Gender Stereotypes Lesson Plan

A few years ago I decided to cut my hair very short.  When I walked into my elementary school the overwhelming reaction I received from the kids was that I looked like a boy, some even told me I shouldn't have gotten my hair cut like that because only boys had short hair.  The next day at an assembly a big stink was made by the adults about one of the male teachers wearing a pink shirt.  I decided that week I needed to talk about gender stereotypes and how we should respond if someone behaves in someway that we consider out of the norm.  The kids responded well and I quickly noticed changes in their behavior.  Since then I have kept my eyes open for opportunities to teach tolerance around societal gender norms. 

Media Awareness Network has produced a very thorough lesson plan for middle school (also appropriate for high school) that uses some activities similar to ones I have used in the past that the kids connect well with.  I especially like having students identify "boy" and "girl" things and putting them in a box showing how society reinforces these ideas.  It is easier in some places (cultures/countries/religions) than in others to simply say - "be who you want to be".  In some cultures this is very difficult.  However, we can still reinforce the idea that we need to be respectful of all types of people.  Teasing, name-calling, bullying, etc. a person because of how they dress or act is not ok.  We can also help our students recognize that not all people feel like they fit into those boxes and we can be supportive of that in different ways.

Click here to go to the lesson plan: Gender Stereotypes and Body Image lesson plan

Advertising evolution

I always talk about body image with my middle school girls and I've found this video from Dove has particular impact and is a great starting point for a very important discussion.

Classroom management tips

Looking for some new ideas for classroom management?  Is your school trying to be more positive in your approach to rules and discipline?  Here are some resources:

1.  I've been reading the Smart Classroom Management blog and I think it's got some great advice, and would be a great resource to give to your beginning teachers or even student teachers.

Just to give you an idea, the last few posts have been:
How to Be A Better, Happier Teacher By Slowing Down
How To Stop Repeating Yourself And Start Speaking With Power
How To Inspire Classroom Management Excellence

2.  I also really like Love and Logic and have been in a few schools where all the teachers are trained in this style.  I just did a training with some of the staff at my current school and found the Love and Logic website has some handouts for teachers here: Free Resources for Teachers

3. A good book is Lost at School (the same author who wrote The Explosive Child).  I really appreciated the idea that when students can't learn math we teach them, or when they can't read we teach them; we can do the same with behavior.  After I read The Explosive Child I gave it to a teacher friend who worked in our intervention room and though skeptical, she loved it.  I then gave it to my principal who also found it inspiring.

4.  I recently read Discipline with Dignity and found it has some good content.  A quick read and some good reminders about how our approach to discipline can either influence kids to want to behave or scare them into not getting caught.  

Cure the Bullies

Cure the Bullies is an awesome website.  Part of a campaign created by SchoolAid, in partnership with the Vodafone Foundation, this site is certainly entertaining and attention grabbing.  You are welcomed by this warning:

"Cyber health warning!
Have you been online lately?  (like now?)
or on your mobile
Then you've probably caught....
A HIGHLY contagious virus."

After learning about the different viruses you can be inflicted with: Onlookerosis, Commentitis, Forwarditis, Gang-Green, Hasslenza and Slaggermania you are invited to be screened for the bully virus (a short survey including multiple "what would you do" questions). 

Once you receive your diagnosis, you get the virus sucked out of you and then you pickle it for later viewing.

Though light on actually teaching skills, I like that this points out that even students who think they are not bullies probably contribute sometimes simply by looking on or not doing anything to help others.  They have done a wonderful job creating a site kids will enjoy and can take home a positive message at the same time!  The site is flash based which caused some problems on my computer but nothing drastic.  I definitely encourage you to check this out with your students!

Anti-bullying video clips

In updating my anti-bullying lessons I was looking for something that would catch my student's attention.  I found some short video commercials/clips that are very well done and I think perfect for my students.   I like to have my students create anti-bullying projects at the end of our unit and these will be a great inspiration.  They would also be a good way to start kids talking about the bullying that is happening around or to them.

