Long Island

TEACHER TIPS

11/13/07

I was at a teacher conference and they did BRAIN GYM. Ways to make you learn, these are research based documented ways to help students concentrate.
PLEASE TRY THEM they take all of 10 minutes

The first four are called PACE and get the body and mind ready to learn.

1. drink a glass of water preferably with a pepermint
(it enhances the brain's ability to process information efficiently)
water ionizes salt, increasing electrical potential across membranes and providing electrolyte environment needed for electrochemical conduction of nerve impulses

2. stimulate brain buttons above your carotid arteries, increases the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Place one hand just below your neck, above the breast bone,on bone indents place the other on your abdomen. rub with thumb and finger. at same time
these indentations connect with the clusters of glial cells which send electrical messages to your pituitary gland, the master gland.
Relaxes tension and tells the brain where the center of equilbrium is.

3. place left hand on right knee, bringing your knee up to your hand.
Then place right hand on left knee. Go sloowly 10 times.
Touch and movement activates motor and sensory cortex. It increases hemisheric communication across the corpus collosum.

4. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Cross arms across the breast.
then using thumb and index finger touch the wrist on the opposite hand. Touch both wrists at the same time it connects the limbic system (emotional ctr) with the neocortex (reasoning ctr) allowing for rational processing and increased choice of responses and actions.

5. cross one ankle over the other. cross the same side wrist over the other, twist and touch palms together. Interlace the fingers and draw your hands toward your chest. Close eyes, breathe deeply for one minute.

6. Release memory blockage, increase organizational test performance Lightly place 3 fingers of each hand together on forehead. Halfway between hairline and eyebrows. hold 30 to 60 sec.

7. using both hands at the same time start at the top of the ear and unroll the curved portion of the edge of thear. continue unrolling to ear lobes. increase listening comprehension and short term memory

all of these together increase polarity across cell membranes for more efficient thought processing and focused attention.

Brain gym is a registered trademark of the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, permission granted to copy for instructional purposes.

11/05/07

As anyone who has worked with energy charged middle schoolers knows actitivity based lessons help keep students interest. Here is a simple nutrition lesson to get students moving.

1. Summary : An easy way to eat foods lower in fat and calories is to think in terms of GO, SLOW and WHOA foods. GO foods are great anytime, SLOW foods are all right to have sometimes, at most several times a week, and WHOA foods should be eaten only once in a while, or on special occasions.

2. Share the GO, SLOW and WHOA information with middle school students:

GO foods are the lowest in fat, sugar and relatively low in calories. They also are "nutrient dense," which means they are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients important to health. GO foods are great anytime.

Fruits and vegetables are great GO foods.

• GO for color—choose dark green, deep yellow, orange, red, blue and purple

• GO for sensory appeal—juicy, crunchy, tart, crisp, sweet, yummy

• GO for variety—berries, other fruits, leafy greens, dry beans and peas, starchy vegetables like potatoes, and other vegetables

SLOW foods are higher in fat, added sugar, and calories than GO foods. Have SLOW foods sometimes, at most several times a week.

WHOA foods are the highest in fat and added sugar. They are "calorie-dense" (high in calories), and many are low in nutrients as well. Have WHOA foods only once in a while or on special occasions. And, when you do have them, have small portions.

Translating GO, SLOW, and WHOA into daily food choices means:

• Emphasizing fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.

• Including lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.

• Cutting back on foods and drinks that are high in fat and added sugar.

