Structure and Spark: A Flexible Framework to Manage Every Classroom Curveball - Paperback

by Heidi Van Natter (Author), Emily Stephenson (Author)

In Structure and Spark: A Flexible Framework to Manage Every Classroom Curveball, authors Heidi Van Natter and Emily Stephenson, hosts of the popular and beloved Teacher Approved podcast, provide practical guidance on maintaining student engagement and learning by balancing structure and novelty throughout the school year. This sister duo helps readers face challenges that arise during different times of the school year, like spring fever or testing time, enabling them to anticipate and prepare for predictable patterns of student behavior and cultivate a better classroom experience.

This book offers:

• Practical Strategies: Concrete, actionable tips and techniques for managing classrooms throughout the highs and lows of the year.
• Seasonal Focus: A unique approach that addresses the specific challenges and opportunities of each season, like students being excited for impending holiday and school breaks, as well as unexpected disruptions, like a bee flying into the classroom on the same day.
• Alignment with Current Trends: A flexible, adaptive classroom management plan that bolsters the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs of students.

Structure and Spark earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all educators, especially elementary teachers, seeking a roadmap to plan lessons, manage behaviors, and align activities with the rhythms of the academic calendar.

Back Jacket

Seasonally targeted strategies to keep students engaged through every classroom curveball

Even the strongest classroom management plan can unravel when holiday excitement, spring fever, or testing season disrupts predictable routines. Structure and Spark: A Flexible Framework to Manage Every Classroom Curveball is organized around these recurring "seasons" of the school year, helping teachers anticipate predictable shifts in student behavior before they derail instruction. Written by veteran educators Heidi Van Natter and Emily Stephenson of the Teacher Approved podcast, this book balances structure and novelty to sustain engagement year-round.

Structure and Spark delivers concrete, actionable strategies mapped to specific times of the school year rather than offering a static, set-it-and-forget-it framework. Rather than waiting for problems to surface, each chapter helps teachers prevent, plan for, and stay ahead of the challenges each season brings. Because the strategies are designed to work alongside any existing classroom management program or professional development initiative, teachers can integrate them immediately without overhauling current routines or adopting an entirely new system.

"This important book by Van Natter and Stephenson stands out from other books on classroom management. They brilliantly categorize the 'rhythms of the school year' and help us anticipate not only student behavior but hand us specific tools and strategies that will keep the calm and learning happening. These rhythms are broken down into seven 'seasons' and after my 27+ years in the classroom, I can attest that they nail it."
--Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S., Educator and Author of Powerful Teaching

Author Biography

Heidi Van Natter, M.Ed., and Emily Stephenson, B.S., are the sisters and former elementary teachers behind Second Story Window's educational resources and the popular Teacher Approved podcast. They are on a mission to help teachers work smarter through every season of the school year. After years of figuring out what actually works in a classroom (and what definitely doesn't), they turned their experience into strategies thousands of teachers rely on. They still get excited about a good seating chart and believe that with a little planning, most classroom problems can be solved before they start.