Favorite Lessons of the Month

I teach over 450 lessons a year. Sometimes I just forget what I've done and sometimes a lesson changes multiple times as the month progresses. In an effort to help me remember what worked, I try and blog about my most successful lessons of the month. Here's some of my favorite from the past month:

3rd: We read Ping and Pong Are Best Friends (mostly) and then discussed feelings of jealousy and what we can do to cope with those feelings using my activity packet online. Next we watched this cute video on conflict resolution.

After the video I broke students into teams and they had to create as many conflict resolution strategies as they could. We ended our lesson with some words of wisdom from Kid President.

4th Grade: We talked about perseverance and growth mindest.

First we read one of these awesome books:

As we were reading or during reading students wrote down examples of a negative or fixed mindset. You can use blank post it notes or Counselor Keri has an awesome resource for this lesson.

Next we watched some great videos on Class Dojo. 

After watching the videos I put students into groups and each group had to change at least 4 fixed mindset statements into positive mindset statements. I made it a relay race and as teams finished they either got supplies for the Marshmallow Challenge or the paper for the Class Dojo challenge. 

5th- We are doing to Weird! Series. Check out all the details here.

Saving Sam!

I have an amazing intern this semester! She's really become my right hand man and is a natural for elementary. So it's no surprise that she just created a winning lesson for 3rd grade. We have been talking all year about perseverance, mindset, and goal setting. So this was a perfect lesson to review and refresh on all three topics. 
Here it is:

First, she created an awesome Power Point. It introduces perseverance with a great Bruno Mars video, that even our 3rd graders asked to watch again.

It also highlighted some famous "failures." 

Here are her talking tips: Helpful Tips for PowerPoint…. Who are those people?

Walt Disney: The man who gave us Disney World and Mickey Mouse. His first animation company went bankrupt. He was fired by a news editor because he lacked imagination. Legend has it he was turned down 302 times before he got the money to create Disney World

J.K Rowling The author of the Harry Potter series didn’t magically become wealthier than the Queen of England. Coming from poverty, she wrote the first book in the series on an old typewriter only to be turned down by more than ten publishers. A year later, a publisher named Barry Cunningham agreed to publish her book, but suggested she get another job because children’s books do not typically lead to making a lot of money.

Next we challenged them to play "Saving Sam".

Perseverance as summer approaches!

This time of year is all about testing, field days, and more testing. I know this time of year I start to lapse on my training with Brooklyn and the dogs get away with a lot.

This time of year I love to do lessons on perseverance (although I still need spell check to help me with that word after many years of teaching.). My favorite book this time of year is "The Three Ninja Pigs" by Corey Rosen Schwartz. I love it so much I've blogged about it many times . I love it so much that I created a packet designed to help teachers and counselors tie it into testing, perseverance/resiliency , team work, problem solving, cultural appreciation, and of course CCSS.  Also, you can connect this book to bullying (link at the end of the blog post).

So here is my latest packet for a book you all NEED to have on your book shelves:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Three-Ninja-Pigs-Activity-Guide-a-lesson-on-perseverance-test-prep-and-more-1792121

"I'm Bored!"

How many times have you heard that...over summer break, when it's raining and the kids can't go outside to recess, or when they can't use their iPod/iPad!

Brooklyn gets bored and tends to bring me a ball or toy with her sad "play, play" eyes. She's great about entertaining herself, but my students not so much.

I'm Bored Lesson In A Nutshell

You have 45 seconds to judge me....

Not really, but that's what today's lesson is about. Making snap judgements based on things we have read or have seen on the internet and using our eyes to judge people, instead of getting to know them.

This lesson has several activities and stopping points for discussion and I have done it with 3rd- 6th grade, but you could easily do it with middle school and yes I would do it with high school.

First, I like the students to have an open discussion so I remind them of our socratic seminar rules.

Then using the smart board I showed them this pup and asked:

I let the students openly share their judgements about the dog and have discussion about what they would do and think if they saw him at the park, etc.

Then I let them meet Jack Frost, the after of the dog above!

Read more about this sweet boy and his journey here: http://pittiesincity.blogspot.com/2012/12/meet-our-new-foster-jack-frost.html

After we discussed first impressions I let the students play the shoe detective game. I do this game almost every year so you can read about it more here: http://sassyschoolcounselor.blogspot.com/2012/07/dont-judge-book-by-its-cover.html

The game is very easy and fun, but best of all your teachers will love you because it ties in critical reading and thinking skills such as using schema and evidence to create an inference.

Do Role Models Wear Toilet Paper Rolls? Yes They Do!

Me as a "roll- model"

Yesterday for Halloween we had a Vocabulary Parade at school. Each student in 1st-5th grade picked a vocabulary word (preferably one they didn't know) and dressed like that word. It was fantastic to see all the creativity and play on words.

