tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60119961018649617062024-03-12T21:04:57.785-07:00School Counselor BlogKarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-87238346193371154482012-09-27T08:54:00.000-07:002012-09-27T08:54:32.321-07:00More Hallway Behavior!After working really hard for a week on walking the CATS way down the hallway, the teachers at our school discovered a problem with our hallway behavior - although we were doing a great job of WALKING down the hallway the CATS way, we were not doing the best job of WAITING in the hallway the CATS way! Waiting in the hallway is a much more difficult skill than walking in the hallway we have found.<br />
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So . . . we came back to the hallway for another lesson!! First the teachers demonstrated for us both the CATS way to wait in the hallway, and what it looks like when we do not wait the CATS way. We talked about why it is important to have good CATS behavior in the hallway - so everyone can do their jobs of learning and teaching, and so everyone can stay safe at school!<br />
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Then it was the student's turn to practice waiting in the hallway the CATS way. When our students wait in the hallway the CATS way, they wait facing forward, with hands at their sides, respecting the space of those around them, and use a quiet whisper voice. Each class practiced waiting in the hallway the CATS way!! We even used some hula hoops to get a better idea of how much personal space we need to give others when we are waiting in line.<br />
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Throughout the rest of the week, we will be doing mini-lessons as refreshers on this lesson on how to wait in the hallway the CATS way! As each class practiced waiting in the hallway the CATS way, the students gave each other feedback by giving a thumbs up if they thought the class used CATS behavior, or a thumbs down if they thought the class needed to try it again. The teachers will continue to give feedback to their students throughout the week by giving the class a small football each time they wait in the hallway the CATS way. If our school earns enough small footballs to fill our big football by the office, we will get to have a tailgate party. Can't wait to see if we can fill up that big football!!</div>
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<br />KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-21609924477538276902012-09-07T13:11:00.000-07:002012-09-27T08:55:10.533-07:00Hallway Behavior Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we had an assembly in the hallway at Mease to learn about appropriate hallway behavior!! The preschool, prep, and kindergarten classes all came out into the hallway, and we began the assembly by teaching the expected behaviors for students in the hallway. Then I had some "actors" model the "naughty" way to walk down the hallway. They pretended they were coming in from recess, and threw balls, yelled, banged on lockers, etc. Then my hallway actors modeled the approrpiate way to walk down the hallway - walking feet, hands at sides, facing foward, on the right, with a quiet whisper voice.</div>
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After our actors showed us how to walk down the hallway, each class practiced walking up and down the hallway. We gave them silent feedback with a thumbs up or thumbs down to show them if they were walking down the hallway the Cats way or not. We then reviewed the CATS poster, and talked about how weare being good CATS when we walk down the hallway the appropriate way.</div>
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This month at our school we are trying really hard to work on having good hallway behavior. After each trip to the hallway, the classroom teachers give their students feedback on how they behaved in the hallway. If they walked down the hallway the CATS way, their class will earn a small football. Once a class earns 6 footballs, they turn it in for a helmet that is added to the large football outside of the office. Whent the large football is filled with helmets, we will celebrate by having a tailgate party!! All of the classrooms at our school are cheering each other on and reminding each other to do their best so that we can have our tailgate party, hopefully by the end of the month :)KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-62653046730099848402012-09-04T12:51:00.000-07:002012-09-04T12:58:20.732-07:00CATS Assembly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we had an assembly at the Early Childhood Center to kick off our PBIS behavior expectations. We introduced the CATS posters, and did a cheer to help remember the letters of CATS. The 1-4 graders at the elementary school had this assembly about a month ago, but at the elementary school we wanted to take things even slower.</div>
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At the assembly we talked about the Purple Hands Pledge, and how students can be good CATS by following the Purple Hands Pledge. We kept the assembly short and sweet so they could digest that information first before moving forward!! We will continue working on being good CATS at school and everywhere we go. </div>
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Our PBIS behavior expectations spell out the word CATS - Care about self and others, Act responsibly, Try your best, and Stay positive. All month we are going to work on being CATS so we can earn another celebration by the end of the month! To end the assembly we did a cheer spelling CATS with our arms - it was so much fun!!KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-71371570599175240182012-08-31T11:31:00.000-07:002012-08-31T11:34:22.960-07:00S'more Good Behavior!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we had a PBIS celebration for students who have shown good behavior these first three weeks of school. We made s'mores for the students for s'more good behavior!! We just kicked off PBIS at Taft Elementary a couple of weeks ago, and the students have been working hard to show good behavior in the cafeteria and follow the Purple Hands Pledge. Today all the students who have been practicing good behavior were recgonized with a s'more celebration!!</div>
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Our custodian wheeled out the grill and warmed it up for us right before lunch time. Our PTA committee came and helped us start toasting the marshmallows and assembling the s'mores. To make the s'mores, we took two fudge striped cookies and put a marshmallow in the middle. Tastes just like a s'more, but a little less complicated!!</div>
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Each student who had demonstrated good behavior earned a ticket for a s'more. We served the s'mores during the lunch recesses for the students. The activity did not cost a lot and did not take a lot of our time! Our wonderful custodian even grilled some hamburgers for the staff and volunteers, and our prinicpal opened up the soda machine so that everyone could have something cold to drink. I'm hoping for s'more good behavior next month so we can have another fun celebration!!</div>
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KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-83689737469185060542012-08-30T11:35:00.000-07:002012-08-30T11:39:15.294-07:00At Risk Data<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWpdjTvktKbGUThSbOWYc0w075JF472OPO__YE5BXIOuG-lS_PFsAVh4-wFukCNFriBkwNoophY4ZTVYo88CoHp8R6q-iTFCa-MRdqo7fxkXobPaEPcD_azVpxvsHVkwEZ-_f0fQMcJRT/s1600/35824-clip-art-graphic-of-a-sky-blue-guy-character-holding-a-bar-graph-chart-by-jester-arts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWpdjTvktKbGUThSbOWYc0w075JF472OPO__YE5BXIOuG-lS_PFsAVh4-wFukCNFriBkwNoophY4ZTVYo88CoHp8R6q-iTFCa-MRdqo7fxkXobPaEPcD_azVpxvsHVkwEZ-_f0fQMcJRT/s1600/35824-clip-art-graphic-of-a-sky-blue-guy-character-holding-a-bar-graph-chart-by-jester-arts.jpg" /></a>The past few days at school I have been putting together my at-risk data for the elementary. Nothing too exciting, but part of my job! Part of my salary is paid with at-risk dollars, so each year I have to demonstrate how much time I have spent working with students who are identified as at-risk. I'm sure that a lot of you are involved with identifying who is at risk, so I'm am posting the spreadsheet in case it will be helpful to anyone else!!</div>
