Collins' Cove

April/May Lessons - Middle School Success, Internet and Summer Safety, Career Day

It's hard to believe we are in the final weeks of school. Time flies quickly when we're having fun learning at The Mill!

Guidance lessons in April and May have focused on helping our 5th graders transition to middle school as well as emphasizing summer safety for 3rd grade and internet safety for 4th grade.

We began our 5th grade lesson by sharing ideas about the coming changes that are exciting and a little bit scary for our students as they head to 6th grade. Many were excited about meeting new friends, changing classes and teachers, and having the opportunity to become involved in music programs or intramural sports. Others were a little wary of lockers and the amount of homework they may have.

After reviewing the importance of using their agendas, communicating with parents and teachers about academic or friend concerns, and always completing assignments, the students were able to practice opening a lock. Many were surpised that they could open it the first time while others took several tries to get the lock open.

The students ended the lesson by writing about how they're planning their journey to success through middle school

Ten years ago, I would never have thought that I would be teaching internet safety in 4th grade but the truth is many elementary age children have access to the internet through email, Facebook, Xbox or Play Station games. Additionally, many have cell phones with internet or texting capability. It is vitally important that parents supervise their children's access to the internet and establish rules for using social networking and game sites.

Our internet safety lesson included a discussion on "netiquette", the importance of keeping your private information safe, cyberbullying, and the danger of opening attachments. Please check out Netsmartz  to help your child stay safe on the internet and make it a point to educate yourself about the ever changing dangers that internet access can often present.

In 3rd grade, our students divided into groups to create safety posters  for various activities and situations that summertime can present. The posters covered several rules that would help children be safe on the computer, in the home or neighborhood, and in the park, pool or at the beach. The discussion also included car and bicycle safety, skateboarding and playing outdoor sports in the heat.

The children were able to connect the habits "be proactive" and "begin with the end in mind" to summer safety. By taking responsibility to obey their parents' safety rules and asking themselves how to be safe before starting an activity, children can learn to anticipate what could happen if they don't put safety first.

In addition to classroom guidance lessons, our students participated in Career Day on May 16th and learned about many exciting careers. Our speakers shared knowledge about what their careers entail, the education required for their careers, and what led them to their career choice.

I hope our Pickett's Mill families have a wonderful summer filled with adventures and happy times. Stay safe!

 The following ASCA standards were covered in these lessons:

5th grade:

GC:AD-B2.1  Establish challenging academic goals in elementary, middle/junior high and high school
GC:AD-C1.6  Understand how school success and academic achievement enhance future career and vocational opportunities

Career Day: (3rd -5th)

• GC:CD-C1.1  Understand the relationship between educational achievement and career success
  GC:CD-B1.8  Understand how changing economic and societal needs influence employment trends and future training

3rd and 4th grades:

GC:PS-C1.2  Learn about the relationship between rules, laws, safety and the protection of rights of the individual
GC:PS-C1.7  Apply effective problem-solving and decision-making skills to make safe and healthy choices

 

 

 

March/April - CRCT CRCT CRCT

In the latter part of March, the guidance lessons for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students focused on preparing for the CRCT.  Each grade level viewed a powerpoint appropriate for their grade level, followed by a question and answer period, and received a handout on test preparation for their parents. I must commend our students for putting forth such great effort on the CRCT and the parents for making sure they came to school on time prepared for testing. I know your efforts in encouraging your children to do their best have done much to allay their anxiety about the tests.

The lessons covered the following ASCA standards and competencies:

Academic Domain

 Standard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.

• GC:AD-A2.1  Apply time-management and task-management skills
• GC:AD-A2.2  Demonstrate how effort and persistence positively affect learning

Standard B: Students will complete school with the academic preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial post-secondary options

• GC:AD-B1.2  Learn and apply critical-thinking skills

March Lessons - Cooperation, Career Interests

In 3rd grade, we have been learning more about cooperation.. Learning to work cooperatively is a skill that is improved with plenty of practice and good feedback from others.

I began the lesson by having the children describe what cooperating behaviors look like: listening to others, sharing ideas, taking turns, involving everyone, being respectful, etc.  We also explored behaviors that prevent cooperation in a group such as pouting, not participating, speaking unkindly, put downs, etc. The class made great connections to some of our habits that help us cooperate: be proactive, think win win, put first things first, synergize, and seek first to understand, then to be understood.

We then listened to a story, "Agree to Agree", and learned that "bossiness" and "silence" are two behaviors that can impede cooperation. The students in our story had to learn to compromise before they could complete their project.  Our students were divided into small groups and asked to create a report of a new animal that their zoological team has discovered.  In their groups, they had to decide the name of this new animal, and it's habitat and special care. In addition, they had to draw a picture and write a  report. They had 10 minutes to complete the task and were told that they would need to synergize and cooperate with each other to accomplish this task.

The results were quite interesting.  Many of the groups were able to accomplish their tasks quickly and showed great cooperative skills while others needed some assistance. As each group reported, they were asked what went well and what was difficult about their group work.  The groups reported that it was important to come to a quick agreement and get their ideas out in the open in order to complete the assignment quickly. We ended the lesson by having the children explain why it is so important to learn to cooperate. Many were able to draw connections between being able to gett things done in school as well as in the world of work when they're older.

Learning to cooperate is a very important life skill for children to learn.  Parents usually foster this trait in children from the time that they're toddlers and continue encouraging tcooperative behaviors as they grow older. Sometimes, we have to be very watchful and really praise cooperative behaviors when we observe them in order to keep reinforcing them. By third grade, children should be outgrowing "pouting" behaviors (crossing arms and stomping off, leaving the group and refusing to participate, shutting down and not being a part of the group, or giving the "look that kills"). If this is a problem for your child, be firm in your expectations about how they should express their disappointment when they cannot have their own way. We all experience disappointment from time to time but must learn to deal with it in an appropriate manner. Learning to give up that "control" or need to be in charge will help them learn to cooperate with others.

This lesson covers: Career Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions. C:A1.4 Learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams
Personal/Social Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others. PS:A2.2 Respect alternative points of view
Personal/Social Standard B: Students will make decisions, set goals and take necessary action to achieve goals. PS:B1.10 Identify alternative ways of achieving goals

The 4th grade students were given a chance to draw connections between a potential career and the interests, skills and subjects that will help them be sucessful in that career.  We also discussed 10 reasons why people lose their jobs and related those same reasons to their school environment.  The students were surprised to learn that many people are fired from their jobs not because they lack the ability to do that job well, but because of their inability to get along well with others. The students were also able to conclude that the purpose of school is to eventually prepare them for the world of work and connected the habit, begin with the end in mind, to eventually identifying and pursuing the educational path that leads to a career.

Each student then created a logo and slogan for their future career and made a buisiness card describing their future business.

Standards covered: Career Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions. C:A2.8 Understand the importance of responsibility, dependability, punctuality, integrity and effort in the workplace
Standard B: Students will employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction. C:B1.2 Identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them to current career choice

Our 5th graders learned ways to build bridges to diversity.  We discussed how stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination can build walls between people and how developing the character trait of tolerance can help build bridges between people.

After watching a brief video segment, "Not all Kids are the Same", the students learned about perspective or point of view and discovered that our culture influences our perspective.  Because we come from diverse cultures, we won't always see things the same way, but we can have tolerance for different points of view.

In this video, the mothers of  four different cultures told their duaghters to play with children who were just like them. During recess, as the the diverse groups were jumping rope with their own groups, the four girls were not able to join in.  They began jumping rope together and had a wonderful time. When each child was asked by their mothers whether they played with children just like them, they all said yes. Our students were able to discern that the mothers and daughters had different perspectives of what "playing with children who are just like you" meant. The mothers' intent, of course, was for the children to play with children of the same ethnic background while their children looked beyond ethnic differences and saw the common interests that made them alike. We used the analogy of a Venn  diagram to demonstrate that though there are differences among various cultures, there are also commonalities that can bring us together. Focusing on that common ground helps develop tolerance.

We ended the lesson by brainstorming ideas that help build bridges to diversity and some of the suggestions included sitting by someone at lunch that you normally don't sit with, playing with someone different at recess, trying to find a connection or something that you have in common, and asking someone about their family or customs.

Standards covered: Personal/Social Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others. PS:A2.2 Respect alternative points of view; PS:A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences; PS:A2.4 Recognize, accept and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity

February Lessons - Developing empathy, tolerance, and assertiveness

In Third grade guidance, we read Is There Really a Human Race?, by Jamie Lee Curtis. Though most of us know her as a movie actress, she is surprisingly a very talented children's book author.  Her books seem to convey the concerns, imagination and thinking processes of young children and are wonderfully illustrated by artist, Laura Cornell. They all contain little "life lessons" that are equally important for both children and parents. Through the course of this lesson, the students were able to learn and define the words diversity, tolerance and empathy and understand the relationship between them.

 This book was inspired by Jamie Lee Curtis's  young son who heard the term "human race" at school and thought it was really a foot race.  The  "race", of course, is a metaphor for how we live our lives.  The story shares lessons of cooperation, respecting others, making good choices, learning from mistakes, and making the world a better place. 

We concluded our lesson by working in groups to have a "pep rally" for the human race. Our cheerleaders opened our pep rally by performing a cheer to some of the words from the book.  The coaches explained their "game plan" so that our students can run the best race possible. Some of their strategies included respect others, be kind to everyone, try your best, and help others. The referees explained how to make various unfair situations fair, and the fans performed short skits demonstrating how they can encourage each other.

Check in with your child and ask how they are doing in their "human race".  Find out what they think is going well and where they think they can improve.  Help them brainstorm ways to make small improvements whether it's sharing more with their little sister, "talking back" less to you, or being more patient with a friend who isn't as athletic or academically talented as your child. Talk to your children frequently about the importance of respecting others and being tolerant of all people and remember that they will learn the most from watching you.

This lesson demonstrates CCSD PS7:Understands Self and Others and covers CG.3.7.3 Individual differences-the learner will be able to exhibit tolerance for cultural differences as well as ASCA competencies GC:PS-A2.3, A2.4 - Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences as well as ethnic and cultural diversity ; GC:CD-A1.4 - Learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams.

In Fourth grade, the students learned about becoming assertive and using their voices to speak out against things that are unfair or wrong.  Using a magazine from Premier, we discussed cliques, peer pressure, empathy, bullying and speaking out.

The students shared many of their own experiences and made connections to some of ourSeven Habits:  think win win, synergize, seek first to understand, then to be understood. We reviewed the definitions of "empathy" and "assertiveness" and practiced the bystander strategies listed below. The children were also given a card with these strategies as well as the definition of bullying behavior and were asked to share these with their parents.

Please look for the bullying prevention card and "Speaking Out" magazine in your child's folder.These are wonderful tools to use for family meetings and will help initiate discussions about handling various situations that your child will ultimately encounter in school as well as the neighborhood.

This lesson covered CCSD standards CG.4.7.1 Empathy - The learner will be able to understand and demonstrate  empathy toward others and CG.4.9.1 Peer pressure-The learner will be able to identify positive and negative peer pressure. ASCA competencies covered include: GC:PS-B1.8 - Know when peer pressure is influencing a decision; GC:PS-C1.9 - Learn how to cope with peer pressure and GC:PSC1.6 -Identify resource people in the school and community, and know how to seek their help.

Our Fifth grade pirates viewed a touching dvd, Broken Toy, which covered the issue of bullying in a middle school setting.  Earlier ithis year, our students identified bullying as their number one concern about middle school. The students were pre- tested about their knowledge of bullying behaviors and bystander strategies, viewed the video, participated in a discussion about the film and were post -tested.

This emotional film was actually the bullying prevention project of a middle school and emphasizes the need to think of other people's feelings and put yourself in their place.  An unfortunate accident occurred at school to a student named Raymond due to bullying getting out of hand. The bullies felt remorse due to their treatment of Raymond and the other students felt guilty because they witnessed the bullying behaviors and did not tell anyone, nor did they speak up against it, or support Raymond in any way. Fortunately, the ending was a happy one.

This movie prompted a great classroom discussion and many students reported feeling differently about how they view teasing, harrassment and bullying.

Both 4th and 5th graders learned five strategies that bystanders can use in a bullying situation. Since bullying occurs many times outside of the watchful eye of the teacher, students often are the only witnesses.  Many are afraid to say anything due to the fear of retaliation.

The five stragies are as follows: 

1.  Distract the bully or get their attention away from the target. A great way is to start a conversation with them or ask them a question.  Most of the students agreed that this was an easy strategy that they could do.

2.  Support the person being bullied privately.  The bystander can give some encouragement or ask the target to sit with them at lunch or play with them at recess.  Being included in a group is important in preventing bullying.

3.  Refuse to join in the bullying.  For a bystander, this means not to laugh or encourage the bully in any way. This sends the message that their peers disapprove. 

4. Support the person being teased openly. This may involve saying a simple statement such as "stop it" or "that's not cool".

5. Report the bullying to an adult.  Reporting is not tattling. When people are being hurt, emotionally or physically, an adult needs to be told.

Continue to have conversations with your children about having empathy for others and developing the courage to tell an adult if inappropriate behavior is occurring.

 ASCA competencies covered in this lesson include GC:PS-B1.2-Understand consequences of decisions and choices, GC:PS-A2.2-Respect alternative points of view;GC:PS-C1.11 - Learn techniques for managing stress and conflict.

January Lessons - Career Development and Personal/Social Development

This month, Third graders learned about making decisions through a simple model known as "Stop-Think-Go", taken from the Botvin Life Skills Training program. Decision-making is a behavior, and like any other behavior, it can become a habit when practiced often. 

Using a traffic signal analogy, this simple model has three steps. In the stop phase, the students learn to define the problem - my best friend's birthday party is the same morning as my soccer game. During the think phase, the children determine the possible outcomes of each of the choices and discuss potential consequences, and in the go phase, they follow through with the decision they made.

To clarify this model and share their different decision-making experiences, the children created flap books and shared some of their decisions with the rest of the class.  It was interesting to hear about their decisions which ranged from what they want to be when they grow up to choosing between  going to Six Flags and playing in a soccer game.

Children can often make poor choices without thinking about the consequences. Parents can help their children practice how to make smart choices and improve their decision-making skills. Give your child options and use the "Stop-Think-Go" model to help them navigate toward an appropriate decision.

The more children practice making decisions, the more likely the process of making those decisions will become ingrained in them. 

This lesson followed the following ASCA standards:
C:A1.5 Learn to make decisions
PS:B1.1 Use a decision-making and problem-solving model
PS:B1.2 Understand consequences of decisions and choices

Also this month, third graders made friendship quilts and displayed them in the hallway. After viewing a powerpoint on friendship and discussing the importance of being able to make and keep friends, the students created their own "squares" for our quilts by writing a statement about how they could be a good friend to everyone.  They decorated their squares and shaped them into quilts.  Not only was each square unique in what the students vowed to do as a good friend, but the artwork and designs of each square created  very colorful and interesting quilts.  It was evident that Pickett's Mill students have many ideas about how to be good friends.

PS:A2.8 Learn how to make and keep friends

In keeping with establishing academic New Year's resolutions, our fourth graders developed "personal improvement plans." We began this lesson by playing the 4-corners game during which the students had to honestly indicate how often they exhibited certain behaviors or work habits. They were told to make note of their weaker areas. In developing their plans, the students listed four things that they woul like to improve at school and thought of how their strengths might help them improve in these areas.They then stated what they would work on and how and when they would do it.  They learned that establishing goals was a great way to work on improvement in any area.

Standard:
C:A1.6 Learn how to set goals
PS:B1.10 Identify alternative ways of achieving goals

Fourth graders also learned about "Real Colors" personality in classroom guidance.  Based on the work of Keirsey, this system provides an easy way for students to identify and understand their "Real Colors" personality. By exploring characteristics and traits of each color, the children were able to identify their main "Real Color" as well as combinations of colors. Simplified, the system is as follows:

True Blue - True Blues love to make friends and be with friends. They are often creative, artistic, and concerned about the feelings of others.
Curious Green- Curious Greens love to learn about things that interest them.  They ask many questions and want to know how or why things work. They often explore, invent and play challenging games.
Solid Gold - People who are solid golds are responsible, reliable, and organized.  They like to know the rules and obey them. They like to organize activities for their friends.
Action Orange - These people put the "A" into action.  They love to be active in play and need variety in their activities and interests. They usually enjoy team sports, tend to get easily bored, and love to have fun.

By watching a Winnie the Pooh episode, the children were able to match the color personality to the Pooh characters and see the personality traits exhibited in the characters. While most children share some traits with all of the colors, many were able to identify with one or two main colors.  They were also able to see how understanding their "Real Colors" as well as the "Real Colors" of others can help them appreciate differences in people, get along with others or gain insight into why they may react differently to situations  than others.  Habit #5 - Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood, helps us understand about these differences and why it's so important to try to listen to and understand other people. 

 Having an understanding of personality is especially important as students begin to choose a career path. We ended our lesson by making connections between personality and interests and abilities in order to explore future career choices.

For more detailed information on your child's personality (and a test, too) click here.

Standards covered :
C:B1.2 Identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them to current career choice
PS:A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences

Pickett's Mill Fifth grade students learned the importance of becoming "mediawise" and scrutinizing commercials  for advertising techniques that are used to pursuade them to purchase products.  The students reviewed old examples of cigarette ads and determined the message advertisers were sending and who was being targeted. After reviewing  peer pressure and how to stand up against negative peer pressure, the students discussed how advertising is similar to peer pressure. They learned that some advertising can have a positive influence while other advertisers  resort to techniques other than presenting the truth about a harmful substance in order to sell products. With the Super Bowl approaching, this is a great opportunity for your children to "read" the commercials for  true intent and to determine to whom the ad is targeted and what type of influence the ad may have on others.
Standards covered:

PS:B1.8 Know when peer pressure is influencing a decision
PS:C1.8 Learn about the emotional and physical dangers of substance use and abuse

The 5th grade students also took a variation of John Holland's Career interest questionaire.
Dr. John Holland created a system of placing people’s work interests into six interest areas. He believed every person’s interests fit into at least one area and most fit into two or three groups. Your personal combination of Holland groups is referred to as your "Holland Code." Your code indicates your interests, not your skills, abilities or achievements. The Holland system is based on the theory that people will find the highest job satisfaction when they perform work that interests them.

The six areas of Holland's code are Realistic, Investigative, Social, Artistic, Enterprising and Conventional.  We also looked at careers that connected with each interest code and explored a career education site for students.  The students also connected several habits to this lesson:  begin with the end in mind, put first things first and be proactive.

These lessons covered the following standards:
C:B1.2 Identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them to current career choice
C:B1.5 Use research and information resources to obtain career information

 

December Lessons-Personal/Social Domain standards

December lessons emphasized getting along with others and each grade covered this topic through developmentally appropriate lessons.

Third graders read the book, You are Special , by Max Lucado. The characters in this story spend their time giving out stickers to the other wooden puppets of the village.  Those who are beautiful and talented get gold stars while others, who are marred in some way get grey dots.  The students were able to learn the meaning of the word, "empathy", and had several opportunities to empathize with Punchinello during the story. We discussed the importance of putting ourselves in other people's places to understand how they feel and the students determined that  the habit,"seek first to understand, then to be understood" is the habit that helps them develop empathy. The children designed tennis sneakers describing how they would show empathy to others on the sole of the shoes. This activity was based on the adage that to truly understand a man, you must walk a mile in their shoes.

This lesson covered the following ASCA standards and competiencies:
Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills to help them understand self and others.
 GC:PS-A2.3  Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences
GC:PS-A2.8  Learn how to make and keep friends

 Our 4th grade students learned about conflict resolution by visiting a fun and interactive web page, Out on a Limb. The students learned that most children settle conflicts in one of 3 ways:  the "loud" choice (yelling, screaming, fighting, calling names), the "soft" choice (walking away or ignoring the problem) or the "think and share" choice (talking it over, using "I" messages, discussing feelings and understanding each other's point of view).

The think and share choice, although more time consuming and a little harder to do, allows for better communication, gets feelings out in the open and clarifies misunderstandings. The students also discussed the imortance of developing empathy in trying to understand how others feel.

By learning to look at other's perspectives and listening to others, students can learn to resolve their
differences in a way that benefits everyone.  Encourage your children to listen to and reflect each other's feelings during arguments at home. This can help them practice these important skills within the saftey of their families and build their confidence in solving conflict outside of the home.

The fourth grade students made connections to our 7 Habits during this lesson and were able to understand that solving conflicts by the "think and share" method allows them to "Think Win-Win" (Habit 4)  and "Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood," (Habit 5).

The following ASCA standards and competencies were addressed in this lesson:
Standard B: Students will make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals
GC:PS-B1.6  Know how to apply conflict resolution skills

Our Pickett's Mill Fifth graders focused on teamwork this month.  To begin the lesson, I asked the students if they were part of a sports team, chorus, church group or other type of cooperative group.  We then discussed what it takes to be a good team player - cooperation, flexibility, encouragement, respect and tolerance.  Completeing a K-W-L chart, we wrote down what we know or think we know about teamwork, what we want to know about teamwork and after our activity, we finished by summarizing what we learned about teamwork doing the specific task.

The students were divided into random groups of 4-5 students and were given 5 pieces of PVC pipe, and a cup of 10 marbles. They were told to use all of their team members to send the marbles through the pipeline without any marbles touching the floor and with all team members sending the marbles through.  It was amazing to watch the different thought processes and the communication that took place to accomplish the task. Among other things, the students learned that they needed to listen to everyone's ideas, have a respectful tone of voice, try something else if the first idea didn't work, and be flexible.  After watching a cute video clip about two ants working together, the students summarized ideas about how they could work successfully in a team.

 This lesson covered the following ASCA standards and competencies:
Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills to help them understand self and others.
GC:PS-A2.2  Respect alternative points of view
GC:PS-A2.7  Know that communication involves speaking, listening and nonverbal behavior

Standard B: Students will make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals
GC:PS-B1.11  Use persistence and perseverance in acquiring knowledge and skills

November Lessons -Successful Learning

Third, fourth and fifth graders continued to focus on academic lessons as we explored learning styles, multiple intelligences, and learning attitudes and behaviors.

In third grade, students watched a video from Disovery Education, "You Can Count on Me," which presented four different scenarios about responsibility. After each clip, we discussed the responsible thing to do in each situation and the students learned that learning from our mistakes can help us become more responsible. The students were able to connect the lesson with the habits, "be proactive" and "put first things first." They also learned the words "initiative" and "dependable" go hand in hand with responsibility. We ended the lesson by creating responsibility posters.

