MyPyramid Blast Off! Review Game

MyPyramid is the current food pyramid that is used in our sixth grade nutrition unit. I do try to incorporate other food pyramids if we have time (the Healthy Eating Pyramid and the Mediterranean Food Pyramid are two) for comparison purposes, but time is usually not a luxury afforded to a sixth grade classroom!

The USDA created MyPyramid in 2005 as an update to the old food guide pyramid that I learned about in middle school. When it was created there was a fair amount of criticism which led to the creation of other food pyramids. My sixth graders come into class with basic knowledge of MyPyramid from their fifth grade health class in elementary school. So, I go into more detail about how they can individualize their eating habits using MyPyramid, among other topics relating to nutrition. I usually begin with a review so I can make adjustments in case some students have more knowledge than others.

The MyPyramid Blast Off! game is a great review for students relating to the food groups, serving sizes, and incorporating moderation and variety into their diet. Students must fuel their rocket ship with food from all food groups and physical activity to reach Planet Power. I make this activity interactive by allowing students to come up and use the Smart Board to help play the game. When I use it this year I'm going to try to have some sort of companion activity so students don't become bored or overly excited. You do need Flash 7 or greater to play the game. Click here to launch the game and try it out!

Staying Updated: Google Reader & Google Fast Flip

NOTE: I am not affiliated with Google or the blog Free Technology for Teachers in any way, shape, or form. I simply use a lot of Google Products and read Free Technology for Teachers for great information.

I strive to remain up-to-date on health topics that are making headlines in the news. I often incorporate current events into my health classes whenever I can, in order to bring a little "real world" information into my classroom. I use Google Reader as an RSS aggregator to keep myself informed of information that is being published from a variety of resources: newspapers, blogs, government websites, etc. I have multiple sections, including one for "education" and another for "health" related information. I browse through the feeds as soon as I get into my classroom each morning to see if there is anything I can use during the day.

For those who don't know (Hi, Mom!) an RSS aggregator is basically one-stop shopping for customizable news information. News from a variety of sources (websites, blogs, etc) is easily categorized based on how I want to view it. I have thirteen different feeds for education and health, which is definitely enough information for what I am trying to do. The one downfall of not including more feeds is that there is in increased possibility that I will miss a story I might be able to use in class. However, adding additional feeds from all over the country becomes quite cumbersome and there would simply be too many stories for me to sort through. I don't read each and every one now; I scan and read if I am interested. My point is that there becomes a point where there would be an information overload and where time starts being wasted.

Enter Google Fast Flip. I found out about Google Fast Flip (and a lot of other things!) by reading the excellent blog Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne. Google Fast Flip provides news articles in a visual display that the user can scroll through for a quick scan of what's popular in the news. You can select different categories, such as Sports or Health. Fast Flip shows news stories from all over the country, covering local and national news, which allows me to have a greater depth of information without cluttering my RSS feeds. Fast Flip gives me the opportunity to read news from sources I would otherwise not read.

I selected the "Health" section and was immediately able to skim articles from major news outlets and websites. If an article interested me, I clicked on it to read it in depth. In a time where everyone seems to need more than twenty four hours in a day, Google Fast Flip is a great way for me to supplement the information I obtain through RSS. I can easily access this website in class and show my students how health is always in the news, and maybe select and article or two to talk about. I can have students use Fast Flip for their "Health in The News" assignments, and the variety of sources can expose them to different writing styles and opinions. Students could also compare and contrast assignments from different newspapers. Try it out for a quick visualization of what's popular in the news!

Infographics: Nutrition Related (From A Great Blog!)

Using infographics is a great way to present information or data in a unique, visual way. Instead of presenting information using many numbers or a block of text, an infograph can convey information in way that can be quickly understood and absorbed. They are also great in order to emphasize certain points from a lesson or to allow content to "hit home" when students see it visually. They're also great for visual learners.

While scrolling through my Google Reader account, I came upon an entry from one of my favorite blogs, Free Technology for Teachers. If you've read my posts before, I've linked this blog on a few occasions. You MUST visit this website!


Richard Byrne, who created the blog, posted a few links with infographics relating to obesity and eating out. I checked a few of them out and I'll definitely be using them during our nutrition units this school year. These graphics will allow me to expand upon content we're covering and I'll be tying in some critical thinking skills with them, too. There is no point in re-posting the links he created, so below is a link to his blog. Plus, I want you to check out his website! I have another post about something I'm using after I read about it on his blog, too.

Free Technology for Teachers: Infographics on Eating out and Obesity.

Hartford Courant: YRBS Results Article

An article appeared in the Hartford Courant on Tuesday detailing the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that was administered to 3,000 middle and high school students throughout Connecticut in 2009. The article focuses on the results pertaining to sexual intercourse, specifically that 70% of high school seniors surveyed responded "yes" when asked if they had engaged in sexual intercourse in the last 12 months. The figure being most talked about, however, is that out of all students surveyed who are sexually active, only 60% used condoms in their most recent sexual intercourse experience.

Obviously this article (specifically, the statistic) is helpful for me in my quest to get comprehensive sexuality education into all of our schools. The reporter discusses this with various officials who work within the health and education fields, and realizes that this is a multi-faceted problem that requires an approach from a variety of angles. Sexuality education isn't just about sperm meeting egg, or penis and vagina. It covers the diverse angles within the topics: sex itself, relationships, sexual identity, STIs, methods of protection, media influence, etc. Hopefully articles like this will help start the dialogue about sexuality education that needs to take place within communities.

