Perseverance Pays Off

Attitudes Project Expectations

Pre-Winter Break Lesson Plan

The day before a holiday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Break, Easter Break, even a pseudo-holiday like Halloween, is usually just this side of insane. Students don’t want to work. There’s candy everywhere. Gifts are being given. Focus is lost. Just keeping the lid on seems overwhelming. Unless you have an educationally sound, kid-approved lesson that keeps them interested, occupied and engaged. Decades ago I created such a lesson. Kids loved it. I loved it. It‘s easy, academic and fun! The bonus of this lesson, it helped with student retention in foreign language classes. 

Here are the steps to follow: 

1. Completely erase the entire white board. You will want the space. 

2. Number the entire board from 1 to 35. Place holiday appropriate symbols, like pumpkins, around each number. 

3. Put a large assortment of dry erase pens at the front of the room. The more color variety the better. 

4. After school, the day before a holiday, have each student in your most advanced class go to the board and draw a culturally appropriate picture next to a number. If your class is smaller than 35, they will need to draw more than one. Be sure to explain to the class the night before they need to come up with three or four ideas for their drawings. Most students are eager, although the shy need some encouragement. After this has become a tradition in your classes, you will overhear students commenting they look forward to being in the class that gets to draw the pictures. Never let an underclassman participate in putting the pictures on the board. 

5. Check each picture as they finish drawing. A few may need a little help so their drawings are clear, and some can be too obscure. You may need to edit, as students can be a bit gross at time. One Thanksgiving students drew a very vivid picture of a turkey being beheaded. I erased that one. Remember, all day students are going to see these pictures. You want to understand them, so you can give hints if necessary. My favorite was The Twilight Zone Marathon. It became a tradition in my program which was passed down each year from class to class. 

6. Before the first class arrives the next morning, place a stack of German (French, Spanish, Chinese)/English dictionaries on the first desk of each row. I always had enough dictionaries that students could work in groups of two. Three does not work. Working alone is tough. 

7. Students should look up what they see on the board, and write the German (French, etc.) on their own papers. Don’t let them put two student names on one paper. This never works. Trust me on this. 

8. They must write the definite article and the noun. If there is an adjective, like in a drawing of black cat, they must include the adjective, with the correct ending. This allows you to preview grammar not yet taught. Students are very receptive to this, and ask for help. It’s a contest. They want to win.

 9. Buy a small bag of individually wrapped candy and give a piece to each member of the first team finished. Be sure to check the work. Sometimes they make errors, of course. Don’t be too picky. Perfection is not the goal.

 10. After the first group finishes, and as each group finishes, they will help their classmates. You’ll find they don’t give them the answers, but give them hints instead, especially in grammar.  

11. Collect work as it’s finished and the rest at the end of the period. Grading is subjective. First year classes typically have a few students who finish by the end of the class period. Most, however, finish about half of the pictures. Second year will complete more. The majority complete about two-thirds of the pictures. Most third year students finish them all, as do AP/IB/fourth year students. 

12. There are several goals in this lesson. Students learn the correct way to use the dictionary. They learn the symbols and abbreviations. It removes the mind-numbing boredom a dictionary lesson will create, and replaces it with fun. 

Students learn vocabulary that’s both meaningful, and is usually more advanced than where they are in the curriculum. This they do without complaint. You are able to foreshadow grammar, so when it arrives later in the school year, you’re able to point back to what they discovered at Halloween or Thanksgiving. 

Finally, it keeps students focused, doing an academic lesson without arguing at a time where students are going nuts in other classes. I had four decades of happy “day before’s” while colleagues were losing their minds.

If you don’t teach a foreign language class, adapt this lesson to your curriculum. Remember to keep it fun and entertaining, but academic. 

Setting Expectations

Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist – Middlebury College

While the cost of obtaining a college degree in the U.S. has continued to climb, some colleges and universities offer enough financial support to make them virtually free to attend. Most of these institutions are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts, according to a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. Half base how much they provide a student by the financial need of the family (as determined by the FAFSA form). The others base their contribution on merit alone.

A Full Ride is still possible at is Middlebury College; ranked number 4 (Tie) in the nation by U.S. News. Middlebury College is located in a rural area in Vermont. The college was founded in 1800. The campus covers 350 acres. The current undergraduate population is 2,542 students. It’s a world class institution which provides an excellent education.

The application deadline at Middlebury College is January 01.The early action deadline is November 01. There's a $65 fee to apply to the university. ACT or SAT test scores are due on January 1. It's difficult to be selected to attend with an acceptance rate of only 17 percent, but since the student to faculty ratio is 8:1 and most classes contain only 20 students, it’s worth the effort to try.

The cost of tuition and fees for a year at Middlebury College is $50,063, (2016-2017) and since freshmen are required to live on college, it’s important to note that room and board are an additional $14,269 annually. But with a Full Ride, this doesn’t matter. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. The most important aspect of planning to go to any such university is to make sure that the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s advantageous to attend college somewhere that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with a mountain of student loan debt.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo Credit: Google Images

Great Snacks for School

Students frequently get hungry between meals. It’s easy for them to grab a granola bar or some kind of candy, but these foods won’t help the brain function, grades improve or students win free money for college. Protein can do the trick. Prepackaged string cheese, nuts or seeds fit the bill. They are healthy, small enough to carry around and taste good.