3. using food models have a student pick a food and place it next to go, slow or whoa. Give the correct answer, then have students walk quickly around the perimeter of the room for GO foods, walk slowly around the perimeter of the room for SLOW foods, have students freeze in position for WHOA foods

or

if students are at their desks, drum a quick beat with hands for GO foods, drum a slow beat with hands for SLOW foods, have students slap the desk once for WHOA foods

4. Students can learn food groups at the same time, place the food model on the food pyramid before deciding GO, SLOW and WHOA

to get to the GO, SLOW, WHOA page the internet site is:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/live-it/

click on: learn it

click on: nutrition

click on: GO, SLOW and WHOA foods

a good resource library can be found at

http://riley.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=8&tax_level=1&tax_subject=2

10/29/07

I’ll do it tomorrow

I didn’t feel like doing it, so I put it off for a day

And the next day came and I put off more – Too much was coming my way

I used up tons of paper with my list of “things to do”

And every day my “list of things” just grew and grew and grew

It overtook my kitchen, then overtook my house

It overtook my children and it overtook my spouse

If only I had done the things that needed to be done

It would have been much easier to do things one by one

But now I’m overwhelmed with all the things I did not do

How will I survive this? I do not have a clue

And sitting atop these things to do are feelings of guilt and sorrow

So I’m turning over a new leaf. Yep, I’ll do it tomorrow

Annette Breaux

Do Not Procrastinate

Remember—

It’s much better to be on top of your workload than to have your workload on top of you! Don’t put it off one more minute. Take a step. Begin it!

10/22/07

Grow as a Professional

“Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience.” Denis Waitley

Whether you have been teaching one year or 31 years, you should be in a constant state of improving. I’ve heard it said that some people teach 30 years, and some people teach one year 30 times! Education is like the field of medicine. We are constantly learning new and better ways of doing things.

A superintendent recently told me that he requires all of his 2000 teachers to write professional growth plans, every year. These plans include the teachers’ yearly goals for improvement. The plans are monitored on an ongoing basis and are then evaluated at the end of the year. The plans are monitored on an ongoing basis and are then evaluated at the end of the year. This is to ensure that all of the teachers are constantly getting better. Principals don’t expect perfection, but they insist on improvement. Why did this superintendent require written goals and evaluations? Because it’s a fact that people who have specific written goals they are far more successful than those who have vague mental goals. Teachers felt they had plenty to do but these written goals keep them sharp. They set them and then they move toward them. These teachers met his goal of more competent teachers. In the words of John Cotton Dana,”Who dares to teach must never cease to learn?”

10/15/07

“Catch” Students Behaving

As teachers, we are trained to recognize problems, diagnose the causes of the problems, and then respond accordingly o solve these problems. That’s a fact, and it is a necessary skill that any good teacher must possess. But how many of us were ever trained to recognize good behavior, diagnose what’s causing the good behavior, and then foster the behavior so that it will continue? Not many. Think about it: We all have “eyes in the backs of our heads” and can spot a child misbehaving from a mile away! Again, this is a good skill to possess. But an even more important skill is to be able to use those same “eyes” to spot a child behaving well and encourage that good behavior or kind deed. A simple “Thanks for raising your hand” or “I really appreciate the cooperation I’m observing with this group” can work wonders. Students crave our attention, and they will usually do whatever it takes to get it. When they learn that they are much more apt to get your attention by behaving, they begin to behave. Teachers who focus on good behavior more so than misbehavior have far fewer discipline problems in their classrooms. So be on the lookout for good behavior. You’ll begin to notice it everywhere!

10/9/07

Self Control

Someone made me mad today

And I’m wanting to unload

My temperature is boiling hot

And I feel like I’ll explode

My face is really red right now

And my veins are sticking out

I bet I would feel better

If I’d kick and scream and shout

But I’m thinking if I did that

I’d look as bad as they

And I’m sure that I’d regret it

If I said what I’d like to say

So I’m trying to calm myself right now

I’m giving it all I’ve got

Cause if I maintain self-control

I will have gained A LOT!

