"Pop-the-Balloon-on-the-Pin-in-the-Hat" Game

Yesterday in Advisory we played the pop the balloon game. It was fun, it built teamwork, and we made a lot of noise. The balloon is popped on a straight pin taped onto the bill of a baseball hat. Watch and enjoy this video:


Mr. Wiemers
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Advisory in the Afternoon

I set up a back drop for an afternoon talk show for an advisory activity designed to help the students get to know each other. I had the "stage" set up when they walked in the door. The students quickly filled out an index card with their first name and some things they liked or liked to do. I selected Ann to host the show and read the cards to her as the students were forming a line to appear on stage. Then I gave Ann the cards (even Letterman has cards, plus cue cards. Ann did not have cue cards. We didn't take time to make any.) I quickly reviewed the process of what we were about to do showing the students how to enter and exit the stage and telling them they each had about 30-45 seconds of air time. We have 16 students in our advisory, which means Ann had 15 guests to interview. We did this in one take, straight through with out shutting off the camera. I only cut out about 45 seconds of the film to make it short enough for SchoolTube. We finished our 25 minute advisory period with about 4 extra minutes to watch part of the video with the video camera.

Mr. Wiemers
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Test Tube Trays for Sixth Grade Science

This morning during first period Mr. Gilroy, the sixth grade science teacher, came into the shop with an old wooden test tube holder. He wanted to put something together from some scrap wood to make a few more holders for his class by tomorrow. We looked around at the wood and talked about some options then we decided I would cut some of the scrap oak up, drill some holes and make him about twelve new test tube trays.

I enjoy this kind of project so during the day, as time allowed, I resawed some 3/4 inch oak, cut the tops and bottoms to length, marked out the holes and did some drilling. By lunch time I began to assemble the trays.

When my advisory class came in for their 25 minute class, I had them assemble the remaining trays, quickly sand them all and begin applying a coat of polyurethane. At the end of the day I put a second coat of polyurethane on. Tomorrow morning I will polish them up and then take twelve new test tube trays down to my friend and excellent teacher, Chad Gilroy.

Mr. Wiemers
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Mini-golf Course Work Resumes

After a failed beginning as an Advisory project we have returned to the construction of a portable 9 hole mini-golf course. Sad to say the teacher (me) misjudged the students a few weeks ago by only giving them the concept of the project, a stack of supplies, equipment and a general assignment. I did not anticipate the inability of the students to visualize the mini-golf course while looking at a roll of carpet and some strips of particle board. Then to make matters worse, my instructions were too vague and I allowed the students too much independence.

We took about a two week break from the project. I had planned to stop using the assembly line concept and individualize the project, but after observing my students over the last two weeks I realized they performed well in organized, assembly line set ups. I have concluded that my earlier failure was that the assembly line set up was not tight enough (or, not structured enough). It did not have simple and specific directions. Adjustments have been made and the project was reintroduced.

Yesterday my normal class of 13 met in the hallway in front of the shop. We talked briefly about whatever they wanted to for a few minutes then I explained quickly what I had set up in the shop. I let them choose which job they wanted and then assigned a job to those who didn't want to do anything. You can watch the video below that shows a few minutes of yesterday's 25 minute Advisory class.

Today a couple of teachers were absent during Advisory, which meant that when I went out in the hall to meet my class I had an extra six students. I panicked (but, only on the inside where the students could not see). I now had a larger group to quickly sell the project too and find something for them to do. Fortunately my regular students returned to their assignments from the day before and I added another step in the assembly line. With the students gracious participation everyone engaged and we made more progress in our 25 minutes before we returned to regular classes.

Now with careful classroom management and the promise to play a few rounds of golf once the first 6 or 7 holes are done, I think we will be able to complete the portable mini-golf course in the next few weeks.

Mr. Wiemers
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Update on "Feed a Country"

Today in Advisory the students taped red yarn on a world map that connected their country to a card on the wall with their name and the name of the city and country that is represented by their clay pot. The clay pots are located in the window above. We should begin to see germination around Tuesday. So far the local weather in these countries has been rain, mist or snow.

We also had pink cupcakes for Valentine's Day and played a game simulating a snowball fight (wadded up paper) since we were getting the first of seven inches of snow.

