Thursday, January 30, 2014

Five Things That Mentally Tough People Do Not Do...

5 Things Mentally Tough People Do Not Do

Click on the Link Above



Homework Activity Over The Weekend, due for 
Monday, Feb 3:

1. Open the above Link, Read the Short E-article, and Analyze the concepts. 
2. Then, at home over the weekend, discuss these five traits with an adult relative (your parents, guardian, aunt, etc.). 
3. Enter your relatives feedback as a blog entry. Just list your Class period and your first name only, and who the relative is (Dad, Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, etc.). Do NOT WRITE YOUR RELATIVES name. 
4. Prior to class on Monday, read some of the feedback from others and comment.  

In Class Activity for Monday

1. The class will be broken up into small groups and discuss this for 15minutes and list them in order of important (# them 1 through 5)  and make sure all of you take notes. 
3. We will discuss group comments and rankings of these "traits" as a class. 




Remember, your Success Is Always Connected to What Your Attitude Is.

Soliciting Your Inputs for TOPGUN (Interclass) Competition

Background. Every year our JROTC program conducts a competition between the classes. We merge a freshmen class with an upperclassmen class organized into a platoon. The TOPGUN (named after the US Navy Flying School) competition is designed to re-energize the cadets, build unit and class integrity, and for the cadets to have safe and organized fun with a purpose. Any effective organization solicits input from its members to ensure everyone's involvement and identify good ideas. That is what we are going to do today in class, before we solidify the TOPGUN schedule I want to harvest your input and ideas. 



Class Activities:  
1. Form into three small groups and discuss and brainstorm ideas for activities for 20 minutes. Everyone will take notes.
2. Near the end of class, each group will brief the class and provide a written copy of their suggestions. 
3. Make sure you are prepared for PT tomorrow for Friday and review the blog for the weekends homework. 

Friday, January 17, 2014

NJROTC MID-TERM Part I (BIG IDEA PROJECT REVIEW and RESEARCH UPDATE)

NJROTC MID-TERM Part I (BIG IDEA PROJECT REVIEW and RESEARCH UPDATE)

The first part of your Mid-Term Exam will consist of your presentation of your Big Idea Project Review and Research Update. You will present the required information in electronic form (shared with rfkillackey@gmail.com on a Google Doc YOU DEVELOP or as an attachment in an email to the same email) by the day of your scheduled mid-term exam. You will also bring a hard copy of the required information to turn into the teacher at the exam. You will not be allowed to print it in class on the day of the exam. Your ability to use technology to present me the information I request by the deadline I set is part of my assessment for part one of this exam. If you do not provide me the information I request at the mid-term exam you will receive a grade of “F”. We have spent considerable time on the topic of innovation as it relates to your “Big Idea Project” in an area of your choosing. We have spent time on the concept of research and some techniques and procedures on how to conduct research. (Feel free to refer to the class blog, Senators Cadets for review if it helps.) The quality and depth of the information you provide will be reflected in your grade for this exam: minimum & poor effort = minimum & poor grade. Provide as much detail and specificity as you can!!!

Required Information (#1 thru #7) to be Presented in your Shared Document:

1. Complete Description of Your Big Idea Project.  

2. Rationale / Reason Why You Picked your Topic for Your Big Idea Project?

3. What Personnel and Organizations Have You Contacted in Relation To Your Project?

4. What Subject Matter Experts have you contacted or need to contact to support your project?

5. What materials (itemized list) will you need for your project?

6. What Sources have you used in researching your project?
  • Websites
  • Databases
  • Magazines and Professional Journals
  • Books

7. How are you managing your information? Where is it? Share it with me electronically on the Google Doc you send me or send the link where I can view it?

PART II of your MID-TERM will be conducted in class and will consist of you writing short answers / essays assessing yourself, your peers, teacher, and the curriculum.  

GOOD LUCK

BMHS Librarian Ms. Cathy Andronik Teaches Cadets About RESEARCH



On Tuesday, Ms. Andronik provided a lecture on research to assist the upperclassmen cadet's in deepening their understanding of research. Our focus on research has been to assist the cadets in their development of their BIG IDEA PROJECT to develop their own sense of innovation. If you missed the class or need a refresher click on the link below: 

LIBRARY LADY'S LINK TO RESEARCH TUTOTIAL

This link includes the following:





Part I of your Mid Term is about: Big Idea Project Review and Research Update. Conducting research and managing your information is key for your mid-term which is a separate blog entry. 



LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE YOUR RESEARCH AND THE STATUS FOR YOUR PROJECTS. 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

ALL CADETS TO THE JROTC CLASSROOM

Connection to previous instruction: We watched an example of the Navy - Marine Corps Team in action by watching a few instructional videos of a Marine Expeditionary Unit with their Navy counterparts conducting rapid response operations ranging from disaster relief to humanitarian operations to defense of our country and allies abroad. As citizens, it is important to know what America's sons and daughters in our armed forces are doing at home and overseas. The elected representatives you select (by voting) make the decision to employ our military to respond to a variety of situations and your taxes fund those operations. You need to be an informed citizen to be an effective citizen. 

(Potential Application to future Civic Service) There are many ways to serve your country and community and not all of these ways are in military or first-responder uniforms. You can volunteer for the Peace Corps, American Red Cross, or form a hometown Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) that helps in the recovery from a natural disaster incident. 

Today's classroom activity is placing each class period in situation where they need to conduct some immediate hasty planning to support a developing situation. In a simulated situation, our high school is providing support to an elementary school where they need a place to safely evacuate to due to a boiler explosion at their school. Cadets are helping to develop a hasty plan (without any formal training) to support receiving, staging, and supporting those students while they are at BMHS until they get picked up by their parents in a few hours. This will be a two day evolution in class. 


