Jun 7 2012

Character Readers and CD Giveaway!

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Vanessa

In a previous post titled Pass the Mic: Singing About Good Character, I wrote about how I really enjoy singing songs about character traits with my Kindergarten friends. I mentioned that the readers can be purchased separately but that they also come in sets of six. This giveaway is for one set of six character readers which will include one CD. The CD has three versions of each song. There is the regular singing version, an instrumental version, and a read aloud version. All six songs in this set align with the traits I teach in my school counseling program.

This great resource will include a CD and one of each of the following books:

Dare to Have Courage- Courage

Would It Be Right?- Good Judgment

Telling the Truth- Integrity

Never Give Up- Perseverance

Following the Rules- Respect

Think Before You Act- Self-Discipline

There will be one winner selected to win this prize. I will contact the winner by email to request the mailing address where he or she would like the CD and readers sent. I will order and have it delivered directly from Creative Teaching Press. You may enter this contest by using the Rafflecopter widget below this post. There are several ways to enter. You will receive three entries for subscribing for email updates. Two entries are given for liking Savvy School Counselor on Facebook, tweeting about the giveaway, or pinning this giveaway on Pinterest. One entry is given for following Savvy School Counselor on Twitter and one for liking this post on Facebook. Tweeting about the contest can earn two new entires everyday, so be sure to come back for additional entries!

Be sure to enter to win before 11:59 P.M. EST on Friday, June 15th. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Thanks for participating!

Congratulations to Giveaway Winner Nola W.!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Jun 1 2012

They All Scream for Ice Cream!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Vanessa

I incorporate character traits into each of my classroom guidance lessons. I’ve mentioned before that my school district focuses on eight specific character traits. I discuss a different trait each time I visit classes. Each trait is assigned to a particular month. So, when I visit, I bring a “scoop of ice cream” with the character trait on it. I begin all of my guidance lessons by discussing the character trait with the class. During our discussion, students are able to make connections and share examples of how they show the character trait in their everyday lives.

After sharing the character trait, we talk about my behavior expectations during the guidance lesson. I remind the class that they are working to earn a new scoop for their ice cream cones. I give each class a cone to display in their classroom for the school year. By the end of the year, they have an eight scoop high ice cream cone. Many teachers display the ice cream cones on the outside of their doors. Others have special spots in their classrooms to display the cones. If students become too talkative during a lesson, many times I only need to remind them that they are working toward earning a new scoop for their cone. It’s just a small incentive to keep students on task throughout the lesson and to give them something to show for doing their best.

I also have an extra large ice cream cone to display outside my office door that grows each month as well. I’ve used it for so many years that it’s a little faded, so I’ll need to make a new one soon.

Do you have a behavior incentive you’ve incorporated in your school counseling program?

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May 19 2012

Crafty Character Trait Collage

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Vanessa

I love scrapbooking even though I rarely have time to do it! When I saw this cool idea on Pinterest a while back, my brain started racing. How could I use this in my school counseling office? It wasn’t long before the character traits came to my mind. I already had the frame sitting in my craft room. I bought it two years ago and had never put a single picture in it.

Today, I have had a blast cutting paper and using some of my favorite sticker purchases to make this character trait collage to hang in my office. It was not difficult at all. Here’s how I did it:

I looked through my tub of scrapbooking paper and found a mini kid’s slab of 6×6 papers. There were lots of fun patterns to choose from. Because I was going to add stickers of children on them, I didn’t want the paper choices to be too busy.

After choosing eight patterns, I used my paper cutter and cut each one down to 4×6 which is the size of the frames on the collage. I ended up having to cut another tiny sliver less to get them to fit in though.

I used my favorite letters, which I can’t seem to find ANYWHERE anymore, to make the character traits on each. Four of the pictures are vertical and the other four are horizontal. I added New Kids Stickers by ”me and my BIG ideas” which I have had for so long and never used.

Afterwards, I put them in the frames, and I was very pleased with the results. I really like that I can display the frame horizontally or vertically. I’m not sure which one I like best. Which way do you like it?

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May 7 2012

Pass the Mic: Singing About Good Character

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Vanessa

One of the first purchases I made before starting my school counseling job was two sets of books and CDs. I remember going to my neighborhood teacher supply store to find resources for my new job, only to find out the terrible truth. You won’t find any school counseling resources at your regular teacher supply stores. You can, however, find a few things supporting character education. So after grabbing some character ed. resources, I stumbled upon these character education readers published by Creative Teaching Press. Each set contains six books and one CD. I can tell you, I haven’t skipped a year without using them!I really enjoy singing songs with my Kindergarten friends. They have come to expect a new song each time I visit.

Our school system focuses on eight specific character traits, and I have a song to go with each one.

Responsibility- You Can Count on Me!
Respect- Following the Rules
Courage- Dare to Have Courage
Kindness- Everyone is Special and Unique or Show You Understand
Self-Discipline- Think Before You Act
Integrity- Telling the Truth
Perseverance- Never Give Up!
Good Judgment- Would It Be Right?

It doesn’t hurt that I enjoy singing. The words in the books are the lyrics to the songs. The chorus is usually easy enough for the kids to pick up. By the second play, they are singing right along with me. I love it! It is a great way to help the smaller ones understand what those BIG character words really mean. Once they are in first grade, I’ll sing a line or two to remind them of the meaning of the character trait we are discussing. Many of them will still remember the choruses.

There is a resource book that goes along with the character readers. You can make individual student readers for small groups and use the additional activities to go along with each of the books. Most companies sell these books individually or as a complete set. You can still find them in six packs as well. You can also purchase the CD separately. There are four additional books about various topics including sharing, friendship, compassion, and cooperation. These books are great for lower elementary age groups.

Stick around! You can follow Savvy School Counselor with free email updates. As always, I’d love to hear from you. Connect with me!

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Apr 30 2012

Character Trait Review

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Vanessa

My school district has adopted eight character traits. Each month, we focus on one trait. As I visit students during classroom guidance, we talk about the trait of the month. Students take turns sharing examples of how they have shown the character trait in their daily lives.

The school year is coming to a close, and I wanted to review with my second grade friends all we have learned this year about good character. As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to incorporate foldables into some of my classroom guidance lessons. I created this simple foldable to use for the character trait review lesson with second grade. Similar to my preparation for the testing tips foldable, I drew and copied the lines on manila paper ahead of time and pre-folded the paper. The students only needed to cut the seven lines on the left side of the paper to create the eight flaps for this foldable. Using a document camera, I demonstrated where and how far to cut. (I loooove the document camera!)

After cutting the flaps, the students wrote one character trait on each flap. Using the document camera, I displayed each character trait one by one as the students wrote them. The next step was to write a kid friendly definition of each trait on the opposite side of the flap. I shared each one by one for the students to add to their foldables.

Next, the students wrote one sentence for each character trait beginning with “I will…” I asked them to write how they will display each trait going forward. I showed examples of each, but I encouraged them to come up with their own.

Finally, the students used the remainder of the time to decorate and color their foldables. Some of the students volunteered to share their “I will” statements for a few of the character traits. Many of them really thought about areas where they could improve in order to show the traits.