Engaging Reading Blocks: Hour of Gold Reading Block

Super Engaging Reading Blocks: 50 Ways to Make Reading Fun and Engaging for All Students

1. Student interest and curiosity leads the ELA curricula
2. Keep ELA teacher led READING lessons short (micro lectures)
3. Use Kagan cooperative learning structures 
4. KEEP IT FUN! When in doubt through it out 

My Top Picks for Engaging Reading Blocks:

1. Read and follow along with the teacher or audio books
2. Make your own fluency passages from high interest literature like the Guardians of the Galaxy movie script
3. Sing lots of songs, chants, and cheers
4. Play The Legendary Lands Vocabulary Game
5. Read aloud advanced literature that offers 1000's of teachable moments (literary terms, elements, devices, and techniques, text features)

The Hour of Gold Reading Block is Curiosity and Child Driven, Not
Data Driven. Think of The Hour of Gold Reading Block as your front row ticket to Cirque du Soleil. The Gold Hour is the reading block of your dreams, no workbooks, no weekly unit test, no Smart board widgets, no basal readers, and no end of year (EOG/EOC) State reading assessments! Your students' curiosity and passions drive the reading block.
The Hour of Gold Reading Block is all about creating a deep love of reading, learning, emotive questioning, critical thinking, and optimizing reading enjoyment/engagement. Reading blocks today can be over structured, over scheduled, and at times they can be outright boring and actually kill the joy of reading. Published reading programs seem to be based on test prep, leaving the reading process more tedious, dull, and monotonous. Reading blocks that rely on basal readers and worksheets leave most students flat and unengaged. Students that absolutely love reading, read more and inevitably do better on state reading test. Maybe we need to rethink the basal based reading block and publisher made busy work-books. Imagine if we completely focused on the joy and love of reading and language ARTS.

Hour of Gold Reading Block Goals:

1. Increasing all students' love and enjoyment of learning and reading. 
2. Decreasing substantially the number of students that struggle, hate, and/or avoid reading.
3. Moving from students with reading difficulties and/or an aversion to reading to engaged motivated readers and learners.
4. Building dynamic listening, speaking, reading, and the foundations of cogent written communication. 

50 Ideas for the Hour of Gold Reading Block:

Daily Oral Language and Oracy Practice:

• 1. Go on virtual field trips! 2. Bring virtual and augmented reality to classroom reading activities using Google Cardboard and Google Expedition 360; 3. Sing lots of songs, chants, and cheers; 4. Listen and read along with audio books; 4. Recite and recitation of emotive/thought provoking poems, maxims, and mottoes; 5. Incorporating sentence frames and sentence stems/starters when practicing academic listening and speaking; 6. Incorporating drama/comedy, sharing jokes and riddles; 7. Read alouds, more read alouds, and yes more read alouds; 8, Engage student discussions and dialogue with Socratic seminars and philosophical chairs. 9. Real walking field trips to local parks, stores, churches, restaurants, urban farms, gyms, and/or professional offices; 10. MORE SINGING, MORE AUTHENTIC LISTENING AND SPEAKING, MORE QUESTIONS, AND MORE TPR total physical response.

Daily Phonemic Awareness and Phonics (Preschool-3rd):

• 11. Use ALL the CREATIVE arts and all the modalities to explore the relationship between songs, rhyming, rhythms, music, lyrics, sounds, and written symbols; 12. Play auditory processing "Phonemic Awareness" and "Phonics" visual spacial games; 13. Incorporate the visuals arts and multi-sensory scaffolds to teach the sound-spelling relationships of phonics; 14. Use songs, rhyming, rhythms, and music to boost phonemic awareness; 15. Read poetry and explore the patterns, cadence/meter, richness of rhyming and rhythms of language. 16. Get up and sing, PLAY, move, dance, and create art!

Daily Fluency Practice:

• 17. Reading fluency is your students playground, an opportunity to be actors and comedians; 18. Make your own fluency passages from high interest literature like Guardians of the Galaxy movie script; 19. Make reading fluency practice into a game, compaction, an exciting goal setting challenge; 20. Read jokes, read riddles, read plays, read menus, read game rules, read song lyrics, read movie scripts, read a page from a chapter book, and don't get stuck reading prepackaged boring fluency drills; 21. Read list of sight words; 22, Read chorally and echo read; 23. Read and follow along with audio books; 24. Read with a buddy, 24. And ALWAYS Repeat what you read!