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<a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Fake+At+Risk+Data.xlsx" target="_blank">At Risk Spreadsheet</a><br />
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Throughout the year each time I see a student for counseling, I have them fill out a piece of paper regarding what they would like to talk about (or I fill it out for them if they cannot write yet). I then put in the spreadsheet how many times the student and I met, and what we did (as far as individual counseling, small group, parent conference, etc.) I do not go into great detail, since our at risk coordinator looks at the data as well. I do this for each student I see, whether or not I think they will be at risk. Then at the end of the year (or beginning of the following year!), I print off a list of students who had a D or F in math or reading, and a list of absences for all students. I enter this data into the spreadsheet for all students that I saw the previous year. <br />
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I also mark if they are disconnected to the school, which is just a judgement call for me. If they have expressed that they do not like school, or frequently fight with other teachers/students and are not involved in any school activities, I will mark disconnected to school. I also add if a they see an outside counselor or have a DHS worker. After doing all this, I go back and delete students from the spreadsheet that I did not mark yes to meet any of the absence, grade, or school disconnect data. If I marked yes for one of those areas, I will count them as at-risk.<br />
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I know each school probably has different criteria for determining who is at-risk, but this way works for me!! Doing paperwork is one of my least favorite things to do as a counselor, so it is nice to have a way to do it quickly and get it done :)KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-64718555787531501702012-08-24T13:29:00.001-07:002012-08-24T13:29:33.444-07:00Preschool Purple Hands Assembly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we had assemblies at the preschool and kindergarten to learn the Purple Hands Pledge for the very first time. The Purple Hands Pledge is "I will not use my hands or my words for hurting myself or others". This is the most important rule we have here at our school! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYD49rbEVSHF3cYCpLHSKuRihyphenhyphensn_9-QHJek5OyvcsSSdJEOtsBNnSmEkiqcUCYQWVKJKEvK-V93N2YZjx2az2CcsWCcvNpyAz7V2oUcmoLZCAttozNJS1YUkeomiH8QYN8aRxAdZsOgi/s1600/PH+Assembly+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYD49rbEVSHF3cYCpLHSKuRihyphenhyphensn_9-QHJek5OyvcsSSdJEOtsBNnSmEkiqcUCYQWVKJKEvK-V93N2YZjx2az2CcsWCcvNpyAz7V2oUcmoLZCAttozNJS1YUkeomiH8QYN8aRxAdZsOgi/s320/PH+Assembly+018.jpg" width="239" yda="true" /></a>At the assembly we talked about how a pledge is a promise, and a promise is a very serious thing!! Every time the students say the pledge, they are making a promise not to use their hands or words to hurt. This is our third year using the Purple Hands Pledge at our school, and it has helped us by providing a simple and common language to address student behavior and the way that we treat each other. Each student in our school says the Purple Hands Pledge right after the Pledge of Allegiance every day, as well as the CATS pledge (our PBIS behavior expectations). Everyone who has a relationship with our school, from teachers and students to parents and community members knows the pledge, and can easily reference this behavior expectaiton by using the common language introduced in the pledge.</div>
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Another important part of the program is the symbol of the Purple Hand with a red heart in the middle. This symbol is easily recognizable to the students, and is a visual reminder of what the pledge means, especially to those not reading yet.We have the symbol displayed in several areas of our school as a reminder to students to follow the purple hands pledge. The purple hands pledge is also on several of our PBIS behavior rubrics as a behavior expecation across several settings.<br />
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A 1st grade teacher at our school came up with some motions to help our little kiddos learn the pledge, even if they don't have it memorized yet. The words and motions are:<br />
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I will not use (Shake finger)<br />
My hands or my words (Hold up hands, point to mouth)<br />
For hurting myself (Hug arms around self)<br />
Or others (Arms stretched, palms up)KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-69448094111073500702012-08-23T11:36:00.001-07:002012-08-23T11:37:33.814-07:00CATS PledgeLast week at school we kicked off our school year with re-introducing our School Wide PBIS Behavior Expectations. The behavior expectations at our school spell out the word CATS, which is our school mascot. Our expectations are - Care about others and yourself, Act responsibly, Try your best, and Stay positive.<br />
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This year, our students are going to learn the behavior expectations by saying the CATS pledge every day after the pledge of allegiance. The CATS pledge will be - I will Care about myself and others, I will act responsibly, I will try my best, and I will stay positive!! We are hoping that by starting off each day by saying the CATS pledge, the students will begin to remember what the expectations are. Last year we slowly began to implement some of the features of school wide PBIS, but this year will be our first full year of really collecting the data and teaching the expectations and lessons.</div>
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Above is a powerpoint slide that I made for the teachers to put on their smart board for the students to read off of while they say the pledge each day. Putting the pledge on the smartboard could be helpful for any pledge you might be trying to teach!! I am hoping that by the end of the year we'll be able to ask any student what the CATS pledge is and means, and they will be able to tell us (and hopefully show us!!).</div>
KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-5111555239963282032012-08-17T09:15:00.001-07:002012-08-23T11:38:32.062-07:00First Day of Kindergarten!!Today is our first day of kindergarten!! So far our day is off to a smooth start :) I love watching the parents bring their kids to the classrooms in the morning - it seems much harder for the parents than the kids to adjust to this big change!!<br />
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On the first day of kindergarten I spend most of the day in the classrooms observing and getting to know the new kindergarteners. Usually I help dry a few tears, but so far today has been pretty smooth!! The rest of the day today I will spend introducing myself to the kindergarten students and maki g a few phone calls to new students in our district. Loving the first day of kindergarten!!<br />
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KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-15878728422184608322012-08-15T13:34:00.003-07:002012-08-23T11:39:10.799-07:00First Day!<br />
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Today was our first day of school!! After drying all the tears and doing some convincing to a few to stay with us for the rest of the day . . . we kicked off our school year with an assembly for PBIS!!</div>
