The Lion's Pride Gazette
Northwest Academy of Health Sciences (Mar. 22, 2024- V. 34)
Home of the Lions...Hear Us Roar!!
From the Principal's Desk - Mr. Robinson
Greetings Team Lions!
With MCAP testing in full swing, Brain Breaks are a great opportunity for students to get a break in between academic tasks to prevent shut down and brain overload. Take a look at the article below for ideas on purposeful Brain Break ideas for your students. Have a wonderful week!
"Four Brain Breaks for Different Classroom Needs"
These brain breaks are designed to serve different purposes, and selecting the right one at the right time can yield positive results.
By Wendy Turner
February 29, 2024
The science behind brain breaks is clear. We know that incorporating brain breaks into academic routines yields benefits for students of all ages. CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, includes brain breaks in their three signature practices. Throughout my career, I have used brain breaks with great success with my second- and third-grade students as well as with college students and adults in professional development workshops.
As I reflect deeply about the brain breaks I use, I categorize them based on the result I hope to achieve with them. Brain breaks can energize students or help them to relax. They can also spark creativity and connection.
4 TARGETED BRAIN BREAKS
1. Energizing brain breaks. I use these when I sense that we need to increase energy in the classroom and spark joy. They include activity videos such as those you can find on UJU’s YouTube channel, which was created by a group of teachers. They are fun and require movement. For younger elementary students, movement videos tied to questions and games such as Would You Rather? or Which One? are especially powerful. Videos are also available in Spanish.
For students and adults, I love to set up a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. I have done this with great success with up to several hundred adults. Participants find a partner to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with and then trail the winner, cheering for them until it’s down to just two people in the room. This game is almost universally known and is a crowd pleaser. At professional development sessions, having a small prize for the winner is also fun.
Another brain break I like for all ages is one I call Walk the Room. In this break, I play upbeat music and ask students or adults to walk the room racetrack style while chatting with a friend or contemplating by themselves. I define the path for participants and tell them they can talk about whatever they want, or they can just walk quietly.
Some popular tracks to play are “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; “Happy,” by Pharrell Williams; “Don’t Stop Believin’,” by the Ohio State Marching Band; “ABC,” by the Jackson 5; and “The World Is Ours,” by Aloe Blacc and David Correy.
This type of brain break is useful after morning meetings in classrooms where we typically have been sitting for a while, after lunch when sluggishness can set in, or when we’ve been working on an academic task for 30 minutes or longer and just need to increase energy and clear space in our brains for what’s next.
2. Creative brain breaks. I use these when we have been working hard on a concept and need some time, space, and sensory input to make something on our own. My favorite examples of this type of brain break are creating with small cans of Play-Doh for five minutes, building something with Legos for five minutes, and building structures with small wooden blocks similar to those used to play Jenga.
Students and adults have a choice in what they are making and how it comes together. This small bit of agency can go a long way toward regulation and resetting brains for the rest of the class or day. I also love having students work on a 24-piece puzzle. The task of having to think and work toward an end product activates neurons in the brain. A puzzle can fire up a growth mindset and provide a challenge.
3. Soothing brain breaks. There are times when more mindful, slower-paced brain breaks work best. I offer choices with calm activities when students arrive in the morning, after an energetic or fast-paced activity, and quite simply when we need to calm ourselves to be successful in our next activity.
Examples include journaling, mindful coloring, yoga activities available on YouTube, box breathing, and working on dot-to-dot puzzles with hundreds of numbers. Each requires focus and is relatively quiet. I love to play lo-fi beats music in the background while we work on these things, which adds to a calm ambience in the classroom and helps students regulate while they can see how much time they have. Three to five minutes works very well. The Pomodoro Music Timer YouTube channel has lots of videos you can use for this purpose.
4. Connection brain breaks. A connected and safe classroom community supports academic and social success. Throughout the year, we can build connections through rituals and activities where we share ourselves with others. This can include articulating our hopes and dreams, fears, goals, and what’s important to us. We can share our customs, traditions, and family practices.
Brain breaks that focus on these goals can provide that time. A very popular brain break is to ask a quick opinion question, such as “What’s better, tacos or pizza, and why?” Would You Rather? and Four Corners are always great options.
I love to do a quick-chat brain break in my classroom. We do this each day after lunch to move and foster connection. I put up a slide with a quick question, and students find a partner to chat with for one minute. When I ring the chime, they find a new partner and do the same. We do this for five rounds. It gets us moving, talking, and connecting and takes just five minutes. It’s a perfect transition between activities. You can see one of my slides below. I put a picture of my dog Bella in it for fun.