Third graders also had an interactive lesson on active listening. After a discussion on on how to listen actively (squaring our body to the speaker, maintaining eye contact, using our mind to focus, and sitting up tall and straight), the students were divided into groups and given a cue word to listen for as I read "The Wonderful Listening Story." Each group had their own word and said their special line whenever they heard their word. We discovered that as the story grew longer, their responses became delayed or forgotten altogether as they grew tired of actively listening. The students concluded the lesson by dividing into pairs and using their listening skills to interview each other to determine similarities and differences.

Like all skills, the skill of active listening becomes stronger through practice. Parents can help their children develop good listening skills by modeling good listening skills in the home and frequently engaging their children in conversation. 

 Standards covered:
Academic: Standard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.
GC:AD-A1.4  Accept mistakes as essential to the learning process
GC:AD-A1.5  Identify attitudes and behaviors which lead to successful learning
GC:AD-A3.1  Take responsibility for their actions

Personal/Social: Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills to help them understand self and others.
GC:PS-A2.3  Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences

In fourth grade, the students learned about multiple intelligences or the 8 different ways that people can show they're smart.  This theory, developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University, proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of potential in both children and adults. The multiple intelligences are Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Musical/Rhythmic, Logical/Mathematical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalistic. 

The students took a survey to see which of the intelligences were dominant for them.They were also able to make the connection that intrapersonal intelligence was necessary for students to synergize, think win-win and sharpen the saw. They were also able to see similarities to the three learning styles.

We summarized the lesson by concluding that students learn and show they are smart in many different ways and they can enhance their learning by focusing on their own learning styles and intelligences.

Fourth graders also learned a decision-making model, Stop-Think-Go, to help them make decisions. The visual of a traffic light helps them remember the steps to good decision making: Red (stop) reminds them to stop and consider the decision that needs to be made, yellow reminds them to wait and consider the consequences of each choice, and green reminds them to go with the decision that they have made.  We also discussed peer pressure and the importance of making good decisions and displaying assertive behavior. The students then divided into groups to help "Dear Abby" writers make good decisions.   

Academic: Standard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.
GC:AD-A2.4  Apply knowledge and learning styles to positively influence school performance

Career: Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions
GC:CD-A1.5  Learn to make decisions

Our fifth graders continued to discuss attitudes and the effect they can have on learning.  In a lesson, "Don't Hide your Pride", the children learned ways to show pride in their work: giving best effort, doing neat work, paying attention in class, being engaged in the lesson, etc. We also discussed what apathy means and how having an apathetic attitude negatively affects their education.

The students divided into groups to role play various learners:  The engaged learner (interested and involved), the doubting learner (the student who never thinks their work is good enough), the off-topic learner (the student who only wants to talk about what they want to talk about), the la-la land learner (the student who wants to play all day long), and the lack of interest learner (the learner who shrugs and shows no interest in participating). After coming back as a large group, they took turns showing their role plays while the rest of the class guessed which learner was being portrayed.

Discussion of the lesson revealed some interesting insights.  When asked why some students don't show pride in their work, answers included that some students lack confidence, are too shy to ask for help, or are fearful that they'll be labeled a "nerd" for doing well. The great things that come out of being fully engaged include success across the board in all subjects, healthier attitudes about school, and becoming a good role model for others.

To wrap up the lesson, the students were asked what they could do to improve if they were not engaged learners most of the time. Their suggestions included asking for help, getting a tutor, getting away from people who may distract them, put extra effor into their work, listening to the teacher, and slowing down to do neat work. They also shared that many of the 7 Habits help them develop good attitudes and learning behaviors.

Academic Domain

 Standard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.
GC:AD-A1.3  Take pride in work and achievement
GC:AD-A1.5  Identify attitudes and behaviors which lead to successful learning

Career: Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.
GC:CD-A1.4  Learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams

 

 

October Lessons - Academics

This month, I have been focusing on academic standards. In Third grade guidance, we have been been learning that mistakes are an important part of the learning process.

I began the lesson by making a purposeful mistake and then asked the children to share some of their mistakes. We then discussed how we feel when we make mistakes and how mistakes can help us. Most students reported that mistakes make them feel embarrassed, sad, angry or scared but understood that we can learn from mistakes.

After reading a book, Out of the Ballpark, by Alex Rodriquez, the students learned how a famous ball player handled his mistakes when he was a boy. We then discussed positive and negative self talk, the things that we think to ourselves whenever we make a mistake. Examples of negative self talk are "I'm such an idiot", "I just can't do this", and "everyone thinks I'm dumb". The danger of negative self talk is that we begin to believe the negative things that we are telling ourselves. The students brainstormed examples of positive self talk ("I can do it", I'll try harder next time", "I know this") and made a "mistake bug" in which they wrote down a mistake that "bugs" them as well as positive self talk to encourage themselves if they make that mistake again. The more we can practice using postive self talk, the less embarrassed we'll become when we do make mistakes and the more able to focus on the correction, thus learning from our mistake.

