September 19th - 22nd

This week, the scholars worked on a project that allowed them to discuss where they'd like to see mentoring in the community. There were many quality conversations around this, as well as some opportunities for clarification regarding what exactly goes into a mentoring relationship. They did a fantastic job on their posters and I, as always, appreciated their thoughtful insights.

The students also found out who their mentor/mentee partners would be! They were really excited and I'm looking forward to putting them into Kagan Cooperative Learning groups, so they may all support one another.

September 12th - 16th

This week, the scholars got to make their voices heard in the mentor/mentee matching process. On Monday and Tuesday, the students participated in stations. They worked with different partners for each activity to encourage them to meet people they may not have known well.

On Wednesday, the students completed the Speed Matching activity, during which each mentor interviewed each mentee and vice versa. They were tasked with rating their top three potential partners and I will now work to balance their desires with their educational needs.

Yesterday, the students were split into four-person teams to complete a project called Building a Community. For this, they will discuss how mentoring is used outside YESS and design an imaginary neighborhood.

Today is "No Fun Friday" and we're playing games that get the scholars working together and reinforcing our positive classroom environment!

Next week, the mentors and mentees will be matched up and the real work can begin. Can't wait!

September 5th - 9th

This week was shortened due to Labor Day, but no less busy! On Tuesday and Wednesday, students drew entries for our YESS 2016-2017 t-shirts. Nearly every scholar entered a design, which was voted on. The winning entries will need some minor tweaks, but they look fabulous and I'm excited to get the shirts printed!

On Thursday, we used some Kagan activities to compare and contrast our values. We also practiced a Kagan structure, Round Robin, to ensure each student's voice was heard. The kids thoroughly enjoyed working with each other in this manner.

Friday was our very first "No Fun Friday!" The scholars were keen on the irony of the term and we had a wonderful time during "Pass Right, Pass Left," during which students passed dice while listening intently to a story. Then, we played "Wanna Buy My Monkey?" This game allowed students to be silly and make others laugh. Of course, they had the most fun when I was the monkey and had to sing, dance, and hop like a frog. Pride is overrated, right? 

August 29th - September 2nd

This week, we completed the Coat of Arms lesson, which allowed students to ask: "What makes me unique?" The assignments also targeted the Personal/Social learning target that teaches scholars to create and adhere to a personal timeline to complete a multi-step task. They did wonderfully and showed immense creativity in their artwork, however many struggled to follow their timeline. We'll definitely practice creating timelines in the future.

On Thursday, we took some time to complete our Student Pre-Surveys during class. In the evening, students brought their families to Back to School Night. It was a lovely time and, as always, I enjoyed meeting the kids' parents.

Friday, we built Spaghetti Bridges. The students were tasked with teaming up with someone they didn't know very well and I was impressed with how well they functioned!