New Year's Resolutions

https://middleearthnj.wordpress.com/2014/12/29/the-top-ten-best-new-years-resolutions-for-teenagers/

The Giraffe Heroes Project: Encouraging Kids to 'Stick Out Their Necks' For Others

Interesting thought . . .   http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr193.shtml

Character.org

Check out this website for MANY ideas, links, schools of character and other related topics and ideas . . . http://character.org/

Brain Breaks!

The Power of Mind Set

10 Ways to be a Great Student

Would be interesting for students to rank these in order of importance to them, ease, etc.

Brain Teasers

Brain Teasers are great ways to get kids THINKING, especially if your Advisory period is first thing in the morning at 7:40 A.M.
https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/brain-teasers.html

Tell Us Something Tuesdays . . .

Back-to-School - Getting to Know Each Other Icebreakers

Getting to Know each other - from Education World - It's time to make a fresh start. You've done some summer reading on classroom management, and you're eager to try out some new ideas. You've learned from past mistakes, and you look forward this year to avoiding those mistakes. Most fun of all, the opening days of school are an opportunity to get to know a whole new group of kids!

What will you do during those first few days of school? What activities might you do to help you get to know your new students? What activities will help students get to know you and one another?

For the last three years, Education World has presented a new group of getting-to-know-you ideas -- or icebreakers -- for those first days of school. Here are 19 ideas -- ideas tried and tested by Education World readers -- to help develop classroom camaraderie during the opening days of school.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/icebreakers_for_kids_2.shtml

Olympics

Whether you are back in school or just "waiting", some ideas for Olympics with learners . . . taken from Education World -

Gold Medal Olympics Activities!

Citius, Altius, Fortius. Those are the Latin words for the Olympic motto, which in today's language means "Swifter, Higher, Stronger." The best athletes from around the world exemplify that creed as they compete in the Olympic Games. As the Games get underway, Education World offers you ten gold-medal lessons. Included: Activities that involve students in creating time lines and graphs, writing biographies of famous Olympians, and much more.

Also a book to share -

G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet (Sports Alphabet) – by Brad Herzog (Author), Doug Bowles (Illustrator)

From the first games held in ancient Greece to the cultural extravaganzas of recent years, there have been some incredible and amazing events and milestones in the world of Olympic sports. Now in G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet, writer Brad Herzog showcases those athletes and events that not only set sports records but also impacted history and world views. Learn the meaning behind the five interlocking rings featured on the Olympic flag. Cheer on American Jim Thorpe as he won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, only to lose his medals later. Read how the man dubbed as the "world's laziest high jumper" won the gold in 1968 and later had a jump named after him. All these moments and more are brought to life in G is for Gold Medal. Brad Herzog has written travel and sports books for readers young and old. His books with Sleeping Bear include the best-selling H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet. Brad lives on California's Monterey Peninsula. Doug Bowles has been a freelance illustrator for more than twenty years. His books for Sleeping Bear include One Kansas Farmer: A Kansas Number Book and S is for Sunflower: A Kansas Alphabet. Doug lives in Leawood, Kansas.
Download the book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0zdoGaejqA

Think about it . . .

A Great Poster and Discussion

Middle School Minds :-)

From Teen Talk

Believe it or not, teenagers will talk if you ask the right questions.  Try our Teen Talk 2.0 family conversation starters to learn what’s on the heart and mind of your teen.http://www.imom.com/printable/teen-talk-2-0/#.V3aqQJMrL9Q

Summer Reading Lists

Here are some summer reading lists for your kiddos -

http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/forparents/tp/summer_reading.htm

http://mashable.com/2013/06/11/young-adults-summer-reading-books/#oaFdcWoYwEqO

http://www.teenreads.com/teenreadscom-ultimate-reading-list

Our Annual Advisory Photo

Every year we take a photo at the last Advisory meeting for the school year.  It is kind of like our "holiday" card.  Every student gets a laminated copy and some even keep them from year to year!  Love these kiddos!

The Present

Showed this to every grade level - great video - http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Present+video%27&view=detail&mid=385698AE34D70B33BE70385698AE34D70B33BE70&FORM=VIRE

Travel the World

Crafting the Driving Question - Circle up and hand each student a sticky note. Ask them, “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Students write down the specific location on their sticky note. Have a projector set and ready to go with a laptop or tablet connected and Google Earth available. Each student gets a turn at coming to the computer and punching in where they want to go. When students are done presenting, they receive another sticky note, and write down, “I want to go to this location because ______.” Following this activity, circle up and facilitate a discussion about having students plan a trip to their location. See if students are able to take their second sticky note and then develop a driving question for why they want to go where they want to go.

Growing In Character - Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman

Uses the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
A vacant lot, rat-infested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hard-packed soil to plant her precious bean seeds. Suddenly, the soil holds promise: To Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha's heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil's dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce; and even to Maricela, sixteen and pregnant, wishing she were dead.

Thirteen very different voices and perspectives—old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful—tell one amazing story about a garden that transforms a neighborhood.