Daily Academic Vocabulary Practice: 

• 25. Read aloud advanced literature that offers 1000's of teachable moments (literary terms, elements, devices, and techniques, text features); 26. Use advanced collegiate language "English 101-202", with all students, even with the primary grades; 27. Daily high interest read alouds that engage and expose student to advanced tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary; 28. Incorporate project and phenomenon based learning that fuses all content areas and exposes students to real world vocabulary; 29. Language and concepts, students build their own word-walls based on their interest using using the three step process; 30. Confer with students on a regular bases to to check their choices of words and their level of understanding; 31. Celebrate the joy of learning new words and new concepts especially the words and concepts students are interested in learning; 32. incorporate internet based AI virtual assistant to speed the process of word spelling and term acquisition; 33. Incorporate Flocabulary; 34. Play Legendary Lands Vocabulary game; 35. Incorporate Hot dots Self-Paced Learning; 36. and Add Lakeshore Board ELA Learning games.

Daily Reading Comprehension Practice:

• 37. Teach students how to develop independent cogent readers skills, close reading and analytical reading strategies; 38. Incorporate Socratic seminars and philosophical chairs; 39. Incorporate Inside-outside circle; 40. Incorporate THINK, PAIR, SHARE; 41. Start a RTI READING BOOT CAMP; 42 Incorporate "Opinion" Take a Stand 43. Use TEXT CODING  and MARKING THE TEXT; 44. Incorporate Close Reading Jigsaw; 45. Practice listening comprehension daily. 46. Read the rainbow and think,"how can we read outside of the box", comic books, choose your own adventures, graphic novels, Horrible Histories, 47, Watch Japanese anime movie and read the subtitles; 48. Read varied and vast literature and cast a wide net; 49. Read Shakespeare, The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Grimms' original Fairy Tales; 50. Read, research, study and learn before you take your virtual field trips, again bring virtual and augmented reality to classroom activities using Google Cardboard/Google Expedition 360; 51. Create or watch a BBC 60 Second Shakespeare;

Reflective Sentence Starters | Reflective Sentence Frames

Students who are new or are inexperienced with reflective writing need support! When reflecting, analyzing thoughts, and responding to questions or writing, it easier to start the reflective writing process with sentence frames. Below are 70+ samples of reflective sentence starters/frames. 

1. I wonder,…
2. I discovered,...
3. I ponder,…
4. I think,…
5. I learned,…
6. I've reflected on,...
7. After further reflection I,...
8. What I thought (believed) was wrong,...
9. My imagination was on fire after,...
10. I know my understanding is,...
11. My mind was changed after reading,...
12. I have considered many ideas/thoughts/facts,…
13. How did/do I feel after learning/ reading,…
14. What would I say about,…
15. If given a chance to speak publicly,.... I would,…
16. I have two/three takeaways after learning/ reading,…
17. For me the most important/interesting idea/issue/fact was,…
18. A few suggestions that I will give myself,…
19. I have improved my understanding of,…
20. Having learned about,… I feel/ know/ question/ think/ wonder/ understand/ doubt/ felt/ realized,…
21. Because I do not fully comprehend I will need to,…
22. My comprehension/ understanding/ knowledge was expanded after/ when I,…
23. This knowledge could be essential for me in my,…
24. Previously I thought (did not think),…
25. My new understanding of,…began after I… 
26. I have developed a deep appreciation for,…
27. Initially, I questioned my understanding about,…
28. Having learned/ studied/ read I know feel/ think/ know/ realize/ wonder/ question/ know,…
29. Initially, I never questioned,…
30. This new insight/knowledge/understanding is essential for me because,…
31. After researching the important facts, I was surprised by,…
32. This makes me feel,…
33. For me, I am not yet certain about...
34. The significant/relevant/poignant/important for me was,…
35. What I discovered today is,… 
36. I've cogitated and digested many ideas on,…
37. I've deliberated on many issues,…
38. I've found a new way to look at this,…
39. I see somethings in a new light,…
40. What I never considered before was,…
41. What I was hoping to learn/discover/uncover is... 
42. I recently figured out why/how/who,…
43. I was challenged when,…
44. How I changed my mind and my stars (future) was,…?
45. I slowly changed my mind about,…
46. I have some pretty strange notions about,…
47. I know a little about,…
48. It might be crazy to think,…
49. I learned that...
50. More often than not I … 
51. A different idea I have on,…
52. A few interesting things I've learned,… 
53. Today, I was inspired to,… 
54. I’ve discovered that,… 
55. There are many/different ways to look at,… 
56. After careful deliberation,…
57. What I like about,…  
58. I know there’s 
59. I’ve reflected on,.... 
60. There is one thing that intrigues me about… 
61. I’m thoroughly impressed with … 
62. What I thought is,… 
63. If we really want to make a difference then … 
64. I have an exciting announcement … 
65. There are many proven strategies that I … 
66. I thought it would be interesting to share … 
67. I now know that... 
68. An interesting thing that I discovered… 
69. The more I read/researched/studied the more I realize that … 
70. I am really intrigued to know/learn that … 
71. When ‘fishing for ideas’ I tend to … 
72. Wow! Sometimes the truth hurts because I… 