Packaged meat sticks are also handy and contain protein, but they frequently contain a long list of hard to pronounce ingredients. If you can find some without lots of chemicals or preservatives, then meat eaters could enjoy snacking on them while loading up on brain healthy protein.

Remember that most schools have a no eating in class rule. This doesn’t prohibit middle and high school students from snacking while moving from one class to another. Just remind students to dispose of the wrapper in the trash when they are finished. They should also drink plenty of water, since the brain doesn’t function well when dehydrated.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Motivation Building

Taking Control of Your Future

The Wonder of Life

Setting Goals

Pre-Thanksgiving Classroom Management Activity

The day before a holiday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Break, Easter Break, even a pseudo-holiday like Halloween, is usually just this side of insane. Students don’t want to work. There’s candy everywhere. Gifts are being given. Focus is lost. Just keeping the lid on seems overwhelming. Unless you have an educationally sound, kid-approved lesson that keeps them interested, occupied and engaged. Decades ago I created such a lesson. Kids loved it. I loved it. It‘s easy, academic and fun! The bonus of this lesson, it helped with student retention in foreign language classes.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Completely erase the entire white board. You will want the space.

2. Number the entire board from 1 to 35. Place holiday appropriate symbols, like pumpkins, around each number.

3. Put a large assortment of dry erase pens at the front of the room. The more color variety the better.

4. After school, the day before a holiday, have each student in your most advanced class go to the board and draw a culturally appropriate picture next to a number. If your class is smaller than 35, they will need to draw more than one. Be sure to explain to the class the night before they need to come up with three or four ideas for their drawings. Most students are eager, although the shy need some encouragement. After this has become a tradition in your classes, you will overhear students commenting they look forward to being in the class that gets to draw the pictures. Never let an underclassman participate in putting the pictures on the board.

5. Check each picture as they finish drawing. A few may need a little help so their drawings are clear, and some can be too obscure. You may need to edit, as students can be a bit gross at time. One Thanksgiving students drew a very vivid picture of a turkey being beheaded. I erased that one. Remember, all day students are going to see these pictures. You want to understand them, so you can give hints if necessary. My favorite was The Twilight Zone Marathon. It became a tradition in my program which was passed down each year from class to class.

6. Before the first class arrives the next morning, place a stack of German (French, Spanish, Chinese)/English dictionaries on the first desk of each row. I always had enough dictionaries that students could work in groups of two. Three does not work. Working alone is tough.

7. Students should look up what they see on the board, and write the German (French, etc.) on their own papers. Don’t let them put two student names on one paper. This never works. Trust me on this.

8. They must write the definite article and the noun. If there is an adjective, like in a drawing of black cat, they must include the adjective, with the correct ending. This allows you to preview grammar not yet taught. Students are very receptive to this, and ask for help. It’s a contest. They want to win.

 9. Buy a small bag of individually wrapped candy and give a piece to each member of the first team finished. Be sure to check the work. Sometimes they make errors, of course. Don’t be too picky. Perfection is not the goal.

 10. After the first group finishes, and as each group finishes, they will help their classmates. You’ll find they don’t give them the answers, but give them hints instead, especially in grammar.  

11. Collect work as it’s finished and the rest at the end of the period. Grading is subjective. First year classes typically have a few students who finish by the end of the class period. Most, however, finish about half of the pictures. Second year will complete more. The majority complete about two-thirds of the pictures. Most third year students finish them all, as do AP/IB/fourth year students.

12. There are several goals in this lesson. Students learn the correct way to use the dictionary. They learn the symbols and abbreviations. It removes the mind-numbing boredom a dictionary lesson will create, and replaces it with fun. 

Students learn vocabulary that’s both meaningful, and is usually more advanced than where they are in the curriculum. This they do without complaint. You are able to foreshadow grammar, so when it arrives later in the school year, you’re able to point back to what they discovered at Halloween or Thanksgiving. 

Finally, it keeps students focused, doing an academic lesson without arguing at a time where students are going nuts in other classes. I had four decades of happy “day before’s” while colleagues were losing their minds.

If you don’t teach a foreign language class, adapt this lesson to your curriculum. Remember to keep it fun and entertaining, but academic. 

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo Credit: Google Images

Possibilites

Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist – University of Chicago

The cost of a college degree in the U.S. has continued to soar, but some colleges and universities offer enough financial aid to make them almost free. Most of these universities are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts. This is from a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. The financial need of the family (as determined by the FAFSA form) is taken into consideration by about half of these institutions. The rest contribute based on merit alone.

One university where a Full Ride is possible is the University of Chicago, which is tied for number three in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The university is located in a big city environment in Hyde Park, Chicago. It was founded in 1890. The campus covers only 217 acres. There are 5,844 current undergraduate students. In addition to the college, there are a large number of graduate and professional schools.

The deadline for applications to attend the University of Chicago is January First. The early action deadline is November First. The application fee is $75. The acceptance rate is 8%, which is better than the Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but it is also more expensive.

The cost of tuition and fees each year at the University of Chicago is $52,491, (2016-2017). This is high, but with a Full Ride Scholarship, it doesn’t matter much. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. The most important aspect of planning to go to any high cost university such as this, is to make sure the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s wise to attend a college that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with any student loan debt.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com 

Photo Credit: Google Images