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At our assembly we modeled the noise level expectations for the lunchroom and for the rest of our school. Our "actors" above did a great job!! We use levels 0-3 to communicate noise level expectations. Level 3 is outside voice, 2 is conversational talking, 1 is a whisper, and 0 is silent. To signal which noise level is appropriate, the teacher will hold up the number of the appropriate noise level. We also practiced how to appropriately let people around you know that the noise level has changed by tapping them on the shoulder and pointing to the teacher.<br />
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Another tool we use to communicate noise level expectations in the lunch room is our stop light. The stoplight is operated by a remote, and the cafeteria supervisors can change the color on the light to communicate to students the noise level expectation. The green light is level 2 conversational talking, the yellow light is for level 1 whisper, and the red light is for level 0 - no talking. I asked the students why there isn't a light for level 3 - they figured out that it is because we are not supposed to use our level 3 outside voice in school!!<br />
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We also reintroduced our school wide expectations and said the Purple Hands Pledge. The kids seem so excited and full of energy today!! What a great first day, looking forward to many more!!<br />
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<br />KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-17628737210402800462012-08-14T13:41:00.000-07:002012-08-23T11:39:53.901-07:00Don't Be an Angry Bird!!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
This year at our school we are officially starting PBIS at our school. Tomorrow is our first day of school, and all of our teachers are going to begin the year by teaching their students our school wide expectations. Today I made a bulletin board to highlight those expectations. I got the idea off of someone's board on pinterest. </div>
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Don't Be an Angry Bird . . . Be a Cool Cat!!</div>
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Just about every kid at our school loves Angry Birds . . . so I am hoping that it will be a hit!! Our school mascot is the Wildcats, so we came up with PBIS school wide expectations that spell out the word CATS. I am not competely done with the bulletin board - I think I am going to add a slingshot for the red bird, and a platform for the pig!</div>
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Here is a closer look at our PBIS school wide expectations - Care About Others, Act Responsibly, Try Your Best, Stay Positive. Tomorrow we will have a welcome back assembly and introduce these expectations again! We will also say the Purple Hands Pledge, which is "I will not use my hands or my words for hurting myself or others.</div>
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Go Cats!!</div>
KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-57485105404322199802011-01-11T20:19:00.000-08:002012-08-23T11:40:33.931-07:00Reading About Fairness - The Sneetches<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuV4IqwAlgfL_0L9F5jVH4i5Pb2yMdMtjR13P1BemnHGo4Fh36rOlIxUusazn6xpKXysWDH6wgGZRaqHXPjTPcTTW8ASRmEkASVqVDu2qZEn1eDOwHhi6y1OkRtuQHhoTpqf4QgqKuANXD/s1600/Sneetches.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561157704881182626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuV4IqwAlgfL_0L9F5jVH4i5Pb2yMdMtjR13P1BemnHGo4Fh36rOlIxUusazn6xpKXysWDH6wgGZRaqHXPjTPcTTW8ASRmEkASVqVDu2qZEn1eDOwHhi6y1OkRtuQHhoTpqf4QgqKuANXD/s320/Sneetches.gif" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 238px;" /></a><br />
This month in guidance, our theme throughout the school is fairness. One book that I like to read to the students is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sneetches-Other-Stories-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800893">The Sneetches</a> by Dr. Seuss. I am using this book in my lesson in 5th grade this month.<br />
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If you haven't read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sneetches-Other-Stories-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800893">The Sneetches</a>, I recommend that you go out and get it! The Sneetches are creatures who are divided - some have stars on their bellies, and some do not. The Sneetches who do not get treated differently because they do not have a star. The Sneetches and other stories that are in the book focus on how senseless and unfair prejudice can be. The Sneetches figure out that it's what's on the inside, not what's on the outside that counts!<br />
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To guide our group discussion after the book, I am</div>
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using a lesson plan from the book <a href="http://www.educationalmedia.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EMOC&Product_Code=WTI">What's The Issue?</a> This book is meant to be used as a guide for a small group/book club, which I am interested in starting as well, but for now I have been using it to integrate books and discussion into my guidance lessons. In our discussion we will focus on celebrating differences in individuals, identifying stereotyping in the story, discuss different ways prejudiced people treat others, and understand what respect for all people means.</div>
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Here are some other activities that you can use with this book. They come from Seussville.com!</div>
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<a href="http://www.seussville.com/activities/SNEETCHES_SameOrDifferent.pdf">Same or Different Worksheet</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.seussville.com/activities/SNEETCHES_Snacks.pdf">Sneetch Snacks</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.seussville.com/activities/SNEETCHES_Snacks.pdf">Sneetch Ball</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.seussville.com/activities/SNEETCHES_WhichOne.pdf">Which One Is Different?</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.seussville.com/activities/SNEETCHES_WhichTwo.pdf">Which Two Are the Same?</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.seussville.com/games/sneetches/game.html">Sylvester McBean's Sneetch Belly Game</a></div>
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KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-39452912987400457102011-01-10T18:56:00.000-08:002012-08-23T11:41:00.073-07:00Angry Arlene, The Grumpy Red Jellybean<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ06Lop1FNuhb_6mXJIq0_kOwwwsWkHnUWFMsuixwj1e2E1dhTthmsT6qaGb6IxiUArkuC_kkR8LhK_T0s6IL_VyiIv-lxEvvFJz8Az2MI1KmY8wcuvpSBvDHCheoboQpRAb0L_T5E752a/s1600/marcoproducts_2141_78537333.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560764041591408514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ06Lop1FNuhb_6mXJIq0_kOwwwsWkHnUWFMsuixwj1e2E1dhTthmsT6qaGb6IxiUArkuC_kkR8LhK_T0s6IL_VyiIv-lxEvvFJz8Az2MI1KmY8wcuvpSBvDHCheoboQpRAb0L_T5E752a/s320/marcoproducts_2141_78537333.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 245px;" /></a><br />
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Well now that we have been in school for about a week now, it is time to get some new groups started up! One group that I am starting for some of my Prep and Kindergarten students is an Anger Management group.</div>
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We are using this great curriculum that I picked up at the <a href="http://www.iowaschoolcounselors.org/conference/index.html">ISCA State Conference</a> this year, it is called <a href="http://www.marcoproducts.com/jellybeancd.html">Jellybean Jamboree!</a> I knew this curriculum would be fun when I saw that each unit features a different jellybean. The anger management unit jellybean is called Angry Arlene, The Grumpy Red Jellybean! I have made a Angry Arlene puppet out of cone of the puppet templates for the unit. I am thinking about letting the students make Angry Arlene puppets as well to take home.</div>
