We're starting a new lesson in kindergarten tomorrow! We'll learn about careers. My goal is for the students to learn briefly about the wide variety of careers that are out there and to start becoming familiar with some jobs they haven't heard of yet. I also want them to start thinking about how the things they are learning in school are used in grown-up jobs.
So, we will be solving riddles about careers and playing a whole class game of tic-tac-toe. I'll divide the class into two teams and draw a tic-tac-toe board on the classroom whiteboard. Then I'll read a clue to the students on one team, like "This person builds buildings and houses. They use hammers, nails, and big machines like cranes," or "This person knows a lot about books and likes to read. They work in a place with lots and lots of books on shelves and tables." The students will have the chance to talk to their team before they decide on an answer. If they get it right, one student will come up to the board and put an X or an O on the board. Usually this also becomes a lesson in sportsmanship too!
After tic-tac-toe, the kids will play their own guessing game with partners. I have brown paper lunch sacks with a picture of a career at the bottom. Each child will take a bag, look at the career in the bottom, and give their partner clues to try to help them guess the hidden career. There are plenty of bags, so we should be able to spend some time switching them around and taking turns guessing and explaining several different jobs.
I think it will be fun and I am looking forward to the learning and excitement. I will see Miller, Sullivan, Tindle, Henderson, Curry, Henry, and D. Mitchell's classes this week. All other K classes will take place next week. If you have any questions, just let me know!
Showing posts with label classroom lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom lessons. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
1st Grade Lesson - Coping Skills
I am so sorry for the late notice- this time of year gets crazy, as you all know! We are finishing up a lesson in 1st grade today. We've been learning about coping skills, or how to deal with difficult emotions in a healthy way.
All of us are going to feel angry, sad, or upset sometimes- it's part of life. It is very important for young children to start learning positive coping skills that make them feel better but do not hurt themselves or other people, break things, or make their situation worse. This is a skill they'll need for the rest of their lives, to keep them safe and resilient.
In our lesson we'll talk briefly about how emotions are like a roller coaster: you have ups and downs, but no matter how bad you're feeling you can always look forward to the track going back up soon and know that your sadness will not last forever.
Then the students will work in small groups to unscramble a number of different healthy coping skills that they can choose from in real life, like playing outside, drawing or coloring, talking to someone, reading a book, getting a hug, playing with a pet, listening to music, starting a project, doing something kind for someone else, building a block tower and knocking it down, dancing, singing, etc. Look for your 1st grader to bring home a half-page list of 36 positive ideas for handling difficult feelings. You and your family might find it helpful to keep the list in a handy place for those times when people find themselves angry, sad, or upset at home! Of course you and your child also might want to add your personal favorite ideas to the list, since most of mine are general. If you come up with new ones that aren't on my list, please share them with me! I am always looking for good ideas to help kids cope!
I'll do this lesson today with Bosch and Junkin's classes. All other 1st grade classes took place last week or earlier this week. If you have any questions or comments (or if you don't have a 1st grader, but would like me to send a copy of the coping skills list home to you), please let me know!
All of us are going to feel angry, sad, or upset sometimes- it's part of life. It is very important for young children to start learning positive coping skills that make them feel better but do not hurt themselves or other people, break things, or make their situation worse. This is a skill they'll need for the rest of their lives, to keep them safe and resilient.
In our lesson we'll talk briefly about how emotions are like a roller coaster: you have ups and downs, but no matter how bad you're feeling you can always look forward to the track going back up soon and know that your sadness will not last forever.
Then the students will work in small groups to unscramble a number of different healthy coping skills that they can choose from in real life, like playing outside, drawing or coloring, talking to someone, reading a book, getting a hug, playing with a pet, listening to music, starting a project, doing something kind for someone else, building a block tower and knocking it down, dancing, singing, etc. Look for your 1st grader to bring home a half-page list of 36 positive ideas for handling difficult feelings. You and your family might find it helpful to keep the list in a handy place for those times when people find themselves angry, sad, or upset at home! Of course you and your child also might want to add your personal favorite ideas to the list, since most of mine are general. If you come up with new ones that aren't on my list, please share them with me! I am always looking for good ideas to help kids cope!
I'll do this lesson today with Bosch and Junkin's classes. All other 1st grade classes took place last week or earlier this week. If you have any questions or comments (or if you don't have a 1st grader, but would like me to send a copy of the coping skills list home to you), please let me know!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
2nd Grade Lesson: Bullying
Yesterday we started a new lesson in 2nd grade. You've probably heard of our topic, because it seems to be a current buzzword nationally. It is BULLYING, part of our county-wide 2nd grade counseling curriculum.
For our lesson, we'll read a book called "One." It is a beautiful, simple story in which colors and numbers represent people. One of the main ideas is that if one person stands up and says that bully behavior is not okay, then several other people can join with him or her in saying "No" to the bully behavior. When several people stand together respectfully and assertively like that, they are more powerful than the bully. If we all stay separated and let the bullying happen, the bullying gets stronger and stronger and it is difficult for one person to stop. But if we band together, we are strong enough to change what is happening.
The other main point of the book is that if everyone is included and welcome to join the larger group, there is less bullying for two reasons. First, the students who are likely to be victims have people to play with and be around so they are not as at risk. Secondly, the children who have been doing the bullying can be included in the group too (if they are willing to act respectfully), and then they are less likely to bully because they have friends and feel accepted.
In our lesson I'll also teach the kids a definition of bullying: when someone hurts someone else on purpose over and over again. They will learn that bullying can mean hurting people's bodies, feelings, property, or friendships. (There has been more and more talk about this last type, "relational" or "social" bullying in the media lately.) And I will stress that the best way to stop bullying is to include everyone, especially kids who are likely to be victims. This seems to be the most effective, least risky way to end bullying, and all our kids are capable of doing it. It does not require them to put their personal safety at risk by actually going up to a bully and saying "No!" and it is not as intimidating as confronting bullying head-on.
Your second grader will bring home a half-page called "How To Deal With Bullies and Teasers," in which I've compiled the best ideas I've seen for handling these sorts of problems. If you have any questions about the material, please let me know! And if you do not have a 2nd grader but would like me to send the idea sheet home in your K or 1st child's backpack, please let me know.
I'm seeing Myrick, Singley, Patterson, Whitehead, Johnson, and Frith's classes this week. All other second grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
For our lesson, we'll read a book called "One." It is a beautiful, simple story in which colors and numbers represent people. One of the main ideas is that if one person stands up and says that bully behavior is not okay, then several other people can join with him or her in saying "No" to the bully behavior. When several people stand together respectfully and assertively like that, they are more powerful than the bully. If we all stay separated and let the bullying happen, the bullying gets stronger and stronger and it is difficult for one person to stop. But if we band together, we are strong enough to change what is happening.
The other main point of the book is that if everyone is included and welcome to join the larger group, there is less bullying for two reasons. First, the students who are likely to be victims have people to play with and be around so they are not as at risk. Secondly, the children who have been doing the bullying can be included in the group too (if they are willing to act respectfully), and then they are less likely to bully because they have friends and feel accepted.
In our lesson I'll also teach the kids a definition of bullying: when someone hurts someone else on purpose over and over again. They will learn that bullying can mean hurting people's bodies, feelings, property, or friendships. (There has been more and more talk about this last type, "relational" or "social" bullying in the media lately.) And I will stress that the best way to stop bullying is to include everyone, especially kids who are likely to be victims. This seems to be the most effective, least risky way to end bullying, and all our kids are capable of doing it. It does not require them to put their personal safety at risk by actually going up to a bully and saying "No!" and it is not as intimidating as confronting bullying head-on.
Your second grader will bring home a half-page called "How To Deal With Bullies and Teasers," in which I've compiled the best ideas I've seen for handling these sorts of problems. If you have any questions about the material, please let me know! And if you do not have a 2nd grader but would like me to send the idea sheet home in your K or 1st child's backpack, please let me know.
I'm seeing Myrick, Singley, Patterson, Whitehead, Johnson, and Frith's classes this week. All other second grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Anger Lesson in Kindergarten
We started a new kindergarten lesson yesterday that focuses on what to do when we're angry. We'll read the book Mouse Was Mad. (It was purchased for our counseling program last year by a donor at donorschoose.org!) Throughout the story, other animals stomp, jump, roll on the ground, and scream when they are mad. Mouse tries all those things, but they just end up making his problem worse instead of better. Finally he tries standing very, very still, and taking slow breaths. It works! He feels better! The other animals try, but they cannot get it quite right- Mouse is the expert and all the animals admire his helpful skill for feeling better.
Then, as a class, we'll sort out helpful and hurtful ways to handle anger. Helpful coping strategies are those that make us feel better without hurting people or things with our words, hands, or feet. Some ideas we'll talk about are playing outside, playing a game, drawing or coloring, taking slow breaths, getting a cool drink of water, doing jumping jacks until we get tired, squeezing our muscles tight and then loosening them like a cooked spaghetti noodle, etc. Look for your child to bring home a paper with a few more ideas listed on it, and if you would like a list with even more coping strategies, just let me know and I'll send one home with your child.
We'll also use a balloon to talk about how it is easiest to get control of our anger if we start calming down when we're just a tiny bit angry. Once we start getting really angry, it is more difficult to calm ourselves back down. I will blow up the balloon a little bit at a time to represent several different things making us angry over the course of a day... if we don't do anything to relax, pretty soon we have a huge balloon-sized anger inside us! That is when it is easy to lose control and hard to compose ourselves. If we start making an effort to calm down after just one or two angry incidents, it is usually easier to make it through the rest of the day.
The paper your student brings home will also have The Anger Rule on it: It is OK to feel mad, but it is not OK to act bad! I learned that little rhyme at a conference a year or so ago. Sometimes kids think that feeling mad neccessarily equals hurting people or things, that the two are tied together and there are not other choices when we're angry. I will try to convey in the lesson that feeling mad does not automatically mean hurting people or things. It is perfectly OK to feel mad and everyone does at one time or another, but that doesn't mean we get a free pass to be disrespectful or aggressive. We can feel mad and make respectful, assertive choices to feel better instead of acting "bad."
I'll see D. Mitchell, Sullivan, Henry, Miller, Henderson, Curry, and Tindle's classes this week- everyone else will have their lesson next week. If you have any questions, just let me know!
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Then, as a class, we'll sort out helpful and hurtful ways to handle anger. Helpful coping strategies are those that make us feel better without hurting people or things with our words, hands, or feet. Some ideas we'll talk about are playing outside, playing a game, drawing or coloring, taking slow breaths, getting a cool drink of water, doing jumping jacks until we get tired, squeezing our muscles tight and then loosening them like a cooked spaghetti noodle, etc. Look for your child to bring home a paper with a few more ideas listed on it, and if you would like a list with even more coping strategies, just let me know and I'll send one home with your child.
We'll also use a balloon to talk about how it is easiest to get control of our anger if we start calming down when we're just a tiny bit angry. Once we start getting really angry, it is more difficult to calm ourselves back down. I will blow up the balloon a little bit at a time to represent several different things making us angry over the course of a day... if we don't do anything to relax, pretty soon we have a huge balloon-sized anger inside us! That is when it is easy to lose control and hard to compose ourselves. If we start making an effort to calm down after just one or two angry incidents, it is usually easier to make it through the rest of the day.
The paper your student brings home will also have The Anger Rule on it: It is OK to feel mad, but it is not OK to act bad! I learned that little rhyme at a conference a year or so ago. Sometimes kids think that feeling mad neccessarily equals hurting people or things, that the two are tied together and there are not other choices when we're angry. I will try to convey in the lesson that feeling mad does not automatically mean hurting people or things. It is perfectly OK to feel mad and everyone does at one time or another, but that doesn't mean we get a free pass to be disrespectful or aggressive. We can feel mad and make respectful, assertive choices to feel better instead of acting "bad."
I'll see D. Mitchell, Sullivan, Henry, Miller, Henderson, Curry, and Tindle's classes this week- everyone else will have their lesson next week. If you have any questions, just let me know!
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Monday, March 4, 2013
1st Grade Assertiveness Lesson
We've had in change in plans for our 1st grade lessons. As I mentioned in a letter sent home to you several weeks ago, I'd intended to teach the Safe Child curriculum through April. However, unfortunately, the organization that runs Safe Child ran out of funding, and needed to suspend the program!
Most classes had their lesson with the organization's Safe Child educator before this happened, but a few did not. All first graders will receive safety materials that you can review with them at home. These are great resources, and especially valuable before summer when children will be out and about more often!
Instead of my follow-up Safe Child sessions, I'm currently teaching the first graders the same lesson about anger and assertiveness that I just facilitated in 2nd grade. It is from an awesome curriculum called "Be Cool." You can read more about that lesson by scrolling down the page to the second grade description. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know!
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Kindergarten Perseverance Lesson
We started a new lesson in kindergarten today! We are learning about perseverance. I like to teach this concept in K because so many things are new and difficult- learning letters and numbers, interacting with friends, enduring a full day of school, trying to make Track Club, etc. Perseverance is an important part of academic success, and lays the foundation for future goal-setting, problem-solving, and career-related skills.
In our lesson, I will introduce perseverance as a magic word that can help our students do the things they want to do. I'll define it as trying your best and not giving up, even when things are hard. We'll read the classic book The Little Engine That Could (which I love because it includes the catchy positive self-talk "I think I can! I think I can!" and it usually mesmerizes students at this age) and learn a song to help them remember what perseverance means. Finally, students will draw and write something they will be able to do if they persevere. You can look for that sheet to come home with your child. If you'd like to sing the perseverance song with them, the "lyrics" are typed on the bottom of the page! The tune is from that simple song "Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Brother John, Brother John?"
This week I'll see D. Mitchell, Sullivan/Loper, Henry, Miller, Tindle, Henderson, and Curry. All other K classes will do the lesson next week. If you have any questions or comments about this or any other lesson, please let me know!
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
In our lesson, I will introduce perseverance as a magic word that can help our students do the things they want to do. I'll define it as trying your best and not giving up, even when things are hard. We'll read the classic book The Little Engine That Could (which I love because it includes the catchy positive self-talk "I think I can! I think I can!" and it usually mesmerizes students at this age) and learn a song to help them remember what perseverance means. Finally, students will draw and write something they will be able to do if they persevere. You can look for that sheet to come home with your child. If you'd like to sing the perseverance song with them, the "lyrics" are typed on the bottom of the page! The tune is from that simple song "Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Brother John, Brother John?"
This week I'll see D. Mitchell, Sullivan/Loper, Henry, Miller, Tindle, Henderson, and Curry. All other K classes will do the lesson next week. If you have any questions or comments about this or any other lesson, please let me know!
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
1st Grade Careers Lesson
We are starting a new lesson in first grade today. We are learning about careers! We'll read a book called What I Do Best by Allia Zobel Nolan. The children in the story will share their talents with us, and we will guess which careers they might have when they grow up. For example, one of the characters in the book says she is good at taking care of her pets, so we will brainstorm animal-related careers like veterinarian, zookeeper, pet store employee, etc.
Then, the students will become the "authors" as they each write and illustrate their own page highlighting the talents they have now and careers they might like to have in the future. Look for that sheet to come home with your first grader!
One of my main goals is to help students see that there are many jobs that relate to their talents and interests, not just one. For example, one of the characters in the book says he is good with computers, so we'll talk about not only working with computers in an office, but also fixing broken computers, manufacturing the computer parts or building things out of them, working in a computer store, designing websites, and creating computer games or software. For the character in the book who says he is good at sports, we'll talk about not only playing sports, but also coaching, writing newspaper articles about sports, being a commentator, doing math with sports statistics, and taking sports photographs or video.
My intention is for our students to start seeing that their future career goals and aspirations will likely be related to both their talents and things they like, and to get them thinking beyond the typical careers they already know about to the variety of opportunities open to them. Of course they do not have to choose a career now and they will probably change their minds many many times over the years, but it is never too early to start making the connection between their school work, talents, interests, and careers that appeal to them!
I will see Childers, Ray, Durrett, Brown, Turner, Dockery, Thomas, and L. Foster's classes this week. All other first grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here.
Then, the students will become the "authors" as they each write and illustrate their own page highlighting the talents they have now and careers they might like to have in the future. Look for that sheet to come home with your first grader!
One of my main goals is to help students see that there are many jobs that relate to their talents and interests, not just one. For example, one of the characters in the book says he is good with computers, so we'll talk about not only working with computers in an office, but also fixing broken computers, manufacturing the computer parts or building things out of them, working in a computer store, designing websites, and creating computer games or software. For the character in the book who says he is good at sports, we'll talk about not only playing sports, but also coaching, writing newspaper articles about sports, being a commentator, doing math with sports statistics, and taking sports photographs or video.
My intention is for our students to start seeing that their future career goals and aspirations will likely be related to both their talents and things they like, and to get them thinking beyond the typical careers they already know about to the variety of opportunities open to them. Of course they do not have to choose a career now and they will probably change their minds many many times over the years, but it is never too early to start making the connection between their school work, talents, interests, and careers that appeal to them!
I will see Childers, Ray, Durrett, Brown, Turner, Dockery, Thomas, and L. Foster's classes this week. All other first grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Kindergarten Bucket-Filling Lesson
Hello everyone! I hope you had a blessed and festive Thanksgiving with family and friends. Welcome back into the swing of things!
Tomorrow I'll start teaching our bucket-filling lesson in kindergarten classrooms. Like the last first grade lesson, we'll read the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, and discuss bucket-filling, bucket-dipping, and "putting a lid on your bucket" to protect your feelings when someone is being unkind to you.
Then I'll sent up a blue paper "pond" filled with paper fish. I've put a paper clip on each fish, and written an action that is bucket-filling, bucket-dipping, or putting a lid on your bucket. Kids will "go fishing" with a magnet attached to a pencil and determine if the situation they pull from the pond is bucket-filling, bucket-dipping, or using their lid. They'll drop it in (what else?) a bucket with one of those three labels. Hopefully this will help our students understand exactly what we mean by "being a bucket-filler," and also give them some good ideas for choices to make at home and school.
I'll see Henry, Miller, D. Mitchell, Wood/Sullivan, Tindle, Henderson, and Curry this week. All other K classes will take place next week. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know!
Thank you very much for reading. We are glad you are here!
Tomorrow I'll start teaching our bucket-filling lesson in kindergarten classrooms. Like the last first grade lesson, we'll read the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, and discuss bucket-filling, bucket-dipping, and "putting a lid on your bucket" to protect your feelings when someone is being unkind to you.
Then I'll sent up a blue paper "pond" filled with paper fish. I've put a paper clip on each fish, and written an action that is bucket-filling, bucket-dipping, or putting a lid on your bucket. Kids will "go fishing" with a magnet attached to a pencil and determine if the situation they pull from the pond is bucket-filling, bucket-dipping, or using their lid. They'll drop it in (what else?) a bucket with one of those three labels. Hopefully this will help our students understand exactly what we mean by "being a bucket-filler," and also give them some good ideas for choices to make at home and school.
I'll see Henry, Miller, D. Mitchell, Wood/Sullivan, Tindle, Henderson, and Curry this week. All other K classes will take place next week. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know!
Thank you very much for reading. We are glad you are here!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
1st Grade Bucket-Filling Lesson
In all grades, we will read the book Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. The basic idea is that everyone in the world has an invisible bucket, and our buckets hold our good thoughts and good feelings about ourselves.
When we talk about "filling people's buckets," we mean saying and doing considerate things to help others feel special, important, and loved. "Bucket-dipping" is the opposite: saying and doing unkind things that make others feel un-special or unimportant. This year I am also introducing the concept of "putting a lid on your bucket," which means protecting your feelings if someone is being unkind. Instead of letting their meanness hurt you, you can walk away, ignore them, ask them to stop, find other people to play with, or tell yourself that what they are saying isn't true or isn't worth worrying about.
The lessons will encourage students to think of ways that they can be bucket-fillers for classmates, parents, siblings, teachers, and other people in their lives. The bucket-filling concept is a great tool for friendship and social skills development, and it also ties in with our state's character education initiatives, particularly the traits we happen to celebrate in November: kindness, compassion, and caring.
For this 1st grade lesson, we will read the book, then do a sorting activity in teams to identify bucket-filling and bucket-dipping words and actions. If we have time (we usually save a lot of time for fun stuff when we are good listeners!), we'll shoot a ball into a box like a basketball hoop for naming our own bucket-filling ideas. I've also been trying to save time for a toothpaste demonstration. The basic idea of that is once we say or do something, we cannot take it back or make everything just like it was before. That is like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube! You cannot ever get it back in like nothing ever happened. Apologies are the same way; it is nice to say we are sorry, but it is better to think before we act because we cannot always take away the hurt we've caused people or repair our reputations.
I'll see Dockery, Thomas, L. Foster, Childers, Ray, Durett, Brown, and Turner this week. All other 1st grade classes will take place next week.
From January 14-18, the whole school will celebrate Bucket-Filling Week. I will send home a page of two buckets with each student, and they will be asked to make a special effort to say and do caring things for the week. Students and family members can document their kind deeds on the paper buckets, then bring them back to school. We will hang them in the hallways so everyone can take note of our caring acts!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
2nd Grade Kelso Lesson
If I've seen your child's class already, you should have had a half-page note come home with the wheel of choices for small problems on it. This way, you can use them at home for sibling disagreements over what to watch on TV or who gets to be first player on a video game! I hope they will be helpful. :)
Thanks for reading, and again, I apologize for the delay in this post. We are glad you are here!
Monday, October 8, 2012
K Kelso Lesson
The Kelso's Choices curriculum that I told you about a couple of weeks ago comes to our kindergarten classes this week and next! During the first lesson that starts today, we'll discuss small and big problems, briefly review the 9 strategies, and watch a short DVD segment giving an overview of how these strategies work in real life. In a future lesson, we will learn about the choices more in depth and practice choosing appropriate ones for different problems.
I'll see Curry, Miller, Henry, Mitchell, Sullivan, and Tindle this week. All other kindergarten classes will take place next week.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
I'll see Curry, Miller, Henry, Mitchell, Sullivan, and Tindle this week. All other kindergarten classes will take place next week.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
Monday, September 24, 2012
1st Grade Kelso's Choices Lesson
Kelso's goal is to teach students several positive ways to deal with small problems that arise from normal disagreements among children. His 9 strategies are listed below, and also appear on a half-page note that will come home to you when I do the lesson in your child's classroom.
Kelso's 9 Choices
1. Talk it out
2. Share and take turns
3. Ignore it
4. Walk away
5. Tell them to stop
6. Apologize
7. Make a deal (compromise)
8. Wait and cool off
9. Go to another game
We'll learn that kids are smart enough and strong enough to use these choices to handle "kid-sized" or small problems, such as another child taking their crayon or making annoying noises. If they try 3 strategies and the problem still isn't solved, they should get help from an adult. Kelso also teaches that big problems (those that are scary, dangerous, or can result in someone getting hurt) should be taken to an adult immediately.
In our lesson this year, we'll play a whole-class game of tic-tac-toe that requires students to think about which problems are big and which are small, and practice choosing appropriate actions for different problems.
Please feel free to put the note up on your fridge and start using these ideas at home too! We'd love your support in reinforcing them, and hopefully you'll find that they help settle disagreements and discourage fighting among siblings or friends as well. The more practice kids get, the better equipped they’ll be to use these problem-solving and conflict-management skills when they need them... in primary school and many years to come!
This week I'll see Childers, Ray, Dockery, Thomas, L. Foster, Durrett, Brown, and Turner's classes. All other 1st grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
2nd Grade Career Lesson Photos
As I mentioned last post, here are some photos from our 2nd grade lesson on careers so you can see how "being on TV" works in our classrooms! I was so impressed with many of the kids' drawings and extensions of the material. Wow, we have some good thinkers at TPS! :) Hope you enjoy the photos.
Monday, September 10, 2012
2nd Grade Careers Lesson
This week, we'll start our first lesson in 2nd grade! In preparation for 2nd Grade Career Day on October 12, this lesson is about careers.
We'll first discuss that, in general, "the more you LEARN, the more you EARN." I'll explain briefly that students who complete college have more choices of careers and earn more money on average than students who finish high school or drop out of high school. I'll show the classes piles of fake money to give them a visual comparison between the average salaries of high school drop-outs (approximately $23,000 per year), high school graduates (approximately $30,000) and college graduates (approximately $52,000). (I got those numbers from a U.S. Census Bureau report.) We'll talk about how college graduates can choose any of the same jobs that high school drop-outs and graduates can choose, but choices are more limited if you don't finish high school or go to college.
Then, I will distribute a card with a career on it to every child, and they will quickly put together a brief page about that career to present to the class on "TV" (behind a cardboard TV cut-out). (If I get some good photos during a class, I'll post these soon so you can see how this ends up working!) When I made the cards, I tried to choose careers that kids would find interesting but might not know about yet, like a map-maker, marine biologist, speech writer, museum director, blacksmith, and forensic scientist. So, by the end of class, we'll have heard about 18-20 careers that might pique students' interests.
I will see Myrick, Patterson, Frith, Whitehead, Johnson, and Singley's classes this week. Next week I'll do the lesson with Dean, Horst, Phillips, Hamner, Bowlin, and Smelley.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
We'll first discuss that, in general, "the more you LEARN, the more you EARN." I'll explain briefly that students who complete college have more choices of careers and earn more money on average than students who finish high school or drop out of high school. I'll show the classes piles of fake money to give them a visual comparison between the average salaries of high school drop-outs (approximately $23,000 per year), high school graduates (approximately $30,000) and college graduates (approximately $52,000). (I got those numbers from a U.S. Census Bureau report.) We'll talk about how college graduates can choose any of the same jobs that high school drop-outs and graduates can choose, but choices are more limited if you don't finish high school or go to college.
Then, I will distribute a card with a career on it to every child, and they will quickly put together a brief page about that career to present to the class on "TV" (behind a cardboard TV cut-out). (If I get some good photos during a class, I'll post these soon so you can see how this ends up working!) When I made the cards, I tried to choose careers that kids would find interesting but might not know about yet, like a map-maker, marine biologist, speech writer, museum director, blacksmith, and forensic scientist. So, by the end of class, we'll have heard about 18-20 careers that might pique students' interests.
I will see Myrick, Patterson, Frith, Whitehead, Johnson, and Singley's classes this week. Next week I'll do the lesson with Dean, Horst, Phillips, Hamner, Bowlin, and Smelley.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Kindergarten Careers Lesson
We're starting a new lesson in kindergarten today! We'll learn about careers. My goal is for the students to learn briefly about the wide variety of careers that are out there and to start becoming familiar with some jobs they haven't heard of yet. I also want them to start thinking about how the things they are learning in school are used in grown-up jobs.
So, we will be solving riddles about careers and playing a whole class game of tic-tac-toe. I'll divide the class into two teams and draw a tic-tac-toe board on the classroom whiteboard. Then I'll read a clue to the students on one team, like "This person builds buildings and houses. They use hammers, nails, and big machines like cranes," or "This person knows a lot about books and likes to read. They work in a place with lots and lots of books on shelves and tables." The students will have the chance to talk to their team before they decide on an answer. If they get it right, one student will come up to the board and put an X or an O on the board. Usually this also becomes a lesson in sportsmanship too!
After tic-tac-toe, the kids will play their own guessing game with partners. I have brown paper lunch sacks with a picture of a career at the bottom. Each child will take a bag, look at the career in the bottom, and give their partner clues to try to help them guess the hidden career. There are plenty of bags, so we should be able to spend some time switching them around and taking turns guessing and explaining several different jobs.
I think it will be fun and I am looking forward to the learning and excitement. I will see Aldridge, Brown, and Childers' classes this week. All other K classes will take place next week. If you have any questions, just let me know!
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
So, we will be solving riddles about careers and playing a whole class game of tic-tac-toe. I'll divide the class into two teams and draw a tic-tac-toe board on the classroom whiteboard. Then I'll read a clue to the students on one team, like "This person builds buildings and houses. They use hammers, nails, and big machines like cranes," or "This person knows a lot about books and likes to read. They work in a place with lots and lots of books on shelves and tables." The students will have the chance to talk to their team before they decide on an answer. If they get it right, one student will come up to the board and put an X or an O on the board. Usually this also becomes a lesson in sportsmanship too!
After tic-tac-toe, the kids will play their own guessing game with partners. I have brown paper lunch sacks with a picture of a career at the bottom. Each child will take a bag, look at the career in the bottom, and give their partner clues to try to help them guess the hidden career. There are plenty of bags, so we should be able to spend some time switching them around and taking turns guessing and explaining several different jobs.
I think it will be fun and I am looking forward to the learning and excitement. I will see Aldridge, Brown, and Childers' classes this week. All other K classes will take place next week. If you have any questions, just let me know!
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
1st Grade Careers Lesson
We started a new lesson in first grade today. We are learning about careers! We'll read a book called What I Do Best. The children in the story will share their talents with us, and we will guess which careers they might have when they grow up. For example, one of the characters in the book says she is good at taking care of her pets, so we will brainstorm animal-related careers like veterinarian, zookeeper, pet store employee, etc. Then the students will become the "authors" as they each write and illustrate their own page highlighting the talents they have now and careers they might like to have in the future. Look for that sheet to come home with your first grader!
One of my main goals is to help students see that there are many jobs that relate to their talents, not just one. For example, one of the characters in the book says he is good with computers, so we'll talk about not only working with computers in an office, but also fixing broken computers, manufacturing the computer parts or building things out of them, working in a computer store, designing websites, and creating computer games or software. For the character in the book who says he is good at sports, we'll talk about not only playing sports, but also coaching, writing newspaper articles about sports, being a commentator, doing math with sports statistics, and taking sports photographs or video.
My intention is for our students to start seeing that their future career goals and aspirations will likely be related to both their talents and things they like, and to get them thinking beyond the typical careers they already know about to the variety of opportunities open to them. Of course they do not have to choose a career now and they will probably change their minds many many times over the years, but it is never too early to start making the connection between their school work, talents, interests, and careers that appeal to them!
