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.

Virtual Reproductive Systems

I'll admit it, and it's weird to say: I like teaching about puberty. Sure, it's uncomfortable for a little bit, and some of the kids are mortified. The kids see me as young and laid-back, so I try to make the unit as welcoming as possible. We start with basic changes and hygiene before shifting to the nitty gritty.

Eventually, we arrive at the time where we have to go over the male and female reproductive systems. I feel bad for the girls in my class, only because they have a male teacher (who is younger than some of their brothers!) telling them about how their bodies work. I have no idea what a period feels like. I can't tell you what it's like to shave my legs (although I did it once...college track...another story) or the horror of bra shopping with mom.

The handouts we use of the two systems are very similar to the interactive diagrams I've linked below. These are provided by Kids Health, a great website I use often when I need to communicate in a way they will understand. It's an easy link because of their similarity, and I'm able to better explain not only the parts, but how they all interact as a whole. This helps the students engage in higher level thinking, shifting from knowledge all the way to analysis. As you click on a part, its location is highlighted and its function explained. The female diagram has a separate section on the menstrual cycle; I find this to be incredibly helpful in explaining something that is very complex (at least to sixth graders).

Sometimes, a colleague will walk by or poke their head in to drop something off, and the frontal view of the female reproductive system will be looking at them. Once, while rushing out to bus duty after last period, I left one of the diagrams on my Smart-board without noticing...and was treated to a bunch of wide eyed students looking into my room upon my return!

So, check out these interactive diagrams! You will need Macromedia Flash to view.

Female Reproductive System (Internal view, frontal view, menstrual cycle)

Male Reproductive System (Front angle view and side angle view)

NOTE: This is also when I perform my female reproductive system/menstruation demonstration, where I become the system. I saw Deb Tackman do it at MAHPERD in 2009. I really have to post a video of it, because it brings a visual, live demonstration right in front of the students that I have found very helpful.

As always, please e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns. 300+ unique viewers and counting!

A Better Action Plan

As part of my brief commentary on school lunches, I came up with a quick, four step game plan for people who wish to begin creating change within their school districts. I didn't think too much about it (although you could argue a lot has to do with common sense) and I'm not an expert...yet. I knew someone out there with a few letters after their name (M.D., R.D., PhD, etc) would have something, I just needed to find it.

So, in reading the comments on Mrs. Q's blog I came across a comment by the founder of Better School Food, Susan Rubin (she's an expert). Her organization has an action plan with many of the similar concepts as the one I created. I read it, liked it, and now I want you to read it too!

Check out the action plan here, and put it to work!!

On a side note, I'm not really digging the color scheme of this blog anymore. I'm going to try to spice it up soon. I've been receiving a lot of hits from Google searches (30+ a week), and I'm also going to try to get back to why I started this in the first place: spreading teaching ideas to other health teachers. My formative assessment post, HIV simulation post, and ATOD activities are my most frequently viewed pages. If you see something and you like it, please post a comment!! I know there's almost 300 of you who have been reading! :)

School Lunches: The Saga Continues...

Ah, school lunches. All of a sudden, everyone is talking about them. I'm starting nutrition with my sixth graders this week, so I'll post how I'm incorporating this into our curriculum at a later date. For now, I'm pretty positive that school lunch is the teenage pregnancy of 2010, as far as hot health topics go. And while there was a lot of hype in in 08-09 about teenage pregnancy (specifically after what happened in Gloucester) it seems like the dialogue on that issue has faded. It did resurface a little bit during the health care debate, but the media let that fade too. Now, something new has surfaced.

School nutrition is even appearing in commercials! The American Beverage Association recently aired a commercial patting themselves on the back for eliminating full calorie soft drinks from schools across the country. Full calorie soft drinks? Are people still really concerned only with calories? What about sugar? What about high fructose corn syrup? Why should we be satisfied with less-calorie drinks in our schools when they are still serving drinks loaded with other junk?!? I laughed at this commercial. Way to go, corporate America.

