MIDDLE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

Learning Goals

Relax! You will probably feel a little nervous going into a classroom of 30 students. Even veteran Role Models get pre-classroom jitters before their first visit! But, it is never as bad as you imagine.
Start with a Bang! Introduce yourself and The Role Model Program with confidence and enthusiasm. Let them know why you are there and how important the goals of The Role Model Program are to learn. If you are enthusiastic about being there, the students will be enthusiastic too.
Set the Tone. Establish rules and expectations during your visits (i.e., one person speaks at a time, how do we respect each other, etc.). Make your classroom rules "positive" - for example, instead of saying don’t talk when someone else is talking, say something like: “We are going to respect each other by listening when someone is talking.” Play a game or conduct an icebreaker to get the students to feel at ease.
Remember Their Names. It means a lot to kids if you remember their name. Figure out in advance how you plan to remember your students’ names. You can ask the teacher prior to your visit to have name-tags prepared, or you can bring in your own paper and have the students make them during your visit (see the Name Tent template in the Tools section of the web site).
Collect the Books at the End of Each Session. Always collect the books at the end of each session and store them in the classroom until your next visit.
Let Them Know You Want To Be There and That You Believe in Them. You will be amazed at how few of your students have positive adult Role Models who volunteer to be in their life. When you tell them that no one is paying you to visit their classrooms, you let them know that what you have to say is important.
Do the Exercises. Before you attend your first visit, review the exercises and determine the importance of each one. Your time is precious in the classroom and you want to be sure the most important exercises are conveyed in the time you have. Doing every exercise is challenging and may not be the best way to deliver your message. Review the goals and choose exercises that you think will best help the students understand them.

Key Learning Goals

By the End of Visit 1, students will:

Know you their Role Model Volunteer
Understand the purpose of The Role Model Program
Understand the concept of a role model
Learn characteristics associated with positive role models
Identify a role model in their own life

Preparation

Visit Volunteer Tested Ideas from the Classroom for more ideas!

Introduction

Start with a bang! Exude high energy and enthusiasm.
Explain what The Role Model Program is, what a Role Model volunteer is and why you are there.
Establish classroom "rules". It is great if you can make your classroom rules "positive". Instead of saying: "Don’t talk when someone else is talking," say something like, "We are going to respect each other by listening when someone is talking."

Exercise #1: Your Classroom Role Model

Exercise Objective: Students will begin to get to know you, be able to identify your selected personal information including your traits and attributes.

Preparation: This exercise is all about you. You will need to answer each question on your own prior to your classroom visit.

Presentation Suggestions: Review all the answers to the questions but specifically concentrate on questions 7, 8 and 9. Who was your role model and why? What ideas and tools for success do you want to impart on the students?

Bring in several personal objects from your life, place them on the teacher’s desk and ask the students to guess what they represent about you. For example—a ski pole if you like to ski, pictures of your family, diplomas, awards, pictures from vacations, hobbies. (Great for Visual learners)
Before the classroom session, write down each answer to Exercise 1 on small separate pieces of paper. Fold the papers up and place them in a hat or shoe box. Walk around the class and have students pick out a paper and read out loud the answer. Students must match the answer to the question. (Great for interactive learners)

Exercise #2: Who Are You Today?

Exercise Objective: Students will be able to identify their positive traits and characteristics. The goal of this exercise is introduce the concept of positive traits.

Preparation: Most of the students will not know the definition of traits or characteristics.

Presentation Suggestions:

Define characteristic and traits. Use yourself as an example. Use a famous person or historical figure and define their characteristics and traits with the class.
Pair and Share. Pair two students together, allow the students to work together and help one another.
Do the exercise out loud with the entire class – use yourself as the example, define the words that describe you.
Have your students read each word aloud. Ask the students to raise their hand if they do not know what a particular word means. Let them know how much courage it takes to ask for help and acknowledge those that do.
When you define words, make it relevant to the students' world. Ask questions like, "What does it mean to responsible at home?", "What does it mean to be respectful at school?", or "What does it mean to be generous on the soccer field?"
When students finish, ask them to briefly describe who they selected for a particular word and why.

Exercise #3: My Role Model

Exercise Objectives: Students will be able to identify one adult role model accessible to them in their life and explain why this person is a good role model for them. Students will be able to describe how they can become more like their selected Role Model. This exercise ties the unit together.

Presentation Suggestions:

Complete the exercise yourself, share each answer you wrote down and tell a story about your Role Model.
Ask students to choose a person they consider a Role Model in their lives, someone they can turn to for help.
Suggest that students use exercise 2 as a reference to answer questions #3 and #4.
Walk around the room and help students fill in their answers. Point out students who have the right idea and ask them if they would like to share what they wrote. (If they say no, ask if it is okay if you read it aloud – sometimes, English language learners are embarrassed about their language skills.)

Exercise #4: The Story of Carlos Singh

Exercise Objective: Students will better understand the qualities of a positive adult Role Model and see that those who grow up in adverse environments can overcome obstacles, seek higher education, and have a successful future. Students will link the importance of having role models and having a successful future.

Presentation Suggestions: Select students to read each paragraph of the story. Answer the questions as a class and discuss the story. Emphasize the adversity Carlos faced as a child and the success he achieved because his role model taught him to value education.

Visit Summary

Recap the first unit by asking the students a few questions that reflect their understanding of the visit goals. For example: "What is a Role Model?", "Why is it important to have a Role Model?", and "Name some words you would use to describe a good Role Model."

Preparation for Visit Two

At the end of Visit 1, ask students to bring in an item that represents something they love to do. Bring something unique that represents your interests to class as well. Collect the workbooks and leave them with the teacher in the classroom. Thank the students for their time, let them know when you will be back, and then check in with the teacher for feedback.