By Annette L. Breaux

Maintain your composure

It’s not our feelings that determine who we are to others, but rather our actions. And one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish as a teacher is the ability to control your actions and maintain your composure at all costs. Yes, students will “try” you. They will “work on your nerves.” They will “go for your jugular” – not because they’re bad, but because they’re children. And to be able to “control” and adult’s emotions is a very powerful feeling for a child. An important word of advice; don’t play the game. You will feel frustrated at times. That’s normal. But to roll your eyes, clench your teeth when you speak, fold your arms and tap your foot as you stare at the ceiling, sigh, raise your voice, or exhibit any of the many signs of a loss of composure will only serve to let students know that you did play you did lose and you gave your control over to them. You can be serious without looking angry. You can discipline a child in a thoughtful, professional manner. You see, there is never an appropriate time to “lose your cool.” You are a professional, and you must act as a professional at all times. Therefore, you must “never let them see you sweat.” When students realize that you will not play the game and that you are truly a professional, they will stop trying to see how red they can make your face get, how far that vein in your neck will stick out…You will, in turn, earn their respect, but most importantly, you will serve as the role model that so many of them so desperately need.

10/1/2007

A few days lost because I was at the FCCLA USA Leadership Training in Washington DC with 3 of the NYS FCCLA officers. It was a great experience for the students and advisors. We are very excited about the new STAR events in Fashion Design, Interior Design, Recycle and Redesign and Financial

Here are some Test-Taking Strategies that all students may find useful:

· Look over the whole test.

· Start with the easiest part.

· Read the directions--twice!

· After reading the directions twice, if you are still not sure what to do ask!

· If you start to feel nervous or you blank out take a few deep breaths to
relax.

· If you get stuck on a question, circle the question number and move on.
There may be something on another part of the test that will help you
out with that question. This is called using the test to take the test.

· Use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices.

· Multiple Choices:
*As you read each question, try to guess the answer before looking at
the choices. If your guess is one of the choices, it is probably
correct.
*Read each question and all answers completely.
*Cross out any choices that you know are wrong.
*Watch out for words such as always, never, must--these usually
indicate an incorrect answer.
*Answers that have words like often, sometimes, usually are
probably correct.

· When you have finished the rest of the test, come back to any that you
skipped. Take educated guesses on any that you are still unsure of. Do
not leave any blank!

· Only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question. The first answer you put is usually the correct one.

· Check your work! Make sure all questions are answered.

Make sure you answered the required number of essay questions and all
parts of each essay question.

9/24/07

“Either you work the crowd or the crowd works you.” A statement found in Fred Jones teaching strategies, that is so true. This tip is especially handy when trying to teach students to be attentive the w-h-o-l-e time. There are three zones of proximity around a teacher. The zones tell us if the students are listening and working with you. If you continually change the zones of proximity in the classroom, you have a better chance of all students being effective listeners. Also when they get used to you moving about the classroom, students don’t realize it, but they are working in a focused manner.

RULE: As you talk, walk so no one is in the green zone for a long period of time.

From: “Tools for Teaching” by Fredric H. Jones

c.2000 ISBN 0-9650263-0-2

1. Zones of proximity are three concentric circles around the teacher

a. The red zone is about 8 ft. If students are in this range, they usually say STOP! The teacher is too close. I must pay attention.

b. The yellow zone is about another 6 ft. In this range, students behave if you are looking at them. If you stop to help a student, green light, I can goof off!

Green light is the rest of the classroom. The longer a student is in this area, the more likely the goofing off will start.

Teacher Tip 9/17/07

One skill you might find helpful to emphasize at the beginning of the semester is active listening. It may help your students to focus on listening and therefore be better able to follow directions. Being an active listener can have a positive affect on overall student achievement.

· The first thing an active listener should do is look at the person who is speaking. This does not mean staring but it does mean that every attempt should be made to focus on the speaker and his/her dialogue. This is a method of eliminating distractions.

· Secondly it’s important to listen first, question later. Don’t allow your feelings to interfere with what is being said. Also, don’t spend all your energies thinking about what you are going to say when the speaker is finished.

· Next, it’s a good idea to take notes when necessary. You might want to jot down important points that will trigger your memory at a later time.

· Ask questions to clarify important points. Of course you will want to wait for an appropriate time to do this.

· Try to picture in your mind what is being talked about. If you are unclear about what is being discussed, ask if there is a picture available for you to see.

By practicing these steps students can see a marked improvement in their progress. Don’t think it’s going to happen over night. It takes time and effort!

