreds of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. This is while also catching contextual errors, improving your vocabulary, and suggesting style improvements. Come for the best-in-class grammar checking, stay for the added polish that will keep your text clear, mistake-free, and effective.
At BoomWriter, the mission is to immerse students, teachers, parents and administrators in an interactive learning experience, both in and beyond the classroom. Students develop their creative writing skills and understanding of literary elements. They can apply, share, and assess vocabulary knowledge in a fun and interactive way. Plus, they have the ability to demonstrate their nonfiction writing skills in information and explanatory, argument/opinion, scientific, or narrative focused projects.
Look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Additionally, learn how words associate.
Check out these fun writing games for kids. Enjoy a range of free activities, resources and practice exercises related to writing letters, stories, newspapers, debates, advertising and instructions. The games are perfect for challenging students who enjoy interactive learning online. Find a topic that suits you and improve your English by completing as many of the educational challenges as you can.
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
If you’re like me, you’ve never really had a structured morning meeting as part of your school day. I simply didn’t have the time. However, over the years, I’ve found that I can squeeze in time during other parts of the day. After incorporating our “afternoon” meeting into our schedule, I saw amazing, positive changes begin to happen in my students. Not only did we get a chance to learn more about one another, but we built stronger relationships, practiced empathy skills, and even had some laughs.
What Is A Morning Meeting?
A time, usually 20-30 minutes, set aside each morning for teacher(s) and students to connect. If you can’t meet in the morning, find another time that works for your classroom schedule. Most often, students and teachers sit in a circle.
Why Should My Classroom Have Morning Meetings?
Morning meetings are an ideal time to:
Check-In with students
Build a classroom community
Allow students to practice academic and social skills
Greeting: students and teacher say hello to one another by name. You might require pairs of students to shake hands and say “Good Morning __________.” You could even try it in another language!
Share and Listen: in an organized fashion, students share about themselves or important events happening in their lives while the other students listen, ask questions, or offer advice. I used this time to read from my “Compliments & Complaints” box.
Activity: prepare a short group activity that requires teamwork and allows students to practice a skill (acting out a skit, playing a game, solving a puzzle, etc.)
Message and Announcements: write a message with daily announcements on the board for the day, have students read it and respond to it. This is a sneaky way to force students to actually look at the day’s schedule, announcements, and other important information, and ask questions if necessary.
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The term “classroom management” implies a process used by teachers to ensure students are learning during instruction even while disruptive behavior is occurring. Teachers use a variety of strategies and techniques to prevent distracting behaviors or to impose consequences for said behavior. Classroom management has become increasingly more important as the stakes continue to rise for students to score better and achieve higher. At the same time, management has become more difficult during the technology-rich era of instant gratification.
Enter classroom management technology. These web-based programs and apps allow teachers to take the burden off of classroom management and focus on instruction.
Google Classroom – Google Classroom is a platform for teachers to create, distribute, and grade assignments paperlessly. Students can receive assignments and other information with their device or desktop. You must have a Google Education account to use this program and sign up is free.
Edmodo – Edmodo is a secure, social learning platform for teachers and students. Teachers can share information, post assignments, and store vital information for parents and students to access. It is similar to Facebook but a controlled environment that is school appropriate.
Too Noisy – The Too Noisy App ($3.99) is a noise level meter that tracks the sound level in the classroom. The app will indicate noise level increases beyond the acceptable level.
The Great Behavior Game – For K-5 students, the Great Behavior Game rewards students for displaying on-task behavior during instructional times. Monitor student progress, generate and print reports, and send home weekly progress reports.
Teacher’s Assistant – “Document student behavior and communicate with parents. Teacher’s Assistant helps you track behavior, notice trends, communicate with parents, and manage your students.” You can create categories to monitor recurring behaviors like talking, bullying, etc. It also allows you to log positive behavior. Try the free version (iOS) or upgrade to Pro on iPad, iPhone, and Android.
Class Dojo – Encourage positive student behavior using a virtual reward system. Using private, digital student portfolios, students can showcase their work for their parents to see. Teachers can share photos, videos, announcements, and message parents. Class Dojo can translate into any language. Download the app for use on your device or log in using your desktop computer.
Teacher Kit – This is great for K-12 and beyond. Manage multiple classes and students simultaneously. Log student attendance, record grades, track behavior, create student seating charts, and print and share reports. You can download the app on your device or use Teacher Kit on the web.
Learn Boost – LearnBoost allows teachers to create and manage lessons, track grades, share student progress with parents, and monitor attendance in a secure platform.
What is your favorite classroom management program or app?
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Educators spend 4 years in college learning how to be effective teachers. However, they are never really taught how to handle situations with difficult or upset parents. Here are a few tried and true tips for teachers when dealing with a difficult parent of a student.
Listen
The most important thing you can do is listen. Let the parent share first and don’t interrupt. Parents deserve to be heard, even if you feel that their concerns are ill-founded.
Acknowledge Parent Concerns
Let parents know you are aware of their specific concerns, regardless of your feelings on the issue. When you and the parent are “on the same page,” you can begin to work together toward a remedy.
Face-To-Face Meetings Are Best
Talk to parents in person. Meeting parents face-to-face is recommended, but a phone call will do if necessary. Speaking in person allows both parent and teacher to focus solely on the issue at hand. It is also good to avoid emails. The tone in an email can be easily misinterpreted and cause unnecessary confusion and frustration.