Reflection Sentence Vocabulary!

Bill and Ted Reflective Sentence Starters 
Learning is a most excellent way too,…
Whoa,... that is/was bodacious,…
Dude,... this is a most excellent/ bodacious issues/ ideas/ facts
Nothing is as bodacious as what I just learned,…

The most common types of sentence starters used in academic writing:

- Introducing an argument: Furthermore, evidence shows; In addition, one must consider; Moreover, recent research indicates that...

- Showing contrast: However, some argue; On the other hand, contradicting information suggests; Nevertheless, many experts disagree that... 

- Giving examples: For instance, one example is; To illustrate, we can look to the case of; Specifically, data shows this trend in...

- Stating cause/effect: Therefore, the data leads to; As a result, experts have observed; Because of these conditions, we can expect...

- Expressing similarity: Similarly, this case also demonstrates; In the same way, analogous processes occurred; Correspondingly, consistent patterns emerged...

- Referring to a source: According to [name],; As demonstrated in [name]'s experiment,; Supported by [name]'s evidence...

- Showing agreement: Clearly, these results validate; Of course, this confirms; There is no doubt that the statistics prove...

- Showing doubt: Unlikely, this claim rests on; Dubious, the evidence barely supports; Questionable, this conclusion exceeds...

- Drawing conclusions: In conclusion, the evidence points to; Ultimately, the data leads us to; Therefore, we can determine... 

- Introducing an idea: Regarding this new concept; Turning to another issue; In terms of this alternative...

- Clarifying ideas: To clarify, this means; In other words, the essence is; Simply stated, the principle centers on...

Positive Report Card Comments: Student Work Habits

Positive Report Card Comments: Student Work Ethics and Work Habits

Your child:

1. quickly understands new academic strategies, concepts and ideas.
2. works tirelessly to understand new academic strategies, concepts and ideas.
3. keeps organized by using agendas, graphic organizers, check list, and SMART academic goals.
4. your child models excellence in all school activities. 
5. has high standards and produces high quality work.
6. practices self advocacy, they seek advice and guidance to deepen their understanding.
7. completes and checks classwork thoroughly, using multiple strategies and heuristics before submitting it.
8. is a model scholar, they are curious, and show an eagerness to learn and be challenged
9. stays on task and focused with little or no supervision.
10. displays great focus and self-discipline.
11. learns from errors and mistakes through seeking feedback and reflection.
12. creates impressive genius hour/makerspace projects.
13. is a conscientious, detail oriented student...
14. works independently and keeps focused especially on...
15. is a self-motivated student.
16. consistently completes classwork/homework with precision, care, and a positive attitude.
17. always puts forth their best effort into all assignments.
18. exceeds expectations with the quality of their work.
19. is a conscientious, responsible, hard-working student.
20. is industrious and a self starter. 
21. works independently and carefully.
22. is highly motivated and their work-ethic exceeds the teachers expectations.
23. consistently shows great perseverance on difficult and rigorous tasks.
24. puts forth their best effort into homework assignments.
25. exceeds expectations with the quality of their work.

