Elementary Language Arts Education Articles for Teachers - Page 2

  In my previous article, I described the second of my classroom management systems called, "The Class vs. Mr. Harrison Game." In this final article on classroom management systems, I'm going to describe another system I developed that motivates my students to behave, an...

Exposing your students to poetry and great poets provides for a rich learning experience. One of the ways you can do this is through personification poetry. Although it can be challenging to get your students to write this type of poetry, I have found that the process goes a lot more smoothly whe...

In my previous article, Classroom Management Systems: Part 1, I described one of my classroom management systems called transitions. In this article, I will describe a game we called, the class versus Mr. Harrison. Starting the very first day of school, I put a "Class vs. Mr. Harrison" box ...

As teachers, it is very easy to point out what students are doing wrong, but it's very important to point out the positive behavior as well. When students are being kind to one another, teachers should point it out and reward it. In this way, they can make sure that this type of behavior occurs a...

In my previous article, I outlined my five principles of classroom management. In this article, I'm going to share one of the classroom management systems that I developed and used when I taught first through fifth grades. The first system I'd like to describe a system I call, &ldq...

Health in America is a very big issue . . . and when I say big . . . I mean people are getting bigger. Therefore, it is important to teach students at a young age how to make healthy choices. Yes, you can teach them about the food pyramid. But unless you bring some real examples into the classroo...

I remember an embarrassing event from my very first year of teaching. The Assistant Superintendent of Schools came in to observe my classroom one month into the school year. On the day that she came in, I had 29 first graders, no teaching assistant, and no classroom management skills. During...

Parents want what is best for their child, and teachers want what is best for their students. That's why parent/teacher collaboration is so important. By working together, parents and teachers can provide the best learning environment, both at home and at school, for students. One of the first t...

The next time you are in the faculty lunchroom, ask one of your colleagues about a time when a life experience changed them for the better. What experiences in your own life have taught you your greatest lessons? Recently, I led a weeklong, summer evening program. We had set a goal for the childr...

If you ask your students what kind of a class they would like to be in, their answers may surprise you.  Most children will say they want to have fun, but when probed for more details, you may find out that kids also want other kids to like them, that they want to feel like they make a difference...

Have you ever gone home from your day of teaching feeling like it was a "bad" day? Silly question, I know!  "Bad" days happen to all of us, just like "good" days do. Have you ever put some thought into how more of your days can feel "good" than "bad?" I didn't think too much about this until I we...

I always pay particular attention to beginnings and endings. When my students first come into the room each morning, I always insist on a good start, and reward them with check marks in my "Transitions Box," and bonus points in their "Class vs. Mr. Harrison" game - (I'll explain these classroom m...

Many years ago, I went through a week-long training session in which I began learning the art of telling stories with puppets. The program I was involved in was developed in the Detroit school system back in the 70's. Educators there were alarmed by the number of children coming to school who wer...

Hear ye! Hear ye! Knights and damsels hear this, symmetry, ancestry, and symbolism all have ties to coats of arms. Medieval literature and history can be fun and exciting. There are numerous lessons that you can use with these pieces of art. Beginning in the early times of heraldry,  coats of arm...

My 13-year-old daughter is a big fan of acrostic poetry. She says, "Acrostic poems make you think really hard about word choice, and they allow you to be creative at the same time. It's a form of poetry that is accessible to everyone."  I couldn't agree more. I've heard lots of moans and groans f...