Helping Students Identify Their Emotions Try these strategies to help students develop the emotional literacy skillset that will allow them to better understand—and react—to their feelings. https://t.co/awiUlwR9gZ — edutopia (@edutopia) September 25, 2023 Being Valued vs. Being Needed In everyday life, it’s better to be valued than needed. Being needed creates dependency in others and

Summary This children’s book tells the story of a child who faces various difficulties and setbacks, like not being able to ride a bike. The child is introduced to the concept of “yet,” which is like a magical helper that reminds the child that they may not be able to do something “yet,” but with

Hook and Challenge Hook We think we’re close to finding life on Mars. We have been tasked with this super fun mission. We need to imagine what a Martian would need to survive on Earth if they were brought here. Challenge and Constraints Our challenge today is to create a Martian with at least two

Creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment is essential for effective teaching and learning. One powerful way to achieve this is by involving students in the process of developing classroom agreements or group norms. These agreements set the tone for respectful behavior, collaboration, and mutual understanding. Start with Open Dialogue Begin the process by engaging

15+ SEL Practices to Start the Day How do you start the day in your classroom? https://t.co/uGX6lGVfup via @Pathwy2Success#sel #teaching #educators pic.twitter.com/hmJpqaUDdX — (@TCEA) August 17, 2023 Brainstorming, Brainstorming, Brainstorming Eureka moments are overrated. Effort is underrated. Data: your first idea is rarely your best idea. The more time you spend brainstorming, the more space

Summary The main character has a great idea but faces numerous rejections. Despite the weight of the “no’s,” her idea evolves and grows as more people contribute their own perspectives. Eventually, on the thousandth “no,” the character realizes that the idea has transformed into something entirely different, and yet, the journey was worth it. Comprehension

Hook and Challenge Hook It’s a good thing we already gathered some data from the surface because winter on Mars can get down to -200 degrees. The astronauts will have to stay indoors during winter to avoid being frozen solid. Winter lasts twice as long on this planet, so the astronauts had a super-exciting idea

The beginning of the school year holds immense significance as it sets the stage for the educational journey ahead. K-5 educators play a pivotal role in creating a classroom environment that is not only conducive to learning but also nurtures students’ social-emotional growth. Warm Greetings A genuine and warm greeting is a powerful way to

Reach Out to Individuals for Assistance When you need help, it’s better to ping one person than a group. Data: messages to multiple recipients get fewer and less helpful replies. Diffusion of responsibility kicks in: “I’m not needed—someone else will do it!” Generosity rises with a sense of unique contribution. pic.twitter.com/Ng3ZjNMGtg — Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant)

Summary This story celebrates the journey of finding one’s voice and belonging in a world where no one else is quite like you. It explores moments of self-discovery, connecting with others through shared experiences and unique differences, ultimately embracing the power of individuality. Comprehension Questions Six questions aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy for teacher’s to evaluate students’

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook It’s time to explore the Martian surface. It’s going to be epic. We’ll search caves, mountains, and other cool places for water and evidence of life. There may even be a chance of finding fossils. Even microscopic fossils, not visible to the naked eye, can prove that life once existed

Summer break offers an opportunity for students to relax, explore new interests, and spend quality time with their families. However, for teachers, there’s a critical aspect to consider during this time: how to support and nurture students’ social-emotional development during the summer months. Engaging parents and caregivers in this process can play a crucial role

At Imagineerz, we believe that in order for teachers to successfully facilitate social-emotional learning with students, they must first participate in those same learning experiences. The following is an activity principals can facilitate during a staff meeting that teachers can in turn modify and use with their students. Building strong relationships and fostering empathy among teachers

Growth Mindset Anchor Charts Check out all of these ANCHOR CHARTS & POSTERS from @Zearned to download for free https://t.co/tcqkKbukeV #edutwitter #teachertwitter pic.twitter.com/5RQRP5qUHb — (@TCEA) June 20, 2023 Struggle ➡️ Success Struggling in an area outside your comfort zone doesn't crush confidence. It motivates excellence. Baseball data: after pitchers had unsuccessful at-bats, they were more

Summary Gerald is a tall giraffe with crooked knees, thin legs — and no confidence in his dancing abilities. Every year, the animals from al over gather for the jungle dance, and Gerald feels sad. The other animals mock him, and Gerald walks away feeling useless and alone. However, he stumbles upon a wise cricket

