In this Teaching Tip I provide a link to a short YouTube video I created. In the video I describe two ideas that will help kids better understand the four different types of sentences: statements, questions, commands, and exclamations. The first idea is an active learning strategy that includes a call-and-response chant along with a corresponding set of hand and body movements. The second is an activity idea that gives children an opportunity to practice these sentence types in a novel way. Give these ideas a try in class with your students or at home with your children.

In this Teaching Tip I provide a link to a short YouTube video I created. In the video I describe the “Passion Survey” I have my students complete at the beginning of each school year, and I share the wonderful academic, social, and environmental outcomes that occur once the results of the survey are posted in the classroom. Helping children find their passions and then encouraging them to draw on these passions whenever they make curricular choices increases motivation and enthusiasm for learning. Give the Passion Survey a try in class with your students or at home with your children.

In this Teaching Tip I provide a link to a short YouTube video I created. In the video I describe two powerful tools that adults can use to help children improve their behavior in school: goal-setting and self-evaluation. For many years I have been critical of traditional classroom management approaches that attempt to control children’s behavior extrinsically through the use of rewards and punishments. As an alternative, I prefer an approach rooted in intrinsic motivation. The latter approach is far more effective in affecting lasting behavioral change and avoids the negative side effects associated with rewards and punishments. Give these tools a try in class with your students or at home with your children.

In this Teaching Tip I provide a link to a short YouTube video I created. In the video I describe how important it is for children to display their best or favorite pieces of work at home and at school, and I recommend a specific way in which this can be done. Having the opportunity to see their highest quality work on a daily basis boosts feelings of pride and confidence and increases self-esteem. Give this idea a try in class with your students or at home with your children.