I'll be going back to my classroom late next week to start preparing things for the start of classes on September 8th. With the start of the school year, my intention is to post less about health issues in the news and more on what I'm doing in the classroom. I'd love to add more pictures and maybe even some video, too. With the school year approaching, I'm starting to brush up on my content knowledge as well. I have an outstanding resource I'll post about before school starts, and there are a few websites I've discovered that I hope to post about soon.

Association Between Health-Risk Behaviors and Academic Grades

I was checking my e-mail this afternoon and opened the latest message from NASPE. After scrolling through some P.E. news, the big link that caught my eye was entitled, "New Health and Academic Achievement Resources from DASH." I'm always interested in reading about how health education, physical education, etc. can help improve academic learning.

The information provided by the CDC is based on the just released 2009 results of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey. If you're unaware, the goal of the YRBS is to monitor priority risk-behaviors among adolescents across the country. The amount of information this provides health educators is incredible; in addition to a national breakdown, data can be broken down on the state and local level. This data has been used in my district to adapt our health curriculum to fit the needs of our students. One could argue that changes might be too late to have an impact by the time we see trends, and identifying future trends is something I would like to try to improve on by talking with the students, etc. But, when it comes down to it we are using the data in a way that can help create positive changes among the youth we serve.

I haven't yet looked at all the data (this frequently happens when I blog about something I just read about), but the Overview provided enough information for me to post here. When it comes down to it, after controlling for sex, race/ethnicity, and grade level, data showed "a negative association between health-risk behaviors and academic achievement among high school students."

Students with higher grades are less likely to engage in risk behaviors! Are there outliers? Of course there are. This data can't be applied in every situation. I'm sure that we can all think of someone we went to high school with that partied hard or engaged in some of the other risk behaviors and somehow managed to get decent grades, or vice versa. But, how much did they learn? That in itself, the reflection of grades on student learning, is another can of worms to open up. I'm getting off track here, but as you can see I try to see the whole picture behind the numbers. Learning disabilities, AP classes, and a host of other items are not taken into account.

I would be further interested to see how these numbers correlate to results of standardized test scores. We already know that physical activity can help increase scores on standardized tests (among other things, like improving classroom behavior) but do engagement in risk behaviors affect them too? It's easy to generalize, or make assumptions, about the potential result of this. I would love to look at some data from which I could draw conclusions. However, some people don't perform well on standardized test scores and some people ace them while maintaining below average grades. Too many controls for a study, I think!

The CDC themselves has said that these numbers require further research to determine what exactly leads to low grades, or to engaging in risk-behaviors, or what else could lead to either of the above. My excitement with this is that now we have the possibility for future research into this area. And, in an economic climate where health and physical education are placed on the chopping block quickly and often without justification, these numbers give those of us in the field concrete evidence of the importance of what we teach children. It also helps support the argument for incorporating a well developed, interactive, coordinated school health program in as many school districts as possible.

I'm going to use some of this new data during my brief presentation during back to school night. Actually, as part of our department's professional development before school begins, we are spending a day with our community prevention coalition discussing the new data from our own, district-wide version of the YRBS. So, I'll be able to apply even more specific data during back to school night.

I'll also use it when I finally get my chance to present in front of the School Committee, Governor, President (whoever!) when I argue my case for increasing the amount of sexuality education we teach in our middle school. But that, my friends, is another topic for another time!

Check out the actual reports and information here.

College Drinking: More Than Just a Problem (Infographic)

DegreeScout is a website geared towards students who are applying to colleges, with a goal of helping students make informed decisions about various challenges students may encounter during the search for the right school, especially when it comes to online learning.

I found this infographic while checking up on what is quickly becoming my favorite blog, Free Technology for Teachers. I've mentioned this before, but if you are a teacher you need to follow this blog! The amount of information can be a tad overwhelming, but it's easy to sift through what you know you can use in your classroom and what you can't based on your technology set up.

But, back to the topic: drinking in college. As a middle school health educator, I'm able to give students the facts/knowledge about the dangerous affects of alcohol abuse long before they enroll in college. Ideally, I also provide them with skills they choose to use to promote a healthy lifestyle as well.

When I was in undergrad, I was a resident assistant for a year and a half in a co-ed, all-freshman residence hall (we weren't allowed to call them "dorms"). Part of my job responsibility was to enforce college policies (especially alcohol policies) but another large component was to run "educationals" for my floor each month. We were never allowed to run one on safe alcohol consumption, because then we would technically be promoting an illegal activity. We could bring in campus police, or the awesome people from the Drug & Alcohol Education Center (I think that's what it was called) but these presentations were simply on the dangers of alcohol. All important information, for sure, but not always what college students wanted to hear.

I do not want to condone underage alcohol use or irresponsible alcohol use, but many kids have no idea what they're doing when it comes to consuming alcohol. The conversation about safe, responsible drinking needs to take place with every college student, and I would venture to say younger as well. Look, kids will drink. I wasn't into that scene in high school or college but plenty of friends of mine were. There's really no right answer to this issue, but I don't even see the conversation taking place in many schools, at any level.

The infographic was displayed with the following paragraph: .

"The team at DegreeScout.com was pretty shocked when these statistics surfaced about life at traditional colleges and universities. Even with the funny stick men, it is still unnerving. At first glance, it seems strange to draw the conclusion that attending a traditional college can dramatically up one’s chances of being assaulted, committing suicide, driving drunk or having a penchant for graffiti. It made us wonder: Do career colleges and online programs shield students from these unfortunate scenarios? Or is the spike in crime and drinking simply a product of youth, in which case, traditional colleges just house a large population of young (and arguably irresponsible) students? What do you think? Can these situations be avoided by enrolling in online education courses?"

Certainly food for thought, but I do think they are drawing hasty conclusions and that attending an online school is definitely not an answer to this problem. I wouldn't trade my college experience for anything in the world: I was a three season athlete, involved in many student activities and clubs on campus, presented with professors at conferences, and learned an incredible amount in and out of the classroom. I think ScoutDegree, while providing important and somewhat startling information, is making a blanket statement about traditional colleges. However, they are stimulating conversation in some way, so I can't complain about that.

The infograph is embedded below. I'm going to tie this into my classes and will also use it through a new initiative my district is undertaking with all the athletic teams at the high school. More posts on that as the fall season begins.


EDIT: I have tried to embed the infograph, but the link provided by the website doesn't seem to work. Check it out here.

Via: Online Degrees

Summer

There hasn't been a lot of activity on here since school got out for the summer, but my weekly views have remained pretty consistent. I've been working for the recreation department of the town I teach in, and spend my days playing dodgeball/mat-ball/etc, going to the beach, and taking field trips with ~30 middle school kids...it's a blast! Reading, going to the Y, and watching Le Tour have also consumed my free time.

I've also been working on my own classroom website, and it's coming along quite nicely! I'm hoping this will serve multiple purposes during the school year, and I'm excited to have this resource ready for September.

I'm hoping to post one or two "recommended reads" during the rest of the summer. Expect many more updates during the school year as I try out new lesson plans, interact with colleagues, and begin graduate work.

Thinking About Next Year

With my second year of teaching now over, I've made a list of things I want to work on before the start of next school year. Teaching is an ever evolving process, with no lesson ever going exactly the same way as before. I have the luxury of teaching each unit twice (for seventh and eighth grade) and three times (during sixth grade) during the school year due to our trimester schedule. So, I essentially have a "first day of school" multiple times during the school year, a luxury not afforded to my colleagues teaching year-long courses.

1. Adjust to the new rotating schedule. My school is switching to a rotating schedule next year, which will increase the amount of time in each class, but will drop a period everyday. This is something that I'm looking forward to but that will initially cause a substantial amount of confusion. For the first two trimesters, I see classes every other day; during trimester three I see them every day. I'm going to have to be on the ball so I can know which classes I have on what days in advance. My plan book is probably going to be color coded next year!
2. Make my classroom operate more smoothly. By this, I mean minimize interruptions to learning time. Generally, my students know the routine: they walk in, read the Smartboard and complete an activator while I silently take attendance. But, there are other things I'd like to work on. I have a few ideas floating around in my head that I plan to try out next year. I'm also going to consult some resources online and in some books I have for other ideas that could be useful.
3. Activators & Summarizers. If these are to be used correctly, these could take quite some time. Currently, I use activators on a regular basis, but not summarizers. I'm hoping to utilize the extra ten minutes in each class afforded by the new schedule to really focus on how I begin and end my classes. Ideally, I also have a full, class-length activator for each unit as well. This might be more time consuming initially, but could save time in future classes do to not repeating information.
4. Involvement in Professional Organizations. I will hopefully be presenting with a classmate of mine from Springfield at the MAHPERD conference in November, if our presentation is accepted. I'd like to try to take a more active role in MAHPERD and eventually AAHPERD. I have no intention of serving on any committees or anything at this point in my life, but simply becoming more of an advocate through means offered by both organizations is something I'd like to take on.
5. Virtual Classroom? I'm trying to work my way through Moodle and different wiki sites in order to add an online component to my classes. I would post handouts, homework, and additional resources for my students here, and maybe put up discussion questions. I've also considered Google Sites, but Moodle is more along the lines of what I'm looking for.

This list is not set in stone and I'm not setting any due dates for accomplishing what's on this list. As I mentioned earlier, teaching is about evolving, and this list itself will evolve. As I work on the different items on this list, I'll post about what I'm learning and how I'm planning on using that in my classroom. I am still working on a post about condoms in Provincetown, but it's summer, so...check back soon!

Condoms in Provincetown

I'm sure my few constant readers (and perhaps those of you who find me through search engines) are expecting a post on the condom issue in Provincetown that Massachusetts Governor Patrick isn't happy about. Eventually, I will post about it; I need to dig up some research articles first. It's too fresh for me to post about, because the information is already changing.

I will say this: I'm hoping to have mandatory, comprehensive sexuality education in all Massachusetts public schools by 2020. It's something I'm hoping to start getting involved in as I begin graduate school. There are plenty of organizations that already exist devoted to this, and I plan on joining the action. I'd also like to collaborate with some of my professors from Springfield as well.

Expect a post about the condom issue next week. School's out, and a have a week off before my summer job starts.