Brain breaks are a necessary and enjoyable element of any learning environment. They work best when we plan them to meet our learners’ needs at different times of day and in different situations. When we are flexible and attuned to our students, we can take advantage of the best type of brain break for the moment.
Source: https://www.edutopia.org/article/incorporating-brain-breaks-different-classroom-needs
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From the Desk of Mr. Chapman (AP)
Happy Spring...we are currently in full swing of MCAP Testing.
I appreciate all staff that have contributed our testing season thus far.
Once we return from Spring Break, we will enter the biggest phase of testing for the entire school for ELA and Math (6th, 7th, and 8th grade) , followed by Social Studies for the 8th grade.
Please note that it will take all hands on deck to successfully facilitate MCAP testing.
Have a restful Spring Break!
-Mr. Chapman
MCAP Spirit Week
Science News
Big shout out to everyone that helped out with MISA testing!
We will be having STEAM night 4/24 from 4 pm to 6 pm.
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English Language Arts and Reading News
8 Truths About Teaching Writing to Middle Schoolers
There’s something extraordinary about middle school writers.
Maybe it’s the tension of existing between childhood and adulthood and their ability to articulate this tension. Maybe it’s their fully intact imaginations and natural inclination to creatively express themselves. Whatever it is, they’re capable of astounding us and each other if we teach them well.
The importance is rooted in both coaching them on the conventions of writing in English and giving them room to be who they are.
1. Choice is crucial, but students need help choosing: When students are able to follow their interests and curiosity, it’s more likely that their writing will be honest and compelling. However, if left to their own devices, students sometimes begin writing about topics that don’t lead them anywhere.
Before writing, students should brainstorm and have the opportunity to talk with you—and their peers, if possible—about their ideas. They’ll need your help discerning which idea would yield the most engaging writing for them. Your guidance is invaluable.
2. Clichés are fantastic for teaching creative expression: Middle schoolers often use clichés, in the belief that using them makes their writing better. When we define clichés for them and explain the better choice of describing familiar things in fresh, unique ways, students begin taking more risks in their writing.
Create a cliché graveyard for the classroom—a poster cut into the shape of a gravestone that we add clichés to as we identify them. This makes hunting for clichés fun, and each time we bury a cliché, students come up with new creative descriptions.
3. Simple rubrics make a huge difference: Rubrics let students know what you’re looking for in their writing, and middle schoolers are most attentive to rubrics that include as little text as possible.
4. Students should interview published writers: Middle schoolers learn a ton about the craft of writing when given opportunities to interview published writers. Thankfully, many writers are happy to visit classrooms and meet with students for free. Visits by video call also work.
Before a visit, students should read a small selection of the writer’s work and prepare five to 10 questions on that work and the writer’s process. As a class, they should ask their questions and take notes on what the writer says. It’s amazing how much ground they can cover in one class.
5. They need to name their strengths and weaknesses: When meeting with students one on one, begin by asking them to identify the strengths and weaknesses of whatever piece they’re working on. Students can often name the strengths of their writing, but you still need to encourage them to be specific: “What makes this sentence work well?”
It’s more difficult for them to name weaknesses. “I just don’t like this part,” they’ll say. Again, your job is to help them be specific.
The more students are encouraged to name the strengths and weaknesses of their writing, the more self-sufficient they become as writers.
6. We can embrace the quirks: It’s important to teach students the terminology and structures of English grammar so that they understand what you mean when you discuss the makeup of a sentence.
However, middle schoolers sometimes create sentences with peculiar characteristics that look and sound striking but are grammatically incorrect. Because they haven’t fully internalized English grammar, they’re still playful with the language.
On these occasions, I’ve found it helpful to allow them to break the rules but also let them know how they’re doing so. This way, grammatical conventions aren’t forgotten—they’re purposefully ignored to help students develop a voice on the page.
7. Letting them try on different writing styles is invaluable: A great way to help students develop their writing voices is to let them imitate others. When students read short pieces by authors with distinctive voices and as a class identify how—on the sentence level—the writing is unique and interesting, they learn practical ways to infuse writing with personality.
If given opportunities to use these styles in their own writing, students are one step closer to understanding how to make their written work more representative of who they are.
8. They need to consistently ask themselves two questions: Middle schoolers often leave important ideas off the page because they either assume you know they’re talking about or haven’t pushed themselves to think critically about what they’re saying.