Mr. Wiemers
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Reading a Class

Sometimes a group of students remind me of a caged pet that is let out of its cage. The poor animal has no idea it can run and be free. The pet is comfortable sitting in the cage and having someone give it food and water. Or, in this case the students are comfortable showing up for class and having the teacher talk to them in a confined setting with no options but to be entertained with typical classroom practices. Then there are other times when a class is ready to get out of the confines of the traditional class room and run with ideas and opportunities the teacher can present to them.

Today in Advisory we sat in the hallway and read newspapers and each student then reported the news they read in a brief 30 second presentation. This led to some discussion and some interaction. So, it was a good day but a simple day. Tomorrow we will do something else completely unrelated. The students had already forgot to check for rainfall and water the plants.

I think the teacher needs to read the class and then make the connection with the class in order to communicate. The chemistry of the class is as important as the teacher's presentation. One class laughs at the joke that the next class doesn't even understand. One class will stand around the teacher in a close circle to listen for instructions, but another class will stand at a distance in little social pockets or pairs. Their behavior and tendencies are not right or wrong. These tendencies are the chemistry the group brings to the class that the teacher absolutely must adjust to. Otherwise the teacher will spend the entire class period trying to change the chemistry of the class instead of connecting and communicating. Reading the class is as important as reading the curriculum.

Mr. Wiemers
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Surprise! Students Like the "Feed a Country" Project

Today's advisory class liked the idea of planting seeds and watering them based on the rainfall in the city named on the clay pot. Everyone did a great job and made advisory the highlight of a day filled with highlights. Now we wait to see if it rains in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. Here are some photos, there will be more on the website. See photos of how the project was set up and of the students engaged in the activity. (Earlier blog here.)

Mr. Wiemers
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'Feed a Country' Advisory Project

As I was driving down the interstate today I thought of an advisory class project that involves planting seeds (carrots, peas, tomatoes) and then watering each of them based on the current daily rain fall in the country represented by the different pots. I am sure a project like this has been done a hundred times in schools around the world, but it was a new idea for me. I swung by a store on my way home and bought a bag of soil, 15 clay pots and the seeds as you see in this picture. We will start preparing to feed the world tomorrow.

We are currently building a nine hole mini-golf course in advisory, but after about five days of working on it the students started murmuring about my advisory being "boring" and saying "we want to do something fun like the other advisories." So, we had a little impromptu advisory group discussion and I asked them for some ideas that would be fun. The only thing they, or at least their spokespeople, could come up with was playing hide and seek through out the school for twenty minutes. I entertained the idea for a few moments, made some comments, asked some questions and soon the class discussion burned up the 25 minute advisory period for that day. (This would count as a team building day, I guess.)

I believe that in order to get the students to finish the nine-hole mini golf course project I will have to divide the holes and the students. I will then assign one hole to each set of partners. We will try this approach instead of the group project concept where we all work together as one big happy class (which is not happening) in assembly line fashion. I am going to give them a simple one hole project that they can visualize, work on and see instant progress. Plus, the competition between groups and the individual responsibility will be helpful. The students could not see the course coming together so they lost interest and stopped engaging. I hope that they will be able to engage and visualize the single hole concept. They could surprise me and not like that either.

But, while I was thinking about this advisory class issue as I drove cross-country on the interstate today, I thought it would be interesting to give each student a clay pot, some seeds and the name of a country. They will plant their seeds and then check the daily rain fall for that country or region on the Internet or in a newspaper each day . (It would also be cool to link up to an online live webcam from that country with an outside view that shows the weather, etc.) We will then form some way of transferring the actual amount of rainfall into some equivalent measure of water in our shop. In theory some clay pots (countries) will flourish and produce the beginnings of tomato, peas or carrot plants and others may not.

I am not so foolish to think that the students are going to be excited about this project either since it is a long way from running up and down the hallways playing hide and seek. We have to finish the golf course, feed the world and then make marshmallow launchers out of PVC pipe. I do understand, though, that none of these are as much fun as running up and down the hallways screaming and hiding.

I will let you know if any of the countries get fed. If not, we may be looking at a case of world famine caused by my advisory class.

Mr. Wiemers
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A Friday Advisory Activity

Mr. Wiemers
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