As educators, we sometimes refer to this time before the holidays as the "Mid-Year Slump." Your students may be getting a bit restless with less outdoor time due to the changing seasons, and we are all looking forward to the upcoming vacation days - to give our brains a little "break" from the structure of the school week. Building movement into your students’ day is important for so many reasons, but in the months of November and December it becomes a necessity. We suggest building several small "brain breaks" into your day. With 21st Century Skills in mind, Jill and Cathy from The Curriculum Corner share their tips for powering through this "slump"-like time, to get your kids moving and motivated to power through a restless time of year. With the help of the VariQuest Motiva®, Cutout Maker, and Perfecta® utilizing Engage Every Learner™ Content, they'll give you some great ideas to carry out in your classroom!

Have you been BOO'd yet? Not sure what that even means? Growing up, October was one of my favorite months. Seriously, who can say no to the candy, the parties, the s’mores and campfire nights, the visits to the pumpkin patch, and of course, the trick or treating? On top of all that fun, my neighborhood always had a cute tradition for the month of October. The more I thought about this tradition, I thought it would be fun to start a tradition like this in school. So, instead of keeping it a “teacher thing” - I introduced it to my class, with great enthusiasm!

Courage: not letting your actions be controlled by your fears. In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, the cowardly lion is on the adventure to see the wizard because he's filled with fear, and in the end [spoiler alert!] he learns about what courage really means. He had it all along. In a school setting, courage can be as simple as raising your hand, or as difficult as standing up to a bully. In the great big world, courage gives students the self-confidence to overcome their fears and do the right thing.

It's back-to-school time again?! Already!? YAY!!! I understand how busy and crazy the first few days of school can be, so I’ve put together some materials for you to use on the first few days of school. These activities easily align to your reading, math, writing, and social-emotional learning objectives with very minimal modifications needed. They are simple, engaging, and more importantly you can use your students’ creations as a nice hallway display. Go ahead and check that box and download the activities now for free!

It's that time already - we're heading back to school! As with any transition, both you and your students can benefit from some organized activities to get comfortable with the new atmosphere and schedule of the day. That summer break was great, but now it's time to buckle down for learning! We've enlisted some expert help from the classroom to give you some ideas on how to make this transition as smooth as possible for all involved. With 21st Century Skills in mind, Jill and Cathy from The Curriculum Corner share 4 " tips" with us around the 4 Cs - critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication - for easing back into daily classroom life with the help of the VariQuest Motiva™, Cutout Maker, and Perfecta® utilizing Engage Every Learner™ Content!

Self-Discipline: to be able to control your feelings or actions based on the strength you have inside. In a classroom setting, students learn to raise their hand before speaking, ask for permission to use the restroom, and to calmly walk to form a line. These are all self-disciplinary skills that not only serve them well in school, but translate to the big world as they learn to become cooperative and attentive citizens and professionals. In the fourth of a 10-lesson unit on Social-Emotional Learning designed for elementary-aged students and developed in partnership with The Curriculum Corner, students will explore Self-Discipline. Through a series of group discussions, self-reflection activities, and literary analysis, students will increase their social-emotional understanding of self-discipline, including how they can make it a bigger part of their lives. Download this free lesson plan unit on social-emotional learning for elementary-aged students containing:

Respect: to think or act in a positive way about yourself or others. Important to learn in a school setting and in the greater world, respect is what students need to show themselves and others to create a positive, supportive learning environment. As classroom dialogue thrives on language of inclusivity and thoughtfulness, students can benefit from learning about ways to show respect for others, even when opinions or ideals differ. In the third of a 10-lesson unit on Social-Emotional Learning designed for elementary-aged students and developed in partnership with The Curriculum Corner, students will explore Respect. Through a series of group discussions, self-reflection activities, and literary analysis, students will increase their social-emotional awareness of respect, including the role it plays in their own lives and in their relationships with others. Download this free lesson plan unit on social-emotional learning for elementary-aged students containing:

Fairness: making sure that everyone has what they need to succeed. A hot topic in our politics and world today, elementary school students can greatly benefit from lessons in fairness as they fine-tune their social-emotional skills to grow into productive, active learners and friends. And with more awareness around personalized needs than ever before, it's important to explain how "fair" can be different for everyone. In the second of a 10-lesson unit on Social-Emotional Learning designed for elementary-aged students and developed in partnership with The Curriculum Corner, students will explore Fairness. Through a series of group discussions, self-reflection activities, and literary analysis, students will increase their social-emotional awareness and understanding of how "fair" impacts their lives and others. Download this free lesson plan unit on social-emotional learning for elementary-aged students containing:

It's hard to believe - but we're already coming up to the end of the school year! As you prepare students for their final weeks in your classroom, you may be thinking about how this year's class can "leave a legacy" for next year's students, or maybe you're trying to come up with activities to keep their minds sharp during the summer months to come. We've brought in reinforcements to help with both of those things! With 21st Century Skills in mind, Jill and Cathy from The Curriculum Corner share 4 " tips" with us around the 4 Cs - critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication - for wrapping up end-of-year with the help of the VariQuest Motiva™, Cutout Maker, and Perfecta® tools!

Social-Emotional Learning is a concept top-of-mind with educators these days, and for good reason. While not a new idea by any means, developing students' social and emotional skills makes them more productive, active learners and peers - and who doesn't want that in the classroom? In the first of a 10-lesson unit on Social-Emotional Learning designed for elementary-aged students and developed in partnership with The Curriculum Corner, students will explore Kindness. Through a series of group discussions, self-reflection activities, and literary analysis, students will increase their social-emotional awareness of how kindness can impact themselves and others. Download this free lesson plan unit on social-emotional learning for elementary-aged students containing: