Category: Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills

Teaching Authentically at the Holidays

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

This is the time of year when I always come back to my favorite family holiday story. I have told it many times, but feel it is worthy of repeating.

As a preteen in South Florida (note the Florida themed Christmas Tree in the photo above) my great-grandfather gave me Avon face powder for a holiday gift. Needless to say, I was disappointed by this gift. Instead of lecturing me about being ungrateful, or exchanging the powder for a different gift, my mother agreed that this was not a great gift for a girl my age. She suggested that perhaps there was a young woman somewhere that might not be getting gifts for the holidays who would appreciate this gift.

This was before the internet, Giving Trees, etc., and it took many phone calls for my mother to find an agency that was collecting gifts for needy families. We ended up “adopting” a family for the holidays. Our whole family picked out gifts for this family. This was a tradition we continued throughout my childhood, and a tradition I continued with my own children.

With the internet, Toys for Tots, Giving Trees… There are so many ways for children to become authentically engaged in the spirit of the holidays. Children can be given examples of ways to make the holidays special for others, can choose to engage in these activities/organizations, or come up with new authentic ideas.

Happy December! Happy Authentic Teaching!

Authentic Project Ideas – A Lonely Time of Year

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

I look at this photo and I see art.  I scrapbook, and use a lot of photos to make cards as well.  This would be a beautiful fall card. 

As we go into fall, not only does football season start (do I hear my husband cheering/groaning), but people also start to think about the holiday season.  This is a time of year that older people, especially those in nursing homes, may be feeling shut in and lonely.  A great authentic project would be to think of ways to let these people know that someone out there cares.  So, maybe this photo could be printed and used to make cards for people who need some cheering up.  (You totally, 100%, have my permission to use this photo!)

Staying authentic, maybe your students have a better idea, or a different target group…

Authentic teaching/learning that also serves as a community service project – BLUE RIBBON!

Tex the Explorer and The Jared Box Project – Little Libraries

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Blog, Books for Children, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, Penn State University

REPOSTED FROM THE JARED BOX PROJECT

Next up at The Jared Box Project!

Have you heard about the book, Tex the Explorer and The Jared Box Project? It was written by Ellie Smith and illustrated by her former student, Eyen Johnson. It tells the sweet story of Jared Boxes.

We are on a mission to put a copy of our book in Little Libraries across the country. The book is available on Amazon.

If you put a copy of the book in a Little Library, please send us a photo! This will be a fun adventure!

Thank you!

The Jared Box Project

The Jared Box Project

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Books for Children, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

Almost exactly a year ago, Eyen and I became involved with The Jared Box Project. Eyen and I both agree that this is why we started creating books together. We just didn’t know this when we started out on our book journey over seven years ago.

This blog is about teaching authentically. But I also feel that it is important to live authentically! To me, authenticity means make it real and make it count. Our books were already “real”, and we both felt they helped children learn to enjoy reading. Now writing a book for The Jared Box Project made what we are doing “count” even more. We are really making a difference in a positive way.

Eyen and I just attended the celebration for the Millionth Jared Box! Yes, over a million Jared Boxes have been made and distributed. The Jared Box Project is now in all 50 States and several other countries. Making Jared Boxes is a wonderful authentic community service project. It is easy, it is fun, and it truly makes a huge difference to those who receive them.

For more information about The Jared Box Project, go to thejaredbox.org.

Giving Back!

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

I have written about this story before, but it is so important to me that I feel I should repeat it at the holiday season.

When I was about 11 or 12 years old, my great-grandfather gave me face powder as a holiday gift. He was in his 90s and had no idea that pre-teen girls didn’t wear face powder. After he left, I expressed my disappointment to my mother, in tears – my usual mode of pre-teen communication. Instead of lecturing me that I should be grateful or telling me I was spoiled etc, my mother agreed that this was not a great gift for a girl my age. She didn’t offer to replace it, instead she suggested we find an older woman who might not be getting gifts for the holidays, and donate this to her. After some discussion, my mother, brothers, and I decided to find an entire family that we could donate gifts to for the holidays.

This was before the internet, and giving-trees etc, and it was actually not easy to find out how to accomplish this. But my mother persevered, and we found a family in need, bought and wrapped gifts, and delivered them to the family – including the face powder that started this all.

We continued this throughout my entire childhood, and as adults have all continued this tradition with our own families. I can’t imagine a holiday season where giving to some one in need isn’t a part of it. It is definitely my favorite part of the holidays.

So authentic project idea – brainstorm with your class, children, family a way to give back this holiday season. Something as simple as a home-made card can really brighten up someone’s holiday.

