Week 11/18/2013: Big Bees
We have transitioned from friendship into understanding giving. With the Thanksgiving holiday season rapidly approaching, we wanted to review the meaning of giving thanks and that giving comes in many forms. We read the book "The Giving Tree." During reading, we analysed the positioning of the tree to express emotion, we pondered why the tree is happy when the boy seems to get everything and the tree is often left alone. As a reinforcing activity I asked each of the students the following. Who is your favorite person, someone you love very much:
Isabella: Grandma
Ari: Dad
Shailen: Mom
Gabriele: God
Elisa Oh: Mom
Elliott: Mom
Then I gave them the following scenario: "I'm a magic genie, you can wish to give your favorite person anything you want to make them happy":
Isabella: love
Ari: love
Shailen: hug
Gabriele: God
Elisa Oh: love
Elliott: hugs & kisses
Then I gave them the following scenario: "I'm still a genie, but now your favorite person is very sad, if you could give them anything to make them feel better and happy what would you wish for":
Isabella: pajamas
Ari: love
Shailen: music CD
Gabriele: love
Elisa Oh: hugs
Elliott: hug & kiss
I'm not going to analyze the responses, but its interesting that when they could give anything, none of them chose a materialist item and for some of them, it was only when they thought they wanted to cheer someone up that they needed a gift. Regardless, it was a good exercise for them to take the lessons in the book and apply them to their lives.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Little & Big Bee 9/23 - 11/11
We've concentrated on two major themes over the past 10 weeks, self discovery and friendship. As you may have heard, the adapted song "The Good Ship Lollipop," was a means to go on a "journey" to discover and find the treasures we call virtues. Each week I've picked a piece of literature to start our journey of discovery and we have a follow up activity to re-inforce what we've learned. This activity is used to try and have them apply the specific aspect of the virtue of friendship into their lives. We've read Puff the Magic Dragon, Imogene, The Bluebird and the Robot, The Velveteen Rabbit and Argus. I've kept their follow up activity in their Character Education binders which I keep in the classroom. All of our follow up activities have given the students the opportunity to apply what they learned in the literature to "their lives." Each of the stories discusses different aspects of friendship and self acceptance. For example, in The Bluebird and the Robot, we discussed how one person can sacrifice for the benefit of another. In Argus, we learned to accept people for who they are, not by their appearance. Imogene, decided that she was happy that she had differences that distinguished her from other people - like growing antlers. Its vital that the students begin their own journey of self awareness and acceptance. What makes them special, what do they love about themselves, why are they valuable and when they understand that, then they'll naturally make positive choices in relationships and behavior toward others.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Little Eagles 11/4-11/23
Weeks 11/4 - 11/23
The Little Eagles are thoroughly engrossed in ET and the relationship that is building between Elliott and our alien friend. The students have embraced the drama of reading the script and they each take part in becoming a character and reading the script. The script has allowed us to pull in virtues which we discuss as we progress through the story. Caring and how there are various forms of communication. Trust and how ET and Elliott begin to develop this bond. We discuss how often times trust starts with taking risks on making new friends and we shared examples from our own experiences. The trust extends and deepens between Elliott and his siblings. Elliott is the middle child stuck between a teenage brother and a 5 year old sister. Elliott often feels alone and displaced even in his family, but when he reveals the secret of ET living in his closet, a dynamic between the siblings changes. We analyze why we think this is happening and how you can further develop relationships even within our families.
11/23 - We are beginning to understand that the bond between ET and Elliott is so great that they are able to feel each others thoughts and emotions. Although this may seem like a foreign idea, its really not. We used a scenario of, "how do you know your parents have had a hard day at work." The answers varied from expression on the parents faces, to a look on their faces. These Little Eagles have a deeper sense of emotional intelligence then we probably realize. Understanding this character trait of emotional intelligence will allow them to become deeper connected to themselves and before you can understand morals, virtues and character, you need to understand your inner self. We'll continue to develop this as we move through the script.