And now, the media blitz of our new hot topic. I've posted on this before, and I'm not the only one. Mrs. Q is chronicling her experience eating only school lunches on her blog, Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do! Then there are the countless news articles that have appeared recently. USA Today has an ongoing section on school lunch safety, which is eye opening in itself: many cafeterias are not passing health and safety inspections, food of a poor quality is making its way onto the trays of students, etc. This week an article appeared in the Boston Globe about struggling families and their reliance on school lunches. This effect is two fold: one being on the students eating the lunches, and two being on the districts who have to serve them without a reimbursement rate that is inadequate. For a comprehensive round up of what's going on in the news relating to school lunches, check out the school lunch roundup posted on Mrs. Q's blog by Brandon Smith.

Because my blog is rather young, there have only been a few posts about school lunches. This will definitely be an ongoing discussion (I have more posts in draft mode) and I hope this conversation continues. It's being hit from many angles: the First Lady, Jamie Oliver, national newspapers, and young, blogging teachers, to name a few.

There seems to be a general outrage about nutrition, but not much is being done. We can watch Jamie Oliver (I have to catch up on Hulu) all we want, but will we join him? While getting a conversation started is the first step (and a critical one!), action is what is needed. What can concerned parents do in their own communities? Here's my own list that I created, as someone with no expert experience in this type of situations. This is only from my head, and I thought about it over the last day or so. Let me know what you think! Here it is:

1. Organize. A group of fired up parents can do a lot to get something within school districts changed! If you do not like what your child is being served, find others who feel the same way you do. Talk with the administrators and teachers in your district. Most principals I know will at least hear you out, even if they can't (for whatever reason: money, etc) change anything immediately. Plan some meetings, get together, and make a game plan. It's better to have too many ideas than none at all!

2. Connect. Connect with local school officials. Tell them you want to work with them, not against them, in helping create more healthy meals for the student body, aka your kids. Reach out to local community organizations: garden clubs, health departments, community coalitions, etc. Nothing around like that? Start one! Social media has made it very simple to connect with others through e-mail, Twitter, Facebook group/fan pages, etc. There's no need to reinvent the wheel; many people have made changes to school lunches in their districts. Connect with these people and see what worked for them! Contact local representatives or other government officials and see if they can help you, too.

3. Research. Read, read, read about food and academic performance! Read articles like this one describing how one district makes fresh breakfasts, from scratch, for their students everyday. Make sure you research data on topics such as the impact of breakfast on academics (warning: company sponsored website), how food service professionals expand their breakfast offerings and be sure to find up to date information from reliable research publications.

4. Model. Want your kids to eat healthy? Eat healthy too! Many people complain about not having enough family time together, but cooking a homemade meal is one of the easiest ways to accomplish two things at once: family social time and healthy eating. My friend Matt has said this for a long time, and I'm in agreement. Realistically, most people can't eat only fresh, unprocessed foods. However, you can be aware of every food item you put into your body, and YOU can make healthy choices.

Also, please realize that schools are held to budgetary constrictions, and a lot of schools simply don't have the facilities to handle a lot of freshly prepared meals. Both are discussed in my post about what Anthony Geraci has done with the food being served in the Baltimore public schools.

Personally, one of my physical education colleagues and me and teaming up to revamp the bulletin boards in our school cafeteria to highlight different information about nutrition. We're still in the process of figuring out logistics, but once we get rolling I'll be sure to post about it, with pictures too.

Will school lunches change? I hope something about them changes. Our children are our future and if we want to have a healthy population in the future, we cannot continue on the road we are on.

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

NOTE: Michelle Obama has launched a contest called Apps for Healthy Kids. The goal is to create "innovative, fun and engaging software tools and games that encourage children directly or through their parents to make more nutritious food choices or be more physically active." Check it out, and if you're knowledgeable about that sort of thing, enter the contest!

Phoebe Prince

It appears school lunches and bullying are both hot topics this year, especially with the local, highly publicized story regarding the suicide of 15 year old Phoebe Prince. This media firestorm first occurred back in January and with the recent news that charges have been made, it's back again.

