Spot ‘N Swat for Vocabulary!

Here’s a fun way for students to learn vocabulary words by spotting them and then swatting them. They will have so much fun that they may not realize that they are learning.

Here’s what you need:
Two fly swatters
3”X 5”cards with the definitions of each word written on one side
3”X 5” cards with the words that match the definitions written on one side
(20 cards of both the words and 20 of their definitions is a good number for play)
4-6 students ready to play
A parent volunteer/student teacher to assist is ideal.
Spot ‘N Swat can be played as a team or individually. Place the 3” X 5” cards with words in columns and face up on a flat surface so that all of the words are easily seen by students. Write the definition for each word on another 3”X5” card. Ask a volunteer or student teacher to lead this and you can stay in the classroom and continue teaching. The volunteer holds all of the definitions in hand and reads the definition (one by one) and the students must spot and then swat with the fly swatter the correct word that matches the definition. The student who swats the correct word first gets to keep that card and the team with the most cards in the end, wins. Students continue to try until they find the correct word. This game can be used for a variety of subject areas and their definitions and can be modified to accommodate your needs.

Classroom Engagement tip for June 19, 2008

Compassionate Communication

You and your students can serve as role models to others by positively influencing them through your non-violent communication. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to lose one’s temper and overreact; often this leaves us feeling guilty or regretful. If we learn to utilize the steps below, we will be better prepared to meet our own needs and those of others while also contributing to the betterment of our society. You may wish to role play situations in the classroom to give students an opportunity to practice this. And also ask students to share experiences in which they successfully utilized non-violent communication. For more ideas, visit www.cnvc.org.

10 Things We Can Do to Contribute to Internal, Interpersonal, and Organizational Peace
(1) Spend some time each day quietly reflecting on how we would like to relate to ourselves and others.
(2) Remember that all human beings have the same needs.
(3) Check our intention to see if we are as interested in others getting their needs met as our own.
(4) When asking someone to do something, check first to see if we are making a request or a demand.
(5) Instead of saying what we DON'T want someone to do, say what we DO want the person to do.
(6) Instead of saying what we want someone to BE, say what action we'd like the person to take that we hope will help the person be that way.
(7) Before agreeing or disagreeing with anyone's opinions, try to tune in to what the person is feeling and needing.
(8) Instead of saying "No," say what need of ours prevents us from saying "Yes."
(9) If we are feeling upset, think about what need of ours is not being met, and what we could do to meet it, instead of thinking about what's wrong with others or ourselves.
(10) Instead of praising someone who did something we like, express our gratitude by telling the person what need of ours that action met. The Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) would like there to be a critical mass of people using Nonviolent Communication language so all people will get their needs met and resolve their conflicts peacefully. 2001, revised 2004 Gary Baran & CNVC. The right to freely duplicate this document is hereby granted.

Leadership Development tip for June 19, 2008

Videotape Your Students' Presentations

Guess what is one of the American public’s greatest fears? Flying, death? No, actually the number one fear of adults is public speaking, this need not be so. It’s great to give your students experience speaking in front of groups and a classroom of peers is a comfortable environment in which to enhance one’s public speaking skills. Give each student a rubric including the basics upon which they will be graded. Include: eye contact, voice, body language, clarity of speech, content and use of visual aides. Make it fun and have each student select their own subject, after you approve the topic, provide a few tips to students. Suggest that they dress comfortably, eat a good breakfast that day and take time to really practice their presentations with their skills in mind. Borrow a school video camera, if not available, use a tape recorder. After each student gives their presentation, find a time to review the video/audio on an individual basis with each student. Ask them what they did well and what needs improvement. Give them a chance to make the presentation again. Public speaking gives students an opportunity to share useful knowledge, establish themselves as an expert in a certain area and gain real confidence. We all need this skill even if we are not making formal presentations. Practice makes perfect!

Professional Development tip for June 19, 2008

Careers: Get Parents Involved in Presenting!

Here’s an idea available at your fingertips! Engage parents of your students in the classroom to share information on their careers. According to the United States Department of Labor (www.bls.gov/nls/), the average person born in the later years of the baby boom held 10 different jobs from age 18 to 38.

