Thursday, September 24, 2015

LDS Youth Leaders

I created a Facebook Group for LDS Youth Leaders (Young Women and Young Men Leaders)
The LDS Seminary Teachers Facebook group has been so helpful that I am hoping this new group can do the same for LDS Youth Leaders.
Please join and post ideas for
Young Women Camp
Personal Progress
Ministering and Administering YM/YW Programs
Sunday Lesson ideas
Scout Activities
Combined YM/YW Activities
Quotes from Prophets and Apostles that support the LDS Doctrines we are teaching and living.
Class Presidency ideas
Communication and support with leaders, youth, and parents
Fireside (Bishops Youth Discussion) Ideas
Bishops Youth Council Ideas

Click HERE for a link to the group
Add other Young Women and Young Men Leaders to this group and suggest they do the same.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Zion

As a wrap up and review of Moses 7, we did an activity based on Moses 7:18
(See photos below)
"And the Lord called his people Zion, 
because they were of one heart and one mind, 
and dwelt in righteousness; 
and there was no poor among them."

I made up an obstacle course with "Zion" and the "City of Enoch" as the end goal.
A few of the students were blindfolded (representing the "residue" and wickedness that surrounded the people of Enoch before they were translated 
The remainder of the students represented the righteous and were already in the City of Enoch-Zion. They were instructed to guide those with blindfolds to join them as they experienced:
One in Heart.
One in Mind
Righteous
No Poor among them
( I had chairs labelled with these attributes that the students had to touch as they were navigated through the obstacle course)

I gave them very basic instructions at first:
1) The blindfolded students needed to follow the tape on the floor from place to place, in the order they find the the description of Zion in Moses 7:18.  (One in Heart, One in Mind, Dwelt in Righteousness, No Poor among them)
2) They would need to touch the chair with the corresponding picture and then move to the next chair following the instructions from those in the City of Enoch
3) They could not touch those with the blindfolds on
4) They had to stay in "Zion"  at the end of the room behind a line

At first is was chaos because all 5 blindfolded students started at one time and all of the people in Zion were yelling at them with different instructions and directions all at once.

At that point, I stopped them and asked how they they this was working out and if this was how a Zion people operate.

The students who were in Zion re-grouped and made a plan (UNITY) they appointed a leader and instructed one blindfolded person at a time to navigate the obstacle course and had only one person at a time calling out instructions. 
With this strategy, the blindfolded person quickly made it to Zion where they all welcomed them with open arms, cheers, and high-fives, etc.
This was repeated, and each time, the instructions were clearer and the person was navigated to Zion in a more efficient manner.

At the end there was an envelope for all to open that instructed them to go as a group to the kitchen for a treat after we had closing prayer. Before prayer we compared this activity to Moses 7:18 and gave us the opportunity to discuss the attributes of a Zion people, Unity, and what we need to do as a class to create more unity before we can expect to become a Zion people.

If I had more time, I would have used more of the verses from Moses 7 and labelled obstacles as chains, mountains, residue, giants, etc.  As it was, I just used extra chairs, tables, music stands, etc. from around the building.














Friday, September 4, 2015

Getting To Know You-What Do We Have In Common?

What Do We Have In Common?

At the beginning of the year, I had each student fill out a form with basic information about themselves. There was another section for them to list "Favorites" and anything else they want me to know about them.
As an ongoing "get to know you" activity, a few days per week, I take a few minutes at the beginning of class and call a few students up front.
No one has any idea why they are up front.
I ask everyone in the room to guess what these students have in common based on the things they wrote on their information sheets and some things I already know about them.

For example:
1) I called 5 students up front and said they all have something in common with me. After a few guesses I gave some vague clues such and they eventually figured out that the thing they all have in common is that they each have a Birthday in the summer when school is out, hence no treats at school for their Birthday and we had donuts that day and sang Happy Birthday to them (and me)

2) Another day, I called 5 students up front and the thing they had in common was they were all born outside the USA.  I gave clues like asking everyone in the class where they were born and eventually they all figured out that they each were born outside the USA.

3) Another day, I called 2 students up front and the thing they had in common was they all like pizza.

4) One day, I did not even use information from the forms. I called up everyone who was wearing blue jeans. 

5) Another day... the thing they all had in common is that they play a musical instrument.

This is a great way to get multiple uses out of those beginning of the year information forms and get your students mixing and mingling.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Classroom Order and Storage

Each student in my class has a plastic storage box.

Order in the classroom brings the Spirit and these storage boxes have contributed to our classroom routine and order that welcomes the Spirit.
Each box is tall enough to hold any size quad scripture set. ( 10 1/16" x  13 15/16"  x  4")
The width and length are just the right size for holding regular size notebooks, folders, binders, etc.
I have looked on-line at the IRIS site but have not seen this specific size, which is the best.
The high quality and dimensions make these ideal for student's classroom supply storage

The Scrapbook/Hobby storage container section at Michaels in the store, not-on-line, is the best place to find these. I have not seen IRIS brand plastic boxes with these dimensions, on-line or any place other than Michaels. With coupons, I usually pay a little under $5 per box. Regular price, they are around $8. They are high quality and worth the price.

As students graduate, they leave their box and it is assigned to a new student for the next year, unless it is broken, which I have only had one fall apart and it was due some accidental stepping on the box. They are sturdy, which is important. I have seen others for less money but they were low quality. These boxes get a lot of rough and tumble use, which is a consideration for quality. I have seen, in the past, Rubbermaid brand boxes just like these but not lately.


Each student receives a large sticker (I use the large shipping stickers from Office Depot) to cover the original product description sticker.
If they want a new one each year, I give them one. It feels like a "fresh start" and gets them excited about a new year of study.
They decorate the stickers with their names, doodles, etc.
This year, many of my students are writing their Hebrew name on their sticker.

Our room stays set up all week and when everyone cleans up their seat area at the end of each class and we can leave the room orderly (see photos below), we generally don't have issues with people coming in and moving, touching, taking, breaking, etc. our "stuff".

On Fridays we store them all in a locked cabinet, however, many weeks they have been stored out in the open, unlocked, and no one as touched them. I don't like to keep them unlocked or out over the weekend as their scriptures and journals with personal writings in their boxes. I am aware of another Seminary class that stores theirs in the meetinghouse library on weekends and long breaks.

This would be an ideal consideration for those who share their room in a busy meetinghouse and must pack up their supplies every day. The clean up is quick and the kids take responsibility for their own supplies.