Week of October 29 - November 2

Welcome to Week 12 of the 1st semester.

On Monday, I will begin the class by collecting the bell ringers from last week.
Next, we will finish up our study of Habit #6 as we complete the Habit #6 worksheet (see below).

To put into practice Habit #6, the students will work with a partner to create an imaginary problem which will serve as an opportunity to work through the "Getting to Action Synergy Plan."  After deciding upon a problem to tackle, each partner pair will work together to listen to each other's perspective (using Habit #5), brainstorm solutions, and then decide upon the best solution.  If they can effectively do this, they will have created a win-win solution (Habit #4).  They will explain each part of the action plan on the following worksheet:

On Tuesday, the students will share some of their action plans with the class, and then I will collect the Habit #6 worksheet AND the students' "Getting to Synergy Action Plan".  

Next, we will turn our attention to the next and final habit, Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw.

Habit #7, Sharpen the Saw, means regularly renewing and strengthening the 4 key dimensions of your life: your body (the physical dimension), your brain (the mental dimension), your heart (the emotional dimension), and your soul (your spiritual dimension).

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will focus our attention on how we can renew and strengthen our BODY.
On Thursday, we will focus our attention on how we can renew and strengthen our MIND. 
On Friday, we will focus our attention on how we can renew and strengthen our HEART and our SOUL.

Below are the notes that the students took in class:

Then, on Monday, I will hold a review session covering all 7 of the habits in preparation for the
7 HABITS FINAL EXAM which will be given on Tuesday, November 6.

Bell Ringers for this week:

Monday: Beach ball activity (nothing written)

Tuesday: Explain how Habit #6 requires us to use Habit #5 and Habit #4.

Wednesday: Explain what you do to maintain a healthy body by describing how YOU use the 4 key ingredients of a healthy body.

Thursday: What did you do to renew your body yesterday? What did you do to strengthen your brain yesterday?

Friday: What are some things that you could tell a very important person in your life that would help them know how much you appreciate them?

Week of October 22 - 25

This week we will complete our study of Habit #5 and begin our study of Habit #6.
Last Friday, I introduced the students to the concept of empathy.  Below is a quote that sums it up well:

We will start off this week discussing a time when your child used empathy and explore how empathy requires us to get outside of our judgments and take the perspective of another person.  We must use empathy to truly "hear" and understand another person, a requirement of Habit #5 ("Seek first to understand....).  I will explain the second half of Habit #5 (... then to be understood), and we will discuss how to be heard.  The students will then apply the 3 requirements of "genuine listening" to a conversation with a peer as they practice using both parts of Habit #5.

On Tuesday through Friday, we will be discussing Habit #6: Synergize.  The students will learn the definition of synergy (when 2 or more people or things work together to create something better than either could have done alone), discuss examples of synergy (a good band, geese flying in a "V" formation, the sequoia trees, a bird feeding off of a rhino), and discover the 4 requirements necessary to achieving synergy (celebrating differences, teamwork, open-mindedness, and finding new and better ways).  They will also learn about three roadblocks (ignorance, cliques, and prejudice) that prevent us from "celebrating our differences. Finally we will differentiate synergy from compromise and cooperation by describing each of these concepts from a mathematical perspective:

Compromise:  1 +1  = 1 1/2
Cooperation:   1 +1  = 2
SYNERGY:    1 +1  = 3 or more

Bell Ringers for this week:

Monday: Describe a time when you used empathy with another person.

Tuesday: Are you willing to commit to improving your ability to listen? If so, how will you do it? If not, why not?

Wednesday: Describe how the Indian Talking Stick can be used to help you "be understood" (the second half of Habit #5).

Thursday: How can using Habit #5 create synergy (Habit #6) in our classroom?

Friday: Did your group experience synergy yesterday?
Explain your answer by telling me whether your group worked as a team, how you "celebrated" your differences,  and if YOU were open-minded.  Also, tell me one thing your group could have done better in order to create more synergy.

Week of October 15 - 18

This week starts the beginning of the 2nd QUARTER.

During the four days of school this week, we will be learning about Habit #4: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.  This very important habit is all about listening.

The students will learn that Habit #4 can be defined in two ways:
1. Listen first, talk second.
2. See things from another's point of view (paradigm, perspective) before sharing your own.

Students will discover the importance of this habit when they first recognize that the deepest need of the human heart is to be understood. We all want to be understood. That is why many of us try so hard to share our stories, to get our point across, and to MAKE others listen to us.  However, the easiest way to get someone to listen to you is to FIRST demonstrate that you care about them by LISTENING to them.

