Cornerstone Cross-Reference        Find even MORE info about teaching techniques in The Cornerstone book! Book-exclusive content includes:     Ch. 20: Managing Small Group Instruction   *Organizing your area and materials: photos and tips for setting up your reading group location   *Deciding on the number of groups and materials for each (and what to do with the kids who don't fit in any group)   *Flexible reading groups: how to manage your routines while pulling only the kids who need to work on a particular skill   *How to select your small group components and create a workable rotation schedule even with limited time *Is self-selected reading a waste of time? What the research says, and how you can apply it to self-selected reading procedures in your classroom   *Self-selected reading guidelines: what students should be doing and how to teach them your procedures, how to assess progress through reading conferences, using individual book boxes, keeping meaningful reading logs, and more!     Ch. 21: Rethinking Centers   *How centers can be used throughout the day: morning work, Fun Friday, during instructional time, and more!   *How mixed ability center groups can help kids stay on-task during centers and make the activities more meaningful   *Centerjobs: 5 pages of ideas to help you create specific self-paced center tasks that are quick and easy to create and assess     Ch. 22: Standardized Testing   *De-stressing ideas for test breaks: games and activities to help kids relax and re-focus   *Making test week the highlight of the year: a variety of ideas from website visitors on making testing special and fun   *The importance of choosing a school and district with responsible views towards testing: what successful schools have in common Ch. 25: Teaching Techniques That Minimize Off-Task Behavior   *How variety and creativity in lesson implementation make the difference: NINE pages of tips to help you keep your kids engaged WITHOUT spending hours designing perfect lessons and activities! Ch. 26: Making the Most of Every Moment   *Guidelines for giving clear directions: how to get your kids' FULL attention through special signals and 'magic words' *How to get students actively involved in your instruction and ensure equitable participation *Teaching kids when and how to use choral response, and when to use individual responses *How to maintain control during class discussions and instruction (without yelling or repeating yourself) *Tips for eliciting student responses: when to call on low kids and when to call on high kids *Handling the children who always want to be called on (and those who never do) *How to support  students' answers and teach them to support one another, as well (instead of groaning and getting impatient) *Ideas for appropriate replies to wrong answers, off-topic responses,  and "I forgot" *Transition tips for between lessons and lesson components Ch. 27: Hands-On and Cooperative Learning   *Inexpensive ways to get (and make) hands-on materials *Organizing, distributing, and collecting materials and manipulatives *Keeping kids on task with manipulatives: introducing routines and distinguishing between using and playing with materials *3 guidelines to help you determine when to use cooperative groups *Partner work vs. group work, and how to pair students up according to your purpose *Managing cooperative work: teaching and reinforcing expectations, monitoring noise level, 'jump start' groups that are stuck, and getting your students' attention when time is up *A systematic approach to cooperative learning: assigning group jobs and/or leaders *Solving social problems during group work: teaching respect and support, and what to do when cooperative learning just doesn't work   Ch. 28: Time Management for Kids   *8 tips for teaching kids to use their time wisely, including the use of a 'When Finished' sign and 'Not Finished Folders' *Planning for fast finishers and slow workers: handling students' workload needs and work rates on an individual basis (without losing your mind or creating extra work for yourself) *Logical consequences for students who don't get work done *How to help the 6 types of time-management-challenged kids (The Brainiac, The Christmas Tree Kid, The Overly Unfoundedly Confident, The Dawdler, The Slow Processor, and the Perfectionist)