This and additional information of the topic of active listening and study skills can be found in NASSP materials.

NYSAFCSE Teacher Tip 9/10/07

Now that school has begun, there is one more important thing to do in the near future. That is to check and make sure your NYSAFCSE dues are up to date so that you don’t miss out on anything. Everyone gets the fall “News Capsule”, but if your dues are not current, you won’t receive another issue until next fall. Your professional organization is

an invaluable resource. It affords you the ability to network with numerous educators who are there to support you, share ideas with you and use you as a resource. Check

out your “News Capsule” when you receive it and make sure you are in contact with your

area coordinator and your professional leadership development team to find out

what’s going on in your area of the state. For additional information, check out our

web site at www.nysafcse.org

The Network of professionals can help you with more than teacher tips.

Welcome Back!!

Teacher tip 9-4-07

As the minutes count down until your students arrive on the first day of school, make sure you make time to check out http://teachers.net/wong/SEP07/. This article by Harry and Rosemary Wong entitled “Ten Timely Tools for Success on the First Days of School” can make your school year GREAT! Print out the article, start a file, read more articles from the past and try to make time each month to read their most recent article. Their suggestions are invaluable and will help you and your students to truly enjoy school. Remember, as the Wong’s have pointed out, “There Is Only One First Day of School.”

Dear FCS Educator,

The purpose of my note is to ask your assistance with distributing information about a new award for Secondary FCS teachers. The Housing Education and Research Association (HERA) has developed this new award to encourage housing education in secondary classrooms. Titled the “Goodheart-Willcox Secondary Education Housing Teaching Award, this award is supported by the Goodheart – Willcox Publishers and solicits the submission of housing related projects conducted by teachers and/or students in high schools.

I have attached the announcement and application form along with contact information for any question. I would like to ask if you could please send this notice out to the secondary FCS teachers in your state. I know in Virginia we have a listserv that serves all of the secondary FCS teachers, so I am hoping you have a similar distribution network in your state. If you have any question or other ideas for reaching secondary FCS teachers, do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you so much for your assistance,

JoAnn Emmel

HERA Awards Committee Chair

JoAnn M. Emmel, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management

Virginia Tech

245 Wallace Hall (0410)

Blacksburg, VA 24061

540-231-9259

6/18/07

TOP TEN INDICATORS to Retire for FACS

As you're making your plans for the summer, I thought you'd appreciate this advice from my student's final exams on how to eat well to have a healthier summer.
Ø Eat less Scrutinized Fats
Ø Also eat less scratching fats. You can accomplish this by trimming the fat off meat before cocking.
Ø Decry Fiber
Ø Eat less categories
Ø Degress Sodium
Ø Eat lots of vetables (they go well with Wheatables) Ø Don't shack too much Ø Whatever you do don't forget to use food gropes Gotta love 7th graders!
For those of you contemplating or about to retire, the attached checklist is compliments of Grace Wendland. Those of you that don't understand the list are just too young to retire.

6/11/07

Months and Weeks Relevent to FACS I know this is way past the time of the year when anyone is looking for more ideas for this year so I thought this would be a good time to send you something that some of you have requested so you can have it on hand for next year's planning. Attached is a list of months, weeks and days pertinent to FACS (i.e. March is Nat. Nutrition Month, etc.) There are some dates on it that I know people will wonder why they are there; or think that maybe they should go on a list for the health teacher.
But decision making is one of the most important skills we teach and I always liked to have kids apply it to real life, relevant topics. Drugs and alcohol certainly fit the bill. Having kids to a decision making chart (having kids research and list pros, cons and consequences of various
choices) is more meaningful than them hearing a teacher say not to do ...
The plus column for smoking certainly pales in comparison to the negative column and consequences.
Another great way to use this list is by having students use the web sites listed to gather information and write, news articles, letters to the editor or public service commercials using the info. Kids love to hear or see their opinions in print or on the radio or PA so it's a good motivator but you're also getting them to use ELA and MST skills and work on community service.
And you just happen to get free and wonderful PR for your program at the same time!
PS There will be a last teacher tip next week, so don't forget to check your mail before leaving school.

