November 30th - December 4th

Our first week back from Thanksgiving break was filled with diligent work by the YESS students! The scholars performed their usual duties like participating in Kagan structures to encourage teamwork and tutoring one another, but they also engaged in an informative mini-unit on listening.

The lessons in this unit are geared toward helping students identify how well they listen to others. Many were surprised to learn that they functioned as a lower-level listener than they first believed, which led to some interesting dialogue. Coming up, they will be writing and performing skits that will enable them to teach other students the importance of listening.

We also completed a lesson called "Heart. Mind. Soul." The activity that accompanies this lesson requires students to work as a team to create a body that includes information about each member of the team. Some things that were discussed by the students include: Favorite food, how they want others to see them, and dreams for the future. They really had a great time bonding with their mentor/mentee partners and personalizing their bodies.

Behind the scenes, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Streno lined up a long-term substitute to take over the class while I'm on maternity leave. I'm extremely grateful for their hard work! I'm also partnering with the AVID program to plan a field trip for all YESS Institute and AVID students. We'll be going to the University of Colorado, Denver on December 16th. The students are beyond excited and I can't wait to help expose them to the wonderful world of higher education!

November 9th - 20th

The last couple of weeks before Thanksgiving break were fabulous! The YESS scholars completed their Life Map projects, which turned out very well. All the students presented their projects, as well. Even though, the students don't really enjoy speaking publicly, I'm working with them on this skill since, as we all know, it will be vital to their professional success.

We also incorporated several Kagan team building activities to help increase synergy within groups. Take a look at some of the kids playing one of the word games below.

The highlight of the week, however, came when several mentors from each class taught a lesson. The lesson was planned by a mentor, Mariza, and me to answer the question "Why do we come to school?" and it went extremely well. The mentor-teachers worked with me prior to their presentations and memorized the lesson plan. They also collaborated with each other to make sure the lesson was as polished as possible. I'm extremely proud of the hard work Mariza put in to create such a meaningful experience, as well as the efforts of the mentor-teachers to deliver the message!

November 2nd - 6th

This week, YESS scholars began working on their Life Map projects. We were able to incorporate multiple Thinking Maps and a writing assignment, which is challenging the students to describe how they overcame a significant obstacle in their lives. Many of the students have embraced the project and are eager to continue working on it in the coming days. Stay tuned for finished projects.

Friday, we took a break from the Life Maps to participate in a relay race. The kids had a blast working with their mentor/mentee to compete against the opposing team!

October 26th - 29th

Even though it was a short week, the YESS students got a lot done! The mentors are working extremely hard to make strong connections with their mentees and it seems to be working, as our mentees are getting excited about coming to class.

Activities this week included a tutoring/homework day, as well as an EQ Self-Assessment and discussion. Additionally, the mentors worked on some special projects that will be featured at the District 50 Showcase!

October 12th - 16th

This week, YESS scholars explored the concept of emotional intelligence, otherwise known as EQ. They read a story about Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman who lost a large part of his frontal lobe in an accident, and practiced using context clues to identify and define unfamiliar words. Then, we discussed the four key skills vital to good EQ: Self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, and relationship management. The students worked in small groups to create posters that demonstrated their understanding of one skill, then presented the information and graphics they came up with. Take a look at some of the kids working and their presentations below!

October 5th - 9th

The weather may be cooling off, but the work being done between Scott's mentors and mentees is just beginning to heat up. This week, the scholars explored the concept of metacognition by learning about thoughts, emotions, and the subtle differences between the two. By the end of these lessons, students were able to define the word ruminate; describe how thinking could be useful to us, as well as a hindrance; identify where we feel the physical symptoms of emotions; and differentiate between thoughts and emotions. Take a look at some of the kids' work below.

September 28th - October 2nd

This Monday, the mentors and mentees had their first small group sessions. The mentees began the Why Try curriculum with CRC and Julia while the mentors worked with me by continuing to explore the importance of empathy in the mentoring relationship. We practiced using empathy in role-playing scenarios and by watching a short video, which can be found here. I've already noticed a positive shift in how many of the mentors respond to their mentee's issues, which is very encouraging.

On Tuesday, the scholars strengthened their bonds with each other by building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Their goal was to build the tallest tower and each mentor/mentee pair did a fabulous job of solving problems and demonstrating creativity. Take a look at some of their photos below!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were spent discussing trust. The students talked about the meaning of trust, why we trust some people and not others, how to earn someone's trust, and then built trust bridges. This art project allowed the students to continue their dialogue and demonstrate their understanding of characteristics of trustworthy and untrustworthy individuals.