Hello and welcome back!
This past week was a little crazy with Scantron testing to see how much student's literacy skills have improved throughout the year.
On Wednesday we continued learning about finance and we focused on the stock market. We played an activity where student's had $1,000 to spend on different stocks of their choice. We're going to check back the last week of school and see if their stocks have gained or lost money.
On Thursday we worked on our final project. Student's are researching colleges that interest them and then focusing on career paths they may want to pursue. We'll finish those project up this week.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Monday, May 13, 2019
Monday, May 6, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #30
Hi all,
Only a few more weeks left of school and we're focusing on mostly future oriented lessons like college, career and finance.
Last week we started it off with a lesson called goals, wants and needs. This gave students a start on figuring out the things in life that they want to accomplish and/or focus on. It also let them see the difference between a want and need in life and they noticed a couple of common themes. First, we all have a lot more wants in our life than needs. Everyone wants the newest gadget or car or game but our needs is a relatively short list (air, food, water, housing, etc.) Second, they noticed that these wants in their lives will cost a good amount of money so being able to have a secure and consistent career is really important.
We're going to continue with some finance (stock market) lessons this week and maybe start identifying some future careers.
Have a great week!
Only a few more weeks left of school and we're focusing on mostly future oriented lessons like college, career and finance.
Last week we started it off with a lesson called goals, wants and needs. This gave students a start on figuring out the things in life that they want to accomplish and/or focus on. It also let them see the difference between a want and need in life and they noticed a couple of common themes. First, we all have a lot more wants in our life than needs. Everyone wants the newest gadget or car or game but our needs is a relatively short list (air, food, water, housing, etc.) Second, they noticed that these wants in their lives will cost a good amount of money so being able to have a secure and consistent career is really important.
We're going to continue with some finance (stock market) lessons this week and maybe start identifying some future careers.
Have a great week!
Monday, April 29, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #29
Hi all,
Last week was our final week of testing so classes were still a little off but we did find some time to be productive. Mentor Monday went well and you can tell the 8th graders are nervous/excited for starting middle school next year.
Tuesday and Wednesday were our final testing days.
I didn't want to throw students right back into classwork on Thursday so I gave them an easy 1 day research project where they could choose a cause or issue in the world that means a lot to them. Projects ranged from homelessness to animal abuse to environmental concerns. It was nice to see what students were passionate about fighting for.
Friday we introduced wealth to students by playing the Game of Life. Students got really into it and it was a nice relaxing no Fun Friday.
Have a great week!
Last week was our final week of testing so classes were still a little off but we did find some time to be productive. Mentor Monday went well and you can tell the 8th graders are nervous/excited for starting middle school next year.
Tuesday and Wednesday were our final testing days.
I didn't want to throw students right back into classwork on Thursday so I gave them an easy 1 day research project where they could choose a cause or issue in the world that means a lot to them. Projects ranged from homelessness to animal abuse to environmental concerns. It was nice to see what students were passionate about fighting for.
Friday we introduced wealth to students by playing the Game of Life. Students got really into it and it was a nice relaxing no Fun Friday.
Have a great week!
Monday, April 22, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #28
Hey all,
Last week was interesting to say the least. Mentor/Mentee Monday went great and we continued state testing on Tuesday but at the end of the day Tuesday we had to release all students to a parent/guardian or caretaker. The reason for this slow release was because of a suspicious woman that flew out to Colorado and the FBI thought of her as a threat to our students. It was a group effort to ensure the safety of our students and seeing everyone work together for a common goal is always a breathe of fresh air.
We had Wednesday off and when students came back on Thursday we had a discussion about the situation, mental health and how everyone was feeling about everything that happened. I also had students create a class flower where they were in charge of creating their own petal that listed 5 things that bring them joy and their favorite memory from this school year. Here is an example:
Hope everyone had a great week as we continue with testing!
Last week was interesting to say the least. Mentor/Mentee Monday went great and we continued state testing on Tuesday but at the end of the day Tuesday we had to release all students to a parent/guardian or caretaker. The reason for this slow release was because of a suspicious woman that flew out to Colorado and the FBI thought of her as a threat to our students. It was a group effort to ensure the safety of our students and seeing everyone work together for a common goal is always a breathe of fresh air.
We had Wednesday off and when students came back on Thursday we had a discussion about the situation, mental health and how everyone was feeling about everything that happened. I also had students create a class flower where they were in charge of creating their own petal that listed 5 things that bring them joy and their favorite memory from this school year. Here is an example:
Hope everyone had a great week as we continue with testing!
Monday, April 15, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #27
Welcome back!
This past week was filled with state testing so classes only met a few times throughout the week.
We focused on playing some team builders and other games to get students minds off of the stress of testing.