 

3/26/07

As National Nutrition Month comes to a close, I'm attaching a diet ad scenario that I wrote and you might be able to use.
Also, as March is typically a long and often stressful stretch of the school year, I thought I'd pass on some advice my 7th graders came up with when they were working on creating booklets that could be used to help people eat healthier.
Ø Eat less Scrutinized Fats
Ø Also eat less scratching fats. You can accomplish this by trimming the fat off meat before cooking.
Ø Decry Fiber
Ø Eat less categories
Ø Degress Sodium
Ø Eat lots of vetables (they go well with Wheatables) Ø Don't shack too much Ø Whatever you do don't forget to use food gropes (No matter how hard we try, there's always more to be done. Keep smiling)

Scenario: Your friend Shelly wants to lose some weight. She wants to look like the teens she sees on TV and the models in magazines. Shelly saw this diet advertised in a teen magazine and has asked you to help her decide whether or not to try it.

The Luv 2 Lose Diet

It’s Scientifically Tested!

Luv those burgers? -- Keep them coming!

Luv Pizza? -- Keep on chewing!

Want to look like a model?

You can do it all!

There’s no need to cut back on foods you Luv to eat or spend hours exercising. Scientific testing has shown that vegetables are the keys to digestion. If you eliminate vegetables from your diet and take 1 small “Luv To Lose” metabolizing pill a day, the weight will just fall off. For only $29.95, you can get started on a lifetime of slimness.
You’ve nothing to lose but weight! “Luv 2 Lose” comes with a money back guarantee. If you don’t like the results, just return the unopened container to us for

Directions: Your responses to the questions below should be clear and well organized.

1. Name 2 things that have influenced Shelly’s desire to lose weight.

2. List 2 techniques that this advertisement uses to influence consumers

3. Name 1 statement in this ad that could be misleading. Explain your answer.

4. Does this diet follow good nutrition guidelines? Why or why not?

5. Shelly feels she has nothing to lose, except weight, by trying this diet because there is a money back guarantee. Is she correct? Explain your answer.

6. Would you recommend that Shelly go on this diet? Explain your answer.

7. What are 3 things Shelly should know about how to maintain her ideal weight in a way that’s safe and effective?

3-19-07
This is National Poison Prevention Week and also National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week. Since most household cleaning products are poisons and many are inhalants, this might be a good time to teach students about safer and environmentally friendly alternatives. Attached is a sampling of some of these alternatives. I always assigned students to try at least one of these and then write a paragraph explaining their experiment and the results. ( Because this was a different and fun homework assignment, they often tried more and then you got nice notes from parents because their kids were cleaning without being asked.) (Kids who were in situations where they couldn't do this, I let come into the FACS room at lunch or after-school to
experiment.) I also gave extra credit for each adult in their lives that they got to try one of these. The adult just wrote a note on the bottom of their paragraph and signed it. Applied learning and PR at the same time - can't beat that!

3/12/07

Since teaching Nutrition is one of the things we do best, I'm sure you're all taking advantage of National Nutrition Month to do all kinds of interesting things in your schools/classes. Don't forget to take it to the next level and let people in your school and community what you're doing.
This is especially important now with all the press about obesity and healthy life styles in the news. There are 3 different press releases on www.nysafcse.org <http://www.nysafcse.org> that can be used. One is in the green section for March and the other 2 are in the section with the boxes under "Press Releases". You can copy these to a word document, add a little about what is being done in your particular schools and e-mail them to the local papers or district newsletter editor with very little effort.
Or, have your students write a news article on the importance of maintaining a healthy weight or any other nutrition topic. The best ones can be submitted to school newspapers, district newsletters or even local papers as letters to the editor. Each letter should include a notation that the student is a Family & Consumer Science student at ________________School.
Don't forget to e-mail a copy to Shirley Ware. As our associations PR person, she's interested in all our local efforts.

2/12/07