Diversity

Week of     October 8-12, 2012

Theme:  Diversity

From The Advisory Book:  “The world has paid a big price for prejudice and exclusion in the past, and we continue to pay the price today.  It is crucial to our thriving – maybe even to our survival – that we find ways to include each other, with all our differences.  Biodiversity makes nature thrive; cultural diversity brings similar benefits for people” (p. 187)

 

 

     Date                     News                           Greeting             Sharing               Activity

Mon 10/8   EF Day	Good Morning, Group! The theme this week is embracing diversity.  How much do we have in common as a group? Before we begin, find someone with whom you share some characteristics, & sit by that person.   Announcements	Huddle Up   (see altered instructions below)	none	Mondays are EF Days: Advisors check planners after the week is planned out. Guide & discuss binder purging & filing process.
Tuesday a.m. 10/9     Discussion	Greetings, Friends! Most of us have had moments when we felt like the odd person out, the one who was different in some way. Often people seem to want to hang out w others who are like them.  But diversity is everywhere, so the ability to socialize and work w/ people who are different from us is an important strength.  How good are you at hanging out with people who are different from you? Indicate (w/ your initials) which category fits you best: I avoid mixed groups I get along with most people I enjoy variety in the people I associate with.	Huddle Up   (same game but with the caveat: no repeat categories!)	Think, Pair, Share: Tell about a time when you felt you were the only one in a group that was different in some way (e.g., you were older or younger, the new kid, or the only person of your gender, race, culture, religion, socioeconomic group). Volunteers share out.	none
Tuesday p.m.	Good Afternoon! As you listen to Mr. Jobe this afternoon, think about his experiences with diversity.	None	None	Mr. Jobe shares his global adventures.
Wed 10/10   Activity	Hello All, Our advisory, of course, is a group.  Think about other groups you spend time with, in or out of school.  To how many different group (informal or formal) do you belong? Write the # on the # line here.	Name Card Greeting	none	Affinity Process
Thursday 10/11     Journaling	Buon Giorno, “The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings” (from a Robert Louis Stevenson poem). One of the reasons that people are unhappy is the trouble we have getting along with people who are different from us.  That’s the problem in the book we’re going to read this a.m.	“Good Morning, Friend”     (see below)	Journaling Exercise: How does Star-Bellied Sneetches apply to middle schoolers? adults? To whom was Seuss writing? Give examples from your observations.	none
Friday 10/12   Council Meeting 6th/7th	Greetings, Today is a Council Meeting Day.  Circle up and we’ll listen and talk about the topic of exclusion.	All Group Greeting	Council Meeting (p. 116) with topic: Tell briefly about a time when you felt excluded, or when you excluded someone else, or when you saw someone being excluded.	If time permits, journal assignment:  “Describe something you learned from listening to stories of exclusion.”

 

General Notes:

On Friday 10/12, 8^th graders will be with Ryan (boys) and Christin (girls) for gender-specific talks. 

 

Greetings:

Huddle Up (p.221) – Leader makes a statement and students to whom it applies come to the middle of the circle and greet the others in the middle.  Those for whom the statement doesn’t apply stay where they are, quietly waiting for the next statement.  Example, “Huddle up if you enjoy watching football.” Everyone who likes to watch football comes to the middle of the circle and greets everyone else who shares this trait, while those who don’t enjoy watching football remain where they are.

 

The trick with repeating this greeting / warm-up is to get more detailed as you go, which will naturally occur as the big categories are taken.

 

Sample groups:

• Gender
• Age
• Family Size (big=3 or more siblings, etc…)
• Birth Order (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, etc…)
• Jobs (student/teacher)
• Height
• Place of birth
• Country of birth

Good Morning, Friend (p.223) – Ask a student to pick the language of the day for the greeting.  He or she recites the greeting and the rest of the class repeats it back. [cards attached]

 

Name Card Greeting (p. 223) – Students names are written on name cards & placed in a pile in the middle.  Students get up one or two at a time and greet, then exchange seats with the person whose name they drew.  [cards attached]

 

All Group Greeting (p. 217) – A student is selected to begin.  She greets everyone: “Good Morning Everyone!” She is greeted back by everyone in unison, “Good Morning, Reagan!” 

            Variation:  Choice of voice – students greet the group and then ask to be greeted back in a special voice (e.g., British accent, deep voice, operatic voice, etc…)

            Variation:  Choice of Gesture – students greet the group, adding gestures, which the group repeats when responding to each greeter.

 

Activities:

Monday         EF - Ask students to fill out their planner for the week, writing in                                 test/quiz dates, assignment due dates, games, practices, etc…

 

                        Planning the week out and taking a look at the whole week at once,                             gives the brain a blueprint and prevents surprises! Remember: this                                “cools” the panic button of the brain (the amygdala) and increases                                   blood flow and energy in our “thinking brain” (the prefrontal cortex,                              or pfc, behind the forehead).

 

                        Next… add the skills of “No Loose Papers!”  Instruct loose papers to be                     filed in the correct sections or purged.  If you have a portable file box,                               bring it in to model how to file completed work in preparation for the                             final exams (for 7^th & 8^th graders).

 

Wednesday  Affinity Process -- A student partners with someone with whom she                          has something in common.  Then she and her partner find another                                    twosome and discover a characteristic they all share.  Next, foursomes                  create groups of 8 and so one, until all are in one large group.

 

Good Morning, Friend	Hi, friend
Buenos Dias, amigo/amiga	Hola, compadre
	Peace, friend
Bonjour, mon ami/amie   (Bone-JOOR, moan ah-MEE)	Shalom, chaver   (Shah-LOME, ha-ver)
Hello, Friend	Good Morning, Friend
Namaste, dost   (NA-mas-tay, dust)	Buon Giorno, amico/amica