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The first group lesson is about finding a quiet place to calm down. Our Prep teacher has a teepee in her room, so we may even take a "field trip" to her room to practice calming down in the teepee! After practicing going to a quiet place to calm down, we will come back to the guidance to work on the worksheets included in the curriculum. One is a connect-the-dot of Angry Arlene, and in another they will draw a picture of their quiet place. The curriculum is for PreK-2, and it is right on their level. I love how there is an emphasis on colors, letters, and rhyming.<br />
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I am keeping this group very small, right now I have three boys in the group but could open it to four. Because of the anger issues and social development of the students I have chosen, I want to keep this group as small as possible. I feel confident thought that I have picked a great group of boys, and I am looking forward to starting our group!</div>
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KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-66471501205895487192011-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:002011-01-07T16:33:59.233-08:00Hallway Expectation Follow UpOur Hallway Expectation assemblies yesterday to kick-off the new year with good hallway behavior were a success! The students were so well behaved in our hallways today. Some of the students have needed to be re-taught the skill already, but the staff members have been vigilant about re-teaching the skill. Way to go!<br /><br />Today I made a movie with our <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flip-UltraHD-Video-Camera-Generation/dp/B0040702HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294446541&sr=8-1">flip camera</a> showing some of our 3rd grade students exhibiting the Pillar Pride hallway behavior. If you have not used a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flip-UltraHD-Video-Camera-Generation/dp/B0040702HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294446541&sr=8-1">flip camera </a>in your guidance program yet - you should! They are so simple to use, and the students love seeing themselves on t.v. as "moviestars"!<br /><br />In our video, the 3rd grade students are describing how they show each of the <a href="http://charactercounts.org/">Character Counts!</a> pillars as they walk through the hallway. They then demonstrate walking through the hallway using the Pillar Pride expectations. They did great! I sent the video to all of our teachers so they can show it on their smartboards tomorrow morning and review. I am also uploading it to <a href="http://www.humboldtelementaryguidance.webs.com/">my counseling website</a> and sending the link in an email to parents so they can see the hard work we are doing, and reinforce at home too!<br /><br />Do any of you use a flip camera in your guidance programs? How do you use it? I would love to get some new ideas!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxKkufulDn0Qu_LRkySukTAzxE5ecqel71fhBS4jMVdBkO9PD_d9KobCYm6aZD3cDcUnHXnT8AADVXGlfASuQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-21378520102192963292011-01-05T14:24:00.001-08:002011-01-06T11:43:22.076-08:00Pillar Pride in the Hallway!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJ8Bh32q1YM1SEQlpHDNXZ0hDLxbuN4kc3TOK3bP9lwwqxOuA66cMM1a-J5xZCKc7FLn3NupTBLc2BjPyqbrCjMjHTczgRSqsVZQqe9WoK4qWX_Ie6rew-pOOlRokg6i_c1HgZ5W3l6oO/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559160811429937986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJ8Bh32q1YM1SEQlpHDNXZ0hDLxbuN4kc3TOK3bP9lwwqxOuA66cMM1a-J5xZCKc7FLn3NupTBLc2BjPyqbrCjMjHTczgRSqsVZQqe9WoK4qWX_Ie6rew-pOOlRokg6i_c1HgZ5W3l6oO/s320/IMG_2615.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2r8VaKsVaOC-WS13jaURwVM3pK3Jd1k2jOGd4Wipu3WfYNtn4K_r1lnPdCrk25IlhA5tfQ90C3UZen9ttQs-CHPsOlBlfH6r4TVEN97xYLWYZiemU7qOTqFbbRSvIsvaA46UfILKEAZe/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG"></a><br /><br /><div>Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a refreshing holiday break and that you are re-energized and ready to be back at school! Today is our first day back from Christmas break. To start off our new year on the right foot, we are beginning the year by reviewing hallway expectations. We want to be T.R.R.F.C.C. in the hallway!!<br /><br />To teach the behavior that we want our students to exhibit in the hallway, we held a series of "mini" assemblies throughout the day to teach and model the hallway behavior we want to see. We held assemblies throughout the day for two classes at a time, and we held the assemblies in the area that we want the behaviors practiced - in the hallway. The principal, family-school coordinator, secretary, and one of our Character Counts Superheroes acted out the assembly. The message we got across was simple - that we expect to see good behavior in the hallway! The <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Elementary+Hallway+Assembly.docx">script</a> was fun, we got to model the bad behavior and then our superhero saved the day and modeled for the students good hallway behavior!!<br /><br />We also have made <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Hallway_Expectation_Poster.docx">posters</a> to place in our hallways to remind students of their <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Hallway_Expectation_Poster.docx">hallway behavior</a>. The posters are a visual reminder of what the hallway expectations are. We also introduced a school wide expectation for the <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Voice+Level_Expectation_Poster.docx">noise level </a>in our building. These <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Voice+Level_Expectation_Poster.docx">posters </a>will be placed in all of the classrooms as a reminder about the noise level expectations in our building.<br /><br />These mini assemblies were an opportunity to teach this skill to all the students in our elementary buildings. Now that we have taught the skill, when a staff member sees a student <strong>NOT</strong> following the expectations, we will <strong>RE-TEACH</strong> the expectation and not scold or punish them for not following the expectation. In order for this to work, the entire staff needs to be on board with this.<br /><br />When a staff member re-teaches the skill, it should take no more than 1 minute. The staff member will take the child to the poster in the hallway . . . ask them which one of the expectations the aren't following, and then practice it. Just as the intial teaching of this skill occured in the hallway, the re-teaching should occur in the setting that the behavior needs to occur.<br /><br />After our assemblies today, our hallway behavior was much better! I am sure we will need to continue to reinforce and revisit this skill throughout the year, but so far we are off to a great start!! Happy 2011 everyone!</div></div>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-3981730822193302292010-12-10T10:20:00.000-08:002010-12-10T10:43:59.227-08:00Be a STAR!! Stop, Think, Act, Review!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40unWYsfvmVWIq_aIV_Y9fudFmrbGbO40aJzaC0O5Lkaxwk_MgGaTa_hEPPZ_JQwiWa1abMD89jRAbmKHExpxFiC6JLTuPk5dBii_9jKFu2GEwEnl4iHs8jhfMQY4EJ8K-HiokKFuuze8/s1600/c299886_s.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549126237170220642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40unWYsfvmVWIq_aIV_Y9fudFmrbGbO40aJzaC0O5Lkaxwk_MgGaTa_hEPPZ_JQwiWa1abMD89jRAbmKHExpxFiC6JLTuPk5dBii_9jKFu2GEwEnl4iHs8jhfMQY4EJ8K-HiokKFuuze8/s320/c299886_s.jpg" /></a><br /><div>As any other counselor out there I am sure, I have a few students who struggle with making approriate choices at school! For these students I have created a visual reminder to keep in the classrooms to remind them to make good choices - to stop, think, act, and review. I have seen the STAR decision making model in several other curriculums. It is simple to remember, and the STAR can serve as a visual reminder to the student to stop and think without even saying a word.