To get started, send an email message to parents asking if they could spare an hour of their time: thirty minutes in the classroom and thirty in preparation. Tell them you are eager to have them share about their careers in a presentation where they highlight the pluses and minuses of their current employment.

Five easy steps for a parent presentation:
1. Send an email message stating several options of when a parent could speak with your class for twenty minutes followed by ten minutes of questions and answers.
2. Have them present a few minutes of background on their education, career hopes and dreams and first job.
3. Parents share their current employment position and the things they like the best about it (pluses) and then what they least like (minuses).
4. Parents may also share what prepared them for this position and what they could have done differently to prepare.
5. Parent answers questions from students. Parents may bring in any samples of their work or visual aides to add interest.

Career Development Tip for June 19, 2008

T - A - G

In our fast-paced, task-driven society, sometimes saying, “thank you” sounds just like that – a fast “thank you” about a task. “Thanks for helping me clean.” “Thanks for keeping your binder organized.” “Thanks for helping your classmate.”

When our students do something outstanding, how can we reward them in an outstanding way? It doesn’t have to be a pizza party or a movie day, and not even bonus points in the grade book. All you need is a pleasant voice, a sincere heart and the students who never cease to amaze you. Then…TAG* them. Try this:
1. Start with the task:
“You did an amazing job remaining attentive to and asking questions of our guest speaker today.”
2. Identify the attribute:
“Because of your desire to grow and learn and your respect for others, you gained a lot from our guest’s visit and made our guest feel welcome.”
3. Propose the goal:
“Let’s bring the same attentiveness, attitude of growth and respect back to our classroom for tomorrow’s discovery.”

Can you feel the difference? It’s not the task you’re proud of. While it’s wonderful, it’s actually about an attribute your student(s) brought with them, and you ask them to use it again in a specific situation! You can TAG students as a class, in small groups or as individuals. After you try it, take a moment to soak in how great it feels to really praise your students!

Click on the following QuickTime link to view a short movie demonstrating how to TAG your students.

*The T-A-G concept comes from Mark Reardon

Professional Development Tip for June 12, 2008

Family Fun

The dynamics we encounter in regards to our students’ relationships with their families is always hard to imagine. Some parents want to know constantly what their child is working on, others just don’t think to ask and unfortunately, some may not care. So what can we do to foster communication from child to family and from classroom to family?

Provide clear and easy, yet purposeful ways for students to share with their families the discoveries happening in your classroom. Add a “Family Fun” section to homework occasionally. Provide a game to play or guiding questions to discuss. Then leave signature blanks for all members who participated to sign.

Other helpful tips:
· You might include Family Fun on homework that is due in a few days to accommodate schedules.
· Send a note or e-mail to parents/guardians informing them of the new activity.
· Let your students develop the Family Fun activity every once in a while.
· Be clear about whether the activity will be graded or for extra credit.

Here are some ideas which you might use as Family Fun:
1. English class: Create a fun paragraph that has several mistakes. Encourage all family members to participate in a game of “Who can Find the Most Mistakes?”
2. Math: Send home a document with several math problems on it. Challenge the families to engage in a Mad Minute and see who can answer the most questions correctly within a one-minute time frame.
3. Family and Consumer Science: Create a food label scavenger hunt for families to complete within their homes or at the grocery store.


Classroom Engagement Tip for June 12, 2008

Pay it Forward

Throughout the school year, ask your current students to journal occasionally about tips they’ve discovered about being successful in your course. At the end of the semester, gather your students’ ideas. Include some or all of the useful tips in the syllabus for next year’s class. Your new students will have a great start to their year in your course and you’ll learn a lot about what’s helpful to students.

Here are some examples if your students need some ideas for getting started:
1. Get a binder and create tabs labeled X, Y and Z.
2. Ask Mr. Book to review for the test with the class…it helps a lot.
3. Save your worksheets and study them for the exams.
4. Most of the exam questions are essay, so be prepared with organized thoughts about the main topics covered in class.
5. Get involved. The more you participate, the better you learn and the better your grade.