If during class and in your comments you consistently challenge students to answer “How?” and “Why?” they learn to be more thoughtful and thorough in all of their writing. These simple metacognitive questions lead to fuller, more sophisticated thought processes for them and stronger pieces of writing for others to read.
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AVID Strategy Corner
Black History Month: HBCU Fair
A huge “Thank You” to the AVID students for hosting the HBCU Fair during Black History Month. They looked fabulous dressed in business attire and a large number of them did extremely well presenting information on the college or university they represented. We truly appreciate the teachers that brought students down to visit and give feedback.
AVID Students & High School Magnet:
Congrats to the following students for being accepted or waitlisted for a high school magnet program. They are: Kori C., Urijah R., Sydney R., Caroline E., Alaina M., Sarai S., Chukwudi I., Mbalou S., Imani J., and Kennedy J.
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AVID STRATEGY: HELPING TRIOS
Advanced Academics Corner
From the Nurse's Suite
Seasonal Allergies
Spring means flower buds and blooming trees — and if you're one of the millions of people who have seasonal allergies, it also means sneezing, congestion, a runny nose, and other bothersome symptoms.
Reduce your exposure to allergy triggers.
To reduce your exposure to the things that trigger your allergy signs and symptoms (allergens):
· Stay indoors on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air.
· Avoid lawn mowing, weed pulling and other gardening chores that stir up allergens.
· Remove clothes you've worn outside and rinse pollen from your skin
· Wear a face mask if you do outside chores.
How can the school help a child with environmental allergies?
School can create a healthy environment for children with environmental allergies.
- Promote an odor-free environment, including no perfumes, no strong odors from cleaning supplies.
- Ensure adequate ventilation.
- Allow students to remain indoors on days when pollen counts are impacting their day.
- Close windows during times of high pollen counts to reduce allergens in the environment.
Antihistamines for allergies
· An allergy is an immune response, or reaction, to substances (allergens) that are usually not harmful. In someone with allergies, the immune response is oversensitive. When it recognizes an allergen, the immune system launches a response. Chemicals such as histamines are released. These chemicals cause allergy symptoms.
· One type of medicine that helps relieve allergy symptoms is antihistamine.
How to Take Antihistamines
Depending on your symptoms, you can take antihistamines:
- Every day, to help keep daily symptoms under control.
- Only when you have symptoms
- Before being exposed to things that often cause your allergy symptoms, such as a pet or certain plants
For many people with allergies, symptoms are the worst around 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. Taking an antihistamine at bedtime may help you or your child feel better in the morning during allergy season.
( The school can only supply allergy medication when supplied by the parent with a Doctors order. )
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Counseling Corner
Positive Thoughts and Affirmations
Have students read through the list of positive thoughts and affirmations and pick their top three during times when they need extra support. They can use them to start their day on a positive note, prepare for a test / quiz , deal with a stressful situation , when they are upset or just help them to improve their mood.
The Athletics 411
Our Spring Season has started for Allied Softball (Coach Haywood & Coach Tucker), Tennis (Coach Harvey & Coach Jett), Track & Field (Coach Priddee (boys) & Coach Solomon (girls)).
Our Sports Program is first taste of athletics that most students receive. The key is not about winning-- our job as coaches is to teach student athletes the fundamendamentals of the importance of being apart of a team. BCPS Office of Athletics policy and focus for middle school students is to teach sportsmanship, team work, perseverance, and accountability.
Playdates:
Allied Softball
April 13th--TBA
May 4th--Carver High School
Tennis
April 13th & May 4th--New Town High School
Track & Field
April 13th--Woodlawn High School
May 4th--Patapsco High School
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Weekly Inspiration
Spring is a time of new beginnings.
Let's shed Winter, leaving it behind-- and step into the new Spring season with a renewed sense of purpose, energy, kindness, and hope for what is to come!
Let's also renew and strengthen our relationships with our colleagues and students.
Savor and enjoy the beauty of SPRING!!
Enjoy your upcoming week...make it a beautiful one!
You're awesome!
Mrs. Solomon
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Weekly Inspiration
You make a difference in the lives our all of students, you are dynamic...you are every WOMAN!!
Acknowledgments
A special THANK YOU to every member of our NAHS family that contributed in producing our Lion's Pride Gazette!
Mrs. Solomon
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Northwest Academy of Health Sciences
Editor-in-Chief
Email: ksolomon3@bcps.org
Website: northwestms.bcps.org
Location: 4627 Old Court Road, Pikesville, MD, USA
Phone: (443) 809-0742