Positive Report Card Words

accomplished, adept, apt, alert, amazing, artistic, articulate, assiduous, attentive, capable, candid, careful, cheerful, confident, conscientious, cooperative, competent, compassionate, considerate, courteous, creative, curious, diligent, dynamic, eager, energetic, grateful, generous, hard-working, helpful, honest, imaginative, independent, industrious, meticulous, motivated, observant, organized, outgoing, pleasant, polite, resourceful, sincere, thoughtful, thorough, studious, vigilant

Conclusion Sentence Starters & Sentence Frames

Examples of Conclusion Sentence Stems, Sentence Frames, Starters for academic Essays and Speeches | Opinion, argument, persuasive essay. claim, and expository conclusion sentence starters

A concluding sentence needs to restate information covered in the paragraph in a way that shows a deep understanding of the content of the paragraph. Students need exemplars of conclusion sentence frames and complete conclusions to help them develop these skills in their own writing. Introductions and conclusions are part of all State academic writing assessments and rubrics, they are the foundation and the capstone of academic essay writing.  

Examples of concluding sentence starters and sentence frames:

1. My last, final, concluding point is, . . . 
2. I wonder how, . . . 
3. I am shaken to my core by, . . . 
4. I will make a counter proposal, . . . 
5. The nexus between, . . .  and , . . .
6. Please consider this, . . . before, . . . 
7. My final thoughts are, . . . 
8. I truly believe that . . . 
9. I think that . . . 
10. It seems clear to me that . . . 
11. It is clear that . . . 
12. It strikes me that . . . 
13. There is no doubt that . . . 
14. There must be no doubt that . . .
15. I am convinced that . . . 
16. It may appear that . . . 
17. It is obvious that . . .
18. In conclusion, . . .
19. To paraphrase, . . .
20. I will conclude by, . . .
21. I would like to argue, . . . 
22. On the basis of the evidence presented, . . . 
23. On balance, . . . 
24. The evidence challenges, . . .
25. The facts support the claim, argument, that . . . 
26. It is my sincere belief that . . .
27. It is worth reiterating/restating/retelling/re-examining, . . .
28. I will conclude by reiterating/restating/retelling/re-examining, . .
29. My main premise/theses/findings are, . . .
30. My final analysis/argument/opinion, . . .
31. My last point is, . . .
32. My main argument/claim/opinion was/is, . . .
33. My final thought/s, . . .
34. My final idea/s, . . .
35. My final question/s, . . .
36. One final thought, . . .
37. One final idea, . . .
38. One final question, . . .
39. In the end, . . .
40. In my final analysis/argument/opinion, . . .
41. A brief overview of, . . .
42. To briefly review, . . .
43. My reflections on, . . .
44. My final thoughts and concluding ideas are, . . . 
45. To conclude, . . . 
46. I would like to say, . . . 
47. To sum up, . . . 
48. Finally, I, . . . 
49. Lastly, . . . 
50. In conclusion, . . . 
51. To finish off, . . . 
52. All in all, . . . 
53. In the end, . . . 
54. So as you can see, . . . 
55. Overall, . . . 
56. As evidence shows, . . . 
57. To summarize my argument/opinion/claim, . . . 
58. As I already explained, . . . 
59. In closing, . . . 
60. To wrap up, . . . 
61. My conclusions are, . . . 
62. Therefore, . . . 
63. As expressed, . . .
64. Overall I believe, . . . 
65. As a result, . . . 
66. Finally, . . . 
67. Lastly, my feelings are, . . . 
68. In summary, . . . 
69. To review, . . . 
70. My conclusion was flawed, . . . 
71. In brief, . . . 
72. To summarize, . . . 
73. To sum up, . . . 
74. To conclude, . . . 
75. Thus, . . . 
76. Hence, . . . 
77. It has been shown that . . . 
78. In short, . . . 

Expository Writing Sentence Starters, Sentence Frames, and Sentence Openers 

Providing emergent writers with a choice of thesis statements

"sentence frames" for their expository writing will help students build confidence when writings essays and reports. The expository theses or expository sentence opener is different from an argument or opinion essay because it does not introduce an opinion, make claims, state an argument, and or try to persuade. Expository writing is about presenting facts, reasons, evidence, logical ideas, information in a logical sequence.  

The topic sentence or focus sentence is a prescriptive grammatical term that describes the sentence in an expository or narrative paragraph which introduces or summarizes the main idea of that paragraph. It is usually the first sentence in emergent writers' paragraphs and a difficult concept to master for many young writers. The writer's craft is supported with sentence starters and theses statements that build a student's confidence, ease writing stress, motivate students and demystify writing.

