Ready to Learn: How to Overcome Social and Behavioral Issues in the Primary Classroom (Paperback)

by Jeanne Shub (Author), Amy DeWeerd (Author)
Key Phrases: chivalry notes, treasure unit, metaphorical adventures, Knight Unit, Sir James, Happy Forest (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ready to Learn offers teachers a way to help young children, including those with special emotional and behavioral needs, learn to treat classmates with kindness and respect....
- Helen Featherstone,Author of A Difference in the Family

I have seen this program in practice, and I am amazed at the outcomes ... I cannot imagine running an elementary school without Interplay.
- Mary Wagner
Principal, Green Meadow School, East Greenbush, NY

Do social and behavioral problems interfere with learning in your classroom? Do you have students who struggle to focus their attention, wait their turn, control their feelings, or monitor their own work? If so, Jeanne Shub and Amy DeWeerd can show you how to help these students become Ready to Learn.

Shub and DeWeerd have created a program called Interplay that helps children develop self - control, social skills, and problem - solving strategies. It involves metaphorical adventures built around stories, role playing, and structured tasks. Ready to Learn describes the research - based principles and strategies of Interplay and contains seven units, each focused on a particular learning skill such as attention, problem solving or self - control. With Shub and DeWeerd's techniques you'll both help students become motivated and energized to engage in the work of school, and learn how to develop the academic and social readiness of individual students while building community within the classroom.

Whether your classroom includes special - education students, students with learning disabilities and social impairments, or just a few kids who need to refocus their energies, Ready to Learn offers strategies that can transform your classroom and effective ways to address children's social and behavioral needs. Ready to Learn will guide you in creating a cooperative classroom environment in which students take responsibility for their own behavior and respect each other's efforts.

About the Author
Jeanne Shub is a child psychologist specializing in learning and school - related problems. She has taught in the primary grades and been a school consultant supervising teachers, school psychologists, school social workers, and speech therapists. Jeanne created Interplay in 1983 and has led professional workshops on it throughout this country and abroad.

Amy DeWeerd has spent the past twenty years teaching elementary school. She has taught the Interplay program as a graduate course in Albany, New York, as well as leading workshops for parents, teachers, administrators, and social workers since 1994. She also writes children's stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (July 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325008752
• ISBN-13: 978-0325008752
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #542,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars School Social Worker, December 12, 2006

By	Lily - See all my reviews

Ready to Learn offers teachers and support staff a wonderful program to help with various everyday classroom behavioral, social and learning issues. It describes how to run the story telling metaphorical projects that students are sure to become involved with- kids likes stories and adventures and to feel capable and successful. This seems to be what this program is all about. I found that while reading this it seemed to me that the authors have put together something that many of us do everyday but we may lack a theme or link to tie things all together. The book provides a format and gives lots of descriptions of how this has played out in the classroom along with trouble shooting to help when one might have things come up or get stuck. Chapter 2 titled: Following a Class Through an Interplay Unit was just great. I could see the entire program conducted from the beginning to the end. The chapter describes how the teacher is able to addresses all sorts of classroom issues (disorganization, distracted students, uncooperative behaviors) through an adventure where the individual students and the classroom as a whole move through a knighthood tale. The students listen to a story, role play the story and then accomplish tasks each week to work toward being `knighted'. Challenges occured along the way- but eventually were worked out to where the students were able to support each other and feel successful. The classroom at the end of the unit was quite different from the one described at the beginning. The end of the unit culminates with a knighting ceremony. While reading the chapter- I felt as if I was a fly on the wall in the classroom- change the names and they were students I knew. It was truly magical to read! I would encourage any teacher or support staff to check this book out. I look forward to sharing it with teachers and support staff I work with in various special education programs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immediate Help!!!, July 11, 2007

By	Lauren R. DeLisa (Albany, New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The toughest issue that arises in any classroom is behavior which interferes with teaching, learning, and the physical and emotional security of all involved. Just from reading Ready To Learn you will discover strategies which can be implemented immediately to ease difficult situations and begin the path to resolving them long term. As I read the book, each time I started to think I wanted a concrete example of a strategy, there it was in the next paragraph. The joy of the strategies in this book is that they are not labor intensive! You will find yourself trying some out next day-and they work! You can then follow the unit plans to implement metaphorical adventures which target specific social and behavioral skills-and kids love these adventures!!! An excellently written book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Special Education Teacher, June 23, 2007

By	Teresa Adalian (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed reading and using this book in the classroom, my students loved it as well. I teach in a self-contained classroom in a school for children with intense behavior and emotional needs. The book provides stories that allow children to better understand how their actions effect those around them. I would strongly recommend this book, it is a creative and effective way to teach social skills in our schools.