Brainstorming Tool: bubbl.us

A new unit in our eighth grade curriculum this year focuses on gambling addiction. Based on our version of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we know that a lot of our middle school students do not gamble; it is still an important topic to discuss as the potential to get into a lot of trouble (financially, socially, legally etc) is great. I also use it as a segue into the addiction information they will talk about next year at the high school.

To begin the unit this time around, I conducted a brainstorming activity with my eighth grade classes. Using a website I just found out about, the students brainstormed everything they know about gambling, based on specific categories I provided.

The website is called bubbl.us, and I found out about it through a post on the excellent blog Free Technology for Teachers. (If you are a teacher, you NEED to follow this blog!) On bubbl.us, you can noodle around before you actually register to see if the site is something you could use. Be sure to check out the features example provided on the homepage for additional information. You'll learn a lot just by using the interface, and can embed and export files created on bubbl.us. If you have Smartboard capabilities, you could have students type using the on-screen keyboard (or do so yourself); although I have a Smartboard in my classroom, I decided to key stuff in from the computer my first time using this lesson.

I'm certain that this website could be greatly used in some of our other units, such as our sexual harassment unit. Creating information in a visual way is a handy way for students who think that way, and the chart is something we can refer back to throughout our unit. I could also use this as an informal pre-test/post-test of student knowledge or as another form of formative assessment (link). In this case, this tool allowed me to gauge the classroom knowledge about this topic. In the future, I plan on printing these brainstorms out to refer back to over the course of a unit. I might also try an ongoing segment where our classes link each unit together, noting similarities and common themes.

Here is an example from my first period, eighth grade class; you can browse around:

As always, feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Website to Use: The New Science of Addiction

When I was student teaching during my senior year, I had to develop a few lessons around addiction. In collaborating with my supervising practitioner, I found out about a fantastic website I have since used in middle school.

The New Science of Addiction: Genetics and The Brain is run by the Genetics Learning Center at the University of Utah. The website is very detailed, containing information on a wide variety of topics relating to addiction. Most of the information is for high school or college aged students, but I find that I can select certain pieces of information to present to my middle school students that they are able to comprehend.

According to the website, "Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by changes in the brain which result in a compulsive desire to use a drug. A combination of many factors including genetics, environment, and behavior influence a person's addiction risk, making it an incredibly complicated disease. The new science of addiction considers all of these factors--from biology to family--to unravel the complexities of the addicted brain." By covering all of these factors, the website remains a comprehensive resource on everything relating to addiction.

The website focuses on the following topics:

• Natural Reward Pathways Exist in The Brain
• Drugs Alter the Brain's Reward Pathway
• Genetics Is An Important Factor in Addiction
• Timing and Circumstances Influence Addiction
• Challenges and Issues In Addiction

Each section contains interactive activities (e.g. making a neuron, "cerebral commando," "mouse house" party, etc) that present information on varying topics: drugs of abuse, how neurons work, the different parts of the brain, etc. These interactive, visually stimulating activities are great for breaking down concepts that may come across as complex to students. I've used the Drugs of Abuse link when discussing basic information about certain drugs during our ATOD unit, and in the past have also used the Mouse Party link.

Extra information about each topic is also included, and is great for expanding upon basic information you may have already covered. Combining visuals with text explanations, these pages are well worth a look! The one on drug delivery methods has served as a great in-class review during my health classes. 

Please explore this valuable website! I do not go into too much detail about addiction because students will learn more about the topic in high school, but this website allows me to introduce students to this important topic without stepping on the toes of the high school teachers.

As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns!

Teaching Toolbox: Tom Jackson's Books

The following post applies to anyone who works with youth: teachers, counselors, administrators, coaches, parents, etc. All can benefit from these activities! :)

I'm considering adding a category called "Teaching Toolbox." This would combine a few of the other tags I already have, making things less cluttered and more efficient. I'd have to go back and change quite a few entries, so we'll see what happens. So, there's the reasoning behind the post title.

In many of my undergraduate classes at Springfield, my health education professors would teach us using pedagogy methods we could actually use in our own classes when we began student teaching. By experiencing these activities from the perspective of a student, we were better able to grasp each activity and make notes for when we would actually be teaching. It was through this that I first began to hear, read about, and experience the many active learning activities created by Tom Jackson. NOTE: I am not affiliated with Tom Jackson in any way, shape, or form; I'm just a big supporter of his books after using them in my classroom.

Two of my undergraduate professors were big proponents of Tom Jackson. I too became a proponent, and borrowed their copies of his books during my student teaching experiences. Eventually purchasing my own, I now try to use Jackson's activities in each unit that I teach. Jackson's activities are at times deceptively simple. In today's digital age, they serve as reminders that teachers don't need flash and dash to hook students or for students to learn. Most require minimal set-up, although a few will require some preparation work so things run smoothly.

I found great success using Jackon's activities during my first year of teaching, when our health curriculum was pretty bland and needed to be spiced up in order to supplement factual information. Even though our revamped curriculum is better now, I still find myself using Jackson's activities whenever I can. In fact, the alcohol simulation stations lesson (designed by a professor of mine) incorporated many of Jackson's activities rolled into one. I've used his activities in a multitude of units: ATOD, bullying, media literacy, goal setting, gambling addiction, etc.

