Start the New Year With Intention With One Word-Downloadable Inside
Y’all I loved this in 2019, and now it’s back (AGAIN)!
The new year is around the corner (so is GERMINATE Virtual Conference, have you registered yet?)
Time to think about how we want to see 2022, and what to personally focus on to move forward.
What a great opportunity to do this with your students…
But, any old worksheet just won’t do this justice! This is a BIG DEAL so it needed to be more that JUST an activity.
So, after thinking and seeing some other ideas similar to this online (like All About Me banners) I decided to make my own back in 2019 and it has been updated for you for 2022!
And thus, the One Word Banner was made.
On the back side are prompts to run through with the kids.
Step 1: Brainstorm as many words as you can that will embody 2022.
Step 2: Circle THREE that you like the most and write why you could see that as your ONE WORD.
Step 3: Pick ONE WORD and explain why that one is the best for you in 2021.
Step 4: On the other (blank) side creatively design your ONE WORD for 2021.
After they were done I decided to hang them on my personal growth wall (I have the FFA mission on the different walls of my room).
It was a GREAT activity that the kids took seriously and I love how for the rest of the semester they will be able to SEE their personal WORD day in and day out!
Wanna try it out? Here is a link to the document!
If you try it out with your students make sure you tag @sarahnerswick & @greenandgrowingedu so I can see the awesomeness your students create!
Scavenger Hunt for National FFA Convention
We can't wait to see you at National Convention in a few short days!
If you haven’t heard, we are doing a meet up!
The Marigold Meetup (if you don’t get the reference, check out this podcast episode) is on Thursday October 28 from 9-11 a.m.
You know you want to come to the Marigold Meetup and you know that keeping your kids occupied at the Expo will give you the time and space to attend the Marigold Meetup.
Picture this. I can see you now…
It’s Thursday at the National Convention. At 8:30 a.m. you have arrived at the Expo Center and start your lesson brief for your students. As you explain their scavenger hunt goals, you can feel the electricity of the environment and the excitement of your students donning the blue & gold jacket. As you pass out the scavenger hunts, the kids in their groups rush into the expo hall ready to learn and connect with others. You turn around confidently to go up the escalator and sky walk to the JW Marriott and feel at ease because you know you students are completing a quality curriculum-based activity while you fill your cup up with coffee and community at the marigold meet up.
That's the picture you want to see on Thursday October 28th right?
Well, you are just ONE CLICK away from that activity. Download the G&G Convention Expo Scavenger Hunt HERE.
Ps... if you aren't attending National Convention, but still want an easy to implement activity for your kiddos with you in the classroom...
Check out the Retiring Officer Reflection worksheet (Pss...I am leaving this activity as part of my sub plans, but have used it before during the FFA Unit)
Save 5 Hours per Week With Start Ups: Template Inside
You can picture exactly what you are looking forward to this summer.
Waking up without an alarm clock
Not hearing a bell a dozen times a day
Eating (and using the bathroom) when you want
You favorite FFA events
Your family's go to vaca stop
the list can go ON and ON
I get it, I also love a good relaxing summer.
But, if I'm being honest I get a little stir crazy after a week or two.
One of my favorite things to work on (other than prepping for Germinate) is to brainstorm ideas that can help save me time ⏱ in the year.
I just listened to this awesome podcast this morning that talked about strategies to save time and basically the morale of the story is SYSTEMS create TIME freedom.
One of the BIGGEST time savers I created a few summers ago when I was feeling stir crazy was creating yearlong Start Ups. Which you can find some on my TPT if you want to "delegate" that task to me.
But, if you want to make your own...I made a blank template to get you started! When you invest your time this summer to make 180 start ups, you will save an estimated 15 HOURS per prep per year! That is WORTH the time investment in my opinion.
Something else worth your investment...attending Germinate.
Instead of spending your summer browsing Pinterest for the prefect activity, trying to find teachers who specialist in a certain events, attempting to create community without knowing where to start, attend Germinate and the hard work is already done for you.
Start With Inquiry Based Learning Using FFA Wonder Week: Downloadable Inside
If you have been around the G&G block for a bit, you know Sarah loves the Wonder Week activity created by John Spencer.
And she loves to add her own spice to that idea of adding more inquiry in simple ways to her classes.
Ready to see the newest wonder week creation?
Simple, short and sweet FFA Wonder Week!
Here is how to use this assignment
1️⃣ Download template (copy of Google Slide)
2️⃣ Provide an editable copy to your whole class (duplicate slide 3 for students, maybe even write their names on their given slide) OR post on LMS and provide each student their own copy of the slides deck
3️⃣ Allow students about 1 class period (high school) to wonder about something in FFA (ex. I wonder what the AET is? I wonder what scholarships FFA offers? I wonder how they came up with the emblem design etc.) Example from 🙋♀️ below ⬇
4️⃣ Have students present to class LIVE or via Flipgrid or your favorite tech tool
5️⃣ Enjoy the student led learning 👊