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook The astronauts have been practicing their drills on Mars because when they landed, the notorious trolls challenged them to a Martian sporting competition. Challenge and Constraints We each get to create our very own Martian sport that takes advantage of Mars’ weak gravity, which makes everything much lighter and allows

As the school year comes to a close, teachers often find themselves in need of some well-deserved rest and rejuvenation. Summer break presents an excellent opportunity for educators to prioritize their mental wellness and recharge for the upcoming academic year. Unplug and Disconnect Teachers are constantly connected in the digital world through emails, lesson planning,

The ABC’s of Growth Mindset The ABC’s of self-talk 💡#Sketchnote via @kwiens62 pic.twitter.com/SWDyox69rK — MindShift (@MindShiftKQED) May 20, 2023 Feel ➡️ Accept ➡️ Manage ➡️ Share 💚 This #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, The @mentalhealthcln wants you to feel all your feelings — and share them. View free resources and learn more throughout the month about the importance of feeling, accepting, managing, and

Summary Vashti believes she can’t draw and feels frustrated when faced with a blank sheet of paper. Her art teacher encourages her to start by making a simple mark and signing her name. Reluctantly, Vashti complies and creates a single dot on her paper. The next day, Vashti discovers that her teacher has framed her

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook It’s a big day today. The astronauts are getting close to one of the most dangerous parts of the mission — landing on Mars. It may sound easy peasy lemon squeezy to land on Mars, but it’s not because the astronauts are cruising along at 12,300 miles per hour! That’s

As the school year draws to a close, K-5 teachers must be ready to offer support students struggling with the transition to summer and the next grade level. It’s essential for educators to recognize these challenges and equip their students with social-emotional learning strategies to navigate them successfully. In this blog post, we will explore

STEM Critical Thinking Questions Use these critical thinking question stems to encourage students to embrace the discomfort of grappling with ideas and develop their critical thinking skills. https://t.co/LiNNkwxWw1 via @teachthought#iteach #k12 #skillbuilding pic.twitter.com/q6Bdg6NlxE — (@TCEA) April 17, 2023 New Growth Mindset Meta Analysis One reason for conflicting evidence is that growth mindset scores, which researchers

Summary In day in the life of a little girl named Louisa, she contextualizes her successes and failures with her future aspirations. She notices patterns and draws connections between what she can (and can’t) do right now and how her experiences prepare her to do more as she grows. Climbing a rock wall will enable

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook We’ve just hit a big STOP Sign! Our telescopes and smellescopes have picked up a giant dust storm on Mars. It’s the trolls. Instead of landing gently on Mars, they smashed right into a big, red dust dune and kicked up a massive dust storm, which means that our astronauts

Real-World Solutions That Resemble Design Thinking How skyscrapers are cleaned after dust storms in Dubai pic.twitter.com/LfOhAHUT5G — H0W_THlNGS_W0RK (@HowThingsWork_) September 26, 2022 Breathwork 101 Cyclic sighing is one of the most effective (and simplest) techniques I’ve ever learned. 1. Inhale through your nose, stopping short of the top of your breath. 2. Pause. 3. Inhale

Summary This short picture book is written in a style accessible to readers who might also be learning to ride a bicycle for the first time. In the story, a little girl works with her grandfather to learn to ride a bike. Their process spans her becoming interested to taking ownership to trying and failing

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook I want you to imagine that you’re on Mars. The air around you is so thin it’s unbreathable. How do your lungs feel? So far, you’ve enjoyed the mild 70 degree day, but now it’s nighttime and -120 degrees. What does that feel like on your skin? Now you’re standing

Using AI Tools with Students #AI has been advancing at a crazy pace! It’s no longer just a sci-fi dream. With a ton of AI tools, we can all have our own personal assistants!https://t.co/PLtaqmdFX9 via @jmattmiller#edtech #teachertwitter #cooltools pic.twitter.com/K4SwbzY72F — (@TCEA) February 22, 2023 SEL Needs in Schools “Why do we ask so few adults

Summary When Irene’s mother, a dress maker for the dutchess, falls sick the day of the royal ball, little Irene volunteers to deliver her dress to the palace. Before leaving, Irene tends to her sick mother and carefully packages the dress with tissue paper in a large yellow box. There is a winter storm outside,