Tom has four books out; I own three and consider them to be valuable tools in my teaching toolbox. His activities can be used as activators, summarizers, or entire lessons in themselves. If a class is ahead of another one and we have a rare class period to explore outside the curriculum, Jackon's activities fit the bill too. I find that his activities are perfect to emphasize certain points in class, and the post-activity discussions are often the most valuable parts of my classes. The post-activity discussion is critical, because without it, the activity will be meaningless. I have witnessed, on multiple occasions, the awe of absolute silence as students sit in anticipation of the discussion in order to figure out what exactly each activity meant. The activities keep students engaged while they enjoy learning. They can be used in large classes or small ones; counseling groups and peer mediation sessions; anytime youth are learning.

Jackson's first book, Activities That Teach, was what started it all. According to Tom's website, these hands on activities cover topics such as "alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention, and which teach skills related to communication, values, working together, problem solving, stress management, goal setting, self-esteem, decision making, and more."

Jackson's second book, More Activities That Teach include different activities that cover topics like, "alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention, and which teach skills related to anger management, resisting peer pressure, diversity, violence and gang prevention, communication, values, working together, problem solving, stress management, goal setting, self-esteem, decision making, and more."

I also have a third book by Jackson, entitled Activities That Teach Family Values. While designed for parents, this book also has some great activities for classroom use. A fourth book is entitled, Still More Activities That Teach.

Each book contains valuable information on conducting discussions with youth, as well as the importance of active learning and tips for success. I highly suggest that any teacher considers using these activities in the classroom as soon as possible. They can add a lot to any class!

A sample activity from two of the books can be found here or here. Again, trust me: you will not be disappointed if you purchase these books!

As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any additional questions, comments, or concerns.

Brochure: Active Kids and Academic Performance

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) recently released a brochure educating the public about the positive impact school-based physical education and physical activity has in academic performance. In reviewing fifty studies, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control tested 251 associations between academic performance and physical activity. Slightly over half tested to be positive associations, with only four (4) testing negative. Common associations include attentiveness, achievement test scores, and on task behavior.

The "bottom line," according to the brochure, is this: "Substantial evidence suggests that physical activity can be associated with improved academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores. Increasing or maintaining time dedicated to physical education can help--and does not adversely affect--academic performance."

Click here for a copy of the pamphlet, which I received through the June 2010 NASPE "Academy Scoops" e-mail. Please pass along to anyone interested! Eventually, I hope to write a monster, well-researched post on how a well developed coordinated school health program can help schools increase student attentiveness, improve classroom behavior, and increase academic performance as well. I might try to get to get that published elsewhere, though. I realize this has been done before, so I need to find a different angle to take.

As always, feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Cartoon Network Tackles Bullying

Bullying has been all over the news in Massachusetts the last few months, and many of the headlines have gained attention nationally. Bullying is a hot topic (the teenage pregnancy of 2010, as I say), and viewpoints about the issue run the gamut.

Today it was announced the Cartoon Network is planning an anti-bullying campaign directed at middle school students. As Neil Swidey mentioned in a recent piece for the Boston Globe Magazine (and many anti-bullying curricula address) the role of the bystander in bullying situations is critical in defusing bullying situations (see an earlier post of mine in the topic). By focusing on the role of the bystander, the network is going to feature anti-bullying content directly in their cartoons, advertisements, and an online curriculum. CNN is partnering with Cartoon Network to provide information for parents to supplement the information kids receive. As mentioned in the article linked above, the "bridging of generations" is a unique element to this campaign. It's fighting a two front war on bullying, and as Hitler found out, two front wars are tough to fight if you're in the middle.

Bullying has always been around, and the attitudes prevalent when adults were children may not apply anymore. Today's middle school students have to deal with around the clock access to bullying through technology: cell phones, Facebook, and other media devices are all culprits in today's bullying age; not to mention the "old fashioned" methods. Cartoons have also been around for a while, and this process is simply taking something that currently exists and tweaking it to fit a need of the times.

I give a big thumbs up to the network for going after this topic after a poll of their audience (children) listed bullying as a main concern...which was not at the top of the list for parents. The campaign plans to use teachable moments in their cartoons, and the online component will contain more information too. Teachable moments might as well be under my interests on Facebook...I point them out whenever I can, about any topic (even unrelated to health), in my classroom. I will point out that this does not replace the need for parents to have timely, important conversations with their children about bullying and other loaded adolescent issues.

Efforts like this on a variety of health topics are needed in order to address the multitude of issues facing today's youth. There are clearly companies willing to tackle the tough issues. We need more motivated, enthusiastic, outside-the-box-thinking individuals to step up to the box! The Cartoon Network and CNN partnership could be a precedent for the future. Imagine the combinations that could be formed to tackle issues!

Jamie Oliver TED Speech & School Lunch Links

I have heard snippets from Jamie Oliver's TED speech, but had never watched the whole thing. Jamie has his critics, but he is tackling a huge issue that has long term implications. Check out his speech below and you will NOT be disappointed.

Also, two blogs to point out, which I may have mentioned earlier. I follow both blogs through my Blogger account and my RSS feed.

Mrs. Q blogs over at http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/, and has built up an extensive following of readers. She has appeared (anonymously) on Good Morning America, and her blog chronicles her mission to eat school lunch every school day for a year. She is bringing a lot of attention to the need for change, and her pictures are always a treat! Featuring guest bloggers from a diversity of interests, this blog is a must see!

