Stepping into Senior Year
It has been a while since I taught "big" kids, but, I will say, the more things change, the more they stay the same--sort of. So, as the school year closes in on the tranquility of this sizzling summer, I was trying to figure out activities, lessons, and whatnot for those first few critical days of the new school year. Oddly enough, practicality won out relatively quickly.
We are starting by setting important dates into their phone calendar--SAT testing dates, college application deadlines, scholarship deadlines, and so on. For those kids not going to college, we are setting goal deadlines like interviews for jobs, looking into trade schools, looking into apprenticeships, applying for part-time jobs. The whole idea is to help them enjoy their senior year while staying on track for post-graduation life.
Next, we are writing a skills resume and composing a cover letter for future employment opportunities they may encounter. I am encouraging the kids to keep the resume updated throughout the school year to use as they need it.
We are starting by setting important dates into their phone calendar--SAT testing dates, college application deadlines, scholarship deadlines, and so on. For those kids not going to college, we are setting goal deadlines like interviews for jobs, looking into trade schools, looking into apprenticeships, applying for part-time jobs. The whole idea is to help them enjoy their senior year while staying on track for post-graduation life.
Next, we are writing a skills resume and composing a cover letter for future employment opportunities they may encounter. I am encouraging the kids to keep the resume updated throughout the school year to use as they need it.
Password literary terms
Materials needed:
1--small dry erase board (write word for competitors)
2--dry erase marker
3--eraser
4--classroom dry erase board (keep score)
5--cell phone timer
I am all about games for a variety of concepts to keep the kids engaged and active learners. Password is just like the game on television, but to keep all of the students engaged in the class, divide the class into four groups. Groups 1 and 2 will make up Team A, and groups 3 and 4 will make up Team B. You can let them create team names if you like, but that can get scary with teenagers quickly.
Set up two sets of desks facing each other at the front of the room. Label the desk 1 and 2 on one side then 3 and 4 on the other. The students will remain in there groups for the entire game and take there respective seats after each round. Using the small dry erase board, write down the literary term for the round and show it ONLY to the students in seats 2 and 3.
Set the timer for 20 seconds, student 2 will give student 1 a single word clue for the literary term. When the timer goes off and there is not a correct guess, student 3 will give student 4 a single word clue for the same literary term. This pattern will continue until each team has had three chances to guess the literary term. A correct guess equals one point for the team. Once the round is completed, a new student from groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 will take their respective seats for the game to continue.
1--small dry erase board (write word for competitors)
2--dry erase marker
3--eraser
4--classroom dry erase board (keep score)
5--cell phone timer
I am all about games for a variety of concepts to keep the kids engaged and active learners. Password is just like the game on television, but to keep all of the students engaged in the class, divide the class into four groups. Groups 1 and 2 will make up Team A, and groups 3 and 4 will make up Team B. You can let them create team names if you like, but that can get scary with teenagers quickly.
Set up two sets of desks facing each other at the front of the room. Label the desk 1 and 2 on one side then 3 and 4 on the other. The students will remain in there groups for the entire game and take there respective seats after each round. Using the small dry erase board, write down the literary term for the round and show it ONLY to the students in seats 2 and 3.
Set the timer for 20 seconds, student 2 will give student 1 a single word clue for the literary term. When the timer goes off and there is not a correct guess, student 3 will give student 4 a single word clue for the same literary term. This pattern will continue until each team has had three chances to guess the literary term. A correct guess equals one point for the team. Once the round is completed, a new student from groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 will take their respective seats for the game to continue.
Putting a writing twist on uno and jenga
The beginning of the second semester is like the break you take after a very difficult workout--you're trying to catch your breath, exhaustion has set in, and, yet, you are somewhat satisfied with the progress being made. It's the same thing for teachers multiplied by anywhere from 120-200 kids. The foundation lessons have been taught. The strategies have been practiced. The essay have been revised and edited. Now, it's time to apply the knowledge in different situations and assessments to keep the kids engaged but still advancing academically.
Because I have not posted in a couple of months due to family concerns, I am including the documents for these activities in case you want to give them a try.
Because I have not posted in a couple of months due to family concerns, I am including the documents for these activities in case you want to give them a try.
Writing Jenga
I needed the kids to review the writing process, parts of an essay, how to write important sentences such as the thesis, trigger words, and kind of all things writing. I did not want yet another worksheet or a quiz for obvious reasons, but a colleague played this game in her U.S. history course at the end of last year and graciously shared it with me.
After a little tweaking as well as some trial and error, Writing Jenga was created. The kids loved it, and they got the review I needed. The directions are in the file. I purchased Tumble Towers as a set of six on Amazon for under $17 and used a Sharpie to number. I stored them in disposable food containers I already had at home.
After a little tweaking as well as some trial and error, Writing Jenga was created. The kids loved it, and they got the review I needed. The directions are in the file. I purchased Tumble Towers as a set of six on Amazon for under $17 and used a Sharpie to number. I stored them in disposable food containers I already had at home.
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Parts of Speech Uno
I am a huge believer that the kids have to master the parts of speech, especially nouns, pronouns, and verbs. I already had Slap Jack, Go Fish, and Old Teacher part of speech games but wanted something new.
This is played exactly like regular Uno except that instead of being able to play a color or number, the kids can only play the same part of speech--evil I know! I searched through Amazon again and found Uno cards for $5 for the Jurassic Park version (guess they weren't very popular). Again, they are stored in the disposable food containers I have at home.
This is played exactly like regular Uno except that instead of being able to play a color or number, the kids can only play the same part of speech--evil I know! I searched through Amazon again and found Uno cards for $5 for the Jurassic Park version (guess they weren't very popular). Again, they are stored in the disposable food containers I have at home.
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