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Overcoming Obstacles

The Big Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Check and double-check! That's the big idea as teams prepare to launch their Service Learning Projects. They review their action plans, materials lists, timelines, schedules, and memos, brainstorm last-minute project needs, issues, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Public Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 12th
How'd we do? Class members consider different forms of public assessment and select a method or methods they will use to craft a formal public assessment of their Service Learning project. Participants then present their assessments.
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Self-Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The project is over! Now it's time to sit back, reflect, and assess. Guided by the provided questions, individuals assess their project and participation.
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Taking Action

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Introduce the project teams to critical skills they will need to successfully complete their Service Learning project. Groups learn how to use a tracking sheet and write a status memo. They discuss the importance of commitment,...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Designing an Action Plan

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Outcome + available resources  +  schedule + timeline + steps to complete project = Action Plan! The second lesson in the "Service Learning" module outlines for scholars the steps to take when designing an action plan for their Service...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Introduction to Service Learning

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Introduce scholars to Service Learning with a lesson that distinguishes between Service Learning and Community Service. After reading about others involved in Service Learning, class members generate a list of issues in their communities...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Presenting Yourself

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
"Presenting Yourself," the last lesson in the "Looking to the Future" module, asks participants to review and reflect on what they have learned about themselves in the Overcoming Obstacles course. They review their course folder and...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Playing by the Rules

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The takeaway from the "Playing by the Rules" lesson is that it is each person's responsibility to learn the rules in a given situation and that they must accept the consequences if they choose not to follow the stated rules. Class...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Getting Along

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Wouldn't it be nice if we could all learn to get along? Middle schoolers review the skills they have learned in other lessons in the course and apply them to a series of activities. They then create posters illustrating their advice on...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Handling Peer Pressure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The second lesson in the "Looking to the Future " module provides participants with strategies for handling peer pressure, especially when peers urge behaviors that go against one's values, beliefs, and family rules.
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Adapting to Change

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Peter Pan doesn't want to grow up and doesn't want to change. Many middle schoolers feel the same way. The first lesson in the "Looking to the Future" module underscores the concept that change is a natural part of life and that a...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Why are Children’s and Young Adult Books Challenged and Banned?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
September's "Banned Books Week" brings attention to the number of books that are challenged, censored, or banned each year. After watching a video about banned book week, reading articles about the history of book banning, and examining...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Defining Problems Big and Small

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Problems come in all shapes and sizes, but the first step in solving a problem is to identify just what the problem is. Through a series of games and activities, middle schoolers learn first to identify a problem, decide on a solution,...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Creating a Win-Win Situation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Win-lose? Lose-lose? or Win-win? The activities and games in the fifth lesson in the Resolving Conflicts module teach middle schoolers how they might use their problem-solving skills to transform a conflict into a win-win solution.
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Using Communication Skills Effectively

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Miscommunication is often the basis of conflict. To improve their communication skills, pupils first review what they learned about assertive (as opposed to aggressive or passive) communication, role-play several scenarios, and then...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Controlling Emotions in Conflicts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
"Stop! Think! and Cool Down!" Participants in the third lesson in the Resolving Conflicts module learn how to pause and reflect in stressful situations rather than react. The class generates a list of strategies that could help control...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Identifying Emotions in Conflicts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The takeaway from the second lesson in the Resolving Conflicts module is that "conflict is like an iceberg" in that we only see a small portion of what's involved in conflicts. Participants learn to identify the many unseen feelings that...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Understanding Conflicts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The Resolving Conflicts module begins with a instructional activity about tolerance and learning to appreciate differences among people. Through a series of activities and games, middle schoolers learn that conflicts arise when people...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Taking Tests

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In a lesson designed to prepare scholars for taking tests, they begin with a review of how to plan and review notes. They Identify ways to prepare for upcoming tests and strategies for studying and memorizing information. Class members...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Following Instructions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A lesson about following directions tests learners' ability with a tricky scenario that will shock unsuspecting participants. After viewing results, scholars discuss why it's important to follow instructions and define listening. Peers...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Getting Organized

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A lesson challenges scholars to get organized. A thoughtful discussion sheds light on time management and the benefits of staying organized. Learners then reflect on their current time management skills, organize notebooks or binders,...
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Overcoming Obstacles

Finding Solutions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers apply all they have learned in the Problem Solving module by participating in a contest to see which group can build the tallest tower using only sheets of paper and masking tape.
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Overcoming Obstacles

Considering Pros and Cons

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers continue to study the problem solving process by identifying the pros and cons of different options they listed on their "How Could I Do This" activity sheet from the previous instructional activity. After weighing the...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Identifying Options

For Teachers 6th - 8th
"What should I do?" "How should I do it?" Middle Schoolers learn that answering these two questions is the key to solving problems. They begin with the first two steps of the Decision Making Process (gathering information and identifying...