The Little Eagles are thoroughly engrossed in ET and the relationship that is building between Elliott and our alien friend. The students have embraced the drama of reading the script and they each take part in becoming a character and reading the script. The script has allowed us to pull in virtues which we discuss as we progress through the story. Caring and how there are various forms of communication. Trust and how ET and Elliott begin to develop this bond. We discuss how often times trust starts with taking risks on making new friends and we shared examples from our own experiences. The trust extends and deepens between Elliott and his siblings. Elliott is the middle child stuck between a teenage brother and a 5 year old sister. Elliott often feels alone and displaced even in his family, but when he reveals the secret of ET living in his closet, a dynamic between the siblings changes. We analyze why we think this is happening and how you can further develop relationships even within our families.
11/23 - We are beginning to understand that the bond between ET and Elliott is so great that they are able to feel each others thoughts and emotions. Although this may seem like a foreign idea, its really not. We used a scenario of, "how do you know your parents have had a hard day at work." The answers varied from expression on the parents faces, to a look on their faces. These Little Eagles have a deeper sense of emotional intelligence then we probably realize. Understanding this character trait of emotional intelligence will allow them to become deeper connected to themselves and before you can understand morals, virtues and character, you need to understand your inner self. We'll continue to develop this as we move through the script.
Elephants weekly posts begin 9/23/13
What better way to kick start character education with our eldest class then "Where the Red Fern Grows." We started reading the book the week of September 23rd. I chose this book in particular because its was and always will be one of my favorite books. The life lessons that Billy emulates are astounding for a 12 year old boy towards what else, but two hounds. Although the major theme of the book is the friendship between this boy and his dogs, the book does an amazing job in incorporating all the virtues that go into building, maintaining and enduring a deep friendship. For some in the class it was difficult for them to understand how Billy can feel this way about the dogs, or spend 3 days cutting down a sycamore tree to prove his loyalty to his dogs and its been a journey for me to guide them from the literal through the metaphors of this book. We've been applying the relationship that Billy has with his dogs to relationships in our own lives. As we are half way through the book, I begin each class with, "Would you want to have a friend in your life like Billy? Would you aspire to be a friend like Billy?" This journey has taught us about loyalty, work, integrity, honor, trust, caring, courtesy, confidence, faith, respect, truth, patience, love, courage and the list goes on. Its probably one of the few reading passages that we will read and discuss this year which touches upon so many virtues in detail. Its been a journey in itself, guiding this group through the book. We've had many thought provoking discussing and relating to this book with experiences in our own lives. We will probably finish the book just after the new year. I'll keep you posted as we near the end of the book.
Little Eagles Week of Oct 28-Nov 1
Little Eagles Week of Oct. 28-Nov1:
We were introduced to the character Elliott. The little boy whose life is lonely and chaotic. He is in dire need of a friend. We understand that he feels broken because his family life is split, being a product of a divorced kid. Elliott's home dynamic plays a pivotal role in his future relationship with ET. We have left off with Elliott finding ET but ET fleeing and for some reason Elliott is overcoming his fear and being brave to search for ET. We discussed their personal experience with being brave. The notion that being brave is often tied to the ability to trust ourselves - an important life connection.
We were introduced to the character Elliott. The little boy whose life is lonely and chaotic. He is in dire need of a friend. We understand that he feels broken because his family life is split, being a product of a divorced kid. Elliott's home dynamic plays a pivotal role in his future relationship with ET. We have left off with Elliott finding ET but ET fleeing and for some reason Elliott is overcoming his fear and being brave to search for ET. We discussed their personal experience with being brave. The notion that being brave is often tied to the ability to trust ourselves - an important life connection.
The Little Bee's Week 11/18/2013
Week 11/18/2013: Little Bee's
We have transitioned from friendship into understanding giving. With the Thanksgiving holiday season rapidly approaching, we wanted to review the meaning of giving thanks and that giving comes in many forms. We read the book "The Giving Tree." During reading, we analysed the positioning of the tree to express emotion, we pondered why the tree is happy when the boy seems to get everything and the tree is often left alone. As a reinforcing activity I asked each of the students the following. Who is your favorite person, someone you love very much:
Wiley: My Mom
Syndey: My Dad
Laura: My friend Isabella
Then I gave them the following scenario: "I'm a magic genie, you can wish to give your favorite person anything you want to make them happy":
Wiley: A new TV
Syndey: A new couch
Laura: A flower
Then I gave them the following scenario: "I'm still a genie, but now your favorite person is very sad, if you could give them anything to make them feel better and happy what would you wish for":
Wiley: to be her friend
Syndey: a hug
Laura: a hug
I was elated to see they understand the meaning and difference in giving without any prompting from me.
