Traditions
2. Students will develop language and historical and cultural knowledge that affirm and accurately describe their membership in multiple identity groups.
5. Students will recognize traits of the dominant culture, their home culture and other cultures and understand how they negotiate their own identity in multiple spaces.
Week 1: December Traditions
Monday
Food Drive: SBHS Big Picture Student Aynsley Hooks has organized a food drive to benefit the SB Food Shelf. Please read the message below and show the presentation to your students. Here's what Aynsley had to say about it:
Hi, I'm Aynsley Hooks, and I am a senior at SBHS. This year I am enrolled in the Community Leadership Project class, part of SBx. After researching food insecurity in VT, I decided to try and help be a solution to the problem, so for my project I am conducting a school wide food drive - with a little competition between grade levels. Common Roots (a local organization - working on sustainable farming and ethical agriculture practices) has agreed to partner with me, along with the SB Food Shelf (where donations are going). The educational piece of my project is a presentation shared with you (Food Insecurity Advisory Presentation), to present to your advisories. It just gives some statistics about food insecurity in VT, and the plan for the food drive.
Thank for all your time and help with presenting my slide show,
- Aynsley
Wednesday the plan is to play Pictionary with another advisory. Make a date with another sophomore advisory.
Tuesday
Check In: What traditions are important to students and their families? These could be traditions around holidays, birthdays, traditions around who gets to choose the music in the car, or whatever.
Task: December is full of rich traditions ranging from gift giving to celebrating the return of more sunlight in the northern hemisphere to rituals around celebrating life in general. This month in advisory we are going to explore some of the traditions.
Today let's take a look at some very obscure December holidays celebrated around the world. For example, did you know that there is a Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day and an Official Lost and Found Day?
Have students pair up and take a look at this list. Give them 10 minutes to choose one holiday to do some research on. They should find out:
When this holiday is celebrated
Who celebrates this holiday
What the big theme of this holiday is - why is it celebrated?
Interesting facts about the holiday
How it is celebrated
After 10 minutes have students report out on their holidays - maybe celebrate one in advisory this month!
Fun (or potentially frustrating...): Have students make Scandinavian paper stars to decorate your room. There is a video to the right you can watch and here are the instructions written out. Each person will need four strips of paper cut into 17" x 1.5" or 19" x 2.25" strips.
Pro tip: I like to use newspaper (it's already folded in half! you can cut four sheets at the same time!) and a rotary cutter and mat for fabric to cut the paper - a paper cutter would work as well. I can leave some Seven Days in the mail room for you. Grab a few sheets!
Wednesday
Check In: Have your advisory come up with a Pictionary Team Name.
Task: Challenge another sophomore advisory (or two) to Pictionary. Have one advisory work on one chalkboard/white board and the other on a different one. Use this random phrase generator to choose what people draw.
Fun: They should have had so much fun already. No need for more.
Week 2: Panorama Survey and December Traditions
Tuesday
Check In: Shout Outs - Have students think about someone in their life that they want to give a shout out to. It could be a friend, teacher, family member, etc. Have them share who the person is and why they want to recognize them.
Task:
Have students take the Panorama Survey. Please review this slideshow with them.
If you have a student that is absent, please have them take as soon as they are back.
Here are the directions from Monica Desrochers:
When you are ready to administer the survey, please follow these steps:
Share the unique district URL ( https://surveys.panoramaed.com/sburlington) with each of your students, either by writing it on the board or sending out a small group email.
Instruct the students to login in using their individual access codes, which is their student ID number. If they do not know their student ID number, check the spreadsheet: SBHS Student Access Codes
Students will spend the next 10-15 minutes completing the surveys.
That’s it! If a student requests assistance with interpreting/understanding some of the questions, we encourage you to help them without leading them to answer in any specific way. If you encounter any technical difficulties while administering the survey, please contact
Thank you for your cooperation and willingness to work with us to create the best learning environment possible for our students!
Sincerely,
Monica Desrochers,
Wednesday
Check In: Have your students share a story about a family tradition, a tradition they want to try, or a tradition they have seen others do that seems cool with each other. Some additional question prompts to consider having students respond to are:
What does their family do that is out of the ordinary as far as traditions go?
What's a funny/impactful/strong memory they have about a celebration from this time of year?
When and why did the tradition start?
How have their traditions changed over time?
What traditions do they think they'll hold on to as they become older?
Task: Plan out how you would like to spend advisory time on the last advisory day this month before break. Here are some ideas:
Your Advisory Tradition: Did your group come up with a tradition last month that went well? If so, great! Do it again! If not, here are some ideas:
Mini Film Fest: Have students select a 1-5 minute (school appropriate) video and have them write a brief summary of their movie film-festival style. Have students introduce their clip then watch them.
Advisory Kahoot: Have students come up with a Kahoot style question about themselves, the correct answer and three red herrings. Collect all of their questions and make a Kahoot to play during the last advisory meeting this month.
Yankee Swap: Have students find something they already own and don't want anymore. The more ridiculous the better. Set up a Yankee Swap for the last day of advisory. It would probably be helpful to have students bring in their gifts the week before so that when they forget they will have some wiggle room with the deadline.
