Preparing for Testing

We officially have one week before testing begins and I'd like to share what we plan to do to energize and prepare our students.  I love this idea from the Polka Dotted Teacher.  On the Friday before testing begins she sends home baggies filled with Smarties and a note with test taking tips on it.  This helps remind students   (and parents) to get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and come to school with a positive attitude.  It think this is a great way to prevent problems the morning of testing day and definitely plan on doing this
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We also plan on providing treat bags to every students during the test.  We usually include a piece of gum, some chocolate, smarties, and a life saver.  We hope this makes a long, hard test seem not so bad.  It also provides some energy for their brains.

Our school has planned a very fun incentive to help ensure that students try their best on the test.   As teachers monitor and walk around, they will be paying attention to which students (hopefully all of them) are trying hard. After all tests are completed (they last about 2 weeks at our school) the students who tried on every test will be rewarded with an hour of fun on 4 huge inflatables.

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Lastly, after all testing is completed we plan on having a celebratory parade called "A Parade of Success" for students and parents.  It is our way of thanking both the students and parents for all of their hard work this year.  Every student will make a paper plate sign that lists one accomplishment they had this year.  For example, they may have "I moved up 4 reading levels," or "I know 50 sight words," or "I know all my multiplication facts."  Then, every student will hold up their sign and march around our track while teachers and parents cheer them on.  This will be a wonderful way to build self esteem and pride in what all students have learned.  Afterwards, we are going to thank our parents with homemade cookies and lemonade.  Now, I just can't wait until testing is over so we can enjoy this fun day. I will definitely let you know how it goes.

What does your school do to help students during the long testing weeks?

Do you do anything to thank parents and students at the end of the year?

Visit to "A Leader In Me" School

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Imagine a school where students or friends, as they call them:

Say, "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am"
Don't roll their eyes or shrug their shoulders at teachers
Shake hands with other students friends and congratulate them
Are able to speak publicly like congressmen
Are actually self motivated to work hard on homework and schoolwork
Set academic and personal goals and track their own data
Live and embody the 7 habits of highly effective people
Celebrate diversity and welcome all students friends
Learn and practice the top 10 skills employers look for when hiring
Excel in the classroom

Sound too good to be true?

It's not.

This is what I witnessed at the Leadership Day at A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina.  They are the magnet  leadership school that the book A Leader in Me, by Stephen Covey, was based on.  They have integrated the 7 habits of happy kids and highly effective people that Stephen and Sean Covey developed into their school's atmosphere and curriculum.

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Our school did a monthly book study of A Leader in Me and we are slowly trying to adopt it.  However, it is going too slow if you ask me.  I understand that teachers have SO MUCH on their plates, and it can be very scary to introduce an entirely new paradigm shift at a school, but in this case I think it will solve so many more problems than it would create.  The 7 habits leadership model teaches students life skills of setting goals and living up to their potential, as well as, collaborative problem solving and getting along with others.  A.B. Combs and other leadership schools are proof that by molding all students into productive and enthusiastic leaders, schools will have less behavior problems and more motivation for learning.  In the long run, I think teachers would be amazed.

If you haven't already, you definitely need to read A Leader in Me and consider bringing this model to your school!

Take Control of Testing

I apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I have been on a much needed spring break vacation at Myrtle Beach.  I have spent the entire week tanning and relaxing sharpening my saw.  Anyway, the day we get back from break teachers will be frantically preparing their students for the state tests.  From a counseling perspective, I work with students on tips for doing their best and controlling their anxiety like getting a good night sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, taking deep breaths, reading directions carefully, slashing the trash, taking your time, and doing your best, etc.  Guidance lessons on test taking tips can turn boring real quick. That's why I loved this idea from from Pinterest.  I found a coloring page of a blank remote control here and using the ActiveBoard we had a class discussion on important tips students can remember to help them do better.  I wrote a tip over every button on the remote and I explained to students that they can control how they do on the test by following these tips just like you control what the players do on video games.  The students were excited to make their own right when they saw the picture of the PlayStation remote! It was a great activity to make test taking fun.

 

A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue

If you are an Elementary School Counselor, then I am sure you know how wonderful Julia Cook's books are.  If you do not use her books for your classroom guidance lessons, then you may want to start right away!