• It's interesting to learn that..., 
• It's an interesting argument...,
• It's fascinating to justify that..., 
• It's fascinating to explore...,
• It's fascinating to illustrate...,
• It's amazing to think about …,
• It's amazing to ponder …,
• It's amazing to learn …,
• Let me explain in more detail...,
• Let me expand on one idea...,
• Let me educate you about...,
• Let me enlighten you...,
• Let me expound further..,
• You’ll be excited to learn that...,
• You’ll be excited to know..., 
• You’ll be amazed to learn..., 
• Do you realize that..,
• You know that.., 
• have you ever thought about..., 
• Have you ever wondered..., 
• Have you ever discovered...,
• Let me justify my evidence, reasons or opinion..., 
• Of course, most/few agree that..., 
• Of course, no one agrees that...,
  Of course, no one agrees that..., 
• It's interesting to note that..., 
• In a unique, parallel or odd way..., 
• In a fascinating discovery..., 
• It’s incredible to think..., 
• It’s incredible to think..., 
• You’d better believe that …, 
• You’d understand more.., 
• You’d interpret less if.., 
• You’d be fascinated to know more about.., 
• You’d be intrigued to know that..,
• You’ll comprehend concisely that …, 
• You’ll discover new insights…,
• You’ll be amazed that …, 
• You’ll apprehend more …, 
• Don’t you know that..., 
• You’d agree that..., 
• You Wouldn't need to justify if …,
• It's interesting to learn that..., 
• It's an interesting argument..., 
• It's fascinating to justify that..., 
• It's fascinating to explore..., 
• It's fascinating to illustrate...,
• It's amazing to think about …, 
• It's amazing to ponder …, 
• It's amazing to learn …, 
• Let me explain..., 
• Let me expand on..., 
• Let me educate you..., 
• Let me enlighten you..., 
• Let me expound.., 
• You’ll be excited to learn that..., 
• You’ll be excited to know..., 
• You’ll be amazed to learn .., 
• Do you realize that.., 
• Do you know that.., 
• Have you ever thought about..., 
• Have you ever wondered..., 
• Have you ever discovered..., 
• Let me justify..., 
• Of course, most agree that..., 
• Of course, a few agree that..., 
• Of course, no one agrees that..., 
• It's interesting to note that..., 
• In a unique way..., 
• In a parallel way..., 
• In a fascinating discovery...,
• It’s incredible to think..., 
• You’d better believe that …, 
• You’d understand more.., 
• You’d interpret less if.., 
• You’d be fascinated to know more about.., 
• You’d be intrigued to know that..,
• You’ll comprehend concisely that …, 
• You’ll discover new insights…, 
• You’ll be amazed that …, 
• You’ll apprehend more …, 
• Don’t you know that..., 
• You’d agree that..., 
• Wouldn't need to justify if … (Many, Most, Some) 
• Experts agree that ...
• Let me enlighten you..., 
• Let me question your thinking..., 
• Let me argue the point that ..., 
• Let me ask you a question, (who, what, where, whom, why or how)...,
• There are many, some, few or no reasons that..., 
• There are justifications for..., 
• There are/aren't reasons that..., 
• There are many, few, some or no way(s) in which..., 
• Would you believe that...,
• Can you imagine what..., 
• So, what do we really know about..., 
• So, what do we really understand about..., 
• So, what do you really know about....
• So, what do you really know about..., 
• Incredibly, no one knows...,
• Incredibly, new knowledge that I..., 
• Incredibly, what is the justification for..., 
• It is true that...It's not common knowledge that... 
• So, you want to understand how...., 
• So, you want to imagine how...., 
• So, you want to believe that...., 
• Most, many, some or no people agree that..., 
• Oftentimes, you will find...., 
• For years...,
• Historically..., 
• It’s hard to believe, but...., 
• You will find that.... 
• You, will doubt that... 
• You’ll soon observe that..., 
• Many, some, few, or no one will argue that..., 
• Without a doubt, …, 
• In the first, second, third or last place..., 
• Let me tell you..., 
• Let me educate you..., 
• Let me inform you about..., 
• Let me entertain you, 
• Let me stretch your understanding..., 
• In many, some, few or no way(s)...,

