Leadership
17. Students will recognize their own responsibility to stand up to exclusion, prejudice and injustice.
18. Students will speak up with courage and respect when they or someone else has been hurt or wronged by bias.
Week 1: Introduce Leader for a Day
Tuesday
Check in:
Option 1: Boring Fact
Have everyone share a boring fact about themselves, "I put mayo on my sandwiches," or "I sleep on the left side of the bed," would both be sufficiently boring.
Option 2: Count To 20
This is one of the simplest, yet most challenging drama games. Sit or stand in a circle. The idea is for the group to count to twenty, one person saying one number at a time. Anybody can start the count. Then a different person says the next number - but if two or more people happen to speak at the same time, counting must start again from the beginning. It is possible to get to twenty if everybody really concentrates - but try and be relaxed as well.
Variations
Try doing it with and without eye contact
Have some members of the group face outwards and closing their eyes (difficult!)
Count back from twenty to one
Getting your advisory to know each other as individuals takes work. In SLAM last year, they learned about how they worked together as a group, but did not necessarily gain a deep understanding of each other's passions, hobbies, pets, you name it.
The goal for this month in advisory is to have your students get to know each other on more than just a superficial level by having students lead an advisory where they teach/demo/play a game ANYTHING that they enjoyed doing with the group. Here are some examples of what students and teachers have done their advisory:
Show how to cook a favorite family recipe and then share the meal
A gymnast taught their advisory how to do handstands (we were terrible).
A student collected data for a science fair project using the advisees as test subjects
Play a favorite group video game and project it.
10 minute ab workouts, see if they can keep up!
Sushi making
Nature walks
Introduce this idea to your students, fill in a signup sheet (I recommend this one) where they sign up for dates to lead your advisory with something that they are passionate about. NOTE: We will not have advisory on 10/11 due to testing.
Every student should sign up between now and October and it's okay if more than one student signs up for the same day. You are going to be the guinea pig and share something that you love with them tomorrow!
Wednesday
Check In: Do a Calendar Review with your students. This month has some funky things.
Task: You are up! Share something with the students that you enjoy doing. Make sure the student who is on deck to go next week is ready.
Week 2: Student Led Advisory and NWEA
Monday
No School!
Tuesday
This week is spirit week
Tuesday - Pajama Day
Wednesday - Barbie
Thursday - Dress like your water bottle
Friday - Sophomores wear blue
Please remind 10th grade advisees to do their best on the NWEA Math & Literacy tests, that would be amazing. WE USE THAT DATA!!
Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Wednesday
No advisory today. Follow the altered schedule for NWEA/PSAT/SAT Testing.
Thursday
If you want, use today as your second advisory day for the week. Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Week 3: Student Led Advisory
Monday or Thursday
Please show this 3-minute video about library expectations advisory this week. According to our librarian, Genevieve, all students either need an introduction or a reminder about the library.
Some key problems:
They have been finding a lot of trash that students are leaving behind - from apple cores to wrappers from a variety of foods.
They have been seeing students (9-12) riding chairs down the ramp pretty regularly (which of course we all totally would have done as HS students) and they seem surprised that this isn't allowed.
Tuesday
Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Wednesday
Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Week 4: Student Led Advisory
Monday/Tuesday
No Advisory: Teacher Conferences
Wednesday
Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Week 5: Student Led Advisory
Tuesday
Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Wednesday
Let students lead advisory activities for the group. More than one student can go if time.
Leadership Month Wrap Up
When finished, wrap up the leadership month. How did this go for students? The Social Justice standards for this month came from the Action Anchor Standards. While students may not have led their advisories in taking action to transform large social change in others, they hopefully made some sort of impact in your group. Have students go around the circle and talk about
A positive impact that came from having students lead advisory
A challenging aspect of this activity
Additional Activities If You Need Them
If you finish, or don't have any other students presenting here are two activities you can try with your group:
Activity 1: Heads Up Phone App (a free version I found is called Charades)
It’s the game The New York Times called a “Sensation,” and Cosmopolitan said “will be the best dollar you’ve spent.” Heads Up! is the fun and hilarious game by Ellen DeGeneres that she plays on the Ellen show, and is one of the best fun games to play with friends!
Love playing charades games? Looking to play games on Zoom with friends? Heads Up is one of the best word guessing games you’ll ever play! From naming celebrities, to singing, to silly accents - it’s a perfect house party game and a fun charades app to play at your next family game night. Just guess the word on the card that’s on your head from your friends’ clues before the timer runs out!
Activity 2: Alphabet Conversation
Have a conversation where each sentence begins with the next letter of the alphabet. This may seem difficult at first, but improves with practice. If you get stuck, you can also use sounds to start a sentence, for example 'Mmmm' or 'tut-tut'. Here is an example:
Student #1: Anyone seen my cat?
Student #2: Black one, with funny eyes?
Student #3: Can't say I remember.
Student #4: Don't tell me you've forgotten what it looks like?
Student #5: Every cat looks the same to me.
Student #6: Fortunately, I found one yesterday
Student #7: Gee, that's great!
Variations
You could also try beginning somewhere in the middle of the alphabet. Then when you reach 'Z', return to 'A' until you arrive back where you started
Try setting the scene or location before you start
It's great for car journeys too!
Old Stuff
Gallup Poll
Advisers please share this information with your students:
SBHS will be participating in two surveys this week to enhance awareness and current needs of students in our school, state, and country. The Gallup Poll is a national survey that you will take this Thursday in Advisory and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a Vermont survey that you will take in your math classes at the beginning of the week.
Both surveys will allow data collection that will motivate our schools and communities to offer the best resources for all Youth. Each survey will be done on your computer, are completely anonymous and are comprised of multiple choice questions that cover a range of topics that impact mental and physical health.
After announcing that, you may choose elicit answers to the following questions from your advisees:
What questions do you have from the information that was just shared with you?
What is happening in our school that:
makes life good?
makes you worried?
makes you frustrated?
you want to change?
Repeat these questions for two more rounds but swap the word school for "community" and then "country or world."
Thursday
Administer the Gallup Poll. Have students navigate to this Advisory website (SBHS homepage → Students →Advisory) then click the link in the yellow header on this website.
Nikki has special guest, Sean Aiken, coming on Thursday (sophomores and juniors at 12:40) and Friday (seniors at 10:40) to give a talk to students about The One-Week Job Project where he had a different job for one week for an entire year. To prep students for this, she would like you to show your advisory this video (starring Sean) about different ways to measure a successful life. When they are done, have them complete this reflection and if you want, have students check out the college that Sean founded.
Mondays are now also going to be the official have students check emails AND RESPOND if needed.
As a teacher, I am sure that you have had this conversation,
Student: "Did you get my email?"
You: "Yes, I responded, did you read my email?"
Student: 🤔
Please have your students take out their computers and check all of their school emails today and every Monday! Maybe even show them how to create an email signoff...
