2010 Junior Terps Training Packet 1. GOALS Out-of-school programs for youth have the potential to have positive impacts on academic achievement and social behaviors such as reduced drug use or pregnancy. But it takes YOU to make these changes happen! Our hope for the program is to provide meaningful mentorship for these children by offering a supportive and engaging environment for learning. This semester, we will make sure that reading time is productive, and that all students are engaged during the activity portion. We rely on the creativity and dedication of our volunteers to reach these goals. In the following sections, we hope to address how we will create a more structured program in the upcoming semester. 2. GETTING STARTED • ELMS: o Each week you can access our sign ups that will be posted by 4pm the Friday before the trip. o Please plan to attend at least 5 out of the 8 trips this semester. • Signing Up: o You will receive a reminder e-mail the Thursday before the trip, with an attachment detailing the activity for the week. Please familiarize yourself with the activity to make Friday afternoon run more smoothly • Cancellations: o You must cancel before 10 AM the morning of the trip. If you are canceling you need to contact the program coordinators directly (phone or e-mail). If you do not show up for the trip you will receive negative points towards our required attendance. 3. FRIDAY TRIPS • Before the trip: o The program coordinator/activity director (depending on the trip) will be waiting outside of Cole Field House at 1:45 PM for Langley Park and 2:00 PM for Carole Highlands. Please be sure to check in with them. It is important to be punctual, and if you are going to be late contact the program directors so that who ever is waiting at Cole knows if they should keep waiting. o We will return from the trip by 4:00 from Langley and 4:45 from Carole Highlands. o If you have a car and want to help us by becoming a driver, please fill in the driver form on our ELMS page. • Program Schedule: o 1st 30 minutes: strictly reading o 2nd 30 minutes: if students have other homework to complete volunteers may address that, other wise choose a new book/ keep reading o 15 minute: snack break
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o 45 minutes: activity SNACKS One snack per student Snacks are only given to students after the reading/homework Volunteers should make sure the students throw their trash away
5. BATHROOM RULE • Volunteers must be with the students at all times • Volunteers may not leave any of their students behind • Limit bathroom breaks 6. VOLUNTEERS GUIDELINES • For the protection of the volunteers, the children, and the program as a whole, volunteers should never be alone with a child. (Please do not take a child to the bathroom alone or wander away from the program • Do not give out home address or phone numbers • Do not contact any of the children outside of Beyond These Walls Junior Terps • Serve as positive role models for the children. Volunteers should not swear, or exhibit or condone aggressive behavior. Volunteers should not tell “war stories,” such as what happened at a college party, etc. • Maintain a positive attitude when discussing other volunteers, other children, or the program as a whole. • Maintain an environment conducive to learning with your students during worksheet and homework times. Additional activities (games, flashcards, etc.) should be approached from a learning perspective. Be their role models and get to know them as people. • Set appropriate boundaries in regard to student behavior. If you see students acting up or causing a distraction, do not be afraid to address their behavior. Speak with the officers if unsure how to address difficult behavior. • Do not lend money to the children. Do not buy presents for a particular child or favor a particular child. Other children often feel left out when one child receives a gift. Also, other volunteers may feel pressured into buying gifts for the children. • Use common sense and your best judgment with regards to safety. Please keep in mind the welfare of the program would be in jeopardy if a child were injured. 7. EXPECTATIONS FOR VOLUNTEERS • PROMOTE A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT o It is important that we as tutors strive to maintain an environment conducive to learning. Do not tolerate cheating, profanity, fighting, or obscene behavior from students. If students display such behavior do not be afraid to warn them that their behavior is inappropriate and ask them to stop. It may be useful to explain to the children that at BTW, this behavior is wrong. Also realize that some disciplinary problems are related to student academic frustration and/or interpersonal relationships.
