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Pack Your Bag For Success

Pack Your Bag For Success. Helping Elementary Students Succeed at School Presented by: Betty White, MEd., LPC TSCA Past-President 746 CR 221 Stephenville, TX 76401 kidtools@academicplanet.com. School Success What do kids need?. Parental Support (GETTING BEHIND THEM)

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Pack Your Bag For Success

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  1. Pack Your Bag For Success Helping Elementary Students Succeed at School Presented by: Betty White, MEd., LPC TSCA Past-President 746 CR 221 Stephenville, TX 76401 kidtools@academicplanet.com

  2. School SuccessWhat do kids need? • Parental Support (GETTING BEHIND THEM) • Good Social Skills (GETTING ALONG) • Good Character (GETTING BETTER) • Good Study Skills (GETTING AHEAD) • Goals for the future (GETTING OUT!)

  3. Parental Support

  4. Positive School-Wide Activities • At the beginning of the year, sponsor an evening “Meet the Staff” event-which is informal, like a watermelon feed or a picnic. Keep everyone outside. Consider having parent-child games, door prizes, etc. • Activities in the early morning allow working parents to attend on the way to work. Consider AM events such as “Muffins for Moms” or “Donuts for Dads” • Family game nights are a way to help families to view school as a gathering place for the community. Have an evening where parents and children bring a game to school to play-provide refreshments and child care for younger sibs.

  5. Positive School-Wide Activities • At the beginning of the year, send out a card to parents that lists things they could do for the school. Things such as designing class web pages, landscaping, building, painting murals, and so on are all ways parents can take ownership in the school. • Utilize parents around the school in any creative way you can think of, from “locker helpers” to “reader/rockers” for young kids. An active parent volunteer program that allows parents to do something more than run off papers is essential. • Consider making a home visit to each and every entering student. Kindergarteners can be visited throughout the summer before they enroll. New students can be visited during the period immediately they enroll. Take along a “Welcome to Our School” packet with a treat for the child and information for the parent. Keep the meeting short and informal, but ask the parent if there are any special concerns (BEFORE there are any!)

  6. Positive School-Wide Activities • Maintain an “Open Door Policy” for parents within your campus security guidelines. • Consider asking parents to teach enrichment activities such as Kite Flying, Rocketry, Scrap-booking, Painting, and so on. These can be offered after school, during specials time, or on Saturdays. • Sponsor a “Career Day” for your students, and wither use parent volunteers or ask parents to coordinate the event and line up speakers. For older students, a Job Application and Interview process is useful and fun. • “Adopt-a-School” partnerships are useful, but consider an “Adopt-a-Class” or “Adopt-a-Program” as well

  7. Positive School-Wide Activities • There are lots of creative parents who are just waiting for you to ask them to utilize their special talents in a variety of ways. A parent “hobby” inventory is a good way to surface these talents. • Have a Family History program in which students and parents are encouraged to bring family pictures that can be scanned into the computer and utilized in a multi-media program • Parent-Child Talent Shows can be fun and a way either to raise money for a program of simply have a few laughs

  8. Positive School-Wide Activities • Parents are intimidated by such things as TAAS tests, Math assignments, and Science. Sponsor a “Math” night which you “guarantee” will remove all stress from helping your child with math homework. Another good bet is a night explaining the TAAS test and giving parents ways to help their children prepare for the test. Especially target SSI years. • Have an awards night for children in Special Programs. These children are seldom recognized for more traditional awards, and a special night devoted to them can win lots of support. • A Parent University is a good way to get parents to come to parenting classes, since it is limited to one day. Send out a needs assessment, them plan a day of break-out sessions related to these topics. Pre-register parents, and provide child-care and lunch or snacks.

  9. Social Skills

  10. Social Skills • Social Skills are “caught” by many students, but for difficult students, they must be “taught” • Teaching Social Skills is the job of everyone in the school-not just the counselor • Social Skills should be broken down into steps, rehearsed, and rewarded. Many opportunities to practice in a variety of settings are needed. • First 2 weeks of school should be devoted to teaching the social skills needed to follow the rules and expectations in all areas-classroom, lunchroom, halls, restrooms, playground, gym, etc. • System should be in place to reward appropriate use of skills-”caught you being good!”

  11. Social Skills • Classroom Guidance lessons can be used to teach skills-but are effective only if others reinforce between visite • Introduce using “Skill Steps” lesson • “TEAM Work” lesson is also good for general social skills • “Don’t Leave Me Out” & “Stacking Up Skills” • Have kids model “Good” and “Bad” social skills through skits, videos, etc.

  12. Character Education

  13. Character Education • Mandated by state-many good programs • Like Social Skills, Character must be an integral part of all school activities and expectations • 10 minute lessons can introduce concepts, leave teacher with reinforcers and extensions to continue after you leave. These lessons also give teachers good ideas for lessons of their own

  14. Character Education Lessons • R-e-s-p-e-c-t • You Can Count On Me • Kindness Kommandos • Don’t Leave Me Out • Signaling Friendship • Stand By Me • Who Do You Trust? • To Tell The Truth

  15. Study Skills

  16. Study Skills • Like Character and Social Skills, Study Skills are “caught” by some students but must be “taught” to most • Helping students understand their learning styles can help them study more effectively • Use Learning Style Inventory or Observation (depending upon student age) and suggestions for effective methods of learning • Teach mnemonics, a “peg” system, and mapping to all students, campus wide, to help in organization and learning

  17. Peg System • A peg system is useful when children have to remember lists of things • Students from 2nd grade up can remember a peg system • A peg system uses a picture matched to a number that remains the same • Students link to a peg system by imagining the things to be remembered associated with the peg images

  18. Peg System “Pegs” • Sun • Shoe • Tree • Door • Hive • Sticks • 7-Up (Heaven) • Gate • Line • Hen

  19. Using the Pegs Suppose the list to be remembered is: • Orange Juice • Milk • Apples • Bread • Peanut Butter • Honey • Cereal • Dog Food • Tuna • Waffles

  20. Using the Pegs • Picture a sun pouring out orange juice • Picture a shoe filled with milk • Picture a tree covered in apples • A door opening and a giant loaf of bread coming through • A beehive spread with peanut butter • Sticks sticking into a honeycomb with honey dripping out • A bowl of cereal with 7-Up poured over it • Dog food pouring through a gate • Cans of tuna in a line • A hen with wings made of waffles

  21. Mnemonics • Mnemonics are memory aids to remember information-help students learn these and develop their own: • F-A-C-E Every good boy does fine. • My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas. • H-O-M-E-S • ROY G BIV • Others???

  22. Organizational Frame • Consider teaching a “frame” or scaffolding technique school wide to help students organize information • This format can be an outline, a mind map or a web • The advantage of teaching a school wide system is much like teaching a peg system-students can use the system throughout their school career and transfer from one situation to another

  23. Study Skills Activities • What Kind of a Student are You? • Getting it Together • The Tail on Your Kite • Testing Your Strength • Learning Styles Student Inventory • Learning Styles Teacher Observation

  24. Goal Setting

  25. Goal Setting • Research shows that students who have goals are less likely to make poor grades, drop out of school, become pregnant, get involved with drugs, or get involved with illegal activities • Some students naturally set goals or are taught by their parents, but most need help learning to set goals • Goals setting should begin with short term goals and progress to longer term goals • All teachers should participate in goal setting for themselves and for students

  26. Goal Setting • Use “Goal Goop” to introduce goal setting-this is a good “hook” to spark student interest • Follow up with the “Do You Know Your ABC’s” to develop decision making skills • Finish with “Climbing to Success”-have a plan for teacher follow up

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