Nine teenagers have been charged with various crimes relating to the death of Prince, which are explained in detail in the linked articles below. The articles share the same common information: unrelenting bullying of Phoebe, kids and teachers who were aware of what was going on, and a fired up public. If you haven't figured it out by now, I don't rehash articles that already have the information for you. So, they're linked below. If a study or article comes out on its own, I'll do a more in depth review (like the New England Journal of Medicine article on salt) but when so many articles appear in a certain amount of time, I just add my thoughts.

Here's an editorial by Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen. It's more, uh, blunt than the other reports. Next, the actual articles in the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. A brief story also appeared in the Springfield Republican.

It's no secret that bullying happens. In order for bullying to stop, students need to learn the skills of how to properly handle a bullying situation. What should someone do if they are being teased or bullied? What can they do as a bystander who witnesses bullying happening? Why do kids bully anyway? To me, this might be the most important question. Part of our sixth grade curriculum includes Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders. It's a little dated, but my favorite part deals with what students can do as a bystander to a bullying situation, and how they can either prolong the bullying or help end it. We also discuss that choosing not to do anything at all is a decision that has its consequences, as many people in South Hadley have found out. Students should also learn other important life skills, such as self-esteem, communication skills, goal setting, decision making, support networks...all of which can tie into anti-bullying units.

I'm up in the air about the new legislation in Massachusetts regarding bullying because it places most of the blame in one place. Parents are still responsible for their kids, and administrators have so much on their plate already. I'm not saying teachers and administrators should not report bullying behavior (they NEED to do something about it) but I think there are more proactive ways to handle this issue, which is another post in itself! I do like the part about attempting to change the climate of a school, and ultimately, teachers need to be aware of what constitutes bullying versus simple teasing (many may argue there is no such thing as simple teasing). However, so much of bullying can occur outside of school, where teachers and administrators are not responsible for the behavior of their students. I read a report about a parent who paid two boys fifty dollars each to "take care" of someone bullying his daughter. What kind of example does this set? When bullying does occur in school, it's often (not always) very subtle. Teenagers are masters at keeping their behavior discrete. By the time it's being taken care of, another incident is probably occurring. It's a never ending battle; at least it will be until we start changing the culture of a school and community. It is going to be a multi-faceted effort, involving schools, parents, community organizations, and more. Sounds like a great opportunity for schools to work within their coordinated school health programs!

NOTE: I picked up Queen Bees and Wannabes at Borders this weekend, along with a few other books. I'm hoping to start it this week, but with middle school, track, and class all very busy right now, it might have to wait until the weekend.

Food Revolution!

I just watched the first episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on Hulu. I'm hooked!

I had no idea this show was going to happen, and I'm glad that school lunches are receiving some media attention. It's very hard to change how school lunches are served, but Jamie seems like the man for the job, filled with passion and a firm resolve to help people change. But, as we know from what's happening in Baltimore, change IS possible if you have the tools, desire, and manpower to accomplish it. On a side note, this is the second time I've seen the word "revolution" associated with school lunches; the first was a company mentioned in an earlier blog post of mine.

I just sent this link to my friend Matt Germain. If Jamie Oliver, Jack Lalanne, and Matt all teamed up, this problem would be solved!

Cough Medicine Abuse

This post is all over the place. At the end I have numerous links; links to articles and resources. For all I know, this issue will result in ongoing commentary from me right here on Middle School Health Esteem. I should be reading about standard deviation and z scores for my grad class, but this is important for me to post about.

Over the last month or so I've heard a lot about DXM, dextromethorphan. I was attending a district wide professional development class when a teacher from the high school in my district informed me about the increasing trend among our community of students abusing cough medicines. Last week, while in the middle of our seventh grade ATOD unit, I covered DXM and numerous other drugs in class. Then, an article appeared in the town newspaper, which was shortly followed by an article in the local, regional paper. The next logical step was for television media to get involved. This week the local ABC affiliate, WCVB in Boston, had a story on the evening news. The media was reporting on an increase in teenagers abusing cough medicines containing DXM.

Well, it's no secret now that I teach in Danvers, Massachusetts. Originally, I didn't want that to come out on here simply because anyone can read whatever I type here, and I don't have tenure yet. But, then I realized I really have nothing to hide, I'm promoting what I do in the classroom, and if anything, maybe we can get some conversations flowing about this issue and other issues too.

