Inside/Outside Circle

This morning our class was visited by the school counselor, Mrs. Taylor, and her friend, Dr. Bader, from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA).  Dr. Bader and Mrs. Taylor led us in an activity called the Inside/Outside Circle.  This activity put us into roles of being either part of "the circle" or being outside of the circle and asking to join.  We each were given a scripted response to, "Can I join your circle?"  Some responses were a simple yes or no, but many were a "Yes, but..." statement.  For example, my statement said, "Yes, but only if you have curly hair."  It prompted a thoughtful discussion on the real life game we play of Inside/Outside Circle everyday at school.  We talked about ways that, as fifth graders, this is important to think about as leaders of the school and as we will be going on to another school next year.

Thanks to Mrs. Taylor and Dr. Bader for bringing this to our attention and helping us be more reflective about our actions as they relate to the different circles in which we take part.  This could also be a conversation-starter at home to get the children thinking about how this plays out in their lives inside and outside of school. 

During reading today we read the Time For Kids Magazine (TFK), which focused on the Republican and Democratic National Conventions leading up to the the presidential election.  The students had so much interest in the topic and were so engaged!  For more information from TFK you can visit http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/election-2012. This is a great resource for kid-friendly information to help with conversations about the upcoming election.  What an exciting time for the students to learn about our country.