If you have not spent time on the Google Chrome App store it is definitely worth a look (same for iTunes, depending on whether you are Mac or not). There are some extraordinary apps for teachers and students.

Some favorites are evernote, googledocs, gamestar mechanic, and edmodo. Spend some time browsing the store though, there are apps for various levels of math, various units of science, productivity, design, communication, writing, video, art, and much more.

You can weave these into your own lessons or help be an advisor to students around what apps they might want to check out.

Testing may be over or nearly over, which for many students means that nothing else matters. What better time to reinforce that this is all about the learning, not just the state test!

Make every day count. We often do not take advantage of symbolic opportunities. Plan a fantastic, engaging, and relevant lesson for your first day after testing to communicate to your students that there is more learning left and they are going to love it!

In many areas of the country we are in the heart of “testing time.”

One of the best ways to support students during this time is to celebrate a stellar effort. This includes individual focus, double checking, etc., but it also includes respecting others in the classroom when you finish early and using positive language.

We have also recently entered a time when testing is becoming very stressful for teachers. When you as the teacher communicate that you are proud of your students’ effort, no matter what the score is, and you share smiles and fun activities around the testing schedule, this can make a HUGE difference for many students. Put that smile on and shower them with praise!

In an earlier post, the idea of using community circles was proposed. One way to use the circles is to create an open meeting protocol. This may be more effective with older students and is listed here because it can improve the participation when people know each other better.

Once the meeting starts (in the classroom this will usually be with a fairly open ended prompt) then students share as they are “moved to.” At times it may be quiet for a moment, and if a few people talk at once they will need to learn to sort that out (usually a couple of people will wait and students are very respectful of each other - if not, it is a teaching and learning opportunity).

Given the opportunity, students can share amazing things with each other. Give it a try.

This is an ideal time to sketch out the end of the year. It will be here before you know it and you will want to make it special for your students.

What makes sense for your context? Is it a culminating field trip either around a unit of study or just to celebrate? Is is a day long series of activities within your classroom? What does the end of year schedule look like at your school? Will parents be involved? What might you be doing between now and then that fits with your overall plan?

It is very, very important to end well, and this does not mean just on the last day. What positives can you build on and cement in your children’s mind? What challenges persist that you may be able to flip into a successful memory in this last month?

Patience really is a virtue.

This is the time of year when you may find yourself at your wit’s end with certain behaviors and certain students. It is common practice to have sharp interactions in front of the class, but there are mountains of evidence that this is not the best way to change behavior.

Keep whole class interactions short and non-distracting and follow up with the student(s) later and in private. This allows for a more nuanced conversation and conveys a level of respect that students greatly appreciate it. Plus, it opens the door for other things to be shared and can lead to a stronger learning relationship.

It is incredibly challenging to ensure that your teaching meet the needs of every child, every day, but that is what you have been hired to do.

As the year begins to wind up, use this as a time to test yourself and collect feedback from your students. Is every child being asked to do the same thing? Are there opportunities to take the learning different directions based on level and interest? Are you planning explicitly with your students in mind and adjusting planning accordingly? This can help you determine whether you are teaching a “program” or teaching students.

If it is the former, try to experiment with little changes that allow you to support students you know well.

Part of joyful learning is connected with meaningful activities. There are many “fun” activities, or discrete skills activities that are part of very popular programs in our schools. We need to look at these with a new, more judgemental eye.

Does a child who is reading at a solid level need to engage in endless word work? What is really happening at the literacy centers - is it real reading, writing, and thinking? Does the math assignment go beyond procedural practice to delve deeper into mathematical thinking and the communication of that thinking? Is history an exercise in map coloring or does it go deeper?

Don’t take the easy way out. Take one week and analyze every lesson and activity with a critical eye on meaning - and make any necessary tweaks or changes to ensure that it is meaningful. Then observe the data: Are students more engaged? Are they asking more higher level questions? Are they connecting learning with the real world?

Hats off to Haggerty where two of our boys go to school in Cambridge. They sponsored a “science morning” in which parents were invited to come in and see the work of the students in science.

One classroom created a passport system in which students hosted seven or eight different “centers” highlighting science learning for the year. It was hands on for parents, fun for students, and showcased some terrific science learning. In the other, students read and showed their science journals to adults moving around the classroom.

What could you showcase in your classroom? Could you organize a “fair” showing off work in your subject area?

This is a great time of year to consolidate learning, and there is no better way than to leverage a real audience that matters to the students.

With only a couple of months left in the school year, parents may be a little nervous about student learning. This is likely true regardless of student level, but the worries may be very different.

Do you know what your parents are thinking about? If not, try creating a survey (perhaps online through something like survey monkey) to get an idea of what parents as a group are thinking. A fairly simple question and collection routine could give you individualized information as well.

Imagine how you would feel as a parent if a teacher asked you what you wanted your child to learn/master in the last couple of months, and then helped your child achieve that? Try to create that feeling :)