Living through a pandemic has placed an enormous mental-health burden on students. Stress and isolation have increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts among young people. Even though students are slowly returning to in-person classes, the mental toll of the past year will likely linger for a long time, influencing learning and behavior. How, then, can you best support your students’ social and emotional well-being while also caring for your own? To start, it is important to recognize what stress does to the brain.

Effective writing flows smoothly from sentence to sentence, leading to clear and pleasurable reading. Young writers, though, are still learning how to command the rhythm of a page. They can get their ideas down, but their sentences often sound choppy or halting. What they need is a little variety.

Sadness is a beautiful emotion, tender and vulnerable. When someone is sad or crying, it is like seeing into the person’s heart.  Yet, many students don’t know how to properly manage sadness. Sadness is not something they’ve carefully considered or discussed. As a result, they may bottle it up or feel embarrassed by it. You can empower students to deal with sadness in healthy ways. Use this quick activity from In Focus to start a conversation about sadness.

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. 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.

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. Learning About the Brain Today we are going to focus on learning about your brain.  (Hand out or display this illustration of the brain.) Our brains have three important areas.  (Point to the brain stem.) The first area is t

Fitting grammar instruction into your busy classroom can put you in a pickle. On the one hand, students need consistent practice and support with grammar and conventions. On the other hand, correctness is just one aspect of effective writing—students also need to develop other essential traits and write for authentic purposes. How can you find the time?  One solution is to integrate grammar minilessons into your larger writing units.

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.

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.

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.

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.  1. Choose the right time.  Early in the writing process, students should focus on the ideas, organization, and voice of their writing—and so should your feedback.