Abusing cough medicines with DXM has many negative health effects: impaired judgement, vomiting, hallucinations, dizziness, disorientation, etc. More information on DXM is linked below. Many medicines contain other ingredients that can be deadly in excess amounts as well. This post isn't really about DXM itself, but more about how Danvers is approaching this issue.

After I read the article in the regional paper, I e-mailed the director of Danvers CARES, a prevention coalition that always gets two huge thumbs up from me. I asked the director if she had any additional resources I could share with all of my students to educate them about DXM and prescription drug abuse in general. We only touch upon substance abuse in general terms in the seventh grade curriculum; they go more in depth in high school health (we focus on tobacco and alcohol). She responded with some great information that I've included below. I'm using them in some "teachable moments" coming up with all grade levels, because whenever a teachable moment exists I snag that opportunity!

It's also important to remember that DXM abuse is only one part of prescription drug and OTC drug abuse. It falls under that general umbrella, which encompasses abuse of anything from Oxycontin to diet pills. So, abuse of one drug is only one small part of a much larger issue.

We also don't really know how long this has been going on. National data about this type of behavior, according to the director of Danvers CARES, only goes back to 2006. What I do know is that we in Danvers are very lucky to have an organization like Danvers CARES to spearhead community involvement over this issue. Our police department visited all the local pharmacies to talk to the managers recently, and there is a round table discussion scheduled for next month with police officers, school officials, Danvers CARES representatives, and more. The purpose is to educate parents and citizens about the dangers of DXM abuse. I'm a big believer in involving parents in what goes in within a child's education, and I'm trying to add a little more of that each year in my own teaching. Providing these opportunities for parents to hear from people who know what they're talking about and to ask those questions is a great thing! Parents: please talk to your kids, and get them the facts.

Basically, many parts of the coordinated school health program that I'm a huge proponent of are working together on this issue. In order for any change to happen a huge effort is required; it looks like we're seeing that becoming reality here. Will it work? I hope so. Ultimately, it's up to the kids themselves to change their own behaviors. Ideally, it would be great to identify trends with risk behaviors before they happen. Unfortunately, that's not always realistic, and I'm not sure where that would even start. A reader comment I read on one of the newspaper articles online mentioned that when kids start using these types of drugs, that they have surpassed marijuana and are looking for something else. I don't know if that has any truth to it or not (anything posted online like that needs to be taken with a grain of salt), but if it is true than I'm scared to think about what could come next.

Check out the following resources below.

Resources:

DXM Stories: Make Up Your Own Mind About Cough Medicine. Provides factual information, stories from former users, and news about cough medicine abuse. The site says all information is from reliable, medical research or from first hand accounts of former users.

Above The Influence: OTC Drugs. From the "abovetheinfluence" website.

*Note: The director of Danvers CARES mentioned that some of the following are produced by pharmaceutical companies. They have great information, but remember the course as you browse them. I used the Kids Health reference sheet in class this week, as an FYI.

Tip Sheet for Giving Oral OTC Cough and Cold Medicines to Children.

Check The OTC Label.

Preventing Teen Cough Medicine Abuse: A Parent's Guide.

Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse: KidsHealth.org

Student Feedback: Alcohol Simulation Stations

Last week, I was able to use the alcohol simulation stations activity with my seventh graders. I adapt the activity to fit our class length (45 minutes) as well as the attention span of seventh grade students. I included five stations, which I found to be enough to get the point of the lesson across.

Whenever I use activities like this, I ask for the students to write a brief reflection on what they experienced. The chart they filled out during class had the factual information they needed, so for the reflection I wanted to know their opinions on the activity, how they felt about their experience, and what they were going to do with the information they learned.

The lesson went really well! There were some logistical issues I could fix, but when it came time to go over the chart, I could see the light bulbs go off in their heads. I was very happy at how things went, and my initial concerns that the lesson wouldn't click with seventh grade students were false.

I e-mailed Dr. Whalen, who helped create this activity, with some student responses. Below are selected thoughts from some of those responses. A few are in their entirety, others are excerpts. I've included them with grammatical errors and all. Enjoy!