Celebrate Traditions from Another Culture: Have students read up on the traditions listed in Week 2 and choose one or more of the traditions that resonates with the group to do.
Fun: Option 1: Have students try to write out the word Advisory using the method illustrated in the video. Can all of the students in your advisory participate at the same time?
Option 2: Want another origami project? I did this with my students and had them form an assembly line; each pair of student was responsible for a different step of the folding process. I put it together at the end then we passed it around and practiced flipping our creation. They had fun! Watch the video to see how to do the folds. You will need 8 pieces of origami paper.
Week 3: Library Video and Vacation Send off!
Tuesday
Check In:
What's everyone looking forward to over vacation?
Do a calendar review with students about this week and when we get back from break. It is not too early to go over the schedule for CAP week with them.
Task:
Thing 1: Genevieve created a short "commercial" to promote our Sora app (audiobooks, ebooks, and digital magazines) Please show it to your students and they can have access to this resource wherever they'll be for the vacation. It's just under 3 minutes and she's hoping that both the students and advisors will find it useful. Please let her know if you have any questions.
Thing 2: As part of our ongoing effort to support the wellbeing of our students, we would like to offer them more opportunities for check-ins with adults in their lives. Please spend a few minutes during today and tomorrow's advisory sessions checking in with your students. Some potential questions to guide the conversation include:
What has been on your mind lately?
What are your plans for break? What are you looking forward to?
How are things going at school or with your friends?
How are you feeling about the upcoming CAP week?
Do you feel like the amount that you are juggling right now is manageable? If not, how have you been managing your stress or anxiety?
Is there anything you want to talk about or anything you need help with?
Thing 3: Alternatively, if you have planned a fun activity to do prior to break, do it!
Fun: Optical Illusion - Please take a moment to examine this image. Once everyone has a clear view of the image, consider what you see. Are you able to spot the 16 circles that are present in the image? Share your observations with your classmates.
Wednesday
Check In: What's your senioritis level on a scale from 1-100?
Task:
Option 1: Continue whatever traditional vacation send off you have planned.
Option 2: Continue meeting with your advisees about the upcoming break and their overall wellbeing.
Fun: Snowflakes - Make paper snowflakes to decorate your room.
Old Stuff
Tuesday
Check In:
Task: Tomorrow all sophomores will attend the Tech Center presentation in the auditorium during advisory. Students are going to be making choices about next year's schedule in January and Tech center programs can be a great option for students who prefer hands-on learning and/or have an interest in one of the program areas.
Watch the BTC Video (2 minutes)
Have students peruse the list of options at the Center for Technology in Essex. Have them watch some of the videos on their own or as a group.
They can review the frequently asked questions below if they want more information. They can also set up a meeting with their school counselor as a next step.
Fun: Play a round of Neanderthal Poetry using this phrase generator.
Print out the first page of this CTE Quiz for each member of your advisory. Have them complete the worksheet and go over the answers with them.
Task: Today we are continuing to learn about December Traditions.
Today's advisory activity was created by the SJU last year. This month SJU is taking a different holidays every week and showcasing it to celebrate and acknowledge other cultures. This week, they chose Hanukkah. Please follow the plan they have made.
At the start of advisory ask students what they think they know about Hanukkah. Make sure each student gets a chance to respond. People can pass.
Have students watch this Hanukkah History video.
They interviewed Ali Gingras, a teacher at SBHS, who celebrates Hanukkah. Have a look at what she had to say about what Hanukkah means to her.
After, ask students to reflect on something new that they learned about Hanukkah. Make sure each student gets a chance to answer. Everyone should have something to say.
Fun: Students can do this crossword puzzle if they please. If you print these out for students, only print the first page... the answers are on the second. Each student can bring their crosswords to the front office where there will be a box and Friday morning on the announcements we will pick a winner and there will be a prize!
Task 2 (If Time):
Thanks SJU for the activity again!
Ask students what they think they know about Kwanzaa. Make sure each student gets a chance to respond or pass.
Have students watch this Kwanzaa History video and then this video of Malcolm X College celebrating Kwanzaa with a traditional dance
Which of the seven principles would you like to most represent in your daily life going forwards? Why? All students should get a chance to respond or pass.
Principles of Kwanzaa
- Unity (Umoja (oo–MO–jah)) - To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
- Self-determination (Kujichagulia (koo–gee–cha–goo–LEE–yah)) - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
- Collective work and responsibility (Ujima (oo–GEE–mah)) - To build and maintain our community together and make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together
- Cooperative economics (Ujamaa (oo–JAH–mah)) - To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
- Purpose (Nia (nee–YAH)) - To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
- Creativity (Kuumba (koo–OOM–bah)) - To always do as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
- Faith (Imani (ee–MAH–nee)) - To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Wednesday
Check In: Junior advisories should have designed the shape for your Wolf Den’s Crest. You should have received your section of the crest by now. Do a check-in, what should your group put on your section?
Task: Please use today's advisory to start to decorate your section in any way your group sees fit. If you don't have your crest, reach out to your Wolf Den's junior advisor.
Please use markers, colored pencils, etc in your area.
Please do not send students to other areas of the building for supplies.
If you don’t have what you need, let me know.