Our music teacher was "instrumental"

 I was a role model! I wore my most fashionable clothes and covered my self in toilet paper roles that had characteristics of a good role model written on them.

I was surprised how many older students asked me what I was and when I told them responded with "what is a role model?" So I decided to do a lesson on what is a good role model and this lead to me to the discovery of an amazing Ted Ed.

Richard St. John interviewed over 500 people to come up with 8 traits of successful people. I love the researched based background of this list and his humor that makes the video seem relatable and not like a lecture.

I want to run this class like a Socratic Seminar and so it will look like this:

3 mintues- Introduction and Review of Rules/Goals
8 mintues- Watch the Video silently
1 minute transition to small group
10 minutes- In small group I had them discuss what characteristics they believed made someone successful, were any traits he listed that they disagreed with or any that they believed he had left off, and did they think you needed all 8 traits to be successful.
1 minute to transition to a small group
15 minutes- Discuss as an entire group. Are there any trends? Did the small groups have similar answers?
7 minutes silent reflection- the students are given time for a written reflection: What did they contribute to the group? Did anyone contribute something to the group that helped shaped your opinion? What characteristics do you have or would you like to develop?

I love the dig deeper section of this and so for homework I would like them to interview three people they consider role models. They can have a general conversation with that person about their life, how they accomplished their goals, etc. At the end I would like them to create their own list of 8 characteristics based on the characteristics their role models demonstrate.

Here is my homework:

My Role Models

Mike- the most amazing dog I have ever met. I wish he was mine. While his history is unknown you can tell by his ears he has had a tough life. If it weren't for the scars you wouldn't know that he had his ears cut off, that he had been fought or passed around from home to home. You wouldn't know this because he is the most gentle loving bear. I love watching him around kids! So calm and patient, he lets them give extra big hugs and squeal in delight. His unconditional love melts my heart. 

My co-workers. They are patient, kind, and steadfast. They are my role models because they constantly push me to be better - to do better. They do not pull out lesson plans from last year. They spend hours upon hours, sometimes still working minutes before their classes enter their room, creating the most current, relevant, and interesting lessons. I can't get lazy in my school! I also admire their energy. There is never a dull moment at my school. Just when you are about to think about a nap- "surprise!"confetti is going everywhere and our teacher of the year and her cohort are getting our students organized into a real life element chart, making everyone laugh with a video they created to beat the Friday blues, or creating a robot that will beat out robots designed by high school students. I love that fourth grade doesn't take tears or excuses, they just accept hard work.

There is NEVER a dull moment at my school! Oh and they never judge my poor grammar.

Blue Moves-  My Family. This group of dancers is truly my family. We have been through the happiest and saddest of times together: graduations, weddings, births, deaths, birthdays, celebrations, job changes, and drinks on porches. On the dance floor we move as one, pushing each other outside the box and challenging our bodies. Sometimes we get frustrated and angry at each other, but no matter how mad we get I know with certainty that if we need each other we will always be there.

Jana and Carlene- Founder and Volunteer Extrodinary for Nashville Pittie.

There is no stopping these two- not even a heart attack. I admire their steadfast conviction to educating the community about the unfair and unjust discrimination towards Pit Bulls. They open their homes to pups in need, create unforgettable events, and change the lives of dogs and their owners (or future owners) one by one. I think anyone who knows the many volunteers of Nashville Pittie would agree that this group is made of many sensational role models. I love that they take time out of their busy lives to change lives. Jana is my role model because she reminds me that it just takes one! One person can make a difference, one person can create a group that will change a community, one person can change the life of a dog forever. No wonder Jana was named one of Nashville Paws Humane Heros of the Year.

Christy R. and Jennifer C.- yoga gurus. These ladies are the epitome of Zen. Their soothing voices, unwavering calmness, and even keeled and positive attitudes are inspirational  There has never been a time that I have been around these ladies when I haven't thought, "Gosh I want to be like that!"

Jen and Stouie! This amazing pair do extraordinary things for me, but that's just one reason they made the list. I admire they way they take on any challenge- like the challenge of reading to and greeting 400 students in a day.  I also love the bond they create with everyone they meet. You can't meet them without a) falling in love and b) knowing your life with never be the same. We had several students who instantly connected with Stouie (who is deaf) and connected with his disability. One student wrote him a letter later saying that he changed how she viewed her dyslexia. They take the time to connect with everyone they meet, how many of us can say that?!

Brooklyn- my dog of course. I love her forgiveness. Maybe it's just her short term memory, but I love the way she doesn't hold a grudge. It also means that I have my patience tested and can't hold a grudge when she is eating my sofa. I look at forgiveness in a way I never did before her. What I love the most is that she constantly wants my attention and tries to get it by sneezing in my face. She reminds me to be present, that when I am with her I have to be totally focused on her or "ah-chew!" I love this because it reminds me to be present with all the people in my life- students, teachers, friends, and loved ones.

