Life Is The Future

Here we are with another Fun Friday! Check out our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts. This week: What's a scab? + Weird & Wonderful People. BACKGROUND Sadly, the COVID-19 quarantine has put a hold on the student-led podcasts for Season 2. However, to supplement the remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring, I will put together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going to just record these for students in my virtual classrooms, but figured I'd use this platform to share with the public as well. Hope you enjoy! Depending on the grade level, each Friday we start the period off with some Wacky Facts or Weekly Trivia. These often coincide with the content or skills we've been working on, but mostly they're just for fun and learning. Plus, they often allow us to cover some things with the body systems. If you're into fact checking or you have additional fun facts for us, feel free to leave a comment. :) BACKLOG As always, remember to backtrack episodes from the past two school years to hear directly from middle school students. I also have an "Expert Insight" summer series you can listen to in which I interview positive contributors to the world of health, life, and the future. Thanks for checking things out! Stay safe and healthy, and hang in there. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Another Fun Friday! Here's our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts. This week: Why do we burp? + The Animal Kingdom. BACKGROUND Sadly, the COVID-19 quarantine has put a hold on the student-led podcasts for Season 2. However, to supplement the remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring, I will put together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going to just record these for students in my virtual classrooms, but figured I'd use this platform to share with the public as well. Hope you enjoy! Depending on the grade level, each Friday we start the period off with some Wacky Facts or Weekly Trivia. These often coincide with the content or skills we've been working on, but mostly they're just for fun and learning. Plus, they often allow us to cover some things with the body systems. If you're into fact checking or you have additional fun facts for us, feel free to leave a comment. :) BACKLOG As always, remember to backtrack episodes from the past two school years to hear directly from middle school students. I also have an "Expert Insight" summer series you can listen to in which I interview positive contributors to the world of health, life, and the future. Thanks for checking things out! Stay safe and healthy, and hang in there. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Sadly, the COVID-19 quarantine has put a hold on the student-led podcasts for Season 2. However, to supplement the remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring, I will put together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going to just record these for students in my virtual classrooms, but figured I'd use this platform to share with the public as well. Hope you enjoy! BACKGROUND Depending on the grade level, each Friday we start the period off with some Wacky Facts or Weekly Trivia. These often coincide with the content or skills we've been working on, but mostly they're just for fun and learning. Plus, they often allow us to cover some things with the body systems. If you're into fact checking or you have additional fun facts for us, feel free to leave a comment. :) BACKLOG As always, remember to backtrack episodes from the past two school years to hear directly from middle school students. I also have an "Expert Insight" summer series you can listen to in which I interview positive contributors to the world of health, life, and the future. Thanks for checking things out! Stay safe and healthy, and hang in there. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Mental health: our cognitive, emotional, and behavioral well-being-- in other words, the relationship between how we think, feel, and behave. This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have a conversation with classmates Sreenija, Vanshika, and Audi about mental health. Their discussion focuses on the perception of mental illness, having open dialogue about mental health, if schools and Health Classes help, and what influences emotional well-being in teens. RESOURCES MentalHealth.gov Let's Talk About It World Health Organization (WHO) Self-Care and Self-Help National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Top HelpLine Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 Health Mind Platter Essential Brain Activities Tune in later this week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

The Internet. Is it possible to be safe and private while still having fun with social media? This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, are joined by Sara, Danielle, and Brady. The group starts off by discussing if businesses should check social media prior to hiring employees. They continue the conversation to include Internet privacy, and the lack of, as well as young people lying to get on social media apps. The students end by offering tips for pre-teens to consider before getting on media. RESOURCES Pew Research Study: Teens & Social Media Common Sense Media: Teens on Social Media & How Much Screen Time is Okay? Adam Alter: TED Talk & "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology" Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Dress Codes: a set of rules with regards to clothing, often created out of social perceptions and norms, with a required manner of dress at a school, office, restaurant, etc. This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have a conversation with classmates Sydney and Manasvi about dress codes in school and the impact of clothing styles on teens. The group considers whether school uniforms would be beneficial in public schools, if dress codes are unfair, and what is influencing trends in clothing styles for teenagers today. What are your thoughts? Do our clothes help us by representing our individuality, or is there too much pressure put on teens about how to dress? RESOURCES Provoking Article: Tweens and Fitting In: Wearing Brand Name Clothes May Be Worth It Stress Management: How To Handle Fashion Pressure and be Confident in Your Skin Decision Making: Peer Pressure & Its Influence on Teens Tune in later this week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Drug testing: Is it legal? Invasive? A viable way to help or intervene? This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, are joined by Luke and Antwoyne. The group discusses teen influences, focusing mostly on drug use, and debating the possibility of drug testing in schools. First, could that ever be a thing, and next, is that the right type of help for students? Is that the intervention young people might need, or is it just an invasion of privacy and personal freedom? RESOURCES Youth Risk Behavior Survey CDC - E-Cigarettes Tobacco Free Kids Stanford Tobacco Toolkit NIH - Underage Drinking Illinois Policy - Marijuana Legalization Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Back at it with another discussion on teenage stereotypes! Stereotype: a generalization based on a group in which a person belongs. (Ex: race, age, gender, income, neighborhood, etc.) This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have their first conversation about stereotypes in school and society. They talk with classmates Nathan and Ethan about unfair perceptions of people based on example stereotypes, and all four 8th graders analyze what influences those generalizations. Earlier in this season, our other hosts, Salil and Shauna, took on the topic in Episode, They discussed things like gender, race, and age, as well as some of the -isms we see in society. This is a fantastic follow-up to that discussion, this time with a focus on the impact of teachers and media, how we talk and the common phrases students hear, and how we all put up "masks" as barriers to our true self at times. RESOURCES Students & Parents: 5 Masks We Wear & Why We Should Take Them Off from HuffPost Parents: Teens Aren't Just Risk Machines from The Conversation Teachers: How Middle School Kids Reject Stereotypes from MiddleWeb Talking About Race & Stereotypes in School from Edutopia Tune in later this week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Socialization: the process of mixing and getting along with others; learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society. This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, are back in action for 2020! They are joined by Siddarth, Megan, and Makenzi. The group discusses relationships and social interactions, with some tangents into school projects, Health Class activities, honors classes, and the potential of dating in middle school. RESOURCES Teens and Socializing: Relationships, Coping Skills, Substances from Newport Academy Socially Active Teens are Physically Healthier from Today Social & Emotional Learning Competencies from CASEL Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Expectation: a belief that someone will or should achieve something. Back for the new year... it's 2020! This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have a conversation with Lara and Melody about the pressure of the future teens feel at each present moment. The four 8th graders discuss high school classes, stress management, today's generation vs. their parents, and managing future expectations. RESOURCESStudents:MindBe