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook Water and signs of potential alien life have been discovered on Mars! Space agencies all over the world are scrambling to get there first. But what’s this?! The three notorious trolls have gotten themselves a rocket too! The Blame, Complain, and Give-Up Trolls!!! Captain Smith sends his thanks for the

Modeling Empathy with Students Teachers, learn how to incorporate empathy into your classroom so you can better understand and support your students. https://t.co/Vh9SZtypL5 @diben#SchoolSuccess #sel #teachertwitter pic.twitter.com/EapS4zhJR3 — (@TCEA) January 17, 2023 Environment > Willpower When the going gets tough, you can’t rely solely on willpower to follow through. Learn more from @DTWillingham in the

Summary When a sheep observes a flock of birds flying overhead, she is inspired to create a flying machine in order to see the world the way they do. She approaches her friend, a wolf, to help. He is initially skeptical that it can be done, but ultimately agrees to help her. They work together

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook Disaster in orbit! On their way out of Earth’s atmosphere, the astronauts were sabotaged by the notorious trolls, who nearly knocked them out of orbit. The captain was able to regain control of their rocket ship, but his crew began to argue with each other. They started blaming (“Oh man!

Purdue Kids STEM Degree Dig into these cool #STEM videos for K-8 students from Purdue University’s College of #Science. Students earn a STEM degree at the end!https://t.co/t17tfoLxlT #stem #learning #edutwitter pic.twitter.com/hrLPfV2tCT — (@TCEA) December 19, 2022 How Are You Feeling? App Haven you downloaded the @HowWeFeel app? Hear what @BritandCo has to say about its

Summary This Todd Parr picture book is a perfect SEL read aloud for younger readers. It presents a dozen scenarios in which children (and even some grown ups) may feel embarrassed or ashamed with reassurance that these things are “okay”; they can ultimately be fixed, allow you to learn, or maybe even lead to things

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook Mars — our closest planetary neighbor. For thousands of years, astronomers have dreamt of reaching the “red planet,” but never have been able to… until now. NASA is working on getting a crew ready to make the treacherous journey, but they’ll need our help to escape Earth’s gravity, survive the

Pairing Our Emotions to Music Our school district @FPSFarmingtonCT uses the @rulerapproach in our #music curriculum in multiple ways, here grade 3 is listening and describing the mood of music while developing #EmotionalIntelligence here’s an ex. @FarmingtonUns @marcbrackett @NAfME pic.twitter.com/U8cPGgad7j — Farmington Music (@FarmingtonMUSIC) November 22, 2022 Metacognition Questions IMPROVE metacognition with these 9 questions.https://t.co/5lvoQjJvZp

Summary A girl draws a picture — first of a girl, then of her immediate surroundings, and eventually of her entire world. She reflects on every step along her artistic journey. These include the things that go according to her plan, her mistakes, and even her attempts to correct for those mistakes that always obscure

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook The mayor just shared an amazing secret with me. It seems the traffic jam trolls never really go away. They will strike every day, if we let them. Whenever we find ourselves blaming, complaining, or giving up, it’s because a troll has struck! But we have a super power. We

Articulating Our Emotions He described every feeling I was having at the exact same points pic.twitter.com/shSYolXR5r — OnlyZans (@OnlyZans) September 12, 2022 Persistence vs. Obstinance There’s a fine line between persistence and obstinance. Persistence is refusing to give up on a difficult goal. Obstinance is refusing to consider a different path. Grit is not about

Summary This is the story of a sunflower seed, who has come to see himself as a bad seed. He does all kinds of things — big and small — that annoy and inconvenience other the seeds. They talk about him behind his back, and he knows it. He used to be a pleasant seed,

Challenge and Constraints Challenge and Constraint We have a huge Stop Sign today. Platinum Patroller wants to sleep on the top bunk. We’ve got to use the architectural techniques we’ve learned to build the bunkbed strong enough to hold his incredible weight without turning Arachnikid into a pancake. Materials You may also provide these optional

Productive Struggle Learning to work through productive struggle together today with a challenging rich task! @pgliljedahl @HFLMS pic.twitter.com/H5RirgvCqv — Rob Sanford (@HFLEdTech) September 14, 2022 Visibly-Random Groupings These are good ideas for grouping on non-lab days. For high schoolers, I will have to make sure they are keeping the groups random by taking the time

Summary After a series of swimming lessons, Jabari goes to the swimming pool with his dad and sister and tells them he is finally ready to jump off the diving board. Walking towards the diving board and climbing the first rungs of the ladder, Jabari shows and voices hesitation. With support from his dad, he

