Classroom culture is one of the leading factors that will determine your class'' success. Regardless of your teaching prowess, if a student doesn't feel safe or welcome in your room, the student in question will be hard pressed to make growth academically. 
(If you would like more tips about building a positive classroom culture click the image with the bee.)

I love using STEM and Glyphs to help build classroom culture. But using various versions of Stone Soup will forever be a favorite activity of mine!

Each version of this story shares several commonalities. Travelers reach an unfriendly town. Through the use of a small object, the citizens are encouraged to contribute to a soup or stew. Each person discovers that they have something special to contribute to the "soup". 

After we read several versions, we compare the stories' elements: characters, setting, conflict, resolutions. In years where I felt comfortable, I asked parents to send one item of food to school. We celebrated the unit by having our own little feast! Each student contributed their item to our pot. (When I worked at schools where I knew my parents struggled to send extra, I provided the ingredients for my students.) Man, do students love to eat!

Finally, I asked the students to reflect on "gifts" they see in others. They journaled and I looked over them. We sat in a circle and I called on volunteers to share about their classmates' gifts. Most of the time, I ended up teary after hearing what my kids said about each other. Some years, I jotted down what the kids wrote and posted it on the wall. It was a neat reminder of the things we cherished in each other. 

​Do you have an activity or book that you love? Comment below.

"We wish you a Christmas Merry..."

​ Wait... What? That is out of order! See, sequencing is an important skill after all! Here are two great books with clear. easy to follow events to help you teach plot or sequencing this holiday season.

Teach It!
1. As you read, have students write down events on sentence strips. (Or you can do this beforehand!)
2. Mix the events up and have the students use the text to put them in order. (Or hand out the strips before you read and have students come up and place them in order as you read!)
3. Finally, have them use post it notes to add in transition words!

Happy Holidays!

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