Eastern Washington University
Cool down jar is filled with glitter glue, (Students choice of colors) water, and oil. It should be used when the student needs to take a mental or emotional break from class to refocus and center themselves and then rejoin the class when they are ready, should be less than 5 minutes to not take away from their learning.
This tool is a discussion strategy where students get to participate and observe. They are either in the middle, discussing, and being a “fish”; or they are sitting on the outside observing. This tool is helpful because the students get to discuss is depth, hear all of their peers other ideas, and they don’t have the pressure of having to talk about all topics.
A phone call home can be used for any student any time he or she has done something in the classroom that they deserve to be recognized for. The teacher will simply call home, ask for the student, recognize he or she for something they have done well or have been working hard at, and then say goodbye.
Shells for grouping is used as an easy tool for assembling groups by matching shell types or colors. This makes the grouping more random and helps to ensure that nobody gets left out.
A community pencil dispenser is just one of many individual components of community supplies. Making writing implements readily available to all students helps relieve some of the stress students may face when they are unable to provide their own materials, or even if they’ve simply forgotten to bring something with them on a given day.
Therapy ball chairs are a beneficial tool that is used for students who need to move a lot. These chairs are exercise balls that are formed into a chair. When a child sits on the ball chair, they can use their energy and their need for movement in a positive way.
The community circle is a tool where teachers have students sit alongside them in a circle and talk about a prompt that the teacher gives. Students then pass around a certain object and share their thoughts and feelings about that prompt. This tool is helpful in a classroom because it gives the class the opportunity to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas about the topic at hand.
Brain Breaks are short mental pauses lasting no longer than 2 minutes that are designed to facilitate focus and attentiveness. For a variety of reasons including long lessons, impending holidays, or upcoming tests, students can collectively begin to lose that focus. Brain Breaks are intended to be fun and stimulating by offering a sporadic change from the norm (and sometimes mundane).
Community supplies are table organizers where you have a place to put pencils, scissors, calculators etc. Community supplies is a small way to make school days run smoothly.
Inspired by the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, Australia is a get away corner for students who seem to be having a rough day. This tool helps students regroup to be able to focus again.
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