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook You’re probably wondering what happened to my office. All of the villains — Evil Egghead, Sir Ion, and Magnidude — have teamed up to create a truly evil machine: The Troll-Flinger 5000. They just used it to launch the trolls into my office, and they’ve been using it to destroy

Harvard Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox I didn’t know about this resource, so dropping it here for others who didn’t either!!! TONS of discussion protocols!! https://t.co/fjt262jMwI — Alex Shevrin Venet (@AlexSVenet) July 29, 2022 The Museum of Failure There’s a “Museum of Failure” in Sweden which highlights 150+ failed products. It’s meant to show that

Summary Some things come easily for Kate, but she can’t help but focus on the things that are hard, such as getting ready for school on time, doing cartwheels with her friends, and speaking in front of her class. They are even harder because Kate ends up making her parents upset or getting teased by

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook I’m taking cover because we’re being attacked by a super villain. His name is Magnadude, and he’s been causing earthquakes deep under the ground all day. And it gets worse! The three traffic-jam trolls are with him — Blame Troll, Complain Troll, and Give-Up Troll! These trolls are nasty. They

Levitra sicuro comprare online Alcune farmacie ad alto volume sono aperte anche come distributori automatici. Cocaina? Columbia Pharmaceuticals serve chiunque abbia 18 anni e più? La FTC ha l’autorità di indagare sulle società che conducono affari su Internet. Questa è una grande terapia con tonnellate di benefici. Non esiste una legge federale che imponga la

Turn and Learn pic.twitter.com/wqLr7t8LYm — Kimberly Melchor (@KimberlyMelcho6) July 8, 2022 Bad Motivation Bingo It’s hard to change people’s values. It’s easier to appeal to the values they already hold. When you push your principles, people shut down. If you speak to their principles, they open up. Motivating others requires knowledge of what matters to

Summary Horace Pippin was a boy with big hands who loved to make art. Because he was so big and strong, he had many responsibilities in his family, but he drew pictures whenever free time he had. His classmates loved his artwork, and he even won a magazine contest for his drawings. When Horace was

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook Welcome to New York, home to some of the tallest buildings in the world — skyscrapers! It’s also the home of the newest resident of Superhero Metropolis, Arachnikid. She uses strong, stretchy strands of bubblegum to swing from skyscraper to skyscraper and catch bad guys on the run. But when

“I’m done!” and “I’m not done yet!” are two of the most common things you’ll hear during building time. We’ve got you covered for those tricky moments that always seem to come just as building time is starting or right before it’s over. “I’m Done!” If one of your students completes a challenge and is

1. IMAGI-NATION!   2. Welcome Teams!   3. Teams that work well together will dominate this competition.   4. Dude! Are you trying to gt us disqualified?!   5. Karen’s Family Construction   6. The coolest Gube Goldberg machine yet!   7. Mind Blown   8. Remember, sometimes it works. Sometimes… YOU LEARN!   9.

Are You Smart? What does it mean to be “smart”? Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog ) offers a characteristically astute answer. pic.twitter.com/bYjyXu2eNQ — Daniel Pink (@DanielPink) June 9, 2022 Avoiding Pessimism Is Key Optimism has little bearing on health. Avoiding pessimism matters more. 61 studies, 221k people: health is predicted more by the absence of pessimism than

Summary In this expansion of the original nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty goes into greater detail about the emotional toll his accident had on him long after the king’s men were able to physically restore him. He wasn’t the same at his fall. He was too scared to return to the wall where he once watched

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook The Platinum Patroller just moved into town. He’s a guy cool — he wears a cool suit made of platinum and flies around fighting bad guys. As he was doing that yesterday, he landed on one of our bridges, and it collapsed into the water, leaving him soaked. He was

In order for our growth mindset strategies to take hold with your students, they need to be reinforced at home, whenever possible. Facilitate Car Ride and Dinner Time Conversations Take pictures during building time. Even if parents only skim your emails, they’ll likely check out pictures, and pictures generate questions and connections. Look out for i-Can! moments to share. Give

1. Hello from the SkyStar Observation Wheel!   2. Wheels and Axles, Levers, and Inclined Planes   3. Let’s go!   4. Are we there yet?   5. Welcome!   6. Tidal Wave   7. Oh, ye of little faith…   8. I got an idea, brah!   9. The Greatest Invention Since Sliced Pita

