Grief and Loss can be a difficult and sensitive topic to talk about let alone teach. So a big THANK YOU goes out to Darci Friberg of Missouri for sharing her Grief & Loss lesson! This came about during the pandemic when Darci was struggling to describe what she was feeling which was grief. The lesson is not only therapeutic, but devotes time talking about a topic many avoid.
As you may be aware, many of our students do not feel comfortable communicating face to face with adults, even if they are familiar with them. They openly admit they are scared, uncomfortable and would rather text than talk! Because of this, I created the Face to Face Conversation Challenge to help them practice their skills and hopefully feel more at ease when conversing with others, both familiar and unfamiliar! Admittedly, students were not enthusiastic about this assignment because it forced them to face their fear and step out of their comfort zone. Afterwards, my heart was full as students actually thanked me for giving them this assignment! They shared how it helped them grow and they realized that this is a practical life skill they are going to need throughout their personal and professional life!
During an interview, the messages our non-verbal body language convey can speak as loudly and clearly as the words coming out of our mouths! My students love Tiktok and begged me to create some projects that utilized the app. This TikTok: Non-Verbal Communication Project: 10 Non-Verbals to AVOID during an Interview was one of them! Because my students had so much fun with this, I thought I’d share it so you could try it out with your students!
Have you ever waffled on teaching a topic because of how your students would receive it? I’ve had this topic on the backburner for quite some time, for this very reason! Interestingly, children and chores turned out to be a great discussion topic with students as they weighed in with their opinions based on their own personal experiences or lack thereof!
As soon as the tortilla trends video hit my news feed, I watched it and knew I had to find a way to use it in my foods class! Am I glad I did because the “Tortilla Trends: Lesson and Lab” was a huge hit with my students!
Once my students wrapped their brains around the Eduprotocol Iron Chef Jigsaw Challenge, it’s a teaching strategy they enjoy participating in. Why? Because it’s engaging, competitive and focused! It’s a great way to put the learning and presentation of materials in the hands of your students! The “New Parenting Styles: An Iron Chef Lesson” does just that and more! Read on to learn how and give it a try…you might be surprised at the results!
Divorce is more common than most care to admit and sadly a crisis that many children must learn to cope with, sometimes at a very young age. The Divorce: Hyperdoc Lesson is a way for students to learn about the crisis from the child’s perspective and designed to be usable in both traditional and remote learning classrooms.
Doing so much of my job virtually makes me crave working with my hands, creatively, in my down time (what little of it there is)! Not only do I get to work with my hands to make something creative, meaningful, useful and/or beautiful, but I get a much needed reprieve from screens…for which my eyes thank me! This “Festive Table Decor Project” is one that students can personalize to make whatever they want, around the theme of the assignment, using materials they have on hand. In addition, I want my students to feel connected to what they create and have a greater understanding of what’s involved in DIY projects! Read on to learn more and let your students release their pent up creativity!
Remote learning making it difficult to do your normal hands-on holiday activities? In researching alternate ways to do some of my assignments, I have either happened upon or created some of the below activities. I hope they help you incorporate some holiday fun even if it has to happen virtually! Enjoy!
A while back, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about old ties. What was once an everyday staple of many a man’s wardrobe may now be hanging dust collectors! Because more workplaces are moving to casual attire, the tie rarely surfaces on a day to day basis. So what does one do with a closet full of dormant ties? Afterall, how many does one man need? Enter the FACS classroom! Clever and creative FACS teachers, teaching any kind of sewing unit, would benefit from the donation as their students work at repurposing the necktie into another functional piece of fashion or art!
