TIME MANAGEMENT

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GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

1.  Understand the importance of time management

2.  Learn skills to better manage our time

4:00 – 4:10 Check In – “I am” rap

PREP: None

  • Students will, in turn, make a statement about themselves using the “I am” theme, accompanied by rap music created by the students themselves.
  • Identify beat box(s), variation of music created with hands, feet, on desks, etc.
  • Any number of students can produce the music

Ask students the following riddle:

1) What flies but has no wings?

2) This thing devours all, birds, beasts, trees, flowers, gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal, slays kings, ruins towns, and beats high mountains down. (Students will enjoy knowing or might recognize that the last riddle is from The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien).

Answer: Time

4:10 – 4:15 Review group agreements and class map

PREP: Group agreements and class map posters.

Go around classroom asking students explain one of the group agreements

Recap where we are on the class map and where we are going today and in future meetings

4:15 – 4:20 Pebbles, Rocks, Sand

PREP: One large jar (pickle jar or other), several large rocks, bag full of small pebbles, jug of water

(Perform the following demonstration for students, asking them questions as you go…)

  • Put some large rocks in the jar. . Put in as many as you possibly can. Ask students, “does the jar look full”? (Add large rocks until students say “yes”)
  • Okay, you’ve got a full pickle jar that you can’t fit anything else into, right? Now, put some pebbles in. Put as many in as you can possibly fit. Ask students, “does the jar look full”? (Add pebbles until students say “yes”)
  • Now, take your full jar and add sand. Ask students, “does the jar look full”? (Add sand until students say “yes”)
  • Now, take your full jar and add water. Ask students, “does the jar look full”? (Add water until students say “yes”)

Explain significance: Each of us has many large priorities in our life, represented by the large rocks. We also have things which we enjoy doing, such as the pebbles. We have other things we have to do, like the sand. And finally, we have things that simply clutter up our lives and get in everywhere: water.

None of these are bad things. After all, we need the gamut of these objects—from large priorities to times of rest—in order to feel truly fulfilled. No Time Management theory should be without balance, and the Pickle Jar theory is all about balance. You make time for everything, and everything simply fits well where it is supposed to fit. With proper time management, you can do more (like how more things were added to jar), and enjoy what you are doing more.

One way to manage time is to look at your day and figure out what the large priorities are (rocks). These could be things like school and homework. Once these large priorities are identified and scheduled into your day, you can then add in things you like to do (pebbles) such as listen to music, talk to friends, or play a game of basketball.

·  Have students make a detailed list of all the activities they perform in a typical school day

·  Label each list as a rock (priority), pebble (things they like to do but don’t have to do), sand (things that have to be done), and finally water (things that you don’t really want to do or have to do).

·  Create a revised daily schedule using the new technique. Schedule priorities (rocks first), next schedule things you have to do (sand) and finally schedule in things you like to do (pebbles)

Debrief Questions (write key points on chart paper, blackboard)

1.  What made this activity hard/easy?

2.  What did you learn about how you spend your time?

3.  What other techniques work for you to manage your time more efficiently?

4.  How can you incorporate more effective time management into your life?

4:50 – 5:00 Wrap Up

PREP: Snacks

Assign new roles

Fist to Five + Snacks

Agenda for next week