One day I was literally running through our library taking a short cut on the way to one of my classes when I spotted a book with a girl doing the high jump in the Olympics with the title "Touch the Sky." It looked like it had lots of potential for a guidance lesson since we just had the summer Olympics, so I grabbed it and kept on running. It turned out to be a great book for a lesson on being proactive!
The book is Touch the Sky, by Ann Malaspina, and it is the story of Alice Coachman, the first African American woman to win a gold medal in the Olympics. There are numerous examples in this story of how Alice was proactive. She had a dream to be a high jumper and she practiced everyday, even making her own high jump from sticks and rags. She overcame harsh discrimination and plowed her own path to success.
After we read the book, I showed the students a YouTube video of an interview with her when she was much older where she talks about how she was champ. She talks about how no one can bring her down because she is the champ. This is the perfect example of choosing to have a positive attitude.
Then, each student completed the activity below. They wrote 5 ways they could be proactive in the Olympic rings and drew pictures of these examples inside the rings. They turned out amazing!
This is a great idea! Are you doing the whole "The LEader in Me" program or creating your own lessons? Which grade levels will you use this with? Am looking for new ideas to infuse in my program this year.
ReplyDeleteEmily
Hi Emily! Thanks for the comment! We were hoping to pilot the program in a couple grade levels this year and then do the whole Leader in Me program next year. Unfortunately, I am afraid that the program will be just too expensive. I have been through the training when it was offered at a neighboring school and I have also been to AB Combs and would LOVE to able to bring it to our school. We'll see. For right now I am just making up my own lessons. I did this one in 4th grade and it went really well.
DeleteI think being a school counselor would be a hard but VERY rewarding job! Thanks for sharing!
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DeleteI happened to come across your entry on using my book Touch the Sky with your students. I'm so pleased that Alice's story inspired them to think of ways to be proactive! Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteBest, Ann
Ann,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you saw this post. I apologize, I didn't realize I had miss-cited your book. I fixed it! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Where did you find the Olympic Rings worksheet for the Proactive Lesson?
ReplyDeleteI just created it myself. I got the picture from google images and added the text. Thanks for reading!
DeleteHello! How can I follow you on Pinterest?
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/c0unselorcorner/boards
DeleteLet me know if that doesn't work
DeleteHow can I get a copy of your Olympic Rings?
ReplyDeleteIs there a way I could get a copy of your Olympic rings? Our school is beginning to learn about the habits and I think this would be a great activity. My e-mail is amonc@usd204.net
ReplyDeleteThanks
Christy
I would love a copy too! Great lesson!
ReplyDelete