This lesson covered CG.AD-A1.4  Sucessful Learning - The learner will be able to accept mistakes as essential to the learning process  and GC:PS-A1.1-The learner will develop positive attitudes toward self as a unique and worthy person.

 

In fourth grade, the students learned about three differenct learning styles:  visual, auditory and kinesthetic/tactile.  The students took an assessment to learn their own individual learning style.  Some students had one unique learning style while others had a combination of two or all three. The students then worked in groups to  brainstorm strategies, materials, and ideas that would help a student with a particular learning style learn:  flash cards and graphic organizers for visual learners, oral questioning and reading out loud for auditory learners, and using "hands on" materials, taking frequent breaks and studying in a rocking chair for a kinesthetic/tactile learner.

The fourth graders were able to connect some of the 7 Habits to using learning styles to help them study: Be Proactive and Begiin with the End in Mind.

We summarized the lesson by concluding that students learn and show they are smart in many different ways and they can enhance their learning by focusing on their own learning styles and intelligences.

This lesson covered GC:AD-B1.3 - The learner will apply the study skills necessary for academic success at each level and CG.AD-B1.6 Learning Styles - the learner will be able to use knowledge of  learning styles to positively influence school performance.

In fifth grade, our students learned the importance of building a good academic foundation and how it helps them support attitudes, behaviors and skills that enable them to achieve their goals. We used the analogy of building a strong building and the students worked in groups to build a dominoe building with a strong foundation and a building with a weak foundation.

They were able to conclude that the building with a strong foundation can support many floors and withstand "strsses" just as a student with a strong foundation can support more skills, attitudes and habits that can lead to success.  The children were able to identify many foundational components such as positive attiutde, hard work, listening in class, etc as well as additional "floors" such as the 7 Habits, study skills, setting goals, passing the CRCT, etc. as they built upon success.

Each student completed their personal foundation plan for their personal goal and used the graphic organizer to write out their plan for success.

This lesson covered CG.AD-A1.5 The student will identify attitudes, behaviors which lead to successful learning; CG.AD-B2.6 - The learner will understand the relationship between classroom performance and success in school.

September Lessons - Revisiting Bullying Prevention

 Our school theme this year is BRAVO (Building Relationships and with Actions that Value Others), and in keeping with that theme, the September lessons for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades have focused on Bullying Prevention.  Because Pickett's Mill is dedicated to developing leaders, it is important that we partner with parents to help develop social skills and instill the value of respect in our students. When students learn to have empathy for and respect one another, bullying behaviors decrease. By emphasizing our habits "think win-win", "seek first to understand, then to be understood," and "synergize," our students can also learn the importance of valuing others.

The problem is that almost all bad behavior directed from one student to another is often labeled as "bullying" when in fact, it may not be. Using the "Steps to Respect" definition (a research-based bullying prevention program), our students have learned that "bullying is unfair and one-sided. It happens when a person keeps hurting, threatening, frightening or leaving someone out on purpose."

There are many behaviors that are considered harassing or hurtful behaviors such as calling names, making faces, uncomfortable teasing, forming exclusive cliques or clubs, etc., but in order for the behavior to be called bullying, the behavior must be a pattern that has continued over time, involve an imbalance of power, and be done on purpose. All three conditions must exit to call the behavior bullying.

I began the lessons by reviewing the definition of bullying.  We then discussed the difference between teasing and bullying and learned ways to assertively communicate using "I" statements. The students then became bullying detectives and determined if certain situations were true examples of bullying behavior, mutual rough housing, or rude or inappropriate behavior.  The students soon became experts in determining whether the three conditions existed in those situations. 

I used the books Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon and My Secret Bully for 3rd and 4th grades, respectively. Third grade students concluded the lesson by writing a Bully Blocker message while 4th grade students made a graphic organizer to list examples of emotional bullying, the consequences of emotional bullying, strategies to use when being bullied and what they would say if someone bullied them. Fifth grade students were pre and post tested on this lesson to collect information on their attitudes, knowledge,  and skills regarding bullying. They also wrote assertive "I" statements.

Parents can encourage their children to be assertive by role playing situations with their children or encouraging their child to report bullying or harassment to an adult. 

For more information on bullying prevention, click here.

This lesson covered the following CCSD and ASCA standards:

5th - PS9: Safety and Survival Skills - CG.5.9.1 - Harassment/bullying - The learner will be able to identify harassment and bullying behavior, GC:PS-C1.5 - The learner will differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult professional help.