Many of us think we are good listeners.  However, the truth of the matter is that we have become accustomed to using our "poor listening habits" instead of genuinely listening to another person. In class, we will discover the 6 poor listening habits, and then we will use self-awareness to recognize which of these bad habits we use the most so we can start breaking those habits.  Next, we will learn how to genuinely listen to others using our eyes, ears and heart.  The result can be much better listening which can lead to much stronger relationships!

To help the students with their understanding of these concepts, they will be completing a worksheet as they read and discuss each concept. I have included a blank worksheet below as well as a worksheet with the notes on them that each student needs to copy down in their own handwriting.

The students also learned about the need for "EMPATHY" when practicing "GENUINE" listening.  To help them understand what the word 'empathy' means, they viewed a short video narrated by Brene Brown (see below).

What is Empathy?

Finally, I collected and will be grading this week's bell ringers. 

Bell Ringers this week:

Monday: How can you get your parents to listen to you better?

Tuesday: Why is good listening an important leadership skill?

Wednesday: What is the difference between selective listening and word listening?

Thursday: Which poor listening style do you use most often? How would your life be different if you were able to listen better?

Week of October 8 - 12

Welcome to the final week of the 1st Quarter!

This week we will focus on understanding Habit #4: THINK WIN-WIN. We have now moved out of the Private Victory, where we were learning how to master ourselves, and into the Public Victory, where we will learn how to master our relationships with others.

On Monday and Tuesday, the students will read in the text all about Habit #4, Think Win-Win.  They will quickly come to learn that Habit #4 is an attitude toward life, a mental framework that says, "I can win, and so can you!" This is a necessary attitude if we hope to develop strong, healthy relationships with others.

On Wednesday, the school schedule will shift to accommodate the PSAT testing schedule. Only periods 3, 4, 5, and 6 will meet following the PSAT test.  In those classes, I will pass back the 7 Habits Quiz that the students took last week and go over the correct answers. 

On Thursday and Friday, I will go over the 7 Habits Quiz with periods 2 and 7 (Thursday), and we will work to finish up our study of Habit #4: Think Win-Win.  The students will learn that in order to achieve a "win-win", they must do two things:

1. Win their Private Victory, and
2. Avoid the "Tumor Twins" (Competing and Comparing)

Bell Ringers this week:

Monday:   Copy and complete the following sentences:
To reach a "win-win" in this class, I must bring my organized binder with the following tabs in this order:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I need at least two sharpened pencils and one red pen.  (Write the red words with your red pen).
I also need to bring and use my planner to write down my homework.

Tuesday:  What is the 'definition' of Habit #4?

Wednesday: No Bell Ringer

Thursday: Answer the following question and include specific behaviors that explain each habit you have included in your answer.  
Question:  In order to earn a higher score on your next quiz or test, which habits do you need to apply?

Friday: Clenched Fist activity

Week of October 1 - 5

This week we will finish up Habit #3 (Monday-Wednesday) and jump into THE PUBLIC VICTORY!

On Monday and Tuesday the students learned about how to move from their COMFORT ZONE into their COURAGE ZONE as a way to "Put First Things First".  They also learned the importance of IDENTIFYING THEIR FEARS and then consciously making a CHOICE (Be Proactive) to try to move out of their fears by stepping into their courage zone, another way to practice Habit #3.

In class, the students completed the following worksheet, and I collected it on Tuesday.

As part of our study of Habit #3, we discussed the following ways to deal with PEER PRESSURE:

How to Handle Peer Pressure:
1. Remove yourself from the environment.
2. Care more about what YOU think of you than what your peers think of you.
3. Find a friend who puts POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE on you to be your best.
4. Build your PBA.
5. Write your mission statement (and look at it often) and set SMART goals (and do them!).

On Wednesday, the students will learn that Habit #3 is the hardest habit to master because it requires DISCIPLINE. Also on Wednesday, we will begin our study of THE PUBLIC VICTORY: The RBA, Habit #4, Habit #5, and Habit #6.  We will focus our learning on the Relationship Bank Account (RBA) on Thursday. To help in our understanding of this concept, the students will be given an RBA worksheet to complete during class.

I will also be completing a NOTEBOOK CHECK on Thursday and Friday. 

On Friday, the students will take a QUIZ covering the following concepts:
Habit #1
Habit #2
Habit #3
PBA
RBA
Private Victory
Public Victory
The Car Analogy

Bell Ringer's This Week:

Monday:  (1) Draw and label the "time quadrants" on your bell ringer page.
                (2) In each box, write one activity you did this weekend that fits in that quadrant.
Tuesday: Why do you think Habit #3 is the hardest habit to master?
Wednesday: Write the following sentence and fill in the blank with one word:
                     "The hardest habit to master is Habit #3 because it requires ________________."
Thursday: Write down the names of 2-3 people who are most important to you.  Next, make a list of
                  the things you do to nurture (take care of) your relationship with these people.
Friday: What are some benefits from having many RBAs?