"I really enjoyed the station activity about alcohol. I enjoyed this activity because they were all very challenging, which makes me want to keep going."

"I didn't think it was going to be hard to complete all these challenges until I tried."

"Something that would be easy to do normally was very difficult during the activity when we were 'under the influence' of alcohol."

"This is the best activity we've done all year, I think."

This next one is from one of my brighter students, who also told me he used this opportunity to showcase his vocabulary: "Today in health class, we did various activities designed to simulate alcohol abuse. For instance, take the 'foggy glasses' activity. In this activity, the participant donned spectacles obstructed with a foreign substance, most likely petroleum jelly. The wearer was then required to painstakingly navigate an ordinary sewing thread through the literal 'eye of the needle.' However, since a needle could be potentially dangerous in a situation where one's vision was impaired, a small chain was implemented as a safety precaution. I personally felt extremely frustrated and frigghtfuly incompitant at simple everyday tasks while performing this staton. This station was ment to simulate how your vision could be adversely affected in a situation where alcohol was abused. One could easily crash an automobile or at the very least stumble and fall down while being influenced by alcohol. And so, in conclusion, I enjoyed these activities immensely. I believe that be demonstrating the negative affects of alcohol to students, more lives can be saved. In the time-honored words of Officer S., 'Smoking kills more people, but alcohol ruins more lives.' "

"I really enjoyed todays class we were up and moving and really experimenting. I would so much rather do class activities like that because we get to feel what it's like. I really enjoyed todays class I think we should have more classes like todays."

"I never really understood what an alcoholic went through. I thought that an alcoholic could control themselves, and I didn't know how much alcohol affects the body. In the end I now understand what an alcoholic goes through when drinking and this acitivty has taught me not to drink."

"The activities that we did in class today really helped show me what it would feel like to drink all the time. I liked the balloon juggling station because it showed how hard it is to juggle other things in your life when you're focused on alcohol."

Next up: some great, interactive diagrams of the male & female reproductive systems I'm using for puberty!

mrbartletthealth@gmail.com

Wordle

I entered my blog URL into Wordle just to see what happened. The result isn't too surprising, considering that recently I've posted a lot with student activities. Click on the image for a bigger version. Image courtesy of Wordle.

Impromptu Teacher Demonstrations

When I use the alcohol simulation stations activity, I make sure I demonstrate, in part, each activity. For some stations, I don't show students the whole thing because that ruins the point, but I make sure they get the general idea.

Inevitably during the course of the activity, the students say, "Well, can YOU do this, Mr. B?!" as I check in with the different stations. This is especially true when you have a video camera in order to record the activity for absent students or for parent days, and they want to take a turn behind the camera.

The two stations shown are the "Dollar Bill Station" and "Walk The Line." "Dollar Bill" requires you to tape a dollar bill to the ground (I use paper towels or index cards the same size as a dollar bill...they usually rip). You then place your fingers on your toes and attempt to jump over the dollar bill without having your fingers leave your shoes. Give it a shot! "Walk the Line" requires the participant to put their hands above their head, clasp them, look up, and spin around five or six times. Then, they try to "walk the line" of masking tape without stumbling.

Here's the video! I uploaded it as a lower quality, so my apologies if it's a little grainy. For some reason, it will not play if your browser is Google Chrome.

HIV Transmission Activity: From the Students

EDIT: I have updated the HIV Transmission Game handout (which a number of people have downloaded!) in the original post. I tweaked something to represent condom usage that I included in my blog post while leaving it out of the PDF. You can find the updated link in the original HIV Transmission Game post.

After completing the activity in class with my 8th graders, I had them write a reflection for homework. My only requirement was that it be ten sentences minimum. Some students wrote less, and many wrote more. The first two examples below are in their entirety; the others are selected quotes.

All sentences are posted exactly as written (sic):

"Today's health class (Feb. 24) was very interesting. I could tell that the whole class pretty much liked that activity. It was different, we learned something from is without having to sit in our seats. It shows how fast and how easy it is to pass around HIV or any of that. In my opinion, that is not good at all. I don't know much about the stuff in this new unit, but I can tell that we will all learn a lot. HIV, STD's, and AIDS can be very dangerous. I hope everyone learns that so they will know. It would be fun to do another activity like this in the future."