I am seeing Durrett, Payne, Henry, and Miller's classes today, and Bosch's class tomorrow. All other first grade classes will take place in the next two weeks.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
One of my main goals is to help students see that there are many jobs that relate to their talents, not just one. For example, one of the characters in the book says he is good with computers, so we'll talk about not only working with computers in an office, but also fixing broken computers, manufacturing the computer parts or building things out of them, working in a computer store, designing websites, and creating computer games or software. For the character in the book who says he is good at sports, we'll talk about not only playing sports, but also coaching, writing newspaper articles about sports, being a commentator, doing math with sports statistics, and taking sports photographs or video.
My intention is for our students to start seeing that their future career goals and aspirations will likely be related to both their talents and things they like, and to get them thinking beyond the typical careers they already know about to the variety of opportunities open to them. Of course they do not have to choose a career now and they will probably change their minds many many times over the years, but it is never too early to start making the connection between their school work, talents, interests, and careers that appeal to them!
I am seeing Durrett, Payne, Henry, and Miller's classes today, and Bosch's class tomorrow. All other first grade classes will take place in the next two weeks.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
Monday, April 2, 2012
2nd Grade Lesson: Bullying
Tomorrow we start a new lesson in 2nd grade. You've probably heard of our topic, because it seems to be a current buzzword nationally. It is BULLYING, part of our county-wide 2nd grade counseling curriculum.
For our lesson, we'll read a book called "One." It is a beautiful, simple story in which colors and numbers represent people. One of the main ideas is that if one person stands up and says that bully behavior is not okay, then several other people can join with him or her in saying "No" to the bully behavior. When several people stand together like that, they are more powerful than the bully. If we all stay separated and let the bullying happen, the bullying gets stronger and stronger and it is difficult for one person to stop. But if we band together, we are strong enough to change what is happening.
The other main point of the book is that if everyone is included and welcome to join the larger group, there is less bullying for two reasons. First, the students who are likely to be victims have people to play with and be around so they are not as at risk. Secondly, the children who have been doing the bullying can be included in the group too (if they are willing to act respectfully), and then they are less likely to bully because they have friends and feel accepted.
In our lesson I'll also teach the kids a definition of bullying: when someone hurts someone else on purpose over and over again. They will learn that bullying can mean hurting people's bodies, feelings, property, or friendships. (There has been more and more talk about this last type, "relational" or "social" bullying in the media lately.) And I will stress that the best way to stop bullying is to INCLUDE EVERYONE, especially kids who are likely to be victims. This seems to be the most effective, least risky way to end bullying, and all our kids are capable of doing it. It does not require them to put their personal safety at risk by actually going up to a bully and saying "No!" and it is not as intimidating as confronting bullying head-on.
Your second grader will bring home a half-page called "How To Deal With Bullies and Teasers," in which I've compiled the best ideas I've seen for handling these sorts of problems. If you have any questions about the material, please let me know! And if you do not have a 2nd grader but would like me to send the idea sheet home in your K or 1st child's backpack, please let me know.
I'll see Singley, Johnson, Frith, Horst, Ray, Smelly, Bowlin, Phillips, and Hamner's classes next week. All other second grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
For our lesson, we'll read a book called "One." It is a beautiful, simple story in which colors and numbers represent people. One of the main ideas is that if one person stands up and says that bully behavior is not okay, then several other people can join with him or her in saying "No" to the bully behavior. When several people stand together like that, they are more powerful than the bully. If we all stay separated and let the bullying happen, the bullying gets stronger and stronger and it is difficult for one person to stop. But if we band together, we are strong enough to change what is happening.
The other main point of the book is that if everyone is included and welcome to join the larger group, there is less bullying for two reasons. First, the students who are likely to be victims have people to play with and be around so they are not as at risk. Secondly, the children who have been doing the bullying can be included in the group too (if they are willing to act respectfully), and then they are less likely to bully because they have friends and feel accepted.
In our lesson I'll also teach the kids a definition of bullying: when someone hurts someone else on purpose over and over again. They will learn that bullying can mean hurting people's bodies, feelings, property, or friendships. (There has been more and more talk about this last type, "relational" or "social" bullying in the media lately.) And I will stress that the best way to stop bullying is to INCLUDE EVERYONE, especially kids who are likely to be victims. This seems to be the most effective, least risky way to end bullying, and all our kids are capable of doing it. It does not require them to put their personal safety at risk by actually going up to a bully and saying "No!" and it is not as intimidating as confronting bullying head-on.
Your second grader will bring home a half-page called "How To Deal With Bullies and Teasers," in which I've compiled the best ideas I've seen for handling these sorts of problems. If you have any questions about the material, please let me know! And if you do not have a 2nd grader but would like me to send the idea sheet home in your K or 1st child's backpack, please let me know.
I'll see Singley, Johnson, Frith, Horst, Ray, Smelly, Bowlin, Phillips, and Hamner's classes next week. All other second grade classes will take place next week.
Thanks for reading! We are glad you are here!