Leadership Development Tip for June 12, 2008

Connection Corner

It happens each day, several times a day. It’s…the beginning of class. How can we engage students while taking attendance and the lunch count, passing out papers or finish setting up for the day’s lab? Make one corner of your whiteboard or chalkboard the “Connection Corner.” As you complete the typical beginning of class routines, your students can have a purposeful routine of their own. Here’s how it works:
1. Choose the corner and be consistent. Students will always know where to look.
2. Post a concept from the previous day’s lesson.
3. Instruct students to journal about real-life or career applications for that concept.

It’s that simple! Here are some ways you can switch it up too:
· Post a “free day” where students choose any concept to relate. (This works well on days when several concepts were covered.)
· Choose a career or real-life example and have students identify a concept that applies.
· Ask students to visit with a partner or as a group to discuss possible connections.

For example, in your Connection Corner, you might write:

y = mx + b

Now what careers will your students journal about in regards to this concept from math class?

Career Development Tip for June 12, 2008

In-Class Study Groups

When students struggle with self-directed learning to get a handle on content or while studying for a test, take a class period to have them work in informal study groups. Using study groups allows students to experience group dynamics and learn discussion techniques. Study groups give students a place to ask questions of classmates that they were reluctant to ask in class, they can fill gaps in their notes and explaining information or concepts to others will help them master their own understanding.

Help the class be successful by forming groups of 3 to 5, setting objectives or an agenda, picking a leader to facilitate the studying (this could be a rotating position throughout the session) and encouraging each member to contribute to the conversation.

Leadership Development for June 5, 2008

Interactive Bulletin Boards

Here’s an idea to help bring a little more spunk to your walls and pique your students’ interest. This summer, think about subject matter you’ll be covering in your classes this fall. How can you bring it to life, not just as you teach the content, but as students are entering and leaving the room (or looking around during class)? Using a wall space and possibly either a display table or lab set up, produce an interactive experience to enhance the content you’re covering in class.

For example, if you’re covering soils, you could fasten small soil profiles and samples for texturing on the wall. On a close by display table, you may set up examples of extrapolated particles – a ping pong ball for clay, a volleyball for loam and a beach ball for sand.

In a math or drafting class, create a wall display with a partial building model and the blueprints posted beside it. Use yarn to connect the points of interest in the building and blueprint so it’s easy to see how the building translates from paper to model. You may want to hang a protractor or scale on the wall, too, so students can see how angles and scale transfer.

In a history class, you may borrow period pieces (clothing, housewares, tools, etc.) from the local museum or a community member with a private collection to display as part of the unit and enrich the understanding of what people faced at that particular time.

Classroom Engagement for June 5, 2008

If you don’t like it, Change It!

How many times have you sat in on a professional development experience at your school and thought, “I really don’t need this right now!”? Let your administration know what would be helpful to you and your colleagues (practical application of brain-based learning instructional strategies, how to integrate academic standards into Career and Technical Education, etc.). Spend some time early this summer searching out experts in your areas of interest, what they offer, what their pricing is and then collect support for the training from your colleagues. Go to your administrator with all the information in hand and insight on the benefit it would provide her staff so she’s equipped to make an informed decision and understand what you and your colleagues are seeking. Check out blogs, websites and call around to other teachers in your district or state – what professional development have they experienced that they’d recommend?

Professional Development for June 5, 2008

Go Get It! Careers

Help your students see what’s possible in their lifetime of work before they head off to their post-secondary school of choice. Next time 10 of the 30 seniors in your class are talking about going to school to become a Forensic Scientist, Doctor or Lawyer, pull this activity out (or introduce it in middle school or early in their high school careers – thinking big early on never hurts!).

On your word, have students move through your classroom and choose any random object (magazine, pen, desk, hoodie, ipod, door, software package, etc.). Then, either as an entire class, or splitting the class into small groups of 3 or 4, have students focus on one object at a time and talk through every career that was involved in its design, development, production, marketing, delivery and sale. As discussion progresses, help students understand that the listed careers are options for their futures. If you want to explore the subject more, have students list out all the careers involved in their object coming into being and research the required training and salary potential each involves.
Career Development Tip for June 5, 2008