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I created my own <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Stop%2C+Think%2C+Act%2C+Review.pdf">poster </a>to be used in the classrooms of the students using this decision making model. The poster talks the student through the steps - Stop, Think, Act, Review. Some other good resources for Stop, Think, Act, Review are classroom lessons from the Missouri Guidance Model. They have one lesson called <a href="http://missouricareereducation.org/curr/cmd/guidanceplacementG/lessons/dlGuidanceLesson.php?file=PS3-Gr2-Unit1-Lesson1.doc">Star Deputies</a>, and another lesson called <a href="http://missouricareereducation.org/curr/cmd/guidanceplacementG/lessons/dlGuidanceLesson.php?file=PS3-Gr2-Unit1-Lesson2.doc">Star Deputies, Unite!</a> These lessons would be great to do in the classroom (since I am sure that several students could benefit from discussing decision making!), and then the posters could be used to reinforce the concepts taught to those students who need a little more. I plan on also using the <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/STAR+Model+of+Problem+Solving+Sheet.docx">problem solving sheet </a>included in the Missouri Model lesson to process with students as they are trying to make a difficult decision, or after they have made a poor decision. We've also been using the sign language symbol for "stop" as a visual reminder as well.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>What other resources do you have to assist students with decision making? I know that there are many more out there, I would love to hear about what works for you!</div>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-82667491834799991632010-12-07T07:09:00.001-08:002010-12-10T10:18:40.411-08:00Using Data to Drive Your Program<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru9EPOW8Sh65iLxAzMsHd_lehgV10ozumuxtxXddzuTF5-ORQv2TQONSzP4rEm1NcmlZ_biHK8Zyr4VTe5bmLab1jSubeieOsCqT9vN8aQu5w1uzZRqqwt8Nyd9iwMQ9O7Br5Uus8SgYq/s1600/c312317_s.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 179px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549119533481940530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru9EPOW8Sh65iLxAzMsHd_lehgV10ozumuxtxXddzuTF5-ORQv2TQONSzP4rEm1NcmlZ_biHK8Zyr4VTe5bmLab1jSubeieOsCqT9vN8aQu5w1uzZRqqwt8Nyd9iwMQ9O7Br5Uus8SgYq/s320/c312317_s.jpg" /></a>Today the High School counselor and I are attending one of our AEA school counselor workshop in Pocahontas to work on developing our comprehensive counseling plan. After working on developing our beliefs and philosophy statements last time, today we are looking at our plans to deliver intentional guidance and our closing the gap plans.<br /><br />For my closing the gap plan, I am looking at my student discipline data. In addition to using disciple data collected by the principal, I am also asking teachers to record data about behaviors that they observe in their classrooms. Using this data, I am hoping to identify those students who need more. Once hose students are identified, I plan on starting some small guidance groups.<br /><br />I'm hoping today to continue on working to develop our comprehensive guidance program, and especially working on how to use data in my program. I can't wait to get back to school on Wednesday and start putting all of these pieces together!KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-51854904901051066742010-09-14T13:26:00.001-07:002010-09-14T13:45:44.695-07:00Getting to Know the Counselor<div>I have been doing lessons the first few weeks of school on "Getting to Know the Counselor", but the lesson I have been doing in 5th grade so far is my favorite. To introduce myself as the new school counselor, I first show the students a <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/All+About+Me+3rd.pptx">powerpoint</a> so that they can get to know a few things about me. Throughout the powerpoint I ask the students about some of their favorite things and interests, so I can get to know them to! This is a great way to break the ice with the students and a great way to help the students begin to feel a little more comfortable with me.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Next I ask for volunteers to come to the front of the room and put on various pieces of a costume. Each volunteer puts on a piece of the costume, and reads a script when it's their turn that describes an aspect of my job. The students love it, and it is a really interesting a different way to introduce the school counselor!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Next we discuss the com<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkKHaTZ-zsZwr0nwGH-K3c7EBR3L3ytIRNck2iFJzIfB7R48y7acTECnTFdkU1rpW-Szpc3iymCIKquTaSV4p-bV-ggadCG0jVlUZ_Tee6_0JERmIoLraZswkXuNnGVKXR5jazK06XUfw/s1600/photo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516872728094302050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkKHaTZ-zsZwr0nwGH-K3c7EBR3L3ytIRNck2iFJzIfB7R48y7acTECnTFdkU1rpW-Szpc3iymCIKquTaSV4p-bV-ggadCG0jVlUZ_Tee6_0JERmIoLraZswkXuNnGVKXR5jazK06XUfw/s320/photo.jpg" /></a>ponenets of the guidance program and the word confidentiality. I share with the students ways that they can notify me that they would like to visit, and we discuss different things that a student may want to come to talk to the counselor about. We also review how to fill out the <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Need+to+See+the+Counselor+Forms.pub">Need to See the Counselor </a>forms, and where my office and mailbox are.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Lastly, we do an activity together called "Record of Me". In this activity, the students make records and list each track on the record as a detail about themselves. I have the students share their records at the end of class, and I bring a record that I made to share a little more about myself as well. We usually listen to the Primary Focus "Start Dreamin'" cd while we work on our records.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Any way that you introduce yourself to your students, it is important that the lesson cover the components of the guidance program, the process for contacting the counselor, and confidentiality. Sharing a little bit about yourself and encouraging students to share about themselves is a great relationship building activity for that first meeting as well. Here is a link to the <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Getting+to+Know+the+Counselor+Lesson+Plan+5th.docx">lesson plan </a>if you are ever interested in using it for yourself!</div>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-66724684128331595042010-09-09T14:22:00.001-07:002010-09-09T14:41:42.422-07:00Welcome Back!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfAaNPiskW3VsPN60g-YUF6F7dLlUP4BjQThPkruGY_M0p5i4uefxPSF3Pc2mI88ex5YsSQgXlIkuJVbYfFE4tYVtFCjmFVm48s0rcyjrLmD_DSYD__EPkLQ_2Uy6ayAl_5ZbYdTTUxKv/s1600/School+Building.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 189px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515032156598163058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfAaNPiskW3VsPN60g-YUF6F7dLlUP4BjQThPkruGY_M0p5i4uefxPSF3Pc2mI88ex5YsSQgXlIkuJVbYfFE4tYVtFCjmFVm48s0rcyjrLmD_DSYD__EPkLQ_2Uy6ayAl_5ZbYdTTUxKv/s320/School+Building.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Welcome back to a new school year! I have taken a new job this school year as the elementary counselor in Humboldt, Iowa. I will be working at two school buildings this year, with 500+ students and growing.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>To introduce myself as the new school counselor, I did a lot of work before the school year started to get my program ready. Over the summer I created brochures explaining the elements of the elementary guidance program. I wrote seperate letters for our<a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Getting+to+Know+the+Counselor+Brochure.pub"> K-1 school</a>, and for our <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/Humboldt+School+Counseling+Brochure.pub">2-5 school</a>. I also wrote <a href="http://humboldtelementaryguidance.wikispaces.com/file/view/New+School+Year+Letter.pub">letters</a> to send home to the parents introducing myself and explaining some of the things we will be doing this year in guidance. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>At open house night, which was the night before school started here, I handed out some of the brochures to parents and I handed out <a href="http://www.smilemakers.com/Smilemakers/product_family.asp?family%5Fid=2301&gift=False&mscssid=09694A96A8B4946628E96BEA1E10FFE1">stickers</a> to the students as I greeted them at the front door. It's a challenge doing events like open house when you work at two schools, but I balanced it out by spending one hour at the K-1 school and one hour at the 2-5 school.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The open house event was a great way to kick off the school year, and I am looking forward this year to what is to come!!</div>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-12532554688451714662010-05-19T06:42:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:58:52.431-07:00Paws in Jobland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_K6YA_bc9ykmSGDcKh7Is6KP9OBPhj3ciuD-l8AtZd6DEbbPIxi-axetw_daopKS1xtI87z0pq04IsTUrBYWEkEQtkMAentNH-GIm_u1qXBpnvs2NbaNsCge98PdGhmRVGHOsz954Pgg/s1600/MF1580_3816.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_K6YA_bc9ykmSGDcKh7Is6KP9OBPhj3ciuD-l8AtZd6DEbbPIxi-axetw_daopKS1xtI87z0pq04IsTUrBYWEkEQtkMAentNH-GIm_u1qXBpnvs2NbaNsCge98PdGhmRVGHOsz954Pgg/s320/MF1580_3816.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472980256020275122" border="0" /></a><br />For our last career awareness activity in guidance, my 3rd graders are completing a career interest inventory through the program <a href="http://paws.bridges.com/cfnc1.htm">Paws in Jobland</a>. <a href="http://paws.bridges.com/cfnc1.htm">Paws in Jobland</a> is a free online website created by <a href="http://www.bridges.com/us/home.html">Bridges Transitions Inc.</a> The career inventory on the website asks students a series of questions about things that they like to do, things that they are good at, or things they are interested in, and then presents the students with a list of jobs that they may enjoy. Students can explore jobs that they may be interested in on the website by clicking on different buildings in "Jobland".<br /><br />The program is easy for students to use, and it reads the questions out loud for students who are not strong readers. I am using it with my 3rd grade class, but it could be used for younger students too. There are <a href="http://www.bridges.com/us/prodnserv/paws/resources.html">lesson plans</a> to compliment the Paws in Jobland website for grades <a href="http://www.bridges.com/us/prodnserv/paws/resources.html">K-2</a> and <a href="http://www.bridges.com/us/prodnserv/paws/resources.html">3-5</a> that are available from the <a href="http://www.bridges.com/us/prodnserv/paws/resources.html">Bridges Transitions</a> website, and there are more resources available to supplement with this curriculum available on the <a href="http://www.cfnc.org/home/sc/dr/paws_lessons.jsp">College Foundation of North Carolina</a> website.KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-36871475679628396042010-05-14T12:48:00.000-07:002010-05-14T13:03:36.608-07:00Purple Hands In the News!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG6v5ERY-nGSBI5nFiA1L2q2JRvV5fi-gf9OTxlD9nWYNubAjiNR4YGwWM3TzUkkWcDDOjqprLZbnEhKl-73qZSp173mccSvgPIyW6px4V0_zxmCtj9Z_9uMbEcVQzXz6asU23tHNkNIq/s1600/28602880T.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG6v5ERY-nGSBI5nFiA1L2q2JRvV5fi-gf9OTxlD9nWYNubAjiNR4YGwWM3TzUkkWcDDOjqprLZbnEhKl-73qZSp173mccSvgPIyW6px4V0_zxmCtj9Z_9uMbEcVQzXz6asU23tHNkNIq/s320/28602880T.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471218671373408594" border="0" /></a>Recently the Purple Hands Program at our elementary school made the news! This March when our students were studying the Purple Hands Pledge, our school was lucky enough to be able to partner with Hy-Vee, a local grocery store, to promote the Purple Hands Pledge throughout our community. Hy-Vee printed the Purple Hands Pledge and symbol on their grocery sacks during the month of March. It was a hit! Students began noticing the symbol on the Hy-Vee sacks, and it was a great reminder to the students that the Purple Hands Pledge is important beyond our school walls. It was a great way for students to share with their parents the pledge as well when they asked what the symbol meant!<br /><br />I think it is a wonderful thing when we can place reminders in our students homes and in our community that the Purple Hands Pledge is important no matter where you go. Several local business that partner with our school display the Purple Hands Pledge poster in their businesses, and it is great to see the students make that connection when they are out in the community to the pledge that we teach at school. If you would like to see a full link to the article, just click <a href="http://issuu.com/nonpareil/docs/child_abuse_prevention">here!<br /></a>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-14529579420112786662010-05-12T10:05:00.000-07:002010-05-14T08:04:10.710-07:00The Character and Career Connection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuibvV0ggnmuxlPgnOwtttA2MJJ1xonI0LXkxj8C9sDq6alBssA83AvCeAJ9kOrw8fsSYKaTdwgBcTP7swt6xCYOLv_rYWCtQ6PM6ETtaSJXZUj4NcIksugJrsLDNXxOxlMM9sHZwlmC3k/s1600/41PQJ6WWJAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuibvV0ggnmuxlPgnOwtttA2MJJ1xonI0LXkxj8C9sDq6alBssA83AvCeAJ9kOrw8fsSYKaTdwgBcTP7swt6xCYOLv_rYWCtQ6PM6ETtaSJXZUj4NcIksugJrsLDNXxOxlMM9sHZwlmC3k/s320/41PQJ6WWJAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470433015961300498" border="0" /></a><br />To end out the year in our guidance curriculum this year, our third grade class is learning about how careers and good character are connected. The curriculum that I am using for our third grade careers unit is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Character-Career-Connection-Amy-Murray/dp/1931636451/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273684398&sr=8-1">The Character and Career Connection</a> by Amy R. Murray, M.Ed.<br /><br />Each lesson in the curriculum is based around a character trait. Each lesson begins with a story about the character trait, includes discussion questions to follow the reading with, and then an activity related to good character. For example for the pillar of Responsibility, students read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Horton-Hatches-Egg-Seuss-Classics/dp/7500117175/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273684992&sr=1-1">Horton Hatches the Egg</a> by Dr. Seuss. After reading and discussing the book, the students play a game where they draw a card with a responsibility listed on the card. The students must guess what job I am describing based on the responsibility.<br /><br />Good Character is something that we emphasize all year, and this curriculum is a great way to bring both careers and good character together. The character traits are not the <a href="http://charactercounts.org/sixpillars.html">Character Counts</a> traits, but most of the traits in the book can be adapted to meet any type of Character Education program. The book has other great ideas too, such as how to start a "Career Day" or "Vehicle Day" at your school, and a really neat idea about how to honor students who have good character. In the back of the book are also tip sheets to send home to parents as each character trait is studied.