Growth Mindset

This week at ACHS students continued learning about healthy relationships and belief systems. Students watched a series of performance arts videos, including slam poetry and hip hop theater, where artists discussed various aspects of their identities and how these experiences have shaped how they view the world, and how people see them. Students were then encouraged to use their multicultural identity maps to think about how their identities help to shape their unique own perspectives.
Later in the week students learned about growth mindset. Students watched a Ted Talk discussing Carol Dweck's research on intelligence and mindset, students then brainstormed ways in which their mindset could either be limiting or empowering.

Multicultural Identity Map

Limiting and Empowering Beliefs

Midterms!

We are officially half way through the semester at ACHS after a very short three day week! This week students had midterms in all of their classes, and they had extra study and homework time in their YESS classes. Students took a short midterm in their YESS class where they were encouraged to reflect on communication, conflict resolution, and the relationships in their lives. Students also wrote short essays on their identity and emotions.

Belief Systems and Identity

This week, students began a multi day lesson on beliefs and emotions. We started off the week listening to a piece of music, during which students were instructed to draw or write what they were feeling or thinking as they listened. Students then shared the drawings or writing in small groups. This led us into a discussion on why each person's experience with the music was different. Students then broke out into groups and came up with working definitions for culture, identity and beliefs system. Students then completed an exercise on identity and were then encouraged to think about their own identity through an art project. 

With midterms coming up next week, students were given extra time to complete homework and studying with their mentors. 

Identity art project 

EmoSmart

Adams City High School students had a very short three day week last week. Classes finished up lessons on conflict resolution and learned about how our emotions impact the goals we set. Students worked on setting goals for the rest of the semester based on the YESS EmoSmart goal format. Students then set goals for their midterms using what they learned about EmoSmart goals. Students had time to work with their mentors on setting goals for their classes and getting caught up on their homework.

Team Building with New Mentors

This was an exciting week at ACHS as YESS students were paired with their new mentee/mentor.  Students participated in fun team building activities this week and mentors attended a mentor training organized by the mentor leaders. This week students began learning about emotional intelligence and how to set EmoSmart goals.Students identified the seven universal emotions and then discussed effective goal setting as it relates to emotions. YESS classes were very small and quiet on Thursday with many of the students participating in the Day Without Immigrants.

Students work in teams to build the tallest balloon tower using only balloons and tape

Conflict Resolution

This week at ACHS students learned about health conflict resolution. Students brainstormed conflicts in their own lives and the consequences of those conflicts. Students then made their own charts with steps for healthy conflict resolution. At the end of the week Emily came in to do a group resume activity with students. Students identified the strengths within their groups to build a resume that included all of their skill sets.

Conflict Resolution

Communication

Students continued learning about communication this week. In class students discussed the different ways in which we communicate, and which forms of communication they feel are most effective and why. Students completed a lesson on code switching and learned about the different ways we communicate with the various people in our networks based on our relationship to them. At the end of the week students completed an active listening role play activity and played some fun games centered around communication.