It was overall pretty casual and this week will be similar.
Have a great week!
This past week was filled with state testing so classes only met a few times throughout the week.
We focused on playing some team builders and other games to get students minds off of the stress of testing.
It was overall pretty casual and this week will be similar.
Have a great week!
Monday, April 8, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #26
Last week flew by and started off with Mentor/Mentee Monday and Tutoring Tuesday.
The focus of the week on Wednesday and Thursday was Love Thyself.
It was all about limiting negative self talk and being more positive about ourselves and what we like about ourselves. We watched a couple short videos. One had people of different ages trying to define what love means to them and the other video focused on loving and appreciating who we are.
On Thursday we made love cups. It's a lesson from years past but it does a good job of identifying the things we love, the things that drain us, and the things we use to get back on track.
Have a great week!
The focus of the week on Wednesday and Thursday was Love Thyself.
It was all about limiting negative self talk and being more positive about ourselves and what we like about ourselves. We watched a couple short videos. One had people of different ages trying to define what love means to them and the other video focused on loving and appreciating who we are.
On Thursday we made love cups. It's a lesson from years past but it does a good job of identifying the things we love, the things that drain us, and the things we use to get back on track.
Have a great week!
Monday, March 18, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #25
Hello!
This past week featured two snow days on Wednesday and Thursday so we really only had Friday to do work which had us learning about Forgiveness.
It's a great topic and definitely a tough concept for anyone to understand at any age. The idea that forgiving somebody for something, no matter what they did, shows a lot of maturity and it actually leads you to be a happier individual. It was definitely hard for students to wrap their heads around that someone does not need to apologize to them in order for them to show forgiveness.
We will be finishing our talks about Forgiveness today!
We also had our usual Mentor Monday and Tutoring Tuesday which went great.
Have a fun week before Spring Break!
This past week featured two snow days on Wednesday and Thursday so we really only had Friday to do work which had us learning about Forgiveness.
It's a great topic and definitely a tough concept for anyone to understand at any age. The idea that forgiving somebody for something, no matter what they did, shows a lot of maturity and it actually leads you to be a happier individual. It was definitely hard for students to wrap their heads around that someone does not need to apologize to them in order for them to show forgiveness.
We will be finishing our talks about Forgiveness today!
We also had our usual Mentor Monday and Tutoring Tuesday which went great.
Have a fun week before Spring Break!
Monday, March 11, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #24
Hi all,
This past week we had our usually Mentor Monday and Tutoring Tuesday.
For the rest of the week we focused on Dating Violence/Abuse. We had some really deep conversations on Wednesday where students shared their experiences and views on the topic.
Many students have seen some sort of dating violence/abuse either in their personal lives or somewhere within their family/friend networks. All students were at least somewhat aware of the topic because of movies/tv shows. We also discussed a lot of the teen dating violence statistics and I think that hit home a little more for students about how real of an issue this is.
The rest of the week we created Public Service Announcements to educate ourselves and others about the topic.
Have a great week!
This past week we had our usually Mentor Monday and Tutoring Tuesday.
For the rest of the week we focused on Dating Violence/Abuse. We had some really deep conversations on Wednesday where students shared their experiences and views on the topic.
Many students have seen some sort of dating violence/abuse either in their personal lives or somewhere within their family/friend networks. All students were at least somewhat aware of the topic because of movies/tv shows. We also discussed a lot of the teen dating violence statistics and I think that hit home a little more for students about how real of an issue this is.
The rest of the week we created Public Service Announcements to educate ourselves and others about the topic.
Have a great week!
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #23
Hello all,
Last week we finished up talking about bullying with some skits and examples of what it may look like in the middle school world.
We also watched some clips about bullying, and specifically, about cyber bullying and had a discussion about who has dealt with that in the past.
Looking forward to this week and Emo Trolls!
Last week we finished up talking about bullying with some skits and examples of what it may look like in the middle school world.
We also watched some clips about bullying, and specifically, about cyber bullying and had a discussion about who has dealt with that in the past.
Looking forward to this week and Emo Trolls!
Monday, February 11, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #22
Hello and welcome back!
It was a pretty casual week with the snow storm on Thursday that kept us to about only half the school showing up.
Tutoring Tuesday went well with a lot of students reading articles on NewsELA. It's a great website with relevant articles and short quizzes to test reading comprehension.
On Wednesday we talked about bullying and had some good discussions about our experiences with bullying.
Friday was a day full of team builders!
Have a great week!
It was a pretty casual week with the snow storm on Thursday that kept us to about only half the school showing up.
Tutoring Tuesday went well with a lot of students reading articles on NewsELA. It's a great website with relevant articles and short quizzes to test reading comprehension.
