Classroom Survival Skills Grades 6-8

Classroom Survival Skills Grades 6-8

Topic: Concentrating on a Task

Learning Intention:

  • We are learning to determine WHAT the task is
  • We are learning to decide on a TIME to work on the task
  • We are learning to find a PLACE to work and gather needed materials
  • We are learning to decide IF we are READY to concentrate

Success Criteria:

  • We know we are successful when students can determine what the task is, decide on a time to work on the task, gather needed materials, find a place to work, and decide if we are ready to concentrate.

Materials for Activity:

  • Large post-it paper/easel/chalkboard/whiteboard
  • Markers/chalk
  • Optional: Collaborative Numbers sheet—one per student
  • CICO Rubric

Standard Circle Set Up:

  • Chairs in a circle (preferably without desk attached)
  • Center piece in center of circle
  • 3-4 talking pieces laying around the center piece
  • 2-4 copies of Group’s Shared Agreements

Group Procedure

Welcome

Greet students, get in circle. If needed, seat students strategically. Notice how the group is doing today (e.g. high or low energy, high or low motivation). If needed, remind students of the shared agreements. You can ask a student to volunteer to read them or read them yourself.

Icebreaker

Snap/Crackle/Pop (Ropes & Challenges Education Curriculum Guide)

Participants stand in a circle and all face in, towards the center. The leader selects one member to begin after demonstration.

**Snap: hold right arm chest high pointing left or hold left arm chest high pointing right.

**Crackle: hold right arm overhead pointing left or hold left arm overhead pointing right.

**Pop: clap both hands together, palms touching, fingers pointed away from your body and pointing to a particular person across circle. Participant can “pop” anywhere in the circle, but not to their immediate left or right (except when there are less than five people in the circle).

  • Participants must start with saying “SNAP”, then move to “CRACKLE”, then “POP” including the correct motion with each word.
  • A player is “out” if they say the wrong word, do the wrong action, or don’t do anything when it’s their turn.
  • The group then put their thumbs in the circle and says: “you’re out of here” (as an umpire would throw a player out of a baseball game).
  • The players who are now “out” must walk about the circle and call out to the active players, trying to distract them. No touching is allowed.
  • After playing a few rounds relate the game to the idea of concentrating. During this game there are times it is very difficult to stop, think, and make an appropriate choice. How is this similar to when we are angry and thinking hot thoughts? How did we overcome this in the game? How can we overcome this when we are angry?

Prior Week Reflection

Pass out the prior week CICO rubric. Have students reflect on their performance by stating: Let’s take some time to review our goal for the week. Take some time to determine if you achieved your goal, what worked, and what didn’t work so well. Then we will send the talking piece around for everyone to share. After a minute has passed, assess group to determine if everyone is ready to start. Then ask: who would like to start? *Try to choose the first person that volunteered. *If he/she begins speaking without a talking piece, remind him/her to choose one. *If he/she does not pass it to the left when done, remind him/her to do so. *Remember who started so you know who will be the last person to speak.

Topic of the Week

Today we are going to learn a really important skill for academic success: how to concentrate on a task.

Inspiring Word

“Perhaps the most valuable result of education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.” Thomas Huxley

Lesson

Begin the lesson by sharing a personal story of a time when you had to concentrate even though you did not want to.Can anyone explain what “concentrating on a task” means?

  • Why is it important to concentrate on an identified task? Elicit feedback regarding the need for the following skills (connect with PBIS when appropriate):
  • Being able to concentrate on a task takes planning. When we take the time to plan, we can avoid a lot of problems with distractions.
  • Concentrating on a task helps us to make fewer mistakes.
  • Concentrating on a task helps us to learn new skills faster and more easily.
  • Concentrating on a task makes us more efficient so we can accomplish more.
  • Teach Learning Intentions : (May want to write these on chalkboard, whiteboard, etc)
  • Decide what your task is.
  • Decide on a time to work on this task. Consider when and how long to work.
  • Gather the materials you need.
  • Decide on a place to work. Consider noise level, people present, possible interruptions.
  • Decide if you are ready to concentrate.
  • Success Criteria: We know we are successful when we can determine what the task is, decide on a time to work on the task, gather needed materials, decide on a place to work, and decide if we are ready to concentrate.
  • Provide students with examples of concentrating and not concentrating on a task such as:
  • The teacher gives you some new math homework and you do it on the bus on the way home.
  • The teacher gives you an art project to finish and you wait until after dinner when the table is clear and everyone has left the kitchen to gather the materials at the table and work on your project.

Activity to Practice Skill

Practice/Role Play 3x: Have each student describe a situation in which this skill, concentrating on a task, will be useful. Have students share and role play an experience when they were required to complete a large project.

  • After each role play, have the group tell one thing that went well and one thing they would add.
  • Additional Optional Activity to practice concentrating on a task:
  • Collaborative Numbers (fromJourney Toward the Caring Classroom by Laurie Frank): See attached. (Note: the second number grid is somewhat more challenging than the first grid because the numbers are not all printed in one direction).

Check-In Check-Out Rubric

Pass out new weekly CICO rubric. Have students make a new SAIG driven goal for the upcoming week. (SAIG driven goal idea: identify one class that you need to improve your concentration in and describe what you will need to do to improve in that class).

Closing Circle Question

Share one thing you learned in circle today or when you might have an opportunity to practice concentrating on an important task this week.

Student Agenda

Topic: Concentrating on a Task

Welcome

Shared Agreements

Icebreaker

Snap/Crackle/Pop

Prior Week Reflection

Review your CICO rubric from last week and reflect on your performance. Did you meet your goal? What worked? What didn’t work?

Topic of the Week

Ways we can concentrate better on an important task.

Inspiring Word

“Perhaps the most valuable result of education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not”. - Thomas Huxley

Lesson

  • Describe a time you had to concentrate on a task, even if you didn’t want to.
  • Why is it important to concentrate on an identified task?
  • Think about examples of concentrating and not concentrating on a task.

Activity to Practice Skill

  • Describe a situation in which you may want to use this skill. Role play these situations.
  • After each role play, share one thing that went well and one thing to add or change.

Check-In Check-Out Rubric

Make a new goal for the upcoming week. (Idea: Identify one class that you need to improve your concentration.)

Closing Circle Question

Share one thing you learned in circle today or when you might you have an opportunity to practice concentrating on an important task this week.

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