The Chalk Blog

Your favorite Google tool just got a little better! 

As the school year winds to a close, students and teachers look forward to the end-of-year assemblies, field trips, field days, and class parties. We begin to relax as core learning wraps up and classrooms are cleaned, organized, and prepared for a dormant summer. But what do you do if the summer break countdown hasn’t hit zero yet? It can be a challenge to fill the widening gaps in class time that remain during those last days of school. To avoid the stress of planning and ensure you enjoy those last moments, we’ve gathered some of our favorite end-of-the-year activities (complete with video examples and templates), so you can focus your energy where it’s needed most—on community and closure!

Decades of research on the science of learning tells us that if you want an engaged community of learners, build in choice! Your students will be more motivated to learn and actually perform better. An added benefit for teachers– you’ll get much more interesting work to grade!

Preparing Students for the Future 

Let’s cut straight to the chase. This year has been hard. Not just navigating a new reading curriculum hard, adjusting to a new administrator hard, or even dealing with a few needy parents hard. This year, for many educators, has been utterly exhausting, out of control, a five-alarm level of burnout! 

Twos-day is coming! Are you prepared?

Are you desperately trying to stay on top of tech trends? Do you need help sifting through new research and creating innovative learning experiences for your students? If you’re like me you’ve probably thought about creating a PLN (personal learning network) or maybe you’ve even entered into the Twittersphere. Perhaps you’ve found influencers to follow on Instagram. But who are the best ed tech thought leaders to follow and which social media pages drop great tech bites into your feed? Have no fear! We’ve curated a great list of 5 ed tech leaders to follow in 2022. Get your PD on demand in the comfort of your home by adding this super group:

Indoor recess again?! This is the phrase every teacher dreads hearing after an exhausting morning of lessons. You know your students need an outlet for their energy and a break from the cognitive demands of the classroom, but the extreme weather has made outdoor time impossible. What do you do? If puzzles and board games just aren’t cutting it anymore, check out a few of our fresh ideas below! These 10 indoor recess activities will help beat boredom (and save your sanity!): 

Understanding and addressing student behavior often feels like a puzzle. Many pieces are necessary to make up the complete and TRUE picture. Does the child have positive connections with staff and other students? Does the child need routine? Could the child benefit from resilience building? What is developmentally normal? Has the child experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences or trauma? What is the function of behavior? Does she have a skill deficit? What is their learning style? Is he receiving proper nutrition? Did the child get a good night’s sleep? So many pieces…

What a year it’s been! After learning to simply survive in the world of virtual learning, many educators are putting their newly acquired tech skills and strategies to work in the traditional classroom. Reluctant tech educators are feeling more comfortable and confident tech educators are blazing the trail! As we look to 2022, there are several new digital tools that can keep you on the path to greater innovation and efficiency. Check out our Top 10 list for some notable ideas for better tech integration in 2022!