 

I recently read A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue to our 2 kindergarten classes and it was a HUGE hit.  Tattle Tongue is when your tongue turns yellow with purple spots and it starts to itch and grows long when a kid tattles.  The book does a good job of teaching the difference between tattling and reporting. I think it is very important to encourage kids to tell adults when students are being mean or bullying, but teachers really struggle with kids telling just to get other kids in trouble.  The book teaches "4 rules of tattling: be a danger ranger, be a problem solver, now or later, and MYOB (mind your own beeswax)."

After reading and discussing the story, the students made tattle tongue masks.  I copied a page from the workbook and the students colored the face, glued it to a paper plate, and poked holes for their eyes.  I let the kids take their masks home to share with their families, but I gave an extra one to the teachers to use in their classrooms.  Both teachers keep their mask close at hand, and if a student is tattling (not reporting) they hold the mask up and say "think about it, you don't want to get tattle tongue!"  They say it works really well. Do you have other ideas for using A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue in the classroom? If so, please share.

Bullying Academy

Web-shot Of: http://www.bullyingacademy.org/index.cfm

Recently, I received an email advertising the Bullying Academy.  This is a grant funded, web-based program for students in grades 4th-8th.  I decided to try it out with my 4th and 5th grade classes.  First, you have to register your school, and then each student registers and receives a user name and log-in.  For my first guidance lesson, I had time to explain what the academy was, help students log-in, and then take a "pre-quiz." The pre-quiz assesses what students already know about bullying.  That's as far as we have gotten so far, but myself and my students are very excited to pick it back up next week!

Once the students take their pre-quiz, they begin a series of lesson modules that include articles, information, and videos on what bullying is, why kids bully, what to do when someone is bullying you, and cyber-bullying.  The website has "follow along" worksheets for each grade level that the students can fill out while going through the lessons.  I know that this will be important for my students to ensure they read and not just skip to the videos!  After all the students have finished the lessons, there is a post-quiz to assess what they have learned.

My students are using Ipads to complete the Bullying Academy, and I think it will be a very engaging lesson and a new way of learning about bullying.

Positive Thought Thinking Caps

Today, I started talking to 3rd graders about preparing for our state tests.  They don't start until mid-May, but 3rd grade is the 1st year they take them, and they have to take reading, math, science, and social studies.  Unfortunately, this bring lots of nervousness and test taking anxiety, which we know can actually create lower scores.  So, that's where I come in.  I plan on doing a couple classroom guidance lessons on thinking positive thoughts, study tips, following directions carefully, relaxation techniques, etc.

Today's lesson was thinking positive thoughts.  First, we read and discussed "The Attitude Patrol: A Lesson About the Importance of Positive Thinking," from the book More Lively Lessons for Classroom Sessions, by Rosanne Sheritz Sartori.  If you click on the link to the book you can view it, as well as, a sample of the lesson I read today. Next, we brainstormed positive things the kids could say to themselves right before taking a test.  They came up with a great list (I can do it, be positive, I'm smart, I'm going to get an A+, all I need to do is try my best, relax).

Finally, we made "Thinking Caps."  Below is a picture.  They folded the large size construction paper into a paper hat and then decorated them with thought bubbles that included our positive brainstorms.  I also brought in lots of stickers they could use to decorate.  At the end of the lesson, the teacher collected them and agreed to pass them back out for their next test.  I truely believe that having their positive thought thinking caps on will help to improve their confidence and scores, hopefully!! :)

Please excuse the seal. He was just my model!  The kids LOVED these hats. I'd love to hear about other creative ideas you have for helping my 3rd graders with test anxiety.

Stranger Danger

Saturday a local headline read, "Police say man tried to enter a child's window at Roanoke County apartment."  You can read the article by clicking the link on the headline.  This was a very scary story where a man tried to reach in an unlocked ground level apartment window and grab an 8 year old little girl.  Luckily, the man ran when the little girl screamed. While we like to believe that cases like these are rare, it served as a reminder of the importance of teaching our children the potential threat of strangers and important safety tips.  So, this week in guidance 1st and 2nd graders got a good review of "stranger danger."

First, I had students tell me what they already knew about stranger safety and this created very good discussion. Next, I read The Bernstein Bears Learn About Strangers and we talked about a few more safety tips.

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To end the lesson, we started watching The Safe Side Stranger Safety DVD. It is about 40 mins long, so my plan is to finish the video next guidance lesson and follow it with some fun printable activities (see below).  Below is a picture of the video that I have. However, it looks like a new one was released in 2011.  My kids LOVE this movie.  It is hilarious, and they have GREAT safety tips for kids. You can also find lots of good resources such as lesson plans, safety week ideas, and printable activities for kids at http://www.thesafeside.com/downloads.html

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