Counselor Tools: Landing and Launching: 101 Checkins and Checkouts: Installment #2

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 LOW CONCEPT

1 Battery Meter/Gas Tank

Preparation time: Five minutes

Materials Needed: Masking tape, floor or wall space

Procedure:

1)      Find an empty space on the wall or floor where you can lay down enough masking tape to make a space large enough to fit your whole class.

2)      Write the word “full” on one end and “empty” on the other end.

3)      Instruct your class to stand on the battery meter according to how much energy they have at that particular time.

Alternatives

1)      Make a portable battery meter from a piece of stiff cardboard, a hole punch holder (?) and a piece of stiff red paper. Draw a half circle following the outline of a protractor (or half of any round object).Cut the stiff red paper into the shape of an arrow just like on a gas gage.  Using a hole punch, make a hole through the red arrow and at the bottom of your gage. Insert your hole punch holder through both the arrow and the meter.

2)      If you are outside and have access to a length of rope or twine make a large meter and have students stand on it as above.

3)      Using no props have students line up or circle up according to who has the most energy and who has the least energy.

Note:

Batteries and energy levels are an easy concept for most students to understand. A variety of  things can affect their energy level. Even a simple question can elicit a lot of information. More than once a sleepy student has disclosed to me that they were tired because their parents were fighting late at night or had returned at 2 am from the tavern. When I receive personal information that seems to go outside the parameters (time or other wise) of the activities I make sure to make an individual appointment with that student or in some cases refer that person to the school counselor.

.Suggestions:

If you have room in your classroom I highly suggest creating an energy meter somewhere       in the classroom. This can be as simple as line with tape and numbers from 1-10. More artsy folks might want to create a movable needle

This activity can be a stand alone activity that you can use at any time during the day as a gage of where to go next or how to plan your day.