Teacher Tips—What Works!

Teacher tips are tried-and-true teaching strategies developed by health education teachers around the country. Take a look at some classroom activities that really work, then share some of your own!

Middle School Mentors

Submitted by Patricia A. London, Ed.D.
Bermudian Springs Middle School
York Springs, Pennsylvania

My eighth-grade students develop a booklet that includes health skills for new fifth-graders to help them be successful and to provide them with a buddy they can turn to during the year. After the project is graded, fifth-graders in language arts classes read and write responses to ideas, tips, and hints. Besides the cross-curricular benefits, the eighth-graders also feel responsible for the younger students and enjoy contributing to their middle-school success.

Rest and Relaxation in the Classroom

Submitted by JoEllyn Owens
Edgewood Middle School
Highland Park, IL

Students can use the "rest and relaxation" area as a place of respite when finished with a class assignment. The area should be comfortably furnished with chairs, stability balls, plants, a CD player, headphones, etc. A sign reading "Rest and Relaxation Found Here" can be hung in the center of this area, along with motivational posters. Some materials available to students can include relaxing CDs, health-related materials, sets of health trivia Question & Answer cards, and games and activities.

Call for Articles

As a teacher, you have a unique perspective on teens in the health classroom. Contribute your thoughts on school-health—related topics to the Glencoe Health and Fitness Update e-newsletter. We'll provide the Web space for you to reach other teachers, share ideas, and open a discussion to talk about the needs of teachers in today's health classrooms. Send us your short (25 to 100 words) classroom tips and ideas, or develop an article (100 to 500 words) for publication in Teacher Tips—What Works! that we can publish in the next issue. Just click on Feedback/Contact Us link or send a note to submissions@glencoehealthnews.com to reach the editor and let us know what works in your school or classroom.