<br /><br />Here are some other resources you can pull from to connect careers with good character:<br /><a href="http://www.act/wwm/overview.html"><br /></a><a href="http://www.act.org/wwm/index.html">World-Of-Work Map, Career Clusters, and Career Areas</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.armorepenguin.com/wordsearch">Career Wordsearch</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.inspirationalstories.com/">After Hours Inspirational Stories</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.quotegarden.com/">The Quote Garden</a>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-27099044238099614002010-05-11T06:40:00.000-07:002010-05-11T10:48:01.944-07:00Character Counts Awards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfymDbexsFvX-QEChGsvbOeehtANtKVP3fv6rav5I2ldFS7OeSd2dPACsJvATIl2kJ9BiatYRBeGq-oBshGvsnVnuQkQVBjL6nUWUXGnVPRM39O_dKNIbOrzw6IrV1wqtb3l-1w3V2kKkX/s1600/P5070003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfymDbexsFvX-QEChGsvbOeehtANtKVP3fv6rav5I2ldFS7OeSd2dPACsJvATIl2kJ9BiatYRBeGq-oBshGvsnVnuQkQVBjL6nUWUXGnVPRM39O_dKNIbOrzw6IrV1wqtb3l-1w3V2kKkX/s320/P5070003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470070165555271970" border="0" /></a>Last Friday our school had our "It's a Wonderful School" Character Awards ceremony. The Character Awards recognizes students at our school who demonstrate good character. Each classroom is assigned a character pillar, and students in that class can nominate classmates who have demonstrated that pillar at school. They write a short paragraph or two about why that student deserves that pillar, and an example of a time that they have demonstrated that pillar. All students nominated receive a certificate to recognize their nomination, and one student from each class receives a trophy.<br /><br />To make sure that the Character Awards don't become a popularity contest, there are character awards that teachers can nominate students for as well. We also give an award for Overall Student of Character for each grade level, and this year we gave an award for the whole school. Other awards handed out were awards for serving on student council, and the Purple Hands Award for remaining on the Purple Hands Honor Roll the entire time a student was at Broadway Elementary.<br /><br />The Character Counts Superheroes came to the assembly to help present the awards. Each character pillar has it's own superhero, and there is also a superhero for the Purple Hands Pledge. The kids love seeing the superheroes, and it was great to have them help out with the awards!<br /><br />Below are some pictures from the Character Awards.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDGm0tqf1W2pcBrk_XOWI6Kt5CmEl8m2wD2_X0rIbibOZSFndldI8MqFOokosObtwx6KJlz5DrLlMk4ZKFxBNFJ9NszusCHOzOSoYkaG5FQpKg0ROgLCcQ_duGt_GrhFEH6ThdpSmSPQ0/s1600/P5070101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDGm0tqf1W2pcBrk_XOWI6Kt5CmEl8m2wD2_X0rIbibOZSFndldI8MqFOokosObtwx6KJlz5DrLlMk4ZKFxBNFJ9NszusCHOzOSoYkaG5FQpKg0ROgLCcQ_duGt_GrhFEH6ThdpSmSPQ0/s320/P5070101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470068061905129650" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcIEf9xHo0sV3gLCVAtELJAWgYZ4ysEXMj0tfetMAxzcn0ak1wPPB3x45cJqixl0cNQjcYM9xzbaY97FMDyv63fyi8ot34SAzG1xJD2DrXVOtrzeTOeaWp8z5Eg1sk24JqfJdf3s6Lpuf/s1600/P5070102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcIEf9xHo0sV3gLCVAtELJAWgYZ4ysEXMj0tfetMAxzcn0ak1wPPB3x45cJqixl0cNQjcYM9xzbaY97FMDyv63fyi8ot34SAzG1xJD2DrXVOtrzeTOeaWp8z5Eg1sk24JqfJdf3s6Lpuf/s320/P5070102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470068539440684658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_HsnOL5c_3p7iJ1w8Io4gw-D8dLnla7emyy7uA00MDazeuMWEkleMJggit3ngGUvv5olzGaX2MMWQToBgnpZNzNGCyeLdzg2yodgJk3ynPieLrhujClzi2daxr3LQ-CmR5jD-UVSHXgN/s1600/P5070028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_HsnOL5c_3p7iJ1w8Io4gw-D8dLnla7emyy7uA00MDazeuMWEkleMJggit3ngGUvv5olzGaX2MMWQToBgnpZNzNGCyeLdzg2yodgJk3ynPieLrhujClzi2daxr3LQ-CmR5jD-UVSHXgN/s320/P5070028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470069624682513154" border="0" /></a>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-59680139043368719852010-05-10T10:31:00.000-07:002010-05-10T11:33:14.316-07:00Earth Day ActivitiesTo highlight the Cha<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWqHuFOyQ7GkBNpS0wRGutca1MGnwMqifY_LUYE1MdCg8Wp_BDnK90gGgx_rHyVX1ZFWTnICkjxplalbybtZJiXo4ziuPlXrt6p6EQ8GrC00iRJCSkhc5szA-LCHUxHm0QHPliuF3jhLU/s1600/IMG_0006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWqHuFOyQ7GkBNpS0wRGutca1MGnwMqifY_LUYE1MdCg8Wp_BDnK90gGgx_rHyVX1ZFWTnICkjxplalbybtZJiXo4ziuPlXrt6p6EQ8GrC00iRJCSkhc5szA-LCHUxHm0QHPliuF3jhLU/s320/IMG_0006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469706062445450802" border="0" /></a>racter Counts pillar of Citizenship at our school this year, our students participated in Earth Day activities during the month of May. Our grade levels K - 5 each chose an activity related to earth day to participate in during the month. Some examples of Earth Day activities our school did were planting flowers, picking up trash, creating posters to encourage people to recycle, and planting trees.<br /><br />This is also a great time to connect the guidance curriculum to what students are studying in other subject areas. One of our grade levels is learning about plants right now, so organizing an Earth Day activity where the students take home a tree to plant somewhere or planting flowers is a great way to branch science and guidance together! One of our fourth grade classes is learning about marine life in science, and as part of an Earth Day activity they could research endangered species and create posters encouraging others to save them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFc6FwOC-6T-_o7cxe98_VYUWUgGtBZOFVp9siTFpmbk_a-ouhwNZdzaKlpGA7HdQ-_Tqf9GrqjsMJTdtItzHClzVPSUzoLc6kANc622hF_jfhSUP2nHsPUsp6i0REPklzkHLYy1i55PJe/s1600/IMG_0003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFc6FwOC-6T-_o7cxe98_VYUWUgGtBZOFVp9siTFpmbk_a-ouhwNZdzaKlpGA7HdQ-_Tqf9GrqjsMJTdtItzHClzVPSUzoLc6kANc622hF_jfhSUP2nHsPUsp6i0REPklzkHLYy1i55PJe/s320/IMG_0003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469705862820028162" border="0" /></a><br />Other ideas would be if a grade level is working on letter writing they could write a letter to elected officials encouraging them to protect endangered wildlife in our area if a grade level is working on letter writing, or write a persuasive letter encouraging someone to recycle if a grade level is working on persuasive letters. The art teacher could do an activity where students make art out of recycled materials, or the media teacher could have books out that have to do with preservation or endangered species. There are endless ideas of ways citizenship and earth day activities can be mixed in with the curriculum that the grade level teachers are teaching!<br /><br />Here are some other great websites with Earth Day activities your school can do. They have songs you can sing about Earth Day, pledges students can take to protect the Earth, and other neat activities<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCo4YL2p7sNpHSm85Sn-_O4_5T-LIMqnOgl3yVhQCbnmIo0-71ZAJxme5VRQ9z6FM-52ovx4nGM2BjEf58KZFHltuQA_Xh6O7B23gvLONty9QtOqA-KgnXV80JvhV8CFr_SBVEVmdACyx/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCo4YL2p7sNpHSm85Sn-_O4_5T-LIMqnOgl3yVhQCbnmIo0-71ZAJxme5VRQ9z6FM-52ovx4nGM2BjEf58KZFHltuQA_Xh6O7B23gvLONty9QtOqA-KgnXV80JvhV8CFr_SBVEVmdACyx/s320/IMG_0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469705775325829202" border="0" /></a>Earth Day Resources:<br /><a href="http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/">Kids For Saving Earth</a><br /><a href="http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/earth-day/">Apples For The Teacher</a><br /><a href="http://thenaturelady.blogspot.com/2010/04/10-earthday-activities-to-help-share.html">The Nature Lady</a><br /><a href="http://www.edutopia.org/think-green-classroom-resource-guide">Edutopia</a><br /><br /><br />And these resources have grade specific activities:<br /><a href="http://www.education.com/seasonal/earth-day/">Education.com - Seasonal Earth Day</a><br /><a href="http://www.education.com/activity/">Education.com - Activity</a><br /><br /><br />And here's a website where kids can calculate their carbon footprint:<br /><a href="http://calc.zerofootprint.net/youth/#">Zero Foot Print</a><br /><br /><br />And here is a blog from the New York Times that has some great ideas too!