Tag: junior high

Styles for Handling Conflict: Lesson & Activities

Conflicts exist everywhere: at home, at school and at work!  No exemptions!  However, just as the problems vary so do the ways ways that people may deal with them. Check out the interactive lesson below on how you can teach your students all about the various styles for handling conflict in both their personal and professional lives.

FCS Related Careers Game

To help boost exposure and interest in FCS related careers, I developed this interactive game to help students explore careers and related careers within our field. This is an interactive, small group activity that can be very competitive and fun, especially for junior high level students! All you need are some dice, a game board and optional electronic devices.  This is a great activity to do when you need to fill a day before school breaks, between units or changing class rotations!

Stress & Coloring: Good Idea? Bad Idea?

Students love to doodle! Children love to color! Adult coloring books are everywhere! The theory behind this phenomenon is that it is a way to relax and decompress, in addition to being a creative outlet. So, is this really a good way to deal with stress or just a trendy way to promote a product? This lesson focuses on stress, and has students investigating this theory by researching and application before deciding whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea!

Stoplight Foods & Jenga Review Game

The stoplight is such a simple traffic device, but has a universal meaning to pedestrians and drivers in the world of transportation. You may also be familiar with this concept in the nutrition world as it was introduced a few years ago as “Go-Slow-Whoa” or “Stoplight Nutrition”. In order to reinforce healthy food choices, why not implement the universal meaning of the stoplight into an interactive Jenga game?  It’s a simple way to reinforce healthy food choices for all age groups.

The Laundry Room Breakout

Another breakout here…this time with laundry!  Laundry can be so dry and boring to teach that I wanted to put together something interactive and a little challenging for students to apply the information they learned.  This is in keeping with my other breakouts as the challenges involve completing activities that lead to four digit codes that unlock succeeding boxes, ultimately, reaching the final prize box!  I was not disappointed as students really worked well together in their randomly assigned teams, utilizing their knowledge and a little technology as they competed and collaborated to solve the challenges in under 43 minutes!

Family Definition Media Activity

Many years ago, I was given a definition while taking a graduate course about the family.  Through the years, I have often used it as a poster project lead-in to my family unit.  However, since going 1:1, I decided to try this assignment a new way, using technology…aka iMovie!  While I’m not an expert with this app, my students are and they were eager to assist their peers when necessary.  I even surprised myself by creating a YouTube channel so I could share a couple of student samples with you!  Not a 1:1 school or have access to technology–no worries!  I’ve included my original poster assignment (see attachments), which by the way could be easily modified for the differentiated classroom. I loved seeing how each student interpreted the family definition and how unique and diverse each movie was…just like families!

Fingerplays

How many of you remember fingerplays such as “Where is Thumbkin” or “This Little Piggy”?  These along with many others were a favorite with my own children and I’m sure with many of yours too!  This fun and interactive activity was shared by Lauren Williams from McCracken County High School, Paducah, Kentucky where she teaches a variety of Child Development, Child Services and Parenting classes. If your students enjoyed learning about nursery rhymes, they’re going to love creating their own original fingerplays!  So, check out her ideas below and let the creativity begin!

SKITCH: Food Label Information–Mandatory or Voluntary?

One of the first apps we were introduced to when our school went 1:1 was SKITCH. I liked the labeling abilities of this app directly on images and thought it would be a great addition to my junior high lessons. So, I developed this activity around mandatory and voluntary label information that allows students to practice applying the information from their notes directly onto a photo label, showing me they understand the concept. This activity also allowed me to go more paperless as this lesson only uses a half-sheet of paper per student. So, if you’ve never tried this app, here’s an opportunity for you to do so!

Circle Stories

Sometime throughout the year, I have my Child Development students write a children’s book that they must read to the class as part of my literacy and reading to children unit. In the past, I’ve used Storybird as my platform. However, with this particular group of artistically talented students, I wanted to have them write and illustrate their own stories. Not just any type of story, but a “circle story”! In addition, I wanted them to apply the characteristics of reading aloud as well as incorporate technology. Continue to read to find out how all of this was accomplished…

NICU Costume Project

Looking for a warm and fuzzy community service project to do with your classes this Halloween? Check out the project Staci Wallech of Hagerstown, Maryland challenged her child development classes to create. Students made itty-bitty felt costumes which were donated to the tiny patients of her local hospital! Needless to say, the possibilities for cuteness were endless!