Student Well-Being Video

Teachers, Try This: Activities to Build Classroom Culture and Connection

By Kaylee Domzalski & Jaclyn Borowski — February 11, 2025 2:21
Student James Mason participates in an ice breaker during a film studies class at Weber High School taught by teacher, Mark Daniels, on Jan. 13, 2025 in Pleasant View, Utah. Daniels incorporates a lot of movement with students during all of his classes.

For Mark Daniels, the theatre teacher at Weber High School in Pleasant View, Utah, some movement happens organically in his classes. But Daniels also teaches the school’s cinema class where, he says, students hope to sit and watch a movie.

However, Daniels structures his classes so that students never sit for more than 20 minutes. Through games and different activities, he gets kids moving, and uses those same movement activities to build connections and create a positive classroom culture.

Here, he explains how he does it, and how any teacher, regardless of grade or subject, can implement something similar.

Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week.
Jaclyn Borowski is the director of photography and videography for Education Week.

Video

Reading & Literacy Video How Everyday Objects Can Strengthen Phonemic Awareness
Teachers can create homegrown kits to help students master phonemic awareness—how to manipulate the sounds in English.
2:17
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use mirrors to see themselves sounding out words for phonemic awareness during literary instruction in Concern, N.C., on March 19, 2025.
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use mirrors to see themselves sounding out words for phonemic awareness during literary instruction in Concern, N.C., on March 19, 2025.
Cornell Watson for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Video This High School Program Is Preparing Students to Be Detention Officers
For high school students interested in fields in criminal justice, this district’s program gives them the opportunity to graduate with a job in the field.
3:01
Reading & Literacy Video How Schools Can Help Older Students Struggling With Reading
With a growing number of struggling readers in the older grades, schools need school-wide strategies and individual interventions.
3:34
A teacher leads students in a discussion about hyperbole and symbolism in a high school English class.
A teacher leads students in a discussion about hyperbole and symbolism in a high school English class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Reading & Literacy Video How to Structure Lessons to Build Reading and Writing Skills
Tips for teachers on ways to incorporate reading and writing into lessons to enhance both skills.
031225 Reading Month Thumbnail KM BS
Kate Medley for Education Week