Soaring to the Future
9th Grade
Gathering Activities Packet
This packet contains Gathering Activities to use specifically at the beginning of the school year and Gathering Activities that may be used throughout the school year. You may also use your own Gathering Activities.
Gatherings:
· Short exercises to bring everyone together at the beginning of a Careers session
· Provide structure for listening and speaking
· Demonstrate and offer practice in respect, understanding, and empathy
· Take five to ten minutes
Two Guidelines for Gatherings:
1. Respect the right to pass
2. Use topics and/or questions all students can address without feeling vulnerable, embarrassed, or defensive.
Beginning of School Year
Gathering Activities
Paired Introductions
Invite students to introduce each other to the whole group. Brainstorm and post questions that students would like to ask each other. Then pair students randomly by using the following:
· Two decks of playing cards (students with the same care are partners)
· Counting off (if you have 20 students, have students count off one to ten twice and find the person with the same number)
· Drawing names out of a hat (half of your advisees draw the names of the other half of your advisees)
Give pairs five minutes to ask each other three or four questions and prepare their introductions. Then gather in a circle and ask each pair of advisees to introduce each other.
Name-Matching Exercise
On a 5” x 8” note card, ask everyone to write one work that begins with the first letter (or sound) of their first name that reflects something about themselves (e.g., Chris – creative, Cindy – smiling). In a circle, ask everyone to say their name, the word, and the connection they have to the word they chose. Then ask everyone to toss their card into the circle. Using a timer, ask for a volunteer to see how fast they can return the correct card to the person who wrote it. Do this a number of times to see if successive advisees can beat the previous time.
60-Second Interviews
Create an interview sheet with any of the following questions. Ask students to find a partner and choose one question that interests both of them. Have them interview each other and jot down their partner’s name and something they want to remember that their partner said. Give pairs 60 seconds and then have them find a new partner. You could end this activity by asking students to share something new that they learned about their advisory team members.
An alternative way to structure the pairings is to use concentric circles. Have half of the students arrange themselves in a circle facing out; the other half form an outer circle facing in, After each interview question, rearrange the pairing by rotating one or the other circle, such as “For the next question, the inner circle will move two steps clockwise.” This format makes finding partners less self-conscious.
· Describe your family. What is something funny, weird, unusual, or special about one person in your family?
· What’s one place you would like to visit in your lifetime? Why do you want to go there?
· What’s your favorite TV show and why do you like to watch this show?
· If you had to eat the same meal everyday for a month, what would it be?
· What’s one thing you would like to change about your neighborhood that would make it a better place to live?
· What worries you the most about the world you live in today?
· Name one thing you could teach someone how to make of how to do.
· What’s your favorite holiday of the year? What makes this holiday your favorite?
· What’s one thing that you would like to change about your school that would make it a better place for you?
Find Someone Who . . .
Create a Bingo sheet using the information you collected from the Student Profile form so that each box asks for a piece of information that is unique to one advisee. For example, “Find someone whose birthday is on ____; find someone who speaks ______; find someone who has _____.”
Personal Identity Cards
Every student wants his/her identity affirmed and appreciated. Invite students to create an ID card in which they can self-identify using various descriptors: country of origin, race and ethnicity, gender, groups, organizations, pop culture icons, products, music, media/sports stars with whom they identify. Have advisees share their cards with the whole croup. Pay attention to what advisees say about themselves so you can make connections throughout the year.
More Gathering Activities
Gathering Activity Examples:
· Read aloud a quote, poem, or passage, perhaps followed by short reactions
· Warm-Up exercises that set the stage for a skill lesson or discussion
· Physical energizers like a deep breath or group stretch that help change the pace, mark a transition, or shift the energy
· Quick go-rounds about the past weekend, today’s mood, a hot topic of the day, or a question for the week:
o What’s something new and good in your life right now?
o What’s something you’d like to learn about or learn how to do that’s currently not offered here at school?
o What is the most meaningful present you’ve ever received? Why was it special?
o What’s one school-wide rule that you would change to make school a better place for everyone?
o What’s something in which you excel that ends with “-ing”?
o Name a word that describes how you feel today and why.
Making Careers a Safe, Friendly, and Welcoming Place for Everyone
1. Do a two-minute quick write on index cards, using the following question: What are the qualities of a good friend?
2. Share responses with the whole group and invite students to brainstorm the differences between being “friends” and being “friendly.” For example:
a. Being friends is an ongoing relationship that you have with someone.
i. You talk to each other a lot.
ii. You see each other outside of class.
iii. You choose to spend social time together.
b. Being friendly is a way of treating all classmates with kindness, respect, and courtesy whether they are your friends or not.
i. It’s being willing to work with everyone in your group.
ii. It’s being willing to help when someone asks.
iii. It’s responding when someone asks you something.
iv. It’s saying “hello” first and saying “hello” back.
v. It’s showing appreciation for everyone’s efforts.
vi. It’s saying “please” and “thank you.”
vii. It’s asking for permission or asking whether something’s okay with another student.
viii. It’s showing interest in what others have to say.
ix. It’s showing appreciation for everyone’s efforts.