Design thinking is an innovative problem-solving method that has been used by individuals and organizations around the world to come up with creative solutions to complex problems. With its focus on empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing, design thinking provides a framework for students to develop their critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration skills. Here are some

Design thinking is a problem-solving process that can help students think creatively and develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges. When students engage in design thinking, they are encouraged to think outside the box, work collaboratively, and be persistent in the face of setbacks. As students move up in grade levels, the complexity of their design

Design thinking is an innovative problem-solving approach that can be adapted for any grade level, including third grade. By introducing design thinking, you can help students develop their creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can implement design thinking in your third-grade classroom. Here are some tips

Design thinking is a valuable skill that can benefit students of all ages, including second graders. With its focus on problem-solving and creativity, design thinking can help students develop important critical thinking and collaboration skills that they can use throughout their lives. In this blog post, we will explore how second grade teachers can introduce

Design thinking is a great way to help students develop their problem-solving skills and creativity, and it can be adapted to different age groups. In this blog post, we’ll focus on how first-grade teachers can introduce design thinking to their students and provide engaging activities that they’ll enjoy. Introducing Design Thinking to First Graders The

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that encourages students to think creatively and critically. It’s a process that can be taught to students of any age, including Kindergarten students. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to introduce design thinking to Kindergarteners and provide some accessible and relevant design thinking challenges for this grade level.

Feel Your Feelings. Happy #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth! This May, we’re focused on feelings: identifying them, sharing them, and most importantly, FEELING them. pic.twitter.com/2H4c1QrokF — The Mental Health Coalition (@mentalhealthcln) May 2, 2022 Don’t Forget You Can… Motivation going into the weekend, go easy on yourself! 😌 pic.twitter.com/BT44F1oy5O — Kristin Portsmouth (@design_by_kp) April 30, 2022 The Perfectionism Spiral

Summary On the day of the school talent show, like every other day, Beatrice wakes up and completes her morning routine. She gets dressed, makes her bed, feeds her hamster, and packs lunch for her brother Carl. She remembers to do everything, and she does everything just right. When Beatrice and Carl leave to go

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook A super villain named Sir Ion, who can control metal with his mind, has destroyed all but one of the bridges in Superhero Metropolis. He accidentally sat on a bowl of chocolate pudding, and when people started laughing at him, he got extremely upset, destroying all the metal bridges in

There are three simple materials you can add to your stock that are sure to boost creativity in your classroom. Rubber bands Binder clips Hot glue guns Hot glue, in particular, allows for more complex and sturdy creations. It’s a great alternative to tape, but comes with some unique challenges. We hope you’ll keep these ideas in mind when sharing

1. Hi there. I’m Special Agent L, the head of Imagineerz.   2. NASA will undoubtedly encounter a lot of problems on the way to Mars. That’s where we come in.   3. Disaster in Orbit!   4. The Trolls Take Off   5. We’ve Hit a STOP Sign   6. Our mission today is

First Three Dominos Don’t skip the first three dominos. pic.twitter.com/HEY4YKvtH8 — Janis Ozolins (@OzolinsJanis) March 28, 2022 Recognize-Understand-Label-Express-Regulate You’ll always have emotions. It’s time to learn how to deal with them! – @marcbrackett from his book “Permission to feel” pic.twitter.com/euz1sLvI1U — Saba Yazdani (@saba_yazdani) March 24, 2022 Make It Your Explicit Goal to Be Uncomfortable

Summary One day, a little boy gets a chance. It appears in the form of a shiny golden origami butterfly, but it could represent anything. The chance flies all around the boy, but he isn’t sure what to do with it. When he starts to grab for it, he hesitates and it flies away. The

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints Hook The Amazing Brainiac has a new roommate, the Incorrigible Sulk. She’s a superhero with super strength as well as a great friend, but she gets upset easily and whenever that happens, she tends to destroy everything! When she went to the ice cream shop to get some mint chocolate chip

What’s an i-Can! Story? Here are some tips on sharing our stories in your classroom. An i-Can! Story IS… An opportunity to review STOP Signs and common problem-solving strategies with your students. A chance for students to visualize and internalize growth mindset. Lots of fun — an opportunity for you to laugh along with students! An i-Can! Story ISN’T… Supposed to go any certain

