Thoughtful Learning Blog

Thoughtful Learning Blog

The Thoughtful Learning blog features articles about English language arts, 21st century skills, and social-emotional learning. Insights come from the teachers, writers, and developers at Thoughtful Learning, who have been creating top-notch instructional materials for more than 40 years.

Aug
6

2021

Make Way for Writers' Notebooks

Boy writing in notebook

Not all the writing your students do needs to be in formal, graded assignments. 

In fact, most should occur in low-stakes situations, where students can brainstorm, wonder, create, practice, reflect, and apply skills without fear of grades or criticism. 

A writer’s notebook offers the perfect canvas for such writing. Writing in a paper or digital notebook for 10–20 minutes a day helps students build a writing identity, gather topic ideas, and experiment with new skills and techniques. 

Jul
28

2021

How to Address Back-to-School Fears

Girl hugging question mark

When the new school year begins, students will enter classrooms feeling a range of emotions, not the least of which is fear. They may wonder: Do I belong? Am I smart enough? Will people tease me? And, most importantly, Am I safe here?

If students feel unsafe and unsupported, they won’t be able to pay attention, focus, take risks, and learn.

You can create a safe environment for learning not by ignoring fear, but by acknowledging it and helping students work through it.

Jul
27

2021

Keep Calm And Reflect On Your Teaching

July is flying by in a flash. We hope you are spending time relaxing, refreshing, and recuperating—even as back-to-school season approaches ever so quickly.  
One of the best ways to soften the transition from summer to the new school year is through John Dewey’s favorite practice: reflection. Dewey believed deep learning happens not through experience but through reflecting on experience. 

Jun
10

2021

How to Give Good Grammar Feedback

Teacher at desk giving student feedback

Commenting on grammar issues in student writing presents a tricky teaching situation. You don’t want students to flounder without support, but you also don’t want them to drown in red corrections. 

Thankfully, a happy middle ground exists. 

Follow these tips to deliver quick, effective grammar feedback. Then download the free resource to see the advice in action. 

May
12

2021

Surveying Growth in Your Writing Classroom

You've given your students helpful writing feedback all year long. Now it's time to reverse roles.

Before summer break, survey your students about their learning experiences. Students will reflect on their progress and growth as writers, and you'll receive first-hand accounts of what worked and what didn't work in your classroom.

Featured Download: End-of-Year Writing Survey

Hand out this survey to gather information about students' attitudes, behaviors, and learning.

May
12

2021

Improve SEL Through Literature

Novels and short stories are filled with emotions. The characters in them experience the ups and downs of the human condition, often in dramatic fashion. And as we read along, we feel things, too—about the characters and ourselves. For these reasons, literature offers a gateway to social-emotional learning in your classroom.

When students analyze the emotions of the characters they are reading about, they gain not only a greater understanding of the text but also a greater understanding of their own emotions.

May
4

2021

Close the Year with Joyful Writing

The last months of school go by in a flash. Writing prompts can help your students gather their memories of the year and prepare for what the summer holds.

These low-stakes activities also invite your students to see writing as a fun, meaningful, and—dare we say—joyful activity. The prompts help students honor their experiences and reflect on the school year.

My Top 10

Students create a Top 10 List for the school year. Topics can range from serious (Top 10 Things I Will Miss) to silly (Top 10 Worst Sounds at School).

Apr
8

2021

Connect SEL to the Brain

Brain diagram with stem shaded green, limbic system shaded yellow, and cortex shaded blue

Teaching students about their brains and how they work will help them understand their emotions and thoughts.

While the brain is a complex structure, you can teach its basic parts in a way students will understand. Introduce your students to the “lizard,” “dog,” and “owl” areas of their brains with this quick, hands-on lesson from In Focus.

Apr
1

2021

Best Practices for Teaching Grammar

Students often associate grammar with a complicated set of rules and terms instead of an avenue for clear and powerful writing.

Unfortunately, this misconception often stems from traditional ways of teaching grammar. (Think of sentence diagrams and red ink.) You can create better conditions in your classroom.

Make grammar relevant and useful to your students with these research-supported practices.

students working on their writing

1. Teach grammar with authentic writing.

To make grammar instruction stick, connect it to students’ writing. Introduce new concepts as students reach the editing stage of writing projects. That way, they apply the concepts in an authentic context. For example, if students are writing narratives, teach and practice how to punctuate dialogue. Then have students correctly punctuate the dialogue in their own writing.

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