Teaching About Relationships

Having an open dialogue about relationships is one way in which teachers (and counselors, admin, and of course, parents) can have the biggest impact on a student's life. This lesson (SmartBoard version found here) can help you start discussion about the different types of relationships, traits of good and bad relationships, warning signs of abusive relationships, and jealousy. 
The bulk of this lesson is meant to guide classroom discussion. While sometimes this can be a challenge, students typically find this topic one they are very interested in (so much so, that it can be difficult to get them to STOP talking). Enjoy!

Bullying in Schools

One of our nation's worse epidemics in schools is bullying. It's something that often goes ignored until someone gets seriously hurt. Teachers, administration, and even students, need to become more proactive if we are to stamp out bullying. The following lesson is a good way to open up discussion between teachers and students. Get the SmartBoard Lesson here and the case study (Eve's Story) here.

First Day of School

As a teacher, you know that the first day of school sets the tone for the rest of the year. Obviously, lessons about school rules and classroom expectations are your first priority. But also showing the kiddos your fun side and getting to know your students is critically important. Here are a couple of activities I've used in the past for the first day of school. "Getting to Know You" Questionnaire

If you have a classroom full of students who are able to write, giving them this questionnaire to fill out will give you a good sense of who they are. If at all possible, I like to pull students aside one at a time and go through it with them. This gives you a little one-on-one time with the student, establishing a relationship with them. Pulling students out individually will be necessary if you work with an especially young population or any group of students who have little to no writing skills.

Time Capsule

One of the funnest activities I like to do is a time capsule. Not a 30 year time capsule mind you, but a year long one. It's so amazing to see how much your students change in the course of one year. Both you and your students will enjoy seeing the growth.

Instructions for this one are simple. First, you'll need a box (not too big, because you'll have to store it ALL year). Then on the first day of school, take a picture of each of your students (Polaroid works best, unless you're so tech savvy you can print your picture instantly). Have your students put their picture in the box as well as some crafty item they've made that day. I also like to have my students put in a copy of their "Getting to Know You" questionnaire, so we can see how much their personality has grown/changed. Of course, there are endless items you can put in your capsule, depending on how big you want to make it. Be creative!!

When your class has put everything in the capsule, seal it up tight and have them decorate the outside. Store it in a safe place and don't forget to open it on the last day of school!

Surfers

I love having photos of my students up around the classroom. On the first day, I like to have them color a little surfer guy, then we paste their photo on the top. I usually have set up some type of board with waves on it. We put the surfer guys up and it's a great classroom decoration!

Morning Calendar

Every morning my class starts off the day by doing what we call "Morning Calendar". It's a chance for us all to sit and discuss what day it is, what the weather is like, and learn some basic daily facts like how many minutes there are in an hour. Originally, I did Morning Calendar on a whiteboard, but since the addition of an ActivBoard in my classroom, it's grown into a whole big activity. Whether you have an ActivBoard, a whiteboard, or a chalkboard, you can still take the general principles and use them for a fun lesson each day. At the top, we discuss the date, then we move onto the season. After that we circle what the weather looks like outside, then make guesses on what temperature we think it is. We write out guess next to our initials and click on the hyperlink that goes to a website with our temperature readout. Next we decide what the appropriate clothing would be for the weather outside, and dress this poor guy accordingly.

Next is money. For students who are just starting off with money, we do basic facts (quarter=$0.25, etc.). For students with a better understanding of money, we practice adding the money on the screen, then reveal the answer underneath it.Fractions are next. We count how many piece are total and put that number on the bottom. Then how many are shaded and that number goes on top. Every day I change the location and number of the shaded pieces.

Moving on to time. We discuss basic time facts and then read the exact time on clock.

Then we discuss facts about the calendar. How many days in a week, etc.

Next we answer some simple questions about ourselves (address, date of birth) and some questions about our location (zip code, coast). Afterward we click on the hyperlink to Google Earth and continue with our geography. We go through and list our planet, country, state, county, city, and school.

It took years for my students to be able to answer all these questions. If you implement a lesson such as this, start simple. Then move on to more complex questions.

Survival Signs

A big part of life skills class, is training to be able to read and respond to survival signs in the community. Among other things, we like to use the Survival Words curriculum from Remedia Publications. It gives many good vocabulary words and starts many a conversations about what to do when you see certain signs.

A really fun activity is MAKING survival signs. The whole top half of my classroom is covered in signs my students have made. It's all about being hands-on. If you make a "No Loitering" sign, you are more prone to remember what it is and what is means.

Timesheets

Here is an ActivBoard lesson I created for learning to use timesheets. The kids have the same timesheets that they fill out every week. At first, I write on the board as an example until the kiddos get the hang out it. Soon, they become independent and no longer need assistance. You do not need an ActivBoard to do this lesson. Get creative and use a projector against a whiteboard or use an old fashioned overhead projector.

Every day before students leave for vocational activities, have them sign in. When they return, remind them to sign out. At the end of the week, having the kids add up the hours is great math practice!

Fine Motor

Kids need some grasping practice? I bought a 2-drawer, Rubbermaid container and put rice in one and dried peas in another. Inside each drawer I've hidden objects of various sizes, shapes and textures. Kids love the feel of the rice and peas of their hands, plus... they get a prize after they take out all the objects. Students grasping improves while they enjoy the experience. Nothing better than learning without realizing it.