Authentic Project Ideas – Planting Trees

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

Teaching our children that they can make an authentic difference is something that I think is really important. There are so many current problems we have on our planet. And it can seem like, “why bother,” we really can’t make a difference. But we can! If everyone just tried to make a bit of a difference, think of the changes that we could make.

Our planet desperately needs trees planted. There are many, many groups that are planting trees. A great authentic project would be to learn why we need trees, what we use trees for, what are all the different types of trees… Then involving our students in either planting trees, or fundraising for groups that are planting them. Tons of authentic reading, math, science, social studies… Learning and a good cause – can’t beat that!

Authentic Project Ideas – Understanding Others

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

I live in the heart of Amish country in Central Pennsylvania. Because of this, I have interacted with the Amish and learned a great deal about their culture.

They are a fascinating group of people. The more I know about them, the more I want to learn. There are definitely some things they do, and believe in, that I would like to try to incorporate into my life, and some things I would not. (Totally not interested in giving up my washing machine and dryer.) But, isn’t that true for everyone. And isn’t it true that the more we learn, understand, and appreciate other people, the better we will get along.

I think a great authentic project for students in my area would be to learn about the Amish. What group(s) of people who practice different or unique religions, customs, or ideas are in your area? And what are your students interested in learning about these people? It won’t and shouldn’t be the same for every student. I am especially interested in Amish clothing. My friend down the street is interested in Amish cooking. Both topics are authentic and can lead to further discovery on different topics.

And just let me say…I do NOT want the Amish recipe for those little chocolate donuts stuffed with peanut butter filling. I have worked too hard to lose weight this year to get my hands on that recipe!

Authentic Project Ideas – Save a Starfish

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

The whole point of authentic teaching is that it is – well – authentic!  Make it real.  Make it count.

Teaching social skills is definitely something that is authentically real, and certainly counts.  But coming up with driving questions and project ideas that develop these skills can seem daunting, especially if you want what you are doing to really make a difference.  But, I think sometimes the problem is that we think that to make a difference we need to save the world.

There is a story about a boy on a beach who is picking up starfish and throwing them back in the water.  There are thousands of starfish washed up on the beach and there is no way that the boy can throw them all back in the water and save them all.  A man is watching him, questions this, and asks him why he even tries.  As he throws another starfish back in the water, he replies, “It made a difference to that one.”   (Adapted from The Star Fish Thrower by Loren Eiseley, 1907-1977)

I love this story.  I repeat it constantly.  To me it is the core of everything I do when I do something for someone else.  I don’t have to send a card to every elderly, lonely person to make a difference.  Just one.  I don’t need to donate a toy to every needy child at the holidays.  Just one, or two, or however many I can handle. I don’t need to clean up litter on every street in my town.  Just one block. I don’t need save the world by myself.

And when I devise a driving question, or come up with a framework for a project, I don’t need to come up with something that will save the world.  Just one starfish.  And imagine if every educator devised a project to save one starfish.  We might just end up saving all of them. This is the truly authentic lesson we need to teach children.  Save one starfish.

Authentic Learning Turning Into an Authentic Project

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Authentic Teaching, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

I finally learned how to bake cookies.  Seriously!  I have never been able to bake cookies – my result was always a melted, burnt mess.  But thanks to a lot of instruction and patience from my daughter-in-law, I have finally mastered baking cookies.

So, for the first time, I am going to make holiday cookies this year.  I am going to use the recipes I have already mastered and change them slightly for the holidays.  For example, using red and green M&Ms only for my M&M cookies.  I am also thinking about how to tweak my chocolate chip cookies for the holidays.  Any ideas?

I have written about baking and cooking many times on my blog.  This is one of the best authentic ways to teach so many math and reading skills.

With the current pandemic, I was also thinking about authentic social awareness skills.  There are many single people in my neighborhood who have been isolating alone now for months.  I am thinking about leaving a plate of holiday cookies on several doorsteps.  I thought about doing this anonymously, but with food I think it is better that the receiver knows where the treats came from.

Doing this with children could easily turn into an authentic project.  Baking is just the starting point. Conversation while baking could turn into a project of making and leaving home made ornaments on doorsteps to brighten people’s holiday.  Or maybe making a small homemade gift. 

Perhaps this could turn into an authentic project learning about all the holidays people celebrate this time of year, and what gifts are usually given, if any, for these holidays. I would love to receive a gift from another religion/culture with a written explanation of what this gift represents. 

So, I started writing about my new-found ability to bake cookies, and am now thinking about leaving some unique gifts from other religions/cultures on my neighbors’ doorsteps, with an explanation about what the gifts represent. I need to do some research and planning. I will need to do some writing. And I am going to need to be creative. This is an authentic project!