What videos do you love to use for your anti-bullying lessons?

How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up

How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up by Trevor Romain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I used this book with a 6th/7th grade academic support group - they loved it and related to the things the author wrote. It was a great way to start this discussion of academic skills.


View all my reviews from goodreads

Motivational reminders

As the work starts to pile up (my school is nearing the end of the 1st quarter already!) we sometimes forget to step back and practice what we preach.  I ran across this article on the Search Institute's blog and was thankful for the reminder:   

10 Thoughts for a Meaningful School Year
By: Nathan Eklund, M.Ed, Senior Education Consultant August 27, 2010

1.If you’re going to take care of students, you need to take care of yourself.
Being in good health can’t be something that only happens on vacations and weekends. You need to spend time every day making sure that you’re taking good care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

2.Parents and teachers are each other’s best allies.
You only see your students a few hours out of their day. The rest of the time, they’re in the hands of other adults. Unless you’re on the same page with families, kids can slip through the cracks.

3.You like kids. Remember that at the root of things, you chose your profession because you like kids.
As the pressures and strains of the year naturally occur, make time each day to simply enjoy being around young people.

4.You might be the only positive adult in a young person’s life.
On any given day at any given time, you might be the very adult that gives a young person exactly what he or she needs to get through that day.

5.Sleep is not an optional activity.
Remember in midsummer when you woke up from a great night’s sleep and you felt ready to tackle the world? Remember that? Just sayin’…

6.The smallest efforts have a big payoff.
Take an extra moment to help a student understand a lesson. Offer a colleague a sincere compliment. Speak up when you see a parent providing support for school success. Sometimes your fleeting moments of thoughtfulness stick with people for years.

7.Are you having fun yet?
Yes, working with young people is serious business. There’s a lot at stake. But remember, too, that your job can be amazingly fun and funny. Don’t forget to laugh daily.

8.Put relationships first.
Spending time with your friends and family should not be seasonal activities. They miss you. And what about positive relationships with students? Slow down and make room for “human time.” You’ll all look back on this year and remember the relationships that mattered, not the test scores you achieved.

9.Learn something new today.
When is the last time you took a class or read for pleasure? Lifelong learning isn’t something we suggest to students. It’s something we model for students.

10.Do something today that reminds you why you chose to work with youth in the first place.
You didn’t choose this work because you wanted to go to meetings or to get caught up in the thousands of administrative details. You went into it for a reason. What was that original reason? And what are you going to today to connect you with that reason? Stop reading this list and go do it!

Gender Roles

I work in an international school and so I'm always on the look out for good lessons about diversity.  The other day I found a great one about gender roles for upper elementary school.  Welcoming Schools has created this lesson plan in relationship to media representations of female and male gender roles.  Please check it out and let me know what you think:  Media Sleuths: Examining Gender Roles in Advertising (.pdf).

Wicked Ways to Teach Anti-Bullying

Looking for new and interesting ways to incorporate anti-bullying into your curriculum?  Well here you go!

The musical production Wicked has partnered with BullyBust (a National School Climate Center program) and created a downloadable tool-kit for teachers and a coordinating student packet.  (In case you haven't seen or read Wicked, it is the story of the Wicked Witch before she meets Dorothy.  Because she is different, and green, she is bullied).  The teacher packet includes: The Story of WICKED, What Is “Upstander” Behavior?, Bully-Victim-Bystander, Learning to Empathize, A Look at Appearances, Exploring Emotions, Upstander Behavior in WICKED, and The Stand Up Pledge: Elphaba’s Pledge and Commitment Cards using the theme of Wicked throughout.

The student pack includes information on responsibility, the roots of bullying, what you can do to stop bullying, cyberbullying, etc.  There is also an essay contest - the winning student wins a flight and ticket to see Wicked (only one entry per school).

Simply click here to sign up as a partner school.  It will direct you to the download page.