Don’t React
Remain calm, polite, positive, and professional when interacting with an upset parent. When a parent lashes out, it is simply a sign of their frustration. Calmly remind the parent that you have their student’s best interests in mind. If the parent becomes belligerent or aggressive, ask to continue the meeting another time. It’s okay to be an advocate for yourself if you are feeling uncomfortable or unsafe. If you think a parent meeting might get nasty, ask your administrator to attend.
Keep A Paper Trail
Document everything! Keep track of student behaviors and consequences, and parent communications. The “evidence” will speak for itself if necessary.
Stick To The Facts
It may be difficult, but you should keep your own opinions and emotions at bay. Dragging your feelings into the situation will not help the student. Your focus should remain on the student and the concerns you have. What facts will you use? Test scores? Behavior log? Grade book?
Use Everyday Language
Don’t bombard parents with education lingo and acronyms that they may not understand. Instead, use everyday language, or provide explanations. You don’t want an already upset parent to become frustrated.
Be Kind
Show the parents that you genuinely care about their student. Provide some examples of the student’s strengths, or positives. By doing this, you demonstrate that you have built a strong relationship with their students.
* If you find yourself dealing with a parent who becomes abusive, or poses a threat of danger to you or the student, please immediately contact your administrator, local police, or your NEA representative.
Recommended Reading:
How To Handle Difficult Parent: Proven Solutions for Teachers by Suzanne Capek Tingley
Dealing With Difficult Parents by Todd Whitaker & Douglas J. Fiore
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Everyone knows the best part of Halloween is the candy and no one knows better than our little trick-or-treaters. Make their day in the classroom a little more festive (and a lot more creepy) this Halloween with some spooky and sweet treats that will stop them dead in their tracks- pun intended. Halloween classroom treats
Whether you are a teacher making goodies for your students or a parent throwing a classroom Halloween party, make it spook-tacular by whipping up one or more of these Halloween Classroom Treats that are equal parts easy-to-make and delicious-to-eat.
Below are homemade ideas, store-bought, and even non-candy options. So, what are you waiting for? Start Scrolling!
Check out our Pinterest board “Easy Halloween Treats” for more fun and spooky ideas! While you’re there, don’t forget to give us a follow at California Casualty to stay up to date on every new Halloween recipe we discover! Scan ourPincodewith your Pinterest camera to follow:
All set with Halloween Classroom Treats but still trying to decide on a costume? Check out the Halloween Costume Ideas for Teachers post for some classroom-friendly ideas and inspiration.
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It’s time again to meet with parents and guardians of your students one-on-one during parent-teacher conferences. You may have had interactions with students’ families before, but this time, it’s a little more serious. Unfortunately, you may only have 15 minutes to discuss student progress. These time constraints can make conference time stressful for teachers. Be prepared and make your conferences meaningful by using our quick parent-teacher conferences guide.
Parent-Teacher Conferences – Do’s & Don’ts
Do:
Share specific examples of student work or behavior. If a student is struggling with a concept or in a subject area, provide “evidence.”
“Sandwich” negative information. Start with positive information, share the negative, and end with another positive.
Ask parents to share concerns prior to their conference. If you have this information ahead of time, you will be better prepared to answer questions during the conference.
Be tactful. Communicate any concerns with clarity but also with sensitivity.
Display student work. Parents like to see what students are working on.
Hang a sign outside your door indicating a conference is taking place. I like to add a note that invites parents to knock quietly on the door if their conference time has arrived.
Provide a comfortable, welcoming environment. I always have a few things on the table during conferences: tissues, pens and pencils, sticky notes, candy, and breath mints. I also like to play light, classical music in the background. To make the room smell “home-y,” I use plug-in air-fresheners, scented wax warmers, or candles. In the hallway, I place chairs, children’s books, blocks, and other toys to keep little ones busy while their parents are waiting.
Emphasize the positive. Show parents you really know and care about their students by providing some examples of student strengths.
Keep the focus on the student. Your time is limited. Veering off topic isn’t productive.
Recommend resources. Have a handout prepared that includes resources for all students (websites, apps, books, activities, etc.).
Don’t:
Sit behind your desk. It can make some parents uncomfortable and makes you look inaccessible. Instead, sit at a table in the classroom and provide plenty of chairs. Sitting on the same side of the table sends the message that you want to work WITH parents.
Tell parents what they should or shouldn’t do. Provide specific suggestions.
Do all of the talking. Invite parents to ask questions and provide feedback.
Speak using educational jargon. Use everyday language and avoid acronyms, euphemisms, and professional terms.
Provide too many suggestions for student improvement. It can be overwhelming for parents. Focus on a few things for a student to work on.
Forget to invite all parents/guardians to the conference. You don’t have to conduct separate meetings for each set of parents (unless you want to). Share with families that conference slots are limited and that meeting together will allow other families to sign up for a conference.
Forget the data! Whether it’s your computer, a student data folder, or printed test results, keep it handy for easy access during a conference. Seeing a student’s progress in graph form can be helpful for parents.
Make assumptions. If you speculate about what happens outside of school, you create a tense atmosphere and parents may feel defensive.
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
While you’d prefer to have a fantastic relationship with the parents or guardians of every one of your students, we know it isn’t always possible. Be sure to check out How Educators Can Deal With Difficult Parents for some helpful tips on handling difficult situations.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