1. Welcome New Agents     2. Introducing Special Agent L   3. Four Steps   4. Boys! Boys! I’ve got it!   5. Welcome to your first lesson in troll dodging.   6. STOP Sign!   7. I CAN!   8. I-CAN MAN   9. Oh man! Building time is over?!   10. Blast

Wellbeing Bingo! A really easy way to check in with my tutees… The most interesting fact involved a bumhole and 2 raccoons 🤦‍♀️ #formtutorsarevital #studentwellbeing pic.twitter.com/TE74xEPNi8 — Naomi-Jane Roche (@NaomiJaneRoche) February 17, 2022 Kid Hotline Offers Advice An inspired art project that teaches empathy. Imagine if we liberated all teachers & kids from the tyranny

Summary Sophie is a little girl who loves gardening. One day, when she is struggling to solve a jigsaw puzzle, her older sister walks up and solves it for her, telling her she wasn’t smart enough to solve it herself. The next day at school, Sophie is still upset and convinced she isn’t smart. Her

Standard Materials Make sure you have enough tape for each lesson (students go through tape like a goats eating grass). We recommend 1 roll of tape per 2 students as well as a few backup rolls for the entire class. We discourage adding complex materials (e.g. googly eyes, pipe cleaners, etc.) that may make challenges easier or inhibit students’ creativity. Card

Hook, Challenge, and Constraints  Hook The Amazing Brainiac is the world’s smartest superhero who can predict crime before it happens. She has been getting picked on by an evil supergenius, Egghead, who just built himself a cool, secret lair that’s really tall and fancy. Now he’s making fun of Brainiac’s old, dusty hideout that

45 minutes of building time is key. Keep your opening to the lesson concise (no more than 15 minutes), so your students can maximize their building time. Students need at least 45 minutes to build, fail, adapt, and repeat the process. Encourage students to think about WHAT to build, not HOW to build it. If

Challenge and Constraints Our first mission comes from Madame Amazonia. She’s a superhero that speaks with animals and teams up with them to save the environment. She needs us to make some animal sidekicks for her. She has requested that we only make animals that have legs that can stand on their own, so no

Reframing Your Thoughts From @EdgarCayceARE on Twitter: Your thoughts create your reality. In 2022, develop a growth mindset by becoming aware of what you are thinking. Challenge negative thoughts. Reframing them to something positive can make a huge impact. They can turn into actions that alter the course of your future. into actions that alter the

Teach students this acronym for when they encounter obstacles: Whoops! Instead of “Dang it!” try “Whoops!” to normalize and celebrate failure How? Instead of “Can I?” try “How can I…?” to foster ideating Yet Instead of “I can’t do this!” try “I can’t do this yet!” to foster prototyping and testing Together, these ways of reframing our

An informational text that promotes growth mindset by introducing young readers to the parts of the brain and their jobs Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: A Growth Mindset Book for Kids to Stretch and Shape Their Brains by JoAnn Deak Ph.D.

Social-Emotional Learning Bingo Teaching during the COVID pandemic has been uniquely challenging, and with the new variant, January may be an especially difficult period due to staff absences or temporary return to remote learning. We wanted to share this resource from last year to support teachers in having a joyful and restorative holiday break and highlighting the

Research has shown that by learning about the different parts of the brain and their functions, children are better able to make intentional decisions when responding to challenging situations. We’ve created a chant and visuals to introduce the amygdala and pre-frontal cortex and help children distinguish between their unconscious reactions and problem-solving behaviors. Amygdala, amygdala,

A social story about a boy who learns the value of compliments and constructive criticism as well as ways to respond and incorporate feedback Thanks for the Feedback… I Think?  by Julia Cook

Reasons for Design Thinking Gr8 Qs #1 is strengthening one’s empathetic posture (my reason for teaching DT) Skills so many to list: unpacking, synthesizing, defining, reflection Ways to gain Empathy: Observe, Engage, Immerse#DEEPdt #dtk12chat #designthinking pic.twitter.com/ytpnu5Betz — Mary Cantwell (@scitechyEDU) December 2, 2019 Follow our Nurturing Resilience list on Twitter.