Chosen as a state and citywide read in communities across the country, including in Vermont; Racine, WI; Tampa, FL; Newburgh, NY; and Boca Raton, FL.

http://www.paulfleischman.net/newsletter.htm

https://character.org/lessons/lesson-plans/middle/valley-park-middle-school/

Creating the Tallest Cup Tower: A STEM Challenge

Begin the year with the seemingly simple challenge of stacking small cups to the tallest possible height. Student groups must work together to create the tallest stack of cups in a time period of 30 minutes. Although it sounds easy, it isn't! Be continually surprised at the different ideas students generate to solve this problem. Students, by nature, are creative thinkers and the STEM challenges tap into this creative vein. 
This allows amazing things to happen!

http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/2014/07/tallest-cup-tower-stem-challenge.html

Some ideas . . .

Found this . . . might give others some ideas on how to communicate the importance and mission of Advisory . . . kudos to Avalon Middle School!

Why we do Advising

Our school believes in doing whatever we can to help our students achieve and grow as young adolescents and so have implemented an advisory program at our school. Research from dozens of accredited researchers, such as NMSA (National Middle School Association), This We Believe (AMLE, 2010), and Turning Points 2000 (Jackson et al., 2000), have proven that students remain in school and achieve higher when involved in an advisory program.  Our program is designed to:

• Allow each individual to be known and advocated for by at least one adult at the school.
• Give students a place where they feel that they belong and are wanted.
• Give students a safe place where they can voice their anxieties and opinions without being judged.
• Allow students to interact with their peers and adults in a non-classroom setting.
• Allow students to form both an individual and group identity.
• Give students a place to vent their problems.
• Give students a say in what they are learning about.

Advisory Basics

Our advisory programs consist of fifteen students per every one teacher and contain a mix of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Our program covers a variety of topics that students and teachers feel are important concerning emotional, physical, mental, and social development. Below you will find a list of the topics we will be discussing this nine weeks (in no particular order) along with the activity that co-en-sides with each topic.

The topics and activities below are simply for the current nine weeks and are in no particular order. They will be updated with different topics and activities during Christmas Break in preparation for the 3rd nine weeks.

• How to Problem Solve - Problem Solving in Action, Scientific Method and Problem Solving, and -.
• Health/Fitness Awareness - Guest Speakers from local fitness programs, doctor's offices, and research centers; indoor and outdoor games; and intramural contests. 
• Study and Test-taking Skills - Periodic study sessions before chapter, nine week, and standardized tests; individual academic counseling to help get the students back on track.
• Career Awareness - Guest Speakers from many community jobs, corporations, and universities; job-shadowing opportunities in the community; and community projects.
• Conflict Resolution - Journal writing on how the student would solve a particular conflict; counselors coming in as guest speakers; and job-shadowing conflict resolution specialists.
• Cultural Awareness - Special team projects within the school and community on a particular culture; current events presentations; guest speakers of foreign exchange students at the university level; holiday celebrations; films or videos on different cultures; and community projects.

Gossip is Like Glitter

A great analogy to discuss . . .   http://firstyearteachingtales.blogspot.com/2014/03/gossip-is-like-glitter.html

State Testing Here We Come!

A Sleep Quiz for Your Teenager!

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/interactive/sleep.asp

Is It Bullying?

A great discussion starter . . .

Starting an Advisory or Taking a Status Check . . .

Found this presentation - lots of helpful, reflective ideas . . .

http://wvde.state.wv.us/counselors/links/resources/documents/EstablishingYourAdvisoryPurpose.ppt

Art and Individuality

Each student paints a popsicle stick and they are arranged to make a bigger piece of art. What a fun idea for the entire school population! 

20 Face-to-Face Advisories

Great article and ideas for Advisories - http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/PDA%20Advisory%20Activities%20VF.pdf

Origins - Developmental Designs 

Perspectives for a Diverse America

Beach Ball Balance

Beach Ball Balance

Divide students into two teams and line them up facing each other about 25 feet apart. Have them number off so that each player represents a number. Place six 20-inch beach balls on the ground halfway between the two teams. Call out two numbers. The team members from both teams who have been assigned those numbers run to the beach balls and try to hold three of them off the ground for five seconds. As soon as one team is successful, yell out “drop” and give that team a point. The players drop the balls and run back to their line as you call out two more members. Keep the game moving quickly.

Rumor Control

Rumor Control Game

Education World: Advice About Middle School Advisories

Nice comprehensive article about Middle School Advisory  
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr127.shtml

The advisory period is the linchpin in the middle-school movement, some experts say. Many middle-school programs suffer from poorly implemented advisories, however. This week, Education World answers the question What makes a successful advisory? We also include activity ideas for improving advisories! - See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr127.shtml#sthash.jdur65gU.dpuf

The advisory period is the linchpin in the middle-school movement, some experts say. Many middle-school programs suffer from poorly implemented advisories, however. This week, Education World answers the question What makes a successful advisory? We also include activity ideas for improving advisories! - See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr127.shtml#sthash.jdur65gU.dpuf

The advisory period is the linchpin in the middle-school movement, some experts say. Many middle-school programs suffer from poorly implemented advisories, however. This week, Education World answers the question What makes a successful advisory? We also include activity ideas for improving advisories! - See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr127.shtml#sthash.jdur65gU.dpuf