Authentic Writing at Its Best!

My students were literally moved to tears while writing to express their gratitude, when sharing their thoughts, and while listening to their peers, because what they were writing was meaningful to them!

If you would like to replicate this experience, follow the steps below.

1. Discuss as a class: (a) What is gratitude? (b) How do you measure happiness?
2. Show the video below
3. Have your students write a letter to someone who they would like to express gratitude.
4. Write a letter on the spot, as well.  In each of my 3 periods I wrote a letter and then called the person and read my letter aloud on speaker phone.
5. Allow students who want to share their stories AND why they wrote them (completely voluntarily)

*If you want your teaching to be a contagious experience, assign work that is meaningful and authentic and will rock the students' world!!

What Makes You Happy?

**This idea was originally posted on Facebook by another teacher.

How's Life Today? SEL Check-Ins

Here's the reality many middle school and high school teachers face.  Too many students to get to know on a personal level, in spite of our beginning of the year interest surveys, those not-so-fun ice breaker activities or projects, that leave us with data we just don't have time to get really utilize in the mad dash that is our teaching lives.

So what are we to do?  We can tell from their Cum files, their behavior, their silence, that there are some pretty strong needs that are not being met.  Also, what about those quiet students who are flying beneath your radar?  Or those who just want to share that they got a new puppy or they won their soccer game?

Enter this game changer, a weekly check-in Google Form sent to students via Google Classroom (though you could share the link with the students in another platform).

The initial purpose was for us to gauge how our students were doing on a physical, emotional, and social level. However, it has revolutionized how we are able to trouble-shoot, as well as connect effortlessly with our 90 students whom we share.  Now all of us (3 teachers in a departmentalized 6th grade) are able to know on Monday and Wednesday morning how our students are doing and alert one another of any concerns, such as students being hungry (didn't have dinner or breakfast) which you know is going to make learning almost impossible, or some challenging circumstance allowing us to intervene before a student reacts or a crisis occurs.  

Additionally, we have been able to connect with the students on a personal level. They have shared the good, the bad, and the heart-wrenching: new baby siblings, trying out for a team, getting to a new level in an online game, divorces, deportation hearings, parents who are struggling with cancer, homelessness, and the list goes on.

The form stays the same except for changing out 1-2 questions at the bottom of the form.  Here are some of the questions we have asked. Who do you hang out with?, Who do you avoid?, What do you wish for today in school?  What are your goals for the year?  People think I'm ...., but I'm really..... 

We found some great questions from Emily Yost of Third in Hollywood (she's on TPT, too) in her Morning Meeting Question product.  Check out this link Third in Hollywood or find her on TPT.

I've attached the link to my forms below.  Just copy them in Google Drive and have fun editing it to what you want your students to share.  I'd love to hear your stories about how this impacts your teaching.

Monday Check In
Midweek Check In