Ali, over at http://bravenewlunch.blogspot.com/, is a food service director in Massachusetts who calls herself "the next generation lunch lady." She brings her college education and chef experience to the lunch room in an attempt to improve the quality of school lunch. Read it and hear from someone on the front lines! Seeing as she is also from MA, maybe the future will see us collaborate with other teachers, school food service workers, and districts to help create change within our lunchrooms.

Here is Jamie Oliver's speech:

PBS Frontline in the Classroom

I'm not a big fan of using videos in health class. Even if I did use them a lot, I wouldn't have enough time in 45 minutes to use a decent full-length video, and would never dare to take up multiple classes unless the video was REALLY good. I do use video clips in a variety of ways, especially if I can find one that's up to five minutes long and can introduce a topic, reinforce a point, or tie together loose ends during a lesson.

In order to use video clips, I use a Firefox add-on to download YouTube videos. I can't access YouTube at school, so I make sure to get the leg work done at home. However, sometimes I find a longer clip that begs to be shown, and sometimes this happens to be streaming online.

Enter PBS Frontline. I used this last year during a unit on advertising (using resources and clips from The Persuaders) and I just recently showed some clips as part of our ongoing unit on HIV/AIDS Education. I used parts of two clips, about twenty minutes total, in some of our past classes. The episodes can be viewed online in segments, eliminating the need to download any videos. The segments break up longer episodes, making it easier to pause and ask questions/refocus students during segments.

Frontline contains episodes about a myriad of topics, and the collection of episodes on their website is extensive. If you click on the "Watch Online" link, there are consistent episodes going back to 2003, with a few select episodes going back to the 1980s. A great advantage of using Frontline clips/episodes is the extensive amount of extra material accompanying each topic. Interviews, timelines, maps, charts, articles, etc are all provided. These resources can prove to be a huge asset when trying to supplement curriculum material or expand upon information on a higher level. I highly suggest you try using clips from Frontline in your classroom!

If I do use longer videos in class, I have a specific exercise students complete as the video plays. I'll be sure to post that soon. As always, please e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Go Ask Alice!

Providing teenagers with accurate, up-to-date health information is critical to any health curriculum. While difficult to do, there are numerous resources available in today's technology-filled world. In addition to using Google Reader, I've been using a resource that has been around since 1993.

Go Ask Alice is run by Columbia University (specifically the Alice! Health Promotion Program, a division of Columbia's Health Services), and the website contains information on a variety of health topics: alcohol & other drugs, fitness & nutrition, emotional health, general health, sexuality, sexual health, and relationships. Users submit questions that are answered by team members who have "advanced degrees in public health, health education, medicine, and counseling." Information is constantly updated, and articles that have new information have their own section. As the website states, "Go Ask Alice! is a health Q&A Internet resource. It provides readers with reliable, accurate, accessible, culturally competent information and a range of thoughtful perspectives so that they can make responsible decisions concerning their health and well-being. Information provided by Go Ask Alice! is not medical advice and not meant to replace consultation with a health care professional."

Users can sign up for e-mail updates as well. This resource has been helpful to me when a student asks a "loaded question" in which I have to tread carefully around my response, especially with sexuality issues. Check out this timely and important resource for accurate information on a variety of topics!

NOTE: Some of the sexuality information is way beyond the curriculum for middle school students. Use your discretion if you allow students to browse the website on their own.

Melanoma & Sun Exposure: Melanoma Prevention Experts Project

I'm hoping to have a few posts this week about our melanoma and sun exposure unit that we're just finishing up. This year I've been able to utilize different resources and try some new lessons out, and I'd like to share them.

In 8th grade we have a unit on the topic of sun exposure and melanoma. Focusing on the preventative angle, we use modules from the "Take Control of Your Sun Exposure" binder of the Michigan Model for Health Education. Our students do receive basic information on melanoma in seventh grade if we have time during our trimester together. This information is provided free to us by the Melanoma Education Foundation, and we get into more detail in 8th grade. The Michigan Model contains modules that we can use, in any order, to supplement what the students already know.

Initially, many students wonder why we learn about melanoma and sun safety. It can be a rather bland topic to many. I'm still figuring out if the unit actually creates behavior change, but if anything it makes them more aware of the need for sunscreen and other forms of sun protection. I'll have the results from a pre-test/post-test (not actual graded tests) next week, and I'd like to try to reword it so I can get an idea of any behavior changes that occur as opposed to just knowledge. I do notice that eventually, it gets a little more exciting.

The end-of-unit assessment I use for this unit is called, "Melanoma/Sun Exposure Prevention Experts." I want my students to show their expertise relating to tanning, sun exposure, and melanoma. A PDF is at the end of this post; here are the objectives (and changes I would make in parentheses):

1. Identify at least seven facts about sun exposure, tanning, and/or melanoma
2. Describe at least three ways people can protect themselves from the sun (and how these will protect them)
3. Create an action plan, utilizing the three protection methods above, (that will reduce the risk of harm from sun exposure)
4. Advocate for the importance of sun protection in teenagers (and defend your reasoning)

Those are the objectives, on a basic level. I toyed with the idea of going more in depth with my explanation, but I kept it simple for now. More likely than not they will be re-written for next year.

