Words to Overcome

We all have something that we would like to overcome in our lives. In this project students would be able to give that obstacle in their lives a name. This gives them a chance to make the word more manageable and even less scary.

In our class the first thing that we did after choosing our word for the semester was write it out on a piece of paper that we then got to decorate in any way that we wanted to. This is an activity that reduces the scariness of the word. You are making the word more enjoyable and fun for you.

The word that I chose was ‘courage.’ I chose this word because I have difficulties doing things outside of my comfort zone. This is something that I believe I truly need to work on. As a teacher I will definitely have to step out of my comfort zone. Hopefully when that time comes I will be able to take those steps with my courage shining bright.

Focuses:

goal setting

decision making

increase self-worth

motivation

reflection

Creating a Community

For this activity students create their very own community. As a group they will determine what they need in their community and what they want in their community. For example, they may think that a community needs a police station, a fire station, farms, houses, etc. Whereas movie theaters, stores, and restaurants may be listed as wants. It truly all depends on the students that are in the class. After they narrow all of that down the fun part begins; they get to actually construct their community out of recycled materials. In our class we used boxes, paper towel rolls, and even old Play Mobil toys. They will need to decide who will create what part of the community. Sometime during this project the students will be able to discuss what they want to name their community and even come up with a motto if they have time.

This activity does not only give the students the opportunity to get their creative juices flowing; it also gets them thinking about what people, places, and things make up a community. They will be drawing on information that they know from around their own community as well as other communities that they have heard or learned about.

Focuses:

decision making

problem solving

citizenship

construction

communication

wants and needs