We have transitioned from friendship into understanding giving. With the Thanksgiving holiday season rapidly approaching, we wanted to review the meaning of giving thanks and that giving comes in many forms. We read the book "The Giving Tree." During reading, we analysed the positioning of the tree to express emotion, we pondered why the tree is happy when the boy seems to get everything and the tree is often left alone. As a reinforcing activity I asked each of the students the following. Who is your favorite person, someone you love very much:
Wiley: My Mom
Syndey: My Dad
Laura: My friend Isabella
Then I gave them the following scenario: "I'm a magic genie, you can wish to give your favorite person anything you want to make them happy":
Wiley: A new TV
Syndey: A new couch
Laura: A flower
Then I gave them the following scenario: "I'm still a genie, but now your favorite person is very sad, if you could give them anything to make them feel better and happy what would you wish for":
Wiley: to be her friend
Syndey: a hug
Laura: a hug
I was elated to see they understand the meaning and difference in giving without any prompting from me.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Big Eagles, Weeks of Oct 21- 28th
Together, we are reading the book, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. The book follows the main character Billy through adventure, hardship and success. We have discussions about the virtuous qualities that Billy displays and how his personal moral standards set him up for success. These past couple chapters, Billy was very courageous and brave while navigating an unknown place. At the end of every class, we add leaves to what started as a barren tree. Students reflect on our reading and discussions, then write down two virtues they feel have helped Billy succeed at that point in the book.
Together, we are reading the book, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. The book follows the main character Billy through adventure, hardship and success. We have discussions about the virtuous qualities that Billy displays and how his personal moral standards set him up for success. These past couple chapters, Billy was very courageous and brave while navigating an unknown place. At the end of every class, we add leaves to what started as a barren tree. Students reflect on our reading and discussions, then write down two virtues they feel have helped Billy succeed at that point in the book.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Little Eagles Week of Oct. 21-25:
I was able to find the original film, shooting script of ET. The true title of the film is A Boy's Life. In case its been a while since viewing the movie, it is the epic tale of friendship. Friendship is a virtue that pulls in so many others like: loyalty, love, courtesy, work, reliability, faith, tolerance, trust, integrity and the list goes one. As we read the script, the students are able to participate both as if they were in the audience at the movies and have the ability to "step into" the movie and be part of the cast. They are able to dissect the emotions of the relationships within the movie and in doing that we are able to tie in so many virtues. It is common for me to stop and say, "How do you think Elliot is feeling?" "How would you feel in that situation." This is a thought provoking/discussion based class, meant to tie the students emotions to real life scenarios. We find significance in how the scene is set, the character's physiology and behaviors. Example, ET's heart is only covered by thin skin - does that make him appear vulnerable or aggressive. Why does ET carefully dig through the dirt to find the plants? What does that tell us about his character? Having it in script format also allows us to express emotion through drama and often they are asked to become part of the scene. This week we ended at the scene of ET being left on earth as his family flies away.
I was able to find the original film, shooting script of ET. The true title of the film is A Boy's Life. In case its been a while since viewing the movie, it is the epic tale of friendship. Friendship is a virtue that pulls in so many others like: loyalty, love, courtesy, work, reliability, faith, tolerance, trust, integrity and the list goes one. As we read the script, the students are able to participate both as if they were in the audience at the movies and have the ability to "step into" the movie and be part of the cast. They are able to dissect the emotions of the relationships within the movie and in doing that we are able to tie in so many virtues. It is common for me to stop and say, "How do you think Elliot is feeling?" "How would you feel in that situation." This is a thought provoking/discussion based class, meant to tie the students emotions to real life scenarios. We find significance in how the scene is set, the character's physiology and behaviors. Example, ET's heart is only covered by thin skin - does that make him appear vulnerable or aggressive. Why does ET carefully dig through the dirt to find the plants? What does that tell us about his character? Having it in script format also allows us to express emotion through drama and often they are asked to become part of the scene. This week we ended at the scene of ET being left on earth as his family flies away.
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