On Wednesday we talked about bullying and had some good discussions about our experiences with bullying.
Friday was a day full of team builders!
Have a great week!
Monday, February 4, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #21
Hello and welcome back!
This past week we talked about Hot Buttons. Students really like the concept because we can all relate to different things that happen in our lives that "push our buttons" sometimes and cause us to react in some way, shape or form (usually negatively).
It did take a little explaining about each individual hot button and how there can be two ways of reacting. For example, a student who receives a bad grade and feels like they're not good enough can react in two possible ways. One way, they could always try to be perfect and the best so they don't ever have that feeling of not being good enough again. Or they avoid giving their full effort because they feel like if they do and fail again, it will be worse than just giving a mediocre effort for a mediocre grade.
Here are a couple examples of student work:
Thanks for reading!
This past week we talked about Hot Buttons. Students really like the concept because we can all relate to different things that happen in our lives that "push our buttons" sometimes and cause us to react in some way, shape or form (usually negatively).
It did take a little explaining about each individual hot button and how there can be two ways of reacting. For example, a student who receives a bad grade and feels like they're not good enough can react in two possible ways. One way, they could always try to be perfect and the best so they don't ever have that feeling of not being good enough again. Or they avoid giving their full effort because they feel like if they do and fail again, it will be worse than just giving a mediocre effort for a mediocre grade.
Here are a couple examples of student work:
Monday, January 28, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #20
Hi everyone!
Last week we finished up Belief Systems with some individual research about how our lives would look in 10 years if we lived a life of empowering beliefs (thinking positively) and what our lives would look like if we only had limited beliefs (thinking negatively).
The students were pretty creative overall and it showed the different goals and dreams that students want to achieve. Many students wanted to be done with college in the next 10 years, some married, some traveling the world and others in their dream job. We all agreed that living a life of empowering beliefs will be way more beneficial in the long run than having limited beliefs about ourselves.
Last week concluded belief systems and students are excited for the next topic...tune in next week to find out!
Last week we finished up Belief Systems with some individual research about how our lives would look in 10 years if we lived a life of empowering beliefs (thinking positively) and what our lives would look like if we only had limited beliefs (thinking negatively).
The students were pretty creative overall and it showed the different goals and dreams that students want to achieve. Many students wanted to be done with college in the next 10 years, some married, some traveling the world and others in their dream job. We all agreed that living a life of empowering beliefs will be way more beneficial in the long run than having limited beliefs about ourselves.
Last week concluded belief systems and students are excited for the next topic...tune in next week to find out!
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #19
Hello and welcome back to the Weekly Ranum!
This past week we worked on Belief Systems. Students did some research and read some articles about empowering and limiting beliefs and were assigned to create a poster based on the article they read.
The easiest way for students to understand the concept of where their beliefs come from was for them to look around at their families, communities and friend groups and think about their reactions, words and thoughts about different topics.
Students did a great job of understanding that empowering beliefs build them up and are positive thoughts and limiting beliefs are meant to slow them down and be a negative in their life.
We will complete belief systems this week with some individual projects. Have a great week!
This past week we worked on Belief Systems. Students did some research and read some articles about empowering and limiting beliefs and were assigned to create a poster based on the article they read.
The easiest way for students to understand the concept of where their beliefs come from was for them to look around at their families, communities and friend groups and think about their reactions, words and thoughts about different topics.
Students did a great job of understanding that empowering beliefs build them up and are positive thoughts and limiting beliefs are meant to slow them down and be a negative in their life.
We will complete belief systems this week with some individual projects. Have a great week!
Monday, January 14, 2019
The Weekly Ranum: Edition #18
Hello and welcome back!
Hope everyone had a great holiday break!
With our first week back we had a lot of mentees testing very well before break and leveling up in their math and literacy classes which ended up having them moved around to different periods.
We worked on the Apple Pie Theory for a few days. All of the students understood the concept and it was great to see some of the designs they made to represent the theory. The idea is that there are some people in our lives that basically either take too much or too little control and responsibility and some that are actually pretty balanced whether it be in group projects, friendships or any other situation involving people.
Here's an example of some of their work:
Hope you enjoyed reading, have a great week!
Hope everyone had a great holiday break!
With our first week back we had a lot of mentees testing very well before break and leveling up in their math and literacy classes which ended up having them moved around to different periods.
We worked on the Apple Pie Theory for a few days. All of the students understood the concept and it was great to see some of the designs they made to represent the theory. The idea is that there are some people in our lives that basically either take too much or too little control and responsibility and some that are actually pretty balanced whether it be in group projects, friendships or any other situation involving people.
Here's an example of some of their work:
Hope you enjoyed reading, have a great week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)