Volunteer Hour #5

My last session was on 4/13/13 and was on Stress Busters! With all the standardized testing that our kids have to deal with, stress has a sneaky way of compounding on a person until they feel overwhelmed. I see it with students at my university and I see it with the kids at the middle school. So I decided to give them some things they can remember, to handle situations that cause stress, and some tips to help them reduce it as well. My presentation started out with highlighting hobbies as a way to break from stress and improve mood. We went around the room hearing about different hobbies and most people felt that while they didn't have a "hobby" they definitely considered hanging with friends as a way to break stress. We covered nutrition facts, and exercise suggestions and ended with a reading assignment for the next meeting. The reading assignment is called "Brain Breaths" and it highlights how your brain needs oxygen, exercise and proper nutrition to function at its peak. We explored a 3d iPod app and looked at the different regions of the brains and how stress affects the different areas. They seem to really like that and I've decided to incorporate more interactive components to my lessons. Currently I am using PowerPoint slides, but I am working on using Prezi for a more visually enticing session.

Homework for this weekend was to read the article i provided and write in their journal three ways they are going to "feed their brains". I wish it was Halloween and I could bring them "brain" shaped candies next week :)


Latisha

Volunteer Hour #3 & 4

My third session was 4/6 and because we skipped the Easter Holiday, my session was two hours instead of one.

If you remember from my previous post, my presentation to the kids was on presentation skills. I was so excited to see if/how they applied thier "homework" to the weeks that had passed. At the beginning of the session, I had each student stand up, and read from thier journal about the introduction they had made. While there were a few who hadn't done an introduction, the majority of students did and had great things to say. I was suprised to see how many people used the introduction to talk to a boy/girl that they "like" as they were able to blame it on "An Assignment from Ms. McCray from our Health Explorers group". I laughed at the cleverness of them and for a minute remembered what it was like to be dealing with hormones and academics at that age lol.
I digress..
So after the journal readings, we are pumped and ready to move on to the next topic. For this session I decided to talk about Study Skills. My presentation covered good study habits, the need for exercise and nutrition to keep the brain happy and tips for taking breaks. I emphasized study groups and explained that being able to explain something to someone is the best way to know if you really understand a concept. Since we had extra time this session, I decided to do a group activity rather than give them homework. I split the students into groups of four for this activity. I asked the students to think of one thing that they are curently learning and teach it to the whole class. I allowed them to work on this for 15-20 minutes and then each group instructed the whole class on a concept. Some chose to give us a mini language lession and we learned how to say "Have a good day" in spanish (Ten un buen dia). While others "taught" us a math equation solution, and something from thier science class. All in all the participation was great and everyone seemed to be ok with the extended time of this session. Maybe the snacks helped...

Vounteer Hour #2

My second session was 3/23/13 and was on Presentation Skills. I chose this topic because of my interaction with the group in the first session. In the first session, I introduced myself and went around the room and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Most students spoke in a voice that was barely audible, made no eye contact, and rushed through the introductions so quickly I barely could keep up! I understand that these are just middle school students, but it occurred to me that being able to properly introduce yourself is a skill even an elementary student should possess. With that in mind I came up with a presentation called "Stand Up and Speak Out!" . During the presentation I Incorporated interactive exercises that required them to stand up and tell me one of their most favorite things to do, WHILE acting it out. I must say that I was introduced to quite a few dance moves, but boy where they ever engaged! Not one was shy or unsure of themselves and by the end of the session they had acquired new tips to speaking clearly and assertively. They learned about the important of posture when speaking, and of course the necessity of eye contact. I think it went really well, and I hope that they are more confident in themselves because of the session. At the end of the session I gave each student another assignment for their journal. I requested that they introduce themselves to one new person the following week and then write about the experience in their journal. I made it clear that the journal entry could be as simple as "I went into the school office and introduced my self to the front desk assistant. I told her my name, and her name is Ms./Mr. Blank". I explained that I was much more concerned with the completing the activity, than a long description about it.

Let's hope for the best!

Latisha