Chanting to Engage

Last week, I had great fun substituting in a 1st grade classroom.  The classroom was set-up like a well oiled machine with students knowing exactly what they were supposed to be doing for each transition and activity.  It was a pleasure to work with the students in this sort of organized, respectful, and engaged environment.  And speaking of engaged.  One of the first things students do in the morning to get the day going is a chant based on the letters in the word ENGAGE.  They do it with gestures and jumping and clapping and at the top of their lungs.  It was one of the most boisterous and meaningful morning warm-up activities.  I decided to include the entire chant on the blog for my own future use and for anyone else out there who is looking for a resource for elementary teachers that will get the kids moving and introduce ideas about responsibility, achievement, and positive attitudes into their classrooms.
Chant leader or teacher asks: What do you choose to do today?
Students answer: I choose to Engage!
One student shouts out the letters and all the students participate in the chant.

E.  I make a choice to Expect Excellence.  I will set high goals and make positive changes in my quest for excellence.  I have what it takes to be great.  The greatness was built within me at birth, but education and success are the fruits of my hard work.
N.  I accept No Excuses, just results.  There are no shortcuts in the pursuit of excellence.  I accept responsibility for the choices I make.  I will learn from my setback and keep working towards my goals.
G.  I will Get in the Game!  I will be productive and give back to my community.  I am a thinker.  I am a doer.  I am a peace-builder.  I will go to and through college.  I will not rest until my good is better and my better is best.
A.  Attitude is Everything!  Life is a gift.  I will work with passion and strive to look for the positive.  I will seek out wise and uplifting people.  I will affirm cultural values that foster kinship, respect, perseverance, and hard work.  It is my responsibility to maintain honor and respect in my family and community.
G.  I will Give Help When Needed.  I will respect others at all times, and I choose to do my part as a source of positive change.  I will communicate hope and eliminate negative influences in order to build healthy relationships.
E.  Enjoy Every Challenge!  I will find a way to achieve excellence and I choose to find joy in the experiences and challenges that life brings my way.

The chant can be finished with a brief overview of the message by having individual students shout out each letter and all the rest of the class response back with the key message (bolded).

The chanting contains within character building ideas as well as very positive and self-affirming messages.  It could be modified for the needs of the teacher or the school and the types of gestures the teacher decides to use can be as creative as they would like.

Borrowed from Hmong American Peace Academy in Milwaukee, WI

what they know

Got an e-mail today from the school counselor at the elementary school for whom I subbed a couple of months ago.  She wanted to share a cute story with me about a K-5 student I worked with while she was away.  This student came into her (my) room a few times as a part of a friendship group, but since she's been back to the school he hasn't been back.  Today she went to get him to chat with him one-on-one and when they got to the room he said, "this looks just like Ms. K's room!" 

so the whole bit about her leaving, me subbing, her coming back didn't at all register with him or maybe it did, but it didn't get attached to the understanding that the room he saw me in is the same room that she works in because that was her room to begin with.  It's a good reminder, I think, for myself and other elementary school counselors about what the little ones in our schools do and can focus on their attention.  At 5 years old, they are still very self-centered, and it's important to keep that in mind when working with them.  We might assume they'll remember something we said, or an activity we did, or a room they visited, but unless it's truly connected to their immediate "world," they're not gonna pay much attention to it, just like this little boy did not pay much attention to her leaving, me coming, me going, and her coming back.  :) Good stuff.

Teaching Tolerance

I received a renewal notice from the Teaching Tolerance magazine, which I had subscribed for last year.  I learned about this magazine from a professor in a school counseling course, and it took me a year to remember to subscribe to it, but I'm glad I finally did.   This is a wonderful FREE resource available to educators at every level of the school system.
The magazines publishes 4-5 feature articles on relevant and interesting topics such as, "Found in Translation: Ensure school environments are welcoming to English language learners (ELLs) and their families" and "The School to prison pipeline: Policies and practices that favor incarceration over education do us all a grave injustice."
There are also a few opinion pieces and short pieces that briefly but thoroughly address current decisions that counselors, administrator and teachers have to make in their buildings, such as whether or not to establish a school uniform in the school.
The magazines also has several activities for all the grade levels that are centered around ideas of inclusion, friendship, prejudice, multiculturalism, etc.. So for a counselor, this magazine can be a great resource of ways to teach these sometimes difficult topics in a way that encourages open and non-judgement filled discussions.
Anyways, I will be renewing my subscription to this magazine, starting with the digital copy, which promises to have more multi-media ways to explore the magazine's topics and ideas.
Happy Friday!  One week of posts! Whoohoo!!

Kohlberg for 4th graders

Yesterday, while subbing in a fourth grade classroom, I came across this wonderful poster.

Kohlberg's levels of morality in the classroom

This is a great way to simplify Kohlberg's levels of morality development in a way that is relatable to students.  Of course, I do not know how the teacher presented these levels of morality to her students, but I think the fact that they are in the classroom and visible to the students every day must serve as an important reminder of a lesson on behavior and how we make decisions.

I could see myself using this type of rewriting of Kohlberg's theory to teach students about how we think when we make decisions.  This type of meta-cognition is an important skill to develop as students mature and are forced to make more decisions on their own, without parental or teacher guidance.