Well, how are students accomplishing these objectives, you ask? Anyway they want that is approved by me. I want students to dip into their creative sides during this unit. I book the laptop carts for this unit, and most projects are submitted electronically. Students simply drop their file into a "drop" folder with my name on it, and I can open it from my computer and grade it. It makes the whole process a lot easier! I give examples of project ideas on the handout: posters (created in PPT, similar to how research posters are created, except these are never printed), songs, essays, comic strips, stories, radio shows, etc. For this trimester, I'm asking the students to stay away from Power Point. That's too basic; I want them to challenge themselves.

The "Prevention Experts" theme could work well with any topic in health education. I've used this idea for my ATOD unit and have tweaked it so it's never the same. It can be different depending on the objectives of each unit, too.

Some examples from last trimester of this project:

• An educational Power Point, using the MTV show Jersey Shore as a main component (the characters frequently tan as part of their G.T.L. (gym, tan, laundry) routine).
• A song called "Brown" set to the music of the song, Down by Jay Sean ("So baby don't worry: you can use bronzer, or a self-tanner....are you brown, brown, brown?...")
• Adapted lyrics to the hit song Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees, with a guest appearance from yours truly ("Whether you're a mother or whether you're a brother you got mel-a-noma, mel-a-noma...Well I can't run, and I can't hide, from the blaring sun, right in the sky....")

All of the above did accomplish the project objectives, and did so in a creative way that went beyond just putting facts on a poster. While the objectives for this trimester's project are a little different (I'm always revising...heck, as I was typing this I noticed something I wanted to change in the objectives), the above examples are worth mentioning.

After day one of this project with trimester three, some ideas from my current students: an audio-story, a cartoon strip (created using a computer program...I can't recall the name), a melanoma rap, and a short story, among others. When I used this last year for sexual harassment (before we switched things around), most students tended to shy away from the longer writing pieces, but I did receive a couple stellar essays, persuasive letters, etc about the issue from students.

For a PDF of this project, please click here! It may very well change by the next time you check back in (if you do at all), so make sure you adapt it for your own use! As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Recent Bullying In the News

Neil Swidey wrote a piece for the Boston Globe Magazine this weekend about stopping bullies, and examined varying viewpoints on effective/ineffective bullying prevention programs. I've always like Swidey's pieces, and he certainly brings up some valid points about bullying prevention in schools. Swidey focuses on the role of bystanders in bullying situations, something we talk about in sixth grade health. The curriculum we use for bullying prevention is a familiar one, Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders. This is a research based curriculum used in schools all over the country. Numerous government organizations sing its praises, and it gets high marks from independent reviewers. Due to adding more to our curriculum, we don't get to cover all of the lessons in AVB, so we combine them when we can in order to get as much out as possible.

To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of AVB. Don't get me wrong, it has its good parts. In my opinion, the best part about AVB is their focus on the three roles people play in any given bullying situation: the aggressor (bully), victim, and bystander. I tend to try to emphasize the role of a bystander, and their ability to either positively or negatively influence a bullying situation. This, combined with strategies students can use to prevent issues from happening, is great information for students to know.

While the material and content in any curriculum might stay the same over time, I feel the way AVB is presented is outdated. For this trimester, I'll most likely try to reproduce the handouts to make them more appealing to this age group while still maintaining the integrity of the curriculum objectives. I'm surprised the publishers of AVB, Teenage Health Teaching Modules, haven't updated the curriculum at all. Talking about portable CD players and rollerblades doesn't really stick with the kids in my classroom.

I do think, as Swidey mentions in his article, that most anti-bullying programs (AVB being one) make standing up to a bully seem "Overly simplistic." If teachers present information to students that seems to be unrealistic, then they're going to zone out. As teachers, we need to engage in conversations with students, understand their beliefs/perceptions/influences, and then go from there. Some students of mine really do believe that anything can be talked out if both sides are willing to do so. Others hear that and laugh, literally. This may be one reason this statement can be so shocking: "None of the current anti-bullying programs, despite their fanfare, have been successful in reducing actual bullying among American students in a meaningful way." Determining why this happens is beyond the scope of this post, and the theories behind what is effective or ineffective are as numerous as there are people. Maybe, right now, someone is figuring that answer out.

The bigger news story around here is Governor Deval Patrick signing an anti-bullying bill into Massachusetts law. With it comes the requirement for all schools to provide "age appropriate instruction on bullying prevention," as well as professional development relating to bullying for all staff. I briefly discussed this change with my principal today, and will likely discuss it with our curriculum director at our meeting later this week. It will be interesting to see the changes that schools across the commonwealth make as a result of this bill! Check back for later posts as we develop a plan to meet the needs of this new law.

As always, please feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, or concerns.

Technicolor Feedback

My school is experiencing a paper shortage. We ran out of paper last year with a few weeks left, which wasn't that big of a deal. However, this year we ran our pretty early, and the paper has been pretty low around here, despite ordering more. I'm waiting for some black market type activity to pop up... :)

This has affected how I teach and made me think about the role of paper in a classroom. Obviously, in a perfect world, everything would be electronic. We're not there (yet), so we have to adapt. When I assign projects, I pass out rubrics to each student so they can see what they're be graded on. I state the objectives and assign point values based on how well the students accomplished those objectives. Standard operating procedure for any teacher.

Well, one paper per student quickly adds up over the course of three grade levels, three trimesters, and many projects. I do double side the papers (the assignment sheet is usually on the back), but now I have stopped doing that.

I'm trying something new.

