Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Teacher Clip Art, Literary Resources, Classroom Ideas

Christmas Kindness Around The World

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I strive to make my classroom a place where students feel safe, appreciated and respected just as they are.
My classroom banner says simply: “Be Kind. Work Hard.”

These ideas are reinforced all year long, but there are some special ways that we spread kindness in December for Christmas.
 
 

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Each year we take the month of December to really focus on Random Acts of Kindness and caring for each other. If possible, I enjoy getting families involved. A few years ago [Read More…]

Christmas Kindness

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Teaching about kindness and acceptance seems more important than ever, especially at Christmas.
Here’s a fun and FREE activity to share with your class or children.
It’s very easy: just cut out and assemble the two pieces of Santa’s loooooong beard.
Students give Santa a trim each day – after completing the act of kindness written in each section.
Choose the version you want: PDF or  EDITABLE PowerPoint file (add your own acts of kindness to each section).

 

 Some ideas for use:
 *Print the black and white version for students [Read More…]

Social Emotional Learning in the Primary Classroom

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SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Years ago I would get some disapproving looks when I mentioned how much classroom time I dedicate to social emotional learning. “What about the curriculum! You’ll never get through it all if you don’t start right away!”
But I did get through it all, sometimes with time to spare. Why? I found that if we solidified expectations for kindness, inclusion and self-management early, and spent a LOT less time on disruptions through the year. Plus, we were shaping future citizens; it’s not [Read More…]

Books That Teach Friendship and Social Skills

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Our class spends a LOT of time learning social skills, problem solving, friendship and conflict resolution. This helps to create a peaceful environment where learning can thrive, and we do not have to spend the majority of our time solving interpersonal conflicts. We use interactive lessons from The Kindness Classroom SEL curriculum, along with many of the books listed below to reinforce concepts.
 

Click on any cover to see details of the story.
 
Llama Llama Time To Share by Anna Dewdney

Franklin Plays the [Read More…]

Teaching Empathy and Kindness: A Book List

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The Social Skills Idea Bank is a series of related posts, each dedicated to sharing strategies for teaching a particular social skill.
As teachers, our strength lies in sharing our ideas, experiences and strategies!
This is a growing list, and you are invited to contribute in the comments section. We hope you will, because there’s nothing like a good idea shared between teachers to make our jobs easier.
This post is about books you can use to teach empathy in the classroom
Let’s get started!
How do [Read More…]

Top Children’s Books To Teach About Emotions

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A large part of my curriculum is purposely spent exploring emotions with my students. We explore what they are called, what causes them, and how to handle them appropriately in the classroom. The big idea is that emotions are all okay, but how we react to our emotions is worth some thought.
There is also a large part of my teaching week dedicated to unplanned teaching of social skills and emotions. These are during the conflicts that arise daily during any [Read More…]

Writing Workshop : Setting Up For Success!

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Do you do writing workshop with your students?
My program has evolved over the last 23 years, and now it runs smoothly – although I can’t help but add new ideas each year!

 

Long before I expect students to write stories, we spend a lot of time discussing stories.
For example, every time we read a story, we …
*name the author and illustrator
*find words to describe the characters and talk about who they might remind us of
*talk about the plot and if we’ve ever [Read More…]

Making Phonics Fun and Interactive

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Teaching phonics can become a bit monotonous day after day, but there are lots of ways to keep it engaging!
Here are a few examples of the ways I’ve tried to keep phonics lessons interactive, hands on, and FUN!
Phonics instruction can also be differentiated with a little creativity.

BUILDING WORDS & SENTENCES
This activity allows for differentiation because the tasks get more complex as you work down the page. Some students will only be required to print the letters and build the [Read More…]

Phonics Centers for Back To School

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When do you start teaching phonics?
There are so many things going on at the start of a new school year!
We are getting to know new personalities, watching them interact with each other, and at the same time, we are taking notes and assessing abilities.
One of the first things I set up are my EASY and independent literacy centers.
 

 
These take very little explanation, and students can happily work on literacy skills while I use valuable time to assess their abilities before moving [Read More…]

Father’s Day Directed Drawing Ideas

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Looking for some new ideas for Father’s Day?
I’ve got two Father’s Day ideas for you – and they’re free!
 

FATHER’S DAY DIRECTED DRAWING
Do your students love directed drawing?
Parents just love the personal touch of a drawing made by their child.
It’s a simple ideas but such a wonderful keepsake!

Students just follow the steps to draw themselves and their Dad.
Then they color it in, and write about it using several writing prompts.

 
MAKE YOUR OWN CARDS
Do you have your own ideas for Father’s Day?
Do [Read More…]

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