Bucket Lists

Bucket Lists!

This summer I made a bucket list of fun things I wanted to do and make sure that I actually did them! From going to the zoo to making S'mores there are 20 pegs of fun summer activities. Each time I complete an activity I put it in the bucket.The first peg I wrote was cookout, mainly because we cooked out the night before and I really liked being able to put a peg in right away. I have always been this way- I put something on my checklists that I have already done. It makes me feel just slightly more encouraged and successful. I love the visual checklist and so far I have done six.

Although an incredible teacher friend of mine, who is now a successful assistant principal, pointed out that it reminded her of a behavior management technique she often used, I really like the idea of using this visual in my counseling curriculum next year.  So here are my ideas for incorporating bucket lists this year.

My personal bucket list!
Each year I brainstorm ways I want to improve my program, things I want to change, and create a list of personal goals for myself. I started brainstorming how many of these could be put on a peg and at the end of the year I could see how much closer I was to accomplishing my goals. At first my goals were broad, like incorporate more technology, but as we all know goals are better when they are concrete and measurable. So here is my bucket list for the 2012-2013 school year:
                   - Use the Smart Board for at least five lessons this year. This means using pre-made games or developing my own.
                    - Collaborate with my peers to team teach at least five times. I always do a lesson with my Kindergartners on keeping their teeth clean. Last year, I noticed that about a month after my lesson the teachers were doing the exact same lesson! If only I had known. So this year my goal is to collaborate with them so our lessons don't overlap. In fact, we could even team teach.
                 - Gather more data. As we all know our profession is becoming a data driven! This year I want to complete a MEASURE and gather more data. Often I feel like teachers don't realize just how much we do. If I don't see their kids weekly I get looks of "what are you doing all day"? By gathering and sharing data hopefully I can answer their question. This also leads me to my next goal.
               - Advocate and explain my position. Each year we get several new teachers and this year my goal is do a better job of explaining my role in the school. I know that is broad, but here is my more specific goal of how to do this: Talk to the faculty at one of our early in-service meetings about my role and follow up by handing out a brochure of my program. That is just a bit to long to write on one peg.
                 - Attend the state counseling conference.
                 - Have at least one parent at every parent workshop. Last year I had some sessions that were packed houses and some that had zero. This year I want one parent at each workshop and then next year I can set a goal of increasing participation.
                 - Have monthly BIONIC meetings and don't reschedule them! That means 10 meetings total.
                - Attend at least 75% of our school's data meetings. This number is ideally 100%, but you just never know when a crisis will arise. Attending these meetings is a great way to not only gather data, but get referrals for students that might have otherwise been missed.
               - Update my blog monthly! I am new at this so it's going to take me a while to start the habit of logging in.
                - Take members of Student Council to the Family Learning Center to help tutor younger students two times. Last year I took our students to an after school center to assist with tutoring and it was a huge it. The students loved it and many of our parents stayed to help out too. We must do this again!

There are a lot more ideas, but you get the idea. Some of the pegs I can put in the bucket as soon as I do them and some I will get to put in at the end of the year.

Small Group Bucket Lists
Ideally, each of my small group sessions should have a goal. Sometimes, especially around testing time, I find that I loose focus when running my groups and we have a session that feels more like social hour. Although the kids love it, each session should have purpose. So I like the idea of writing down goals we should accomplish my the end of our group so that we can put them in the bucket. For example, it could be learn everyone's name and at the end of the first session if we all know each others names in goes the peg. Hopefully this will ensure that we are putting a peg in the bucket every time we meet, thus staying more focused.

Individual Bucket Lists
At the beginning of the year I always do a goal setting activity with my older students. Wouldn't it be fun to have them create their own personal bucket lists for the school year? For example, it could be try out of band,  get at least 3 A's every report card, etc. I think this could be a cute, but costly.

To cut down on costs I could do a class bucket list. What things they want to accomplish with me during our classroom guidance lessons by the end of the year. Each student could write down one thing they want to learn (counseling related) to add to our bucket. Wouldn't it be cool if they wrote things like "learn how to react to a bully" "learn what to do when I see a friend being bullied" "learn what to do if a stranger approaches me" "learn one new fact about cyber safety." I wonder if my students could create these ideas themselves or if I would end up feeding it to them?

I also like the idea of the bucket list for individual members in a small group session. Each person could write down one thing they want to accomplish while in the group and we place all of them around the bucket. Then we spend the group helping each other accomplish our goals and making sure everyone get's put in the bucket. This would be a great for my study skills group. 

Ok, this blog entry got away from me and has ended up very long, but before I go I must share one more thing. I love this book and what a perfect way to introduce the idea of teamwork and helping each other fulfill our bucket lists.  If you haven't used this book before I would recommend adding it to your counseling library this year. In fact put it on your bucket list!