4th - CG.PS-B1.5 The learner will be able to demonstrate when, where and how to see help for solving problems; PS7: Understand Self and Others - CG.4.7.1 Empathy- The learner will be able to understand and demonstrate empathy towards others.

3rd. - CG.3.6.1 Coping Skills - The learner will be able to develop effective coping skills for dealing with problems, CG.3.7.1 Empathy - the learner will be able to define and recognize empathy, GC:PS-A2.6 - The learner will use effective communication skills.

August Lesssons - Getting off to a Great Start with Academic Lessons

Last week, our Pickett's Mill students began their guidance lessons and the focus has been on achieving academic success. These lessons covered Standard A: Effective Learning - The learner will be able to acquire attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.

Our third grade students learned about being "School Cool." In this lesson, the students learned about responsibility and how learning to become responsible helps them become successful students. After a discussion on responsible school behaviors and attitudes, the students played a game in which they had to
decide whether a behavior or attitude should be "trashed" or saved in the "piggy bank". 

Some of the saved behaviors included doing my homework when I get home, trying my hardest and keeping a positive attitude, raising my hand to ask a question in class, asking for help when I need it and treating others with respect.  Some of the behaviors that went in the trash can were waiting to the last minute to do my work, doing sloppy work, giving up and not trying, talking when the teacher is talking and blurting out answers instead of raising my hand.

Our Seven Habits worked really well with this  part of the lesson and the children were able to tell me that Habit 1, Be Proactive was all about taking responsibility for our lives in how we act and react. We discussed how Habit 3, Put First Things First, could help with doing chores and homework and how Habits 4, Think Win-Win,  5, Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood and 6, Synergize, can help them become more responsible when it comes to getting along better with friends and family members. Habit 7, Sharpen the Saw, can help encourage them to go to bed on time and get that much needed sleep to renew themselves.

The students then rated themselves on how responsible they are to determine if they're "School Cool."  They were asked to circle their lowest ratings and use those to establish some goals to improve their responsibility for their work and behavior.

This lesson covers GC:AD-A3.1 - Take resposibility for their actions and GC:AD-A1.5 - Identify attitudes and behaviors which lead to successful learning

 The fourth grade students viewed and discussed a power point presentation, “Can You Spell Winner?” In this presentation, the students learned six strategies for school success as well as traits and habits of successful students:

Works carefully and uses time wisely.

Is interested and shows it by listening, asking questions and taking notes.

Needs help sometimes and knows when and how to ask for it.

Notices there are different ways of being smart and discovers his or her own strengths.

Expects to do well and keeps a positive attitude.

Realizes the importance of being prepared and organized.

The students then worked  to come up with their own strategies and recorded them on blue ribbons to display around the room. Some of their  ideas included turning off the TV or stereo when doing homework, reading an extra 30 minutes each day, asking parents to check over homework, cleaning out your desk and book bag often, playing computer math games, and practicing the seven habits. The students were able to make the connection between school success and  Habit 1 - Be proactive; Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind; and Habit 3 - Put first things first.

The beginning of a new school year is the perfect time to establish good work habits and attitudes about school. Children often take their cues about the importance of education from their parents’attitudes and expectations. Parents have the power to reinforce good homework habits and study skills by clearly communicating their expectations to their children and the resulting consequences if expectations are not met. Talk to your children often about what you expect from them as far as their level of effort is concerned. Your interest and guidance will help them become winners in the classroom.

 

This lesson covered the following competencies:

GC:AD-A1.5- Identify attitudes, and behaviors which lead to successful learning
GC:AD-A2.3 Use communication skills to know when and how to ask for help when needed

Fifth grade students discussed successful learning and explored how attitudes, behaviors and skills affect learning.  We began by watching a brief clip from "School of Rock" and the students were asked to make observations about the students in the clip as they were learning to form a band.  Our students observed that they had  positive attitudes and were willing to try new things. They also listened to their teacher and "synergized" as they were forming the band. They were able to make connections between what they observed in the video and the attitudes and skills that will be necessary to further cultivate success in the 5th grade. 

We then discussed learning styles, learning rates, the importance of setting goals and how the 7 Habits can help them become more successful learners. The students shared which habits were more difficult for them to achieve and we brainstormed ways to work on improving them.  Be sure to ask your child which habits need to be improved and which ones have become routine for them.

Finally, I gave the students an opportunity to annonymously write down their concerns about going to middle school.  The results will be compiled and shared during the next guidance lesson and through the guidance curriculum and the wonderful preparation by their teachers, they will learn that they will become prepared for middle school during the course of this year.

This lesson covered the following competencies:

GC:AD-A1.5- Identify attitudes, and behaviors which lead to successful learning
GC:AD-B2.1 - Establish challenging academic goals in elementary school

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