August 24-October 2
Theme: CONNECTION
Here's what MAPS is doing...
Here's what's happening in Homeroom...
Here's how you can implement this in your classroom...
Objectives:
SEL 1st 6 weeks possible activities:
Level Up Your Life
In this lesson, we talked about how life can be like a video game – you have to go through obstacles and challenges to get to the next level, but all the while you are improving your skills and getting better at the game. If you were to create a video game of your life, what would it look like? What would the obstacles be? What would your super strengths be? What would you have to do to get to the next level? Draw a picture of your video game obstacle course and characters, and describe what strengths you would use (including social and emotional learning skills) to progress through the game.
Create a Get Acquainted Game
Have groups of 4–5 students design a “get acquainted” game. Suggest that they may want to adapt an existing game, such as bingo, charades, or a crossword puzzle, to learn more about their fellow students. Then have each group lead the entire class in playing their game.
Common Threads
Have students organize themselves in a line by birthday without speaking. Students can use hand gestures but no words or sounds. After, ask them what their strategies were for working together.
Land Chaos:
Imagine a world without any guidelines for collaborating effectively. Draw a picture or write a story of Land Chaos, a place where everyone works independently rather than collaboratively.
Create Your Own Acronym:
What student success strategies work best for you? Create your own acronym to remind you of the study skills and student success strategies you plan to use in class and at home.
Students on File
On a large index card, have students fill out their names, telephone numbers, and birthdays; family members with whom they live; favorite subjects, books, movies, and sports, and outside interests. Keep these on file for conversation starters and for future reference.
Silent Screen
Select and show a two-minute movie clip (with the sound off) in which two or more people are interacting and showing emotion. Ask students what they think is happening, based only on what they see. Replay the clip with the sound on. Do the same exercise with another clip, this time cutting off students’ use of their sense of sight by having them lay their heads down on their desks and just listen to the segment. Select a movie that is rated PG or PG–13.
Weather Report
This is a good time to have a Weather Report—in this case, assessing the climate of the classroom. Are students following the shared classroom guidelines? Are students involved in taking responsibility for their peers’ adherence to their agreement? How might perspective taking help in this endeavor?
Common vocabulary...
Ideas for campus visuals/posters/campaign materials/branding etc...
Create your classroom norms or contracts and be sure to have all students sign them. Display those and any other student products that show off a sense of who they are.
Back to school night is coming soon!
- ask students to connect and build community
- show them how to do that through modeling
- staff get to know students
Here's what MAPS is doing...
- establishing community and expectations
Here's what's happening in Homeroom...
- getting to know each other and developing norms
Here's how you can implement this in your classroom...
Objectives:
- Students will demonstrate awareness of external supports;
- students will develop constructive relationships
SEL 1st 6 weeks possible activities:
Level Up Your Life
In this lesson, we talked about how life can be like a video game – you have to go through obstacles and challenges to get to the next level, but all the while you are improving your skills and getting better at the game. If you were to create a video game of your life, what would it look like? What would the obstacles be? What would your super strengths be? What would you have to do to get to the next level? Draw a picture of your video game obstacle course and characters, and describe what strengths you would use (including social and emotional learning skills) to progress through the game.
Create a Get Acquainted Game
Have groups of 4–5 students design a “get acquainted” game. Suggest that they may want to adapt an existing game, such as bingo, charades, or a crossword puzzle, to learn more about their fellow students. Then have each group lead the entire class in playing their game.
Common Threads
Have students organize themselves in a line by birthday without speaking. Students can use hand gestures but no words or sounds. After, ask them what their strategies were for working together.
Land Chaos:
Imagine a world without any guidelines for collaborating effectively. Draw a picture or write a story of Land Chaos, a place where everyone works independently rather than collaboratively.
Create Your Own Acronym:
What student success strategies work best for you? Create your own acronym to remind you of the study skills and student success strategies you plan to use in class and at home.
Students on File
On a large index card, have students fill out their names, telephone numbers, and birthdays; family members with whom they live; favorite subjects, books, movies, and sports, and outside interests. Keep these on file for conversation starters and for future reference.
Silent Screen
Select and show a two-minute movie clip (with the sound off) in which two or more people are interacting and showing emotion. Ask students what they think is happening, based only on what they see. Replay the clip with the sound on. Do the same exercise with another clip, this time cutting off students’ use of their sense of sight by having them lay their heads down on their desks and just listen to the segment. Select a movie that is rated PG or PG–13.
Weather Report
This is a good time to have a Weather Report—in this case, assessing the climate of the classroom. Are students following the shared classroom guidelines? Are students involved in taking responsibility for their peers’ adherence to their agreement? How might perspective taking help in this endeavor?
Common vocabulary...
- Norms / contracts
- Gathering
- Relationships
Ideas for campus visuals/posters/campaign materials/branding etc...
Create your classroom norms or contracts and be sure to have all students sign them. Display those and any other student products that show off a sense of who they are.
Back to school night is coming soon!