Week of September 24 - 28

This week we will finish up Habit #2 and move into Habit #3.

After allowing students to share their wonderful PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENTS that they created for homework this past weekend, the students then began their study of the next topic for Habit #2 (covered on Monday and Tuesday):  SETTING GOALS.

On Monday, the students read from the Covey text about 5 Keys to Goal Setting.  We summarized our reading with the following notes:

Key #1: Count the COST and consider the BENEFIT of your goal.
              o Decide what you will have to give up to reach your goal.
              o Think about all the benefits you will receive from reaching your goal.
Key #2: Put it in Pen.
              o Write down your goal so that you can see what you've committed to doing.
              o Writing helps you be specific with your goal.
Key #3: Just Do It.
              o Don't say, "I'll try."
              o Do say, "I will do it!"
Key #4: Use Momentous Moments (to propel you to set a goal) like ...
              o A new year
              o A life-changing event
              o A setback
              o Moving to a new school or new city
              o A new day!
Key #5: Rope Up!
              o Seek help from others.
              o Get an "accountability partner" to support you.

On Tuesday, we learned how to actually create SMART goals.  I explained each of the letters in the "SMART" acronym, and then the students began working to create 9 unique, individual SMART goals on the following worksheet.  Their 9 goals are due in class on Wednesday, September 26.

On Wednesday, the students broke out into groups and came up with 3 SMART goals for their group. Next, several groups presented their goals while the remainder of the class evaluated whether or not each goal was, in fact, a "SMART" goal.

On Thursday and Friday, we began our study of HABIT #3: PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST.
The students watched a short introductory Covey video that demonstrated how important it is to take care of our "big rocks" in life first.  Doing so helps us to prioritize and manage our time well.  We read in the text about the 4 Time Quadrants and learned how to figure out where we are spending our time so that we can start making better choices if we need to become more highly effective.

This week's BELL RINGERS:

Monday:  Why is it important to create a personal mission statement?
Tuesday: Why is it necessary to write down your goals?
Wednesday: What does each of the letters in the SMART acronym stand for?
Thursday: What do you think it means to "put first things first"?
Friday: How can you apply Habit #3 in my classroom?

Week of September 17 - 21

This week the students will complete their study of Habit #1 and then begin their study of Habit #2.

After collecting the PBA worksheet assignment on Monday, I introduced the students to the concept of what it means to "Carry Your Own Weather."  To "carry your own weather" essentially means to proactively choose how you wish to respond to life, even when circumstances are difficult.  After watching a video, narrated by Stephen Covey, the students completed the following worksheet that highlights the main ideas presented within the video:

 The next concept we discussed involving Habit #1 is the concept of the "Pause Button."  The idea behind the pause button is that between a stimulus and a response, there is a space.  It is in that space that we have the freedom to choose.  We can exercise that freedom by "pressing our pause button" before we react and do something we regret.  We need to PAUSE - BREATHE - THINK before we respond if we hope to respond in a way that does not lead to regrets.  To help the students understand and practice this concept, they each created their own "pause button" (which some students chose to wear on their forehead for the remainder of the day!).

To wrap up our study of Habit #1, the students learned about their "4 Human Tools" of (1) self-awareness, (2) conscience, (3) imagination, and (4) willpower.  These tools are inside of each one of us (unlike our pets!) and are available for us to use when we are on "pause" and trying to decide how to thoughtfully respond to situations.

On Tuesday, the students read a scenario about how to apply these 4 human tools.  Afterwards, they broke up into groups and created "real-life" scenarios as well as descriptions of how to apply each of these tools to their scenario.  What was not finished in class is required to be completed for homework (due Wednesday).

On Wednesday, we will begin the study of Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind.  There will be a hands-on puzzle activity to complete during class, and then the students will read from the 7 Habits book and take notes as they read about Habit #2.  I will also introduce the students to the "Car Analogy" (which corresponds to Habits 1, 2, and 3).

On Thursday, the students will continue reading about Habit #2 and begin to complete The Great Discovery Worksheet (to be completed for homework and due on Friday) in preparation for creating their Personal Mission Statement, an activity which will take place in class on Friday.  

Bell Ringers this week:

Monday: How were you proactive this weekend?

Tuesday:  What are your "4 Human Tools"?  Which one do you tend to neglect most often? Explain.

Wednesday:  If your goal is to become "highly effective" and make an "A" in this class, what do you need to do NOW in order to reach your goal?

Thursday: Describe the qualities of the person you hope to become 10 years from now.

Friday: What is the "car analogy" as it relates to Habit #1 and Habit #2?