TIME AND ORDER SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

After, At once, Before, During, First . . . second . . . third 

First . . . next . . . then, If . . . then . . . , In the meantime 

Meanwhile, Often, Presently, Shortly, Soon after, Still 

Temporarily, Until, When, While 

ADDITION SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

Additionally, Also, As well as, Besides, Furthermore, In addition, Likewise, Moreover, Not only, Similarly 

CONTRAST SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

Although, But, Despite, However, In contrast, Instead, On the contrary, On the other hand, Unlike, Yet 

CONCESSION SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

Admittedly, Certainly, Clearly, Evidently, Granted, Naturally, Obviously, Of course, Undeniably, Understandably 

CAUSE AND EFFECT SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

As a result, Because, Consequently, Since, So, Therefore 

EXAMPLES SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

For example, For instance, In particular, Specifically, Such as, To illustrate 

CONCLUSIONS SENTENCE TRANSITIONS

Finally, Generally, In brief, In conclusion, In summary, On the whole 

Cause & Effect Sentence Transitions

therefore • consequently • thus • as a result (of) • for this reason • accordingly • so • for since • because • if…then • in order to

Addition Sentence Transitions

moreover • furthermore • finally • in addition (to) • besides and • nor • not only…but also • • both…and

Comparison  Sentence Transitions

likewise • similarly • in the same way • in the same manner 

just as…so • the more…the more • whether…or • either…

or • neither…nor

Contrast Sentence Transitions

however • nevertheless • in spite of • despite • in contrast • on the other hand • on the contrary  • but • yet • the more…the less

although • though • even though • unlike • while • whereas • 

despite • in spite of 

Time or Sequence Sentence Transitions

first/second/third • then/next/finally • afterwards • meanwhile • previously • initially • later • subsequently no sooner…than when • whenever • while • until • before • after • as soon as • as long as first/second/third • then/next/finally • afterward • meanwhile • previously • initially • later • subsequently • no sooner…than when • whenever • while • until • before • after • as soon as • as long as

Topic Sentence Starters: 

It is amazing to think about …, Let me explain …. You’ll be excited to learn that …, Do you realize that …, Have you ever thought about …, Have you ever wondered…, Let me tell you about …, It’s incredible that …, There are many reasons that …, There are many ways in which…, So, you want to understand how…, Why do …, How can …, When do …, Where can… It’s hard to believe, but… , You will find that… , You’ll soon discover that… , No one will argue that… , So, why is (are)… , What’s so great about…

Sentence Starters for Emergent and Advanced Writers 

Examining Prior Knowledge:
I understand that…
This reminds me of…
This relates to…

Forming Interpretations:
What this means to me is…
I think this represents…
The idea I’m getting is…
One question that this text answers is…
One question that this text addresses is…

Asking Questions:
I wonder why…
What if…
How come…
How is it possible that…

Monitoring:
I lost track of everything except…
I need to reread the part where…
I know I’m on the right track because…
A term or idea that was unclear to me was…

Predicting:
I’ll bet that…
I think…
If ____, then …

Revising Meaning:
At first I thought _____, but now I…
My latest thought about this is…
I’m getting a different picture here because…

Visualizing:
I can imagine…
In my mind I see…
If this were a movie scene…

Analyzing the Author’s Craft:
A golden line for me is…
This word/phrase stands out for me because…
I like how the author uses ____ to show…

Making Connections:
This reminds me of…
I experienced this once when…
I can relate to this to other readings because…
The argument here is similar to ___ because…
Another example of ___ is…

Reflecting and Relating:
So, the big idea is…
A conclusion that I’m drawing is…
This is relevant to my life because…
This author is trying to make me (see, feel, know,
do) …
It makes a difference that this text was written
because…

Adopting an Alignment:
The character I most identify with is…
The idea I find most provocative is…
I reject this author’s view because…

Evaluating:
I like/don’t like ____ because…
This could be more effective if…
The most important message here is…
One big difference between this and ___ is…

Sources: New York City Writing Project, “Monitoring Our Reading.” NY: Lehman College, 2000.

Quick Tips Sentence Writing Transitions Samples 

Organization Transitions

Learned Helplessness: 7+ Methods to Replace Learned Helplessness with Learned Perseverance!

How do you help your students' overcome learned helplessness?

Going from learned helplessness to learned perseverance!