<br /><br /><a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/ten-ways-to-go-green-and-mark-earth-day/">NY Times - 10 Ways to Go Green and Mark Earth Day</a><br /><br />Between all of these great resources I am sure that there is something for your school to make it a great Earth Day!! Here are some pictures from some Earth Day Activities we did at our school:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI2UYd5g9FyWqDsd6jgLnsWw-4CSwIhwbsw0G20XvsQXxHmUaGeTQNUkO40RM48Q3-t12SWSsh_poRHu_kAtHdnLQy9-F86wC4xubgSG-MoEYs-BI6m0ntvfLuQEPmJGAKTauBFu4aouf/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI2UYd5g9FyWqDsd6jgLnsWw-4CSwIhwbsw0G20XvsQXxHmUaGeTQNUkO40RM48Q3-t12SWSsh_poRHu_kAtHdnLQy9-F86wC4xubgSG-MoEYs-BI6m0ntvfLuQEPmJGAKTauBFu4aouf/s320/IMG_0005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469705968584131538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkOH5GZ5C73mfi1rsiBQKhR2p9jB9TvLyu3flrFo4hkKhRNSUZdgyGYizhBGAOMMjZx3WStI3N406cld_oiYRYnVxNOLYq8Nt2OgtdLOCwLzwRnzBnLn-L4WTbIAHv3vzQ2gQWzwPkopK/s1600/IMG_0009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkOH5GZ5C73mfi1rsiBQKhR2p9jB9TvLyu3flrFo4hkKhRNSUZdgyGYizhBGAOMMjZx3WStI3N406cld_oiYRYnVxNOLYq8Nt2OgtdLOCwLzwRnzBnLn-L4WTbIAHv3vzQ2gQWzwPkopK/s320/IMG_0009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469707289094979522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyAggm5Z8XihSdCTBJ7hhkCrywf4UFWBUHwQFywBGW0BEXLBkIdwLPgqqa6Bpc_trcc54mWAphqdOpe7OWVL1Z-FrtKhgBzgpywQGBC4tn37StfFxSlnkr7B7TYjARd-dmbk2xa9dzpbs/s1600/IMG_0007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyAggm5Z8XihSdCTBJ7hhkCrywf4UFWBUHwQFywBGW0BEXLBkIdwLPgqqa6Bpc_trcc54mWAphqdOpe7OWVL1Z-FrtKhgBzgpywQGBC4tn37StfFxSlnkr7B7TYjARd-dmbk2xa9dzpbs/s320/IMG_0007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469707186044977970" border="0" /></a>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-38747998109284761312010-04-15T10:06:00.000-07:002010-04-15T10:22:18.386-07:00Learning About College<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFcxrt_qOTm65Cm9Lmxn6mqQFjxy7gqtULx7yhEsfgEbb9pzf8utemKScxwXkkXwVNC2H6Rp5sW00txvfvW919cl4QANSm8d5GvOppdDhwh_XkAU4Di3WIk1cUoRipVGAymbY_2vn8ZUY/s1600/images-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFcxrt_qOTm65Cm9Lmxn6mqQFjxy7gqtULx7yhEsfgEbb9pzf8utemKScxwXkkXwVNC2H6Rp5sW00txvfvW919cl4QANSm8d5GvOppdDhwh_XkAU4Di3WIk1cUoRipVGAymbY_2vn8ZUY/s320/images-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460415613240352882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In 4th grade this week we are learning about college as part of our careers unit. I think that it is important for elementary school counselors to expose students to what college is and why people go to college as early as possible. Last year when I did this unit, several of the students had already made up their mind that they are never going to college, for various reasons. I think a lot of this is because they don't know what college is or why people go there, especially if no one in their family has gone to college.<br /><br />Students who have a parent that went to college begin conversations with their children early on about doing their best in school so they can go to college. But students with parents who did not attend college typically are not having these same conversations. This can make a big difference in the future aspirations of the student. Although fourth grade seems to be a little early to be talking about college, I think it's never to early to start forming goals and dreams! Even putting the idea in a students head that college is available to anyone who wants to go can make a big difference.<br /><br />In our college lesson this week I began by introducing some college vocabulary (tuition, scholarship, major, etc.). I allow the students to ask me any question that they have about college. The first lesson is an introduction to what college is and why people go there. Next week, I will bring pictures and books from the state colleges in our area. We will talk about where each school is located, school colors and mascots, school celebrations and activities, and we will listen to each fight song. I will also bring pictures for students to color for locker signs to show their favorite college if we like! The last week of this unit we will play the <a href="http://www.marcoproducts.com/carpaydaygam.html">Career Pay Day </a>game by MarCo, which connects different careers to levels of education and pay. The biggest questions students have is how long they have to go to school for certain jobs, and how much money they can make! Hopefully this can answer some of their questions.<br /><br />I haven't been able to find any good curriculums that teach elementary students about college, so for this unit I kind of created my own. If anyone knows of a good curriculum for this topic, please send it my way! I think it is so important to begin encouraging students to go to college at an early age, and I hope to continue to include this lesson as a part of my elementary guidance curriculum.<br /></span>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011996101864961706.post-75096260124822033872010-04-09T10:52:00.000-07:002010-04-09T12:18:12.737-07:00Bucket Filler Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeLBAIi9xXVdTpR8xf7Hsvt6EL8YOzM4YBma9jIYqsBEwSa66xXaDzN8p4YcxVLSQdGz2AUrsOofx1DJ2Z6LLbPHKWtnZlxegIEmDujLlKjBRiPn0YxCSZXmQlEsjQ1qGitb2II9dT0NZ/s1600/happyBucket.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeLBAIi9xXVdTpR8xf7Hsvt6EL8YOzM4YBma9jIYqsBEwSa66xXaDzN8p4YcxVLSQdGz2AUrsOofx1DJ2Z6LLbPHKWtnZlxegIEmDujLlKjBRiPn0YxCSZXmQlEsjQ1qGitb2II9dT0NZ/s320/happyBucket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458208590556712434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The bucket filling unit in 3rd grade guidance has been such a success! Back in February I wrote a blog about a unit I did with the 3rd graders based on the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Have-You-Filled-Bucket-Today/dp/1933916168/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270838296&sr=8-1">Have You Filled a Bucket Today?</a> by Carol McCloud. Since then, I have seen students throughout our school, not just in the 3rd grade fillin</span><span style="font-family:arial;">g each others buckets, and several students have come up to me in the hallway and mentioned that someone had filled their bucket, or that someone was dipping in their bucket. I love to see students rehearsing and applying what we have learned in our guidance lessons, but I am amazed that I taught this lesson two months ago, and I am still hearing students talk about it in the halls! I think it has been one of the best lessons this year.<br /><br />One activity that I had students do during the Bucket Filling Unit was I had them write a letter to a staff member who had filled their bucket. In the letters they explained what bucketfilling was, and how that person had filled their bucket. I think the teachers loved these letters, I even heard the music teacher mention at the 3rd grade musical rehearsal that the students had "filled" her bucket by doing their best! I think the bucket filling idea h</span><span style="font-family:arial;">as really caught on in our school, and it's great to hear both students and staff mention it in their conversations. It's a lesson that keeps on teaching, all on it's own!<br /><br />I also made a bulletin board at the end of the unit that I placed in the 3rd grade hallway that identifies some of the ways that students can fill buckets at school by having good behavior. Seeing the bulletin board in their hallway has been a great way to reinforce the lesson as well. If you have never taught a lesson using this book, I would suggest that you try it! The idea of bucket filling has really caught on at our school, and I think it is a lesson that could be taught at any level. Below is a picture of the bulletin board I made for the 3rd grade hallway!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1ao4Cy-1CQ0WI_vhZy3zvmHpuokN9BT1LJ7sQ4bPR27Bej8dV-fS2RlI7eKlpNFelEPqysgbcBFr6hOAmLz7MNrmBpfiSQ6s2Lms17EQilU80BE3w3MJjtRMSLxQ2luxq2iBdQ0HlHJI/s1600/102_1595.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1ao4Cy-1CQ0WI_vhZy3zvmHpuokN9BT1LJ7sQ4bPR27Bej8dV-fS2RlI7eKlpNFelEPqysgbcBFr6hOAmLz7MNrmBpfiSQ6s2Lms17EQilU80BE3w3MJjtRMSLxQ2luxq2iBdQ0HlHJI/s320/102_1595.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458199855469963410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">!<br /></span>KarinThielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711152933930367866noreply@blogger.com0