Who knew something as simple as crayons could teach some important life lessons? The Crayon Life Lessons teaches students a variety of lessons about acceptance, diversity and uniqueness that can be used in all settings from home, to school, to work in a unique way. I used it in my child development classes, but it could be used in any class as an enrichment activity!
Arlene DeJoy Meckes (from Twins & Teaching) and I teamed up to bring you this Safe Sitter Breakout. This assignment is perfect for engaging students, especially middle schoolers around the importance of safety while babysitting. The beauty of this breakout is two-fold…one, it is completely digital, so there’s no need for physical locks and boxes. Second, it is an individual breakout so students do their own work, at their own pace. Check it out!
When teaching about dating violence, there is a victim, an abuser and usually a bystander. In the movie or case study, “No One Would Tell”, referenced in this post, these roles are clearly portrayed. The Dating Violence Memoirs is a follow-up project to that case study, focusing directly on the narratives of these characters. Read on to learn more…
True Friends vs Toxic Friends was a big hit with my students! It provides discussion as well as interactive, engaging and creative activities! I taught true friends vs toxic friends to a mixed class of high school students, but this lesson could easily be done with middle schoolers as well!
After teaching my students about communication skills, I decided to spend a couple of days going over the different communication styles. The three communication styles consist of passive, aggressive and assertive. The best part of this lesson was the enthusiam my students exhibited when creating video skits of the communication styles based on selected scenarios. Wonder why? The video skits was their idea, so naturally they bought into it!
Because of the recent popularity Funko Pop characters have gained on TikTok, this fun POP! Figure Project was created and shared by Cayla Young of Texas! While she uses it with her Culinary Arts students, there are a variety of ways to incorporate the project into other classes.
Some of you may remember the Late Show with Dave Letterman! One of his regular features included his infamous top 10 lists in descending order from 10 to 1, adding his own a touch of humor and sarcasm as he shared! I have been using written top 10 lists for years and was excited when Matt Miller of Ditch That Textbook shared his version utilizing Flipgrid. This Top 10 Lists…Video Style post shares how to present the lists via Flipgrid with some of ideas for topics. Help add to the list by sharing additional topics!
Below is a list of topical FCS Related Podcasts for your summer listening pleasure! I will admit that I have not listened to all of these, but I’ve been accumulating the list for over a year and most of the suggested podcasts came recommended through educational sources. If you discover any that should not be on this list, please let me know. Additionally, if you have suggestions of podcasts that should be included, please let me know and I will update the list.
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!