Instead, whenever a project is assigned, I'm going to have the rubric zoomed in on my Smartboard. I also will have three or four copies hanging up around the room for the students to view. These rubrics are comprehensive in nature and look like your typical rubric: set up in chart form, differing point values explained, etc. I'm not going to give each student a copy of the full rubric: we will go over it in class, and it is then their responsibility to know the rubric and consult the copies hanging up around the room if they have questions. I'll probably upload a copy to the homework calendar, too.

Now, I'm going to try something called technicolor feedback. I learned about this from the wonderful teacher who taught the course, The Skillful Teacher for my district (FYI, if you get to take this course...take it!). We had completed a paper assignment, and as we got the assignments back we noticed they were very colorful. Our teacher had used colored highlighters to highlight parts of our paper based on how well we accomplished the objectives. She gave us a reference sheet so we could decode the meanings of the colors and determine what our strengths and weaknesses were for the assignment.

The order of the color scheme could be whatever, from low to high: blue, green, orange, yellow, pink. Each color would represent how well a student completed each objective.

For example, here's how I could use it in my 8th grade health class; these objectives are currently being tweaked for a project relating to melanoma/sun exposure (which I plan to post about this week). The objectives could be:

• Identify at least seven facts about sun exposure, tanning, and/or melanoma
• Describe at least three ways a student can protect themselves from the sun
• Create an action plan utilizing the three ways described above

Or, whatever the objectives are for the project. I'd print them as written on a piece of paper (leaving space for teacher comments!), and it's incredible how much paper you save. As I'm grading the project, I'll mark each objective with the appropriate color highlighter. When the students get their grades back, they'll know how they performed for each objective/part of the rubric. The students can look at the rubric and color keys around the room, and I'll have the color code on the Smartboard as I hand back their grades, too. The rubric takes up far less paper space (I'm working to get four on one page), and it's visual. Initially, the students might be confused, but by being consistent with coloring, they can eventually catch on; e.g. yellow always being the highest score possible. Then, they can see what they did or didn't do well.

This requires multiple highlighters. I bought a box of highlighters (24 total; 12 yellow, 6 pink, and 2 each of blue, green, and orange) at Costco for less than ten dollars, even though I don't need 24! I could have the students do a peer-evaluation or self-assessment using the same method, too. Of course, a self-reflection after the assignment on what they can improve in is always a good idea!

I'll post back once I've used this a few times between now and the end of the school year, explaining how things went. As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Moving Forward

I was having a discussion with a colleague of mine about teaching, and how in an ideal world we would be able to teach everything until the students master whatever objectives we're trying to teach. Then, we would move on. Everything would be differentiated and specific to each child's unique learning abilities. Ah, in a perfect world!

But, why can't we make this happen? We can, of course. The initial ground work is substantial, but after that it can be very worthwhile. My current goal for the summer is to figure out how to provide such an experience for my students. Some of my students are capable of going so much deeper into topics and aren't able to because of different limitations, mostly due to time and other parts of the curriculum to cover. Another challenge for me is to not step on the toes of the high school teachers, whose curriculum does go into more detail, expanding upon the knowledge students gain in middle school. I also don't want to take away from the objectives of our curriculum.

As I was going over some student work this week, a thought occurred to me. The assignment was a list of divergent questions relating to sexual harassment. These types of questions have no specific answer; they're open ended. Instead of trying to find the answer that may be deemed correct, the students are asked to think critically about the content. I read about these types of questions specifically for health topics in the American Journal of Health Education, and adapted them for use during our sexual harassment unit in eighth grade. I viewed it as an opportunity to hopefully allow students to think about sexual harassment in different ways, as well as to think on a higher level.

A lot of the answers were great! However, some of the students didn't quite make the connections I wanted them to. Others had some great points, but I wanted clarification on their answers. When I was writing comments (a whole other post in itself...comments, their effectiveness, and if they influence student involvement/accountability) I thought, "I wish this was an ongoing conversation between the students and myself." Ideally, I would hand the papers back and have the students answer my questions. I would merely be guiding them. Then I would make comments, and the process would repeat itself. I'm not sure why I don't do this, to be honest. It makes perfect sense.

If a class is really getting into a unit (or even a lesson, or series of lessons within that unit), then why can't I spend more time on it? I'm lucky enough that my middle school has three years of health education classes, and we do cover a lot. But, I still wish I could take more time to cover the topics when the kids really show passion about what we're doing, instead of moving on because I have to cover x,y, and z. I don't want to come off like I'm complaining (I'm just stating facts), but with education today there's so much to cover.

In times like these I find myself craving the opportunity to be teaching language arts, or freshman writing lab. Then, I would be able to work with students as they write and revise, refocusing their efforts and honing their words, and I'd be able to take part in this continuous dialogue of learning.

So, I'm going to try this with my assignments. I'm not really sure how it will work out, or how I will do it with three different grade levels. Because it's currently the third trimester, I see kids every day and only have 125ish students. For trimesters one and two, when I see them every-other-day, I'll have about 220 students. This could prove to be very time consuming!

There is a way to get it done. I just need to find out how I can to fit my teaching situation. In my view, it's using Google Docs, or Moodle, or something to do with technology. I think I've found something to do this summer after I get home from working the summer recreation program.

I know students get a solid health class experience in my classroom, and the other health classroom in my building. To me, there's still a lot to do, but I'm on my way.