Teach students this acronym and ask them to use it during the moments when they aren’t able to check-in with you immediately upon encountering an obstacle. When you hit an obstacle, don’t give up or sigh! Just remember i-Can! It will get you by! Inhale, Calm Down, Adapt, Now Try

A biography of a boy whose creativity, persistence, and problem-solving skills led him to create the Super Soaker Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton

Design thinking involves a lot of prototyping and testing, and having the right materials makes a big difference in how well students are able to create and refine their ideas. In this blog post, we’ll go through some of the materials that we recommend for prototyping and testing at different grade levels. Kindergarten For Kindergarten

Design thinking is a powerful process that encourages students to create and innovate. Prototyping and testing are crucial steps in the design thinking process, and the use of a diverse set of materials is vital to their success. Teachers have many materials options for prototyping and testing, and each material has unique advantages and disadvantages.

Design thinking challenges provide K-5 students with valuable opportunities to develop essential skills such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication. To effectively track student learning and engagement during these challenges, teachers can utilize our rubric. In this blog post, we will introduce our rubric that can be adapted and used to assess student progress

Design thinking challenges offer K-5 students an exciting and hands-on approach to problem-solving. To ensure the success and engagement of these challenges, teachers can utilize a checklist that encompasses essential elements. In this blog post, we will explore a comprehensive checklist that teachers can use to create impactful design thinking experiences for their students. The

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that encourages individuals to empathize with end-users and define problems before ideating, prototyping, and testing potential solutions with built-in opportunities to iterate on those solutions based on feedback. This methodology has become increasingly popular in education as a way to teach students how to think creatively and solve complex

Why Test? In the Test step, students take their refined solution and test it out in real-world scenarios. This could involve user testing, where students observe how their solution is used by others, or it could involve creating a prototype and testing it out in a real-world setting. The goal is to identify any issues

Why Prototype? In the Prototype step, students use the ideas they generated in the Ideate step to create a tangible representation of their solutions. This can take many forms, from physical models made out of cardboard or clay to digital mockups created on a computer. The purpose of creating a prototype is to test and

Why Ideate? Ideate is the second step in the design thinking process. It is all about generating a wide range of ideas and possibilities for how to solve the problem or challenge that was identified in the Understand step. It involves brainstorming, sketching, and thinking creatively. Ideating is not about evaluating ideas or choosing a

Why Understand? Understand is the first step in the design thinking process. It is about gaining a deep understanding of the problem or challenge that you are trying to solve. It involves asking questions, doing research, and observing the people who are affected by the problem. Understanding is not about coming up with solutions, but

Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that encourages individuals to empathize with an end-user, define a problem, ideate potential solutions, prototype and test those solutions, and then iterate on those solutions based on feedback. This methodology has become increasingly popular in education as a way to teach students how to think creatively and solve complex

Making Learning Fun On the importance of making learning fun: Students who enjoy school at age 6 earn higher standardized test scores at 16—even after controlling for intelligence. Teachers set the tone for intrinsic motivation. Students who like their teachers are 9x more likely to enjoy school. pic.twitter.com/lApyzNWuuV — Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) July 15, 2021 Follow

When a student comes across an obstacle, resist the temptation fix the issue for them. Instead, ask open-ended questions to help them find a solution. One questioning technique is to ask What-Why-How to guide the student towards a problem-solving strategy. What‘s the problem you are facing? Why do you think that’s happening? How might you fix that?

Summary Peter is a little boy who wants to whistle. One day, he sees an older boy playing with his dog and whistling, so he tries to whistle but can’t. He spins around and makes himself dizzy. Later, Peter sees his dog, Willie, and hides in a box. He wants to whistle in order to

  Your child is in the driveway practicing free throws, but very few balls make it into the hoop. As the time ticks by, you start to see the look of defeat on your child’s face.  Eventually, they trudge back to the house and say, “I can’t do it.”   What can you do? Help

  In the park? In your living room? A house full of friends? On your own?   No matter where you are, who you’re with, or what time it is, i-Can! activities are a great way to flex your i-Can! mindset AND have fun!   i-Can! activities use a modified version of the Stanford University

  It’s 6:00 p.m. and your family is juggling homework, dinner, and evening extra curriculars, when you hear it, the voice of your children speaking the dreaded sentence, “I’m bored.” Your eyes widen slightly in disbelief and you wonder, “How could anyone be bored amidst this avalanche of activity?” But this time, instead of letting

  In a world full of parenting advice, we try to keep things simple. We tell parents to keep just three things in mind as you try to foster an i-Can! environment at home: Play Connect Believe   Play: It’s fun AND It Builds Your Brain Dr. Stuart Brown calls play, “The brain’s best form