3. Explain that no one expect everyone in Careers to become “fast friends,” although some of you might become good friends over time. What we do expect is that everyone makes an effort to be respectful and friendly, so students feel safe to share and discuss what’s important to them.
Portfolio Review and Selection
Arrange time to spend a few minutes with each of your advisees alone or in groups of three to share a piece of work that reflects a best effort and high standard of quality. This activity will help students as they select best works for their portfolios and/or as they prepare their portfolios for Student Led Conferences.
Postcard and Picture Check-In
Collect a set of photographs, postcards, or greeting cards with compelling, funny, weird, interesting images of people, animals, or elements of nature. Spread your pictures on the floor or on a large table and ask advisees to choose a photography that reflects one of the following:
· How you’ve been feeling about the day or the week.
· A good choice you’ve made this week.
· A study or organizing skill you want to improve this quarter.
· Something you’ve done that is helping you achieve your goals.
· Something that’s been keeping you from achieving your goals.
· How you’re feeling about exam week.
· Something you need that will help you stay focused on your goals.
· Something you do for yourself that will provide a needed break or treat
Acknowledging Your Assets
Prior to a round of short individual conferences with advisees, ask them to prepare by doing the following: “Write down something that you are very good at that has nothing to do with school, and then write down the personal skills and qualities that help you do this well.” During your check-in, invite them to share what they wrote. Then explore one way students might use those skills and attitudes at school to get more interested in something, get better at something, do something new or differently in their courses, or take a different approach to something that’s not working.
Thought or Story of the Week
During the year, ask each student to contribute a thought or story for the week. If you make this a weekly routine, every student will have at least a turn or two before the year is over. Keep books around that students can draw from: Chicken Soup for the Teen-age Soul, Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens, Golden Nuggets, books of quotations and meditations for young people. This kind of activity does triple duty: every student chooses something to share with the whole group; every student plays the roles of both speaker and audience; and every week you’ve created an opportunity for quiet listening and reflection.
Checking Out the World Students Live In
Check out what is on your students’ minds – what they are reading, viewing, and listening to. One way to check into their world is to ask them occasionally what’s happening out there. Ask one of the following questions as a gathering at the beginning of Careers on Monday or as a closing at the end of Careers on Friday. Or bring in something to share that piqued your curiosity.
· “So it’s the weekend. Got any suggestions for a movie I should rent?”
· “I’m actually going home this afternoon right after school’s out. If I wanted to take a look, is there anything good to watch on TV?”
· “In the last week, I’ve heard people say . . . a bunch of times. What does that mean to you and your friends?”
· “Hold up the school newspaper or local paper and share an article that has a youth connection. Ask students what they think about the topic or issue.
· Sometimes when there’s a new fad, fashion, or music group that grabs kids’ attention and leaves you scratching your head, just ask kids, “I noticed/hear/saw . . . What’s that all about?” A lot of kids are more than happy to hell you something they know that you don’t.
· “If I have two hours this week just to hang out, what three websites should I check out? What TV shows should I watch? What radio station should I listen to?”
Previewing the Week and Upcoming Events
Monday is a great time to:
· preview key assignments and deadlines
· review any scheduling changes for the week
· clarify school-wide and team rules, procedures, and routines
· provide information and invite discussion about upcoming school-wide events that impact everyone in the school.
If I Had a Wish
This circle activity gives students a chance to express their wishes, dreams, and hopes to their peers. Invite students to think about how they would complete the following sentence: “If I had a wish that would be granted, it would be . . .”
Feelings Check-In
Select one or more of the following categories (or other category) to have students describe their mood in a light-hearted way:
Today I’m feeling like . . .
· What kind of weather?
· What kind of animal?
· What kind of musical instrument?
· What kind of food?
· What flavor of jelly bean?
· Something connected to the current season of the year.
Something to Cheer About!
· Create opportunities for students to share what activities they are doing for the community connection hours.
· Kick off “theme weeks” by announcing the week’s events and activities and providing a five-minute inspirational story, quotation, or challenge to think about as the week unfolds.
· Recognize individual accomplishments of your students and encourage students to appreciate the efforts of their peers. Find out what students are accomplishing in the classroom, in clubs, in sports, in the community, and recognize them in your Careers class.
· Celebrate the birthdays of students in your Careers class.