Friday, March 23, 2012
K Lesson - Perseverance
We started a new lesson in kindergarten yesterday! We are learning about perseverance. I like to teach this concept in K because so many things are new and difficult- learning letters and numbers, interacting with friends, enduring a full day of school, trying to make Track Club, etc. Perseverance is an important part of academic success, and lays the foundation for future goal-setting, problem-solving, and career-related skills.
In our lesson, I will introduce perseverance as a magic word that can help our students do the things they want to be able to do. I'll define it as trying your best and not giving up, even when things are hard. We'll read the classic book The Little Engine That Could (which I love because it includes the catchy positive self-talk "I think I can! I think I can!" and it usually mesmerizes students at this age) and learn a song to help them remember what perseverance means. Finally, students will draw and write something they will be able to do if they persevere. You can look for that sheet to come home in your child's folder. If you'd like to sing the perseverance song with them, the "lyrics" are typed on the bottom of the page! The tune is from that simple song "Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Brother John, Brother John?"
Yesterday I saw Aldridge, Brown, and Childers. All other K classes will do the lesson next week. If you have any questions or comments about this or any other lesson, please let me know!
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
In our lesson, I will introduce perseverance as a magic word that can help our students do the things they want to be able to do. I'll define it as trying your best and not giving up, even when things are hard. We'll read the classic book The Little Engine That Could (which I love because it includes the catchy positive self-talk "I think I can! I think I can!" and it usually mesmerizes students at this age) and learn a song to help them remember what perseverance means. Finally, students will draw and write something they will be able to do if they persevere. You can look for that sheet to come home in your child's folder. If you'd like to sing the perseverance song with them, the "lyrics" are typed on the bottom of the page! The tune is from that simple song "Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Brother John, Brother John?"
Yesterday I saw Aldridge, Brown, and Childers. All other K classes will do the lesson next week. If you have any questions or comments about this or any other lesson, please let me know!
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
1st Grade Safe Child Lesson
We are starting our final Safe Child lesson in 1st Grade today. This is the third lesson in the county-wide personal safety curriculum. Look for your child to bring home a completion certificate, booklet of practice scenarios, brochure of safety rules, and a worksheet of helpful adults. If you have any questions, just let me know! We hope this material is helpful in case our students ever find themselves or a friend in a situation that they're unsure of.
I will see Henry, Miller, Bosch, Durrett, and Payne's classes this week. All other first grade lessons will take place next week and the Tuesday after spring break.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
I will see Henry, Miller, Bosch, Durrett, and Payne's classes this week. All other first grade lessons will take place next week and the Tuesday after spring break.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
2nd Grade Lesson: Assertiveness
We started a new lesson in 2nd grade today! We are learning about assertiveness with a program called "Be Cool." The materials use the words "hot," "cold," and "cool" as kid-friendly terms for aggressive, passive, and assertive. (I did not emphasize the official words a great deal during the lesson, so if you ask your child what assertiveness is, they may give you a blank look. :)) The program also uses the symbol of putting on sunglasses to help you act, look, and think "cool."
We watched a short video clip about two boys who have a conflict in the classroom, and demonstrate what it means to act hot, cold, and cool. Then we discussed the video and why it works best if we try to act cool. We also did a group activity to sort out specific characteristics of being hot, cold, and cool. The classes today did a great job identifying why it is good for us to act cool- I was really impressed with the ideas they shared!
The "Be Cool" program does not go into details over how to calm yourself down when you are mad- it mostly shows the kids taking slow breaths, thinking the problems through, and then using the "cool" strategies listed below. To calm down initially, the students may use some of the ideas from our last lesson about things to do when they feel sad/mad/or bad, like think of happy things, sing a song in their heads, count to 10, tell themselves something positive, take a vacation in their imaginations, etc.
Assertiveness is a skill that will serve our children well throughout their lives in school, at work, in relationships, and with peers. I tried to communicate to the kids that it does not only come into play when we are angry or during a conflict, it also can be part of our daily communication and interaction with people over simple things. The program does emphasize that if you are in danger, you should leave the area immediately and get help from a grown-up (not use the "cool" ideas).
If you'd like an overview, here are the phrases that were part of the sorting task!
HOT
Yell
Hit or kick
Fight or argue
Say disrespectful words
Threaten
Make a mean face
Think that if you do not fight back, you are a wimp
Throw, slam, or break things
Say things like “You are always mean! You never listen to me! It is all your fault!”
COLD
Give up
Don’t say anything
Head down
Eyes looking at the ground
Think there is nothing you can do
Think “Poor me, why does this always happen?”
Mutter or talk too quietly so no one can understand you
Act super sad
Don’t answer people when they try to help your or ask you questions
COOL
Take slow breaths
Stay calm
Talk respectfully
Listen to the other person
Apologize
Suggest taking a break or doing something else
Explain your side
Try to make things right and fix the problem
Say things like “I feel sad when you call me names. Please stop.”
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know anytime. I will see Ray, Frith, Hamner, Johnson, Singley, Horst, Smelley, Phillips, and Bowlin's classes this week. All other 2nd grade classes will take place next week.
Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!
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