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My name is Steve Reifman, and I am a National Board Certified elementary school teacher, author, and speaker in Santa Monica, CA.
SteveReifman.com is a resource for elementary school teachers and parents. My mission is to teach the whole child—empowering students to succeed academically, build strong character, learn valuable work habits and social skills, and take charge of their health and wellness.
Blog
Discover over 100 posts filled with teaching tips, links to YouTube videos, and other useful ideas and strategies for teaching the whole child.
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Explore these print books, e-books, courses, and other resources that offer effective, proven ideas and strategies that improve student learning.
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Chase Manning Mystery Series
Each book in this award-winning mystery series for kids 8-12 features a single-day, real-time thriller that takes place on an elementary school campus.
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Workshops
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Teaching Tips 5-7 described the creation of a Class Mission Statement and explained how this founding document can be used throughout the year to establish a sense of purpose in our rooms. Later in the year, we can follow up this initial effort with the creation of personal mission statements. Participating in this powerful exercise promises to help students better understand the purposes of their learning, improve their behavior, work with greater motivation and enthusiasm, and find greater meaning in their work. I simply cannot imagine myself teaching without this tool.
The Teaching Tips will focus on the topic of personal mission statements for the next three weeks.
Week 1: Introducing the Personal Mission Statement
Week 2: A Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Personal Mission Statement
Week 3: Personal Mission Boxes
Teaching Tips 5-7 described the creation of a Class Mission Statement and explained how this founding document can be used throughout the year to establish a sense of purpose in our rooms. Later in the year, we can follow up this initial effort with the creation of personal mission statements. Participating in this powerful exercise promises to help students better understand the purposes of their learning, improve their behavior, work with greater motivation and enthusiasm, and find greater meaning in their work. I simply cannot imagine myself teaching without this tool.
The Teaching Tips will focus on the topic of personal mission statements for the next three weeks.
Week 1: Introducing the Personal Mission Statement
Week 2: A Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Personal Mission Statement
Week 3: Personal Mission Boxes
Have a terrific Winter break. The Teaching Tips will return January 9th, 2011 with a series of tips relating to one of my favorite topics, Personal Mission Statements.
New Teaching Tips appear every Sunday of the school year.
An Appointment Clock is a classroom management tool that teachers can use in situations where students will be working in pairs. Appointment Clocks save valuable class time, empower kids to make meaningful choices, ensure that students have the opportunity to work with a variety of classmates, and facilitate smooth transitions.
Here’s how Appointment Clocks work. Imagine that you are planning a classroom activity in which you would like your students to work in pairs. When you have finished explaining the directions and are ready for the kids to begin the activity, you ask everyone to find one partner and get started. Though this request may seem simple enough to follow, many students will struggle. Some may not feel comfortable approaching a classmate, others may not be able to decide how to choose one friend over another, and still others may choose the same friend every time you schedule cooperative learning. The potential exists for wasted time, hurt feelings, and a loss of focus from the activity itself.
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