RUMORS....

I don't know what it is about this time of year but it never fails. Middle school girls start going CRAZY! Maybe they are sick of being trapped inside. Maybe they are burnt out from school and need a break before spring break.  It seems like the past few weeks have been a string of she rolled her eyes at me, she won't let me be friends with so and so, she is leaving me out, and so on and so on. It is during these times I'm thankful I will never have to be a middle school girl again. It is also during these times I dread the thought of my own daughters walking the halls of middle school. 

There is a great activity called he said she said I like to play with my students to reinforce how quickly rumors can be spread and how information changes. Select 3/4 students to be volunteers (don't tell them why). One student stays in the room and you read the story below. One by one each student repeats the story to the next student. Tell students in the class they may not say anything to help the volunteers and can only observe. Most likely by the end the story will be missing a lot of detail. 

Ask students what message this activity is about. Discuss what to do when they hear a rumor and how to stop rumors. After a class discussion I follow up with a game of telephone which is always a big hit with the kids. 

He Said/She Said

This is an idea to help students learn how rumors begin and spread and how the information changes from one person to the next.  

Ask the class for 3 volunteers and ask them to go in the hall.  Ask for one more volunteer from the class and have them come to the front.  Read a detailed description of a person to the student.  Then invite one person from the hall to come in.  Ask the student who just heard the description to repeat it to the student from the hall.  Repeat this process with the next 2 students.  

Conclude by asking students to share their observations and ask them how they will handle the situation the next time they hear a rumor.  Below is an example but feel free to make up your own.  

Susan is 12 years old.  She is wearing blue jeans and an orange shirt.  She has sneakers on her feet.  Her hair is brown and her eyes are blue. She is wearing a Boston Red Sox baseball cap, turned around backwards and her hair is in a ponytail.  In her hands are a lunch bag and 2 books. She is also carrying a black book bag with white polka dots.  

Valentines Day Lesson

Here is an easy lesson with very little prep and can be used with pretty much any grade level.  All you need is a big heart. I like to use Microsoft office. Go to shapes and you can make one as big as you would like. The only materials you will need are the hearts and writing utensils. 

•      Ask students to divide the heart into 5 sections. The sections do not need to be equal. 4 lines could be drawn horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Students can also come up with a combination of their own. 
•       Next students will be asked to write answer different questions in each box.
• Box 1- people they love. Includes family, friends, and pets
• Box 2- places they love
• Box 3 - what they love to do
• Box 4 - why they love them
• Box 5 - ideas they love. This can be hard for some students. I share examples for this one. Recycling, being active, eating healthy
• From here it is really up to you to decide what to do. I ask students to share at least one item off their heart and post around the room. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

apps #2

1. app gratis is great.  It offers you at least one free app everyday.  Sometime the second app is free as well or it is deeply discounted.  I have only been checking for the past couple weeks and have a few good work out apps.  There have been some good apps for History/Social Studies teachers and there have been many photo/picture apps.  Best of all it is free on itunes.

2. TED - Videos galore.  My new favorite being A message from kid president.

3.  iphoto - I usually don't spend more than .99 for an app.  Call me cheap I just know once I start buying apps I won't be able to stop.  At 4.99 I kept looking at the iphoto app but would never buy it. Luckily Santa came and filled my stocking with lots of itunes gift cards and I finally caved and bought iphoto.  I love the everything about the app even though it is very addictive.  Take a look below at my two cupcakes.

Pep Talk

Here is a great video that could be used with all grade levels, for advisory, or with staff members. Enjoy!

Snow Day

Friday turned out to be an unexpected snow day and nothing is better than a snow day on a Friday to make it a long weekend. I spent the day having a play date with my BFF, making Valentine's cards with M, and cuddling with C who had an ear infection. To make things even better today I got to go to Target by myself today! An hour and a half later I was heading back home with a Starbucks.  I ended the day making M&M oatmeal cookies and now get to cuddle with C! It's been a great weekend so far.

Apps

There are so many great apps out there. I don't even know where to start. I'm a little obsessed with my iPad and always searching for a fun and cool app to play around with.

Brain Pop  - Tons of great lessons, quizzes, and games. Subject areas include Science, Social Studies, Math, English, and Technology. The technology section offers lessons in digital citizenship, blogs, and cyberbullying to name a few. There are videos, vocabulary lessons, and on-line quizzes. Great for elementary and middle school students.  Brain Pop is great for all disciplines.