Creating a

Force Field for Good:

Literacy Learning that Teaches Self Awareness and Transforms Classroom Culture

 A dynamic one day seminar that inspires a new way of teaching 

 For Teachers K-5, administrators, school counselors, and literacy speacialists.

Register Now!

Price $99

Includes, morning refreshments, Force Field for Good book/cd and certificate

Create a Culture of Kindness through

Story and Song

Presented by outstanding, best selling author, teacher, troubadour,  Barry Lane

Barry Lane is a writer who teaches writing.  His many books for teachers include, After THE END: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision, 51 Wacky We-search Reports, Reviser's Toolbox, Why We Must Run with Scissors (with Gretchen Bernabei). The Healing Pen , Hooked on Meaning and But How Do You Teach Writing.  His workshops are fun and engaging and help teachers to create a class of lifelong writers. Find out more about his work  and school visits at www.barrylane.com.  

In this idea-packed day will learn how to:

• Use songs to teach theme and give insight into literature study and memoir writing
• Utilize the home/school connection to build stronger bridges between parent and teacher
• Teach the Widening Circle to help students expand their thinking beyond the Me culture 
• Merge the teaching of history and current events with literature study and show students how to forge personal connections
• Teach powerful lessons that explore complex themes like xenophobia, materialism, and racism, even to the youngest children.
• Use Story telling as a tool for deeper comprehension and connection with literature study of the latest children's literature.
• Teach analysis, synthesis, evidence and other State Standards in an authentic way that relates to all students and leads to meaningful writing and clearer thinking about the choices we make everyday
• Give students a language and examples for discussing their feelings and actions and tuning their moral compass
• Expand vocabulary through the teaching of character traits such as , empathy, courage, optimism, acceptance and integrity
• Build a new culture of kindness while enhancing achievement in reading and writing.
• Use art and music to teach literacy skills

 How it began.

   When my friend's  11 year old daughter was pinned down and beaten by two 5th grade girls on the playground of an elementary school that proclaimed itself to be a "Bully Free Zone," I asked myself if there might be a more authentic way to create a culture of kindness within schools. Rather than imposing external rewards and punishments, or holding rallys or having children memorize acronyms and rules, children could be stimulated through the natural activites of the classrooom, storytelling, singing, reading and writing, to an intrinsic understanding and the higher-order self-reflection that leads any of us to embrace our individual nobility and act out of our common humanity.

How it evolved.

I started writing songs, collecting literature, and telling stories that reflect the day-to-day challenges children are experiencing on the bus, on the play ground, and in the classroom.  The Big Bad Bully Bus song invites kids to take charge of their own inner bully; Magic Mirror helps them see that we can all use our powers of empathy, and Force Field For Good empowers them to create a shared safe place through emotional authenticity. I posted the music on the web and met a wonderful second grade teacher named Colleen Mestdagh, who helped me turn these resources into a simple, easy to use, year-long self-awareness curriculum for elementary school.  Just one hour a month doing these lessons has transformed classrooms and even whole schools.  

What is it?

Force Field for Good uses songs, literature, and writing lessons to merge literacy instruction with social emotional learning. Comprised of ten children’s songs, (one for each month of the school year), literature connections, writing activities and expanded teaching units, this unique approach builds strong classroom cohesion. As a result, interpersonal respect and compassion, and individual self-recognition and self-mangement are prized by children as the safety net they create for themselves. Working within the activites of literature study and writing instruction, children come to recognize, investigate and practice positive character traits such as integrity, empathy, courage and kindness and develop the language and practice of interpersonal problem solving.

This practical workshop will give you all the tools you need to create a Force Field for Good in your elementary classroom while meeting and exceeding  State Curriculum Standards for Language Arts.

Barry Lane

• Listen to all the songs with your students a                         www.forcefieldforgood.com and find information about Barry's School Assemblies

  
  

   

  What kids are saying