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Start the year with Tribes TLC – middle school

Review/teach the agreements as you introduce directions, class procedures, and reflections behavior.  Strong attention to the relationship between behavior expectations/classroom management and agreements during the first two weeks of  school can really set the tone.  The more you model and gently insist…the better chance you have of opening adolescent minds and motivating autonomous behavior.

Your willingness to participate in sharing of personal information will have a direct effect on middle school student’s participation and interest.

Trust the Process.

Strategies from Discovering Gifts I Middle School to use and/or adapt for building Inclusion and learning names:

·      A Funeral for Put-Downs (p. 237):  A shredder is probably a better visual than a fire in the trashcan?!

·      Cares-Concerns-Compliments (p. 253):  Either in written form, and inviting oral statements, this is always a good “pulse-check”.  You don’t have to solve everything, just put it out there and then reflect…

·      Extended Nametags (p.268):  Incorporate contact information (parents phone numbers?!) and school/academic goals…one idea is to collect without sharing, (but still reflect!), then put away for 3-4 months and take out , pass back, and evaluate how things have changed?!

·      Flies on the Ceiling (p. 273):  Good for a bad day…?  Also good for a written assignment/connection…also good for a GOOD day.

·      Fork and Spoon (p. 385):  fun and funny, yet very challenging.  It CAN be done – this is an energizer to use more than once…great for reflecting on problem-solving, perseverance, and agreements.

·      Final Countdown (p. 270):  easy and effective way to close the day or class period.

·      Peer-Response-Huddle (p. 322):  Once they know the strategy, this is always good for a check for understanding or review.

·      Teaching Agreements (p. 360):  Getting student input is always a good idea.

·      Teaching I-Messages (p. 361):  “pay me now, or pay me later”…teaching I-messages AND modeling and practicing and using them will pay off in the long run.

·      Three Ball Pass (p. 388):  Good for learning names, problems solving, focusing, reviewing, having fun.

·      Two for Tuesday (p. 375):  Another quick way to get a Tribes strategy into your class time.

·      What We Need from Each Other (p. 377):  what a great concept?!  Get more student buy-in to your expectations and their participation in learning and productive behavior.

Energizers:  Remember, an energizer is always more successful when there is a reason for doing  it, and reflection on the behavior that made it work…or not.

#11 – Buzz                       #18 – Creating Groups              #26 – Eraser Race

#37 – Group Doodle        #39 – Handshake 1-2-3            #53 – Look …Dinner           

#82 – Standing…Map            #96 – Vortex                        #100 – Wink