"1. At first, I was wondering about some things in he activity.

2. When we found out at the end, I thought the activity was really messed up, but on second thought, what we learn in Health is usually messed up.

3. The activity surprised me at how fast and how much HIV can spread.

4. I got HIV from Peter, who got it from Jenna, who got it from David.

5. Even though I was surprised at how much it can spread, I doubt many people really "get together" with others that often as demonstrated in this.

6. I was partly scared too find out the only way to be 100% not to get HIV is to, not, you know, "get together."

7. If this is just the beginning, I don't think I want to know what we're doing next.

8. This sentence may be off topic, but I'm glad Mr. Bartlett said we're not going to see pictures.

9. It occurred to me that if a person has HIV and doesn't know, it could turn into a big problem.

10. One thing I want to know, though, is the difference between HIV and AIDS."

Note: I told them at the beginning of the unit that I would not show them any pictures of what STD's on the body look like.

"I liked how we were actual able to understand the material we are required to learn by doing it in a fun way, rather than out of a textbook or taking notes."

"The HIV disease never seemed very real to me...until now."

"It was fun because we go to get up and walk around but boring depending on what you got in your bag." (This student had the abstinence card)

"I thought it worked well, for after it was finished I had a lot more knowledge in the subject area. This is a little awkward to learn about, but it will be very educational."

"It's really creepy when you see the whole web of people."

Overall, the lesson was a success! Other students in the school asked me about the lesson during my lunch duty, and a teacher brought it up too. After we went over the discussion questions during the lesson, I could tell the students were thinking about what we just simulated. Hopefully it will encourage them to make good decisions in the future! I have received similar feedback from the alcohol simulation stations lesson in seventh grade.

Embrace Life Advertisement

Below is an advertisement from the UK about wearing your seat belt. I find it very moving and I like the style of this advertisement. I agree with what the Adverblog says about this advertisement and "the happy consequences of using it (the seat belt), instead of the rawness showing what happens if you don't."

I have always worn my seatbelt, and wearing one prevented a lot of trouble for me one snowy day in January, 2009 when 58 other cards and mine decided to have a small get-together on the highway. Check out the website of The Suffolk Safer Roads for information on this incredible collaborative effort going on in Suffolk. Anyone know of something similar in the United States?

Buckle up folks!

HIV Transmission Activity

NOTE: This post is in the process of being edited for reposting, due to its popularity. Please check back later this week (the week of 2/6/2011) for a re-post!

Formative Assessment in My Health Classroom

Last year, my district spent a lot of time on formative assessment. Unlike its counterpart, summative assessment, formative assessment is a great way to provide the teacher with immediate feedback on what their students are taking out of a lesson, including what the students are learning or not learning. Many formative assessment techniques also double as excellent activators or closures to begin or end class. Ultimately, formative assessment provides the teacher with valuable feedback as to how to adapt a current or future lesson in order to meet the needs of their students. Because we as teachers are constantly adapting how we teach content, formatively assessing students is a great way to achieve instant feedback without waiting until the end of a unit.

There are hundreds of ways to use formative assessment in any classroom. Below are some examples that I have tried (some successfully, others still need work) or want to try in my middle school health classroom. Through collaboration with my colleagues across all departments, I'm always able to find new things to try.

1. Boogie Boards. Regular dry erase boards are very expensive, but Home Depot has a cheaper alternative! Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and find a big sheet of showerboard. I don't remember exactly what I used, but the workers may know what you're talking about. Have a worker cut it into 12 inch x 12 inch squares, and for about 15-20 bucks (I wasn't charged for the cutting when I told them what I was using it for) I walked out with 25-30 cheap dry erase boards! These do not erase as easily as regular dry erase boards, but that's not really a problem. I've used these in many ways:

• as a pre-assessment, using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to see students' perceived attitudes about drug use in the school.
• as a review: putting questions on the Smartboard (multiple choice, true/false, etc) and having students write down the answers. They then hold up the boards and I have instant feedback on if they get the answers right or not.
• as part of the "Back Art" activity created by Tom Jackson. This isn't a formative assessment, but it's a great activity I use to introduce communication.