Learned helplessness is a maladaptive coping strategy that is a response to failure, fear, and/or mental trauma. Students may choose to "opt out" to avoid failing, struggling, or the fear of failing. Students may display learned helplessness because they have learned it is easier to opt-out or let teachers or the parent do their work. Learned helplessness can present as lying, cheating, shutting down, acting confused, and/or physical/mental illness.  This can and does become a habit or learned response to all academic learning if no new coping skills or strategies are developed. Students need to adopt new positive habits, success mindsets, positive coping systems, and logical problem solving heuristics to develop learned perseverance.

• Use great literature that teaches stoicism, the path through strife and failure. Explore characters that have given up or won't even start the journey. Teachers, parents, and students must treat struggle, failure and setbacks as beneficial and critical to growth and learning, not to be feared, avoided, or/and banned in schools. Failure needs to be elevated to the greatest of all teachers. "I'm done/finished", "I already know", "I'm opting-out", "I can't", or an "I won't attitude", is never an option in their school/classroom. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
• Teach students the only way to develop deep wisdom and understanding is through learning from failure and mistakes. Mistakes are proof you are trying. A growth mindset is not learned through a set of daily lessons, chants, bulletin boards, it is learned through repeated failures and a students attitude and response to those failures. 
• Use Kagan Cooperative learning structures. Students will put their learned helplessness on pause when they are supported by peers. 
• Use micro lectures to front load each small step, then teach and reteach each step of the system or skills being practiced. 
• While students are practicing and rehearsing skills covered in the micro lectures, use frequent catch and release teaching technique.  Catch and release allows students to try more difficult tasks because they know the teacher will constantly spiral through concept and skills. 
• Allow individual students and cooperative learning groups time to struggle, and yes even let them fail. Everyone at one point misunderstands, forgets, and interprets incorrectly and we yes all make mistakes, but if we rescue students they will not learn to develop more logical heuristics to solve problems.
• Teach students problem solving heuristics (logical decisions making). Learned helplessness is a maladaptive heuristic, a coping mechanism to avoid failure. Teaching students new problem solving strategies that directly replace maladaptive responses with new stoic habits that help students develop perseverance, resilience, and problem solving.
• Use SMART goals!
• Use WHOLE BRAIN TEACHING 
• USE ROLE PLAYING
• TEACH STOIC PHILOSOPHY 

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[PDF]https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-1-4899-0936-7_8.pdf
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[PDF]The Effectiveness of a Multi-Dimensional Teaching Strategy on ...Learned helplessness is a coping strategy that some students adopt in response to ... may choose to avoid situations of this nature by failing to attend classes and ... maladaptive behaviours to cope with the stress of feeling helpless. ..... A cultural heuristic approach to the study of Jamaican undergraduate.

[PDF]Action regulation, coping, and development - Portland State University suggest that emotion regulation may be a form of coping. .... interactions with the social and physical environments, is the mechanism .... dictability, or failure (instances of chaos); and restraint, demands, ..... Maladaptive coping can ..... ment, learned helplessness, and self-determination (Compas, 1987, ...

[PDF]Learned Helplessness - Semantic ScholarChapter VII: The Value of Attribution Retraining for the Learned Helpless and ... attribution is one theory which states people explain success and failure as either ... retraining was purposed to alter maladaptive attributions to increase efforts ..... the first group soon began to stop trying completely (Kramer & Rosellini, 1982).

[PDF]Learned Helplessness - Positive Psychology Center - University of ...LEARNED HELPLESSNESS. MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN, PH.D.1. Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology,. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ...

[PDF]learned helplessness - CSUN.eduLearned Helplessness ABSTRACT: Over generalization of the learned- helplessness model could encourage the assumption that instrumental coping behavior (voluntary.

[PDF]Learned helplessness - Swarthmore Collegelearned helplessness have been extended to almost every domain of modern psychology. And second Seligman has played a significant role in almost all of.

[PDF]Learned Helplessness and Socialization: A ... - Semantic ScholarLearned Helplessness, Depression, Disease Susceptibility, Coping with ... The phenomenon is described as learned helplessness which refers ...

[PDF]Depression and Learned Helplessness in Man - Semantic ScholarSimilarity of impairment in naturally occurring depression and laboratory-induced, learned helplessnesswas demonstrated in college students. Three groups ...

[PDF]Learned helplessness and generalization - Stanford UniversityAbstract. In learned helplessness experiments, subjects first expe- rience a lack of control in one situation, and then show learning deficits when performing or ...