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VOLUNTEERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR STUDENTS: o It is crucial that YOU are paying attention to the kids you are sitting with. If a child is too much for you to handle, please let an officer know. If you have too many children for you to handle, please let an officer know. At all other times, it is up to you to keep the children engaged and doing reading/ homework during the appropriate time, and that the child cleans up after themselves and is participating in the activity. Be sure to introduce yourself, get to know the students: o Not only is it important to make a connection with the student, it is also important to know the grade level of the student to make sure they are choosing the right books. Upon entering the room, smile, relax, and approach a small grouping of students. o Choose the right books: o Make sure the grade level and the book type is matched up. If it becomes evident that a student is above or below their grade level in reading, adjust accordingly. It is in the best interest of these students and the program overall that they choose the right books. General Guidelines: K-1st grade: picture books, books with short sentences. 2nd-3rd grade: picture books, books with longer sentences and paragraphs. 4th-5th grade: short chapter books. o Engage the student in reading: Ask them questions about new words, main characters, events, favorite sections, etc. At the end of each reading (whether you divide it up by 20 minutes or 2-3 full chapters depending on the type of book) be sure to go through the reading worksheet with the student. See section on reading log and sticker initiative o Be encouraging: Be sure to encourage them and praise students. “Good job!” works, but being specific with your praise is even better: “I like how you sounded out that long word!” “You are so focused on reading, this is great!” o Reluctant reader? Be creative with those kids who just hate reading or can’t focus: New word? Make a sentence with that word in it. Write a definition. Draw it. Suspenseful moment? Predict what is going to happen next. Tell a mini-story about what you would do if you were that character in the book. Draw your favorite character and write a 2-sentence biography. Just will not read? Suggest alternating reading sentences with you. Find another book that interests them more.
8. RULES FOR STUDENTS/ EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS • We will begin each trip by restating the rules, please familiarize yourself: o Listen to Senior Terps. o Stay in your seat. Ask permission to leave. o Respect others. Keep your hands to yourself. o Use your inside voice. o Have fun! :) • Some general guidelines to remember: o State rules positively rather than negatively. For example, instead of saying “stop running around,” say “please stay in your seat.” o Explain the reasoning behind your statements . A child is more likely to listen if you explain why a certain rule will benefit them. Saying “No, you are not allowed to venture over to the activity tables” is less effective than saying “Stay in your seats so the volunteers will have space to set up the crafts table. The sooner we can set everything up, the sooner we can begin the activity!!” o Be fair and consistent. Rules are rules - try not to make exceptions for students. o Encourage good behavior. Most kids just want your attention. So pay attention to good behavior and less attention to the not-so-good behavior, unless it is a serious behavior that may harm other students and volunteers. Make sure to praise the ones who show good behavior: when you say, “Freddy, I love how you are sitting in your seat and focusing on your book!” it not only benefit Freddy, but also the troublemakers, who will see that you are giving other students your attention. When a troublemaker decides to sit still, be sure to tell them that they are doing a good job! o Troublemakers: Correct those who misbehave gently, and reinforce their good behavior. Let an officer know when kids get too out of control and we will deal with the problem so you can focus on other students. 9. READING PACKETS • We are implementing a reading log-questionnaire system to motivate and encourage more reading and reading comprehension. The reading log will be added onto after every reading period to keep track of the students’ reading activity throughout the semester. • Every week, a short reflection sheet will be distributed at the end of READING time. Different forms will be given, categorized by student grade level. Students will be asked to complete the form, based on what they have read within the previous hour, so no overlap occurs from reading a longer book (such as chapter books) over multiple weeks • Using your judgment, award the students a star (to be placed on their reading log) based on the effort behind the answers. We encourage you to make it fun and stress-free; have discussions with the students about the books and make it fun for them.
10. STICKER SYSTEM • Stars can also be awarded for good behavior. There are two opportunities to earn stars for good behavior: o When stars are passed out for their reading reflections, a student may earn an additional star if he/she has stayed in his/her seat for the entire reading time o During activity time, you or an officer may award a student a star for exceptional behavior (eg: helping other students with their activity, helping clean up, etc.). • Stars will add up to a special prize in December 11. BAD BEHAVIOR • Three strikes rule o Time-out o Send them to the office