They've been a great tool! The students always love being able to use dry erase markers, too. I have a bunch of old ones they use...no one is touching my new markers!

2. Stoplight Cards. Stoplight cards are on my to-do list for February break. These are easy to make and last a pretty long time if you laminate them. As you may have gathered from the name, each student will need a set of three small index cards or pieces of construction paper: one green, one yellow, and one red, preferably. Youcould also just make index cards with "A" "B" "C" "D" on each one. Some colleagues of mine will use a hole puncher to punch one hole on the corner of them and hold them together with an individual binder ring. These cards can be used to check for understanding in the middle of a lesson. I can pose a question to the class and receive immediate feedback based on their answers. If needed, I can spend more time on a section or move on. The color scheme helps me understand how students feel about overall concepts we're discussing in class as well.

3. Sheet Protector Anatomy Review. This idea came from a geography teacher from across the hall, who uses this as a study technique for reviewing locations on maps. Each student has a typical sheet protector and a dry erase or wet-erase marker. It saves money if you have one classroom set, but it's not unreasonable for students to provide their own, either. For this, I conduct a review after we go over the parts and functions of the male/female reproductive systems. I'll hand out a diagram of the male and female reproductive systems, with numbers next to each. Students will then take their marker and try to fill in as many of the blanks as possible. Next time, I'll probably use a word bank for this. This allows me to see which parts/functions the students are aware of (some of them are obvious...) and the parts I need to clarify.

4. GO-GO-MO: Give One, Get One, Move On. I initially learned about this during day one of The Skillful Teacher course. During that class, we used this to share different classroom management strategies. This activity is a great activator and gets the students out of their seats and moving around. Each student has a handout with a 3x3 table on it. At their desks, they fill in the top three boxes based on a prompt you give them. I might tell them, "Think of three positive strategies you can use to help stop bullying in our school." They jot three ideas that they can think of down, and then go around the room getting other ideas from their classmates. They can only write down ideas not already on their lists. After this activity is completed, we have a pretty comprehensive list of strategies we can use to help stop bullying! It's a great way to see how other students in the class think if you're looking for opinion type data. Another example I could use is to list examples of tobacco's effect on the cardiovascular system. A science colleague of mine uses this when he talks about different types of cells. Here's a link to a PDF of a GO-GO-MO sheet.

5. Popsicle Sticks. A simple, cheap tool with multiple uses. At the start of each trimester, I'll have my students each take a popsicle stick (I buy the large ones at a craft store) and write their name and period on them. I'll use them to randomly call on students during a lesson, asking them to summarize points I've made or to explain a concept to a friend. This is helpful to me when we talk about subjects such as the effects of alcohol on the human body because not all students have a grasp of the human body systems. It also helps keep the students paying attention, although I have found that many hate the "dreaded popsicle sticks" and will willingly participate instead of being called on randomly. But, I like it because it helps with universal participation. I use them to split students up into random groups, too. Take out the absent students and thrown down sticks like we used to do for pond hockey. I also have a separate set that are colored for the same purpose.

6. Crumpled Paper. Fun for the kids, but not very green. Have students take some scrap paper and write down a question they still have towards the end of a lesson. Once it's written down, they can crumple it up and toss it to the front of the room. Then, pick the

m up and open the question. You could also have the students throw them randomly around the room and have each student pick one up to see if they can answer it. As always, you should set some ground rules before you do this. I don't use this too often (maybe twice a year), but the kids love it. I've used this as a mini-activator for the first day of school with my sixth graders, who responded to the prompt, "What about middle school makes you nervous?" The anonymity helped kids be honest.

These are only a few examples of the countless ways you could use formative assessment in your classroom. This post is only a guide with a few ideas. Please try these out in your own classroom, and let me know how it goes! Last year, all the science teachers read a specific book about applying formative assessment to their curriculum, and I have been able to use some of their ideas in my own classroom. Experimentation is part of what makes teaching fun!