GENERAL SITUATION: (Fictional Account for the class practical planning exercise. This did not really happen the event is being simulated.)

At 9 am today, there was a boiler explosion at a nearby elementary school, a custodian, teacher, and student were injured in the blast. The blast started a fire resulting in an evacuation of the school to another location. There are 450 students ranging from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. There are 50 adults (administrators, teachers, custodians, teachers aides, secretaries).  

SPECIFIC SITUATION
You are a JROTC cadet and heard an announcement for your JROTC class period to report to the JROTC Classroom. Your instructor tells you that 500 elementary school students (K through 5 Grade) are coming to our school because of a fire at their school. They will arrive at staggered intervals which means not all at once and not necessarily in any particular order. Our principal and her school safety team are going to handle this but she requested the cadets support BMHS's efforts to help them at our schools. 

The JROTC instructor designated one student in charge of this class and formed the class into three groups, each focused on three primary tasks.

3 KEY TASKS: Group Leaders write down any questions you have and what supporting tasks (things you need to do) to accomplish your group's major task (Task 1,2, or 3). 

TASK 1: RECEIVE THE STUDENTS & FACULTY: Approximately 500 students will be arriving shortly by buses, where should they go and what do you want them to do?


TASK 2: STAGE THE STUDENTS & FACULTY IN THE BUILDING: Once the 500 students arrive and get off of the buses where do want them to go and what do you want them to do? What route do you want them to go? When do you want them to move there and how?


TASK 3: DEVELOP ACTIVITIES & SUPPORT FOR THIS GROUP (500 persons) IN THE BUILDING: Where is their final destination in the school? What support (kids at different age groups and adults from their school) will they need? What will you have them do while they are waiting for their parents and guardians to pick them up?


Coordinating Instructions
1. Designated class leader supervise the group activity to ensure they are focusing on their key planning task. Remember, you get what you inspect not what you expect....

  • Make sure your group leaders and groups understand their primary task. 
  • Mid-way through the class period, have all of the Group Leaders stop and provide you and the class with an update (In Progress Review: IPR)) on their groups work. This technique (IPR) keeps you and the other groups informed and builds a total group awareness of where the big plan is at instead of each group planning in isolation. 
2. Everyone needs to take notes, but the Group Leaders needs to ensure you have a group copy of the questions you have and the supporting tasks you need to do to accomplish your Major Task (Task 1,2, or 3). I recommend you form a Google Doc and share with the instructor: rfkillackey@gmail.com . 

3. On DAY 2 you will be given two large piece of paper (Page 1) to write the text describing how you will accomplish the the Major Task and (Page 2) draw a graphic which gives a visual description to brief an administrator on how your group will accomplish that task. 

4. Group leaders if you have any questions ask the Class Leader.






Thursday, January 9, 2014

Research 101

After the group activities (Cadet Leader You Have a Dilemma and Edward Snowden: Hero or Traitor) where as small groups you were tasked with conduct hasty research from a variety of sources to solve a situation or make yourself more aware of a particular topic. We had a lecture ( Research 101 PowerPoint) in class on Tuesday that talked about research and how it is a critical skill in just about everything you do in life. FOR HOMEWORK, (due tomorrow Friday) I want you to watch the below video and make a summary comment in the blog comment section about WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT RESEARCH SO FAR???

VIDEO TO BE WATCHED FOR HOMEWORK: Watch this video lecture overview about Research from a college professor in Montana. Still watch the video when he talks about using the library because even though some of his university's college systems are different, the PROCESS (using a search database or library catalog) and FUNCTIONS (how to use the data base or library catalog) are similar. 


WHAT IS NEXT? On Monday, our class will receive a How to Use the BMHS Library for Your Research Class? Report to the library computer room on Monday. 

Edward Snowden: Hero or Traitor?



MY BASIC QUESTIONS: 

Who is he?

What did he do that is making him newsworthy

Where is he now?

When did he do the things that made him of interest to his country?

Why did he do the things that he did? 

Based upon the fact that we have talked about research, once formed in your groups determine the following:

Teacher forms groups

What is your group research GOAL? 


In order to manage your groups information, everyone must take notes, NOT JUST a group note-taker.

What specific SOURCES did you use in your research? Write them down. 

Above are some basic questions you need to research, write down the more SPECIFIC questions your group develops in researching the response to those basic questions. Make sure are you develop questions and research the answers you include the SOURCE OF THE ANSWERS WITH YOUR NOTE. 


Monday, January 6, 2014

Cadet Leader You Have A Dilemma



SITUATION: You are a student cadet at BMHS and have four cadets assigned to you as their leader.

WHAT NOW STUDENT LEADER??? One of the cadets you are responsible for comes to see you first thing in the morning and is very upset and needs to talk to you. This cadet says he has been accused of leaving campus the day prior and participating in unauthorized activities while off campus during the school day. He says he is innocent. He said he needs your help very badly.  

GROUP ACTIVITY: Form into your assigned small groups and develop a plan of action of how you would determine if that cadet was innocent or guilty of what he is being accused of. 


  • Once the group members are designated, how should you organize your groups internally. 
  • What are the key questions you need to find the answers to?
  • What are the key tasks you need to accomplish to determine his guilt or innocence? 
  • What are the sources you will use to determine his guilt or innocence? 

Take 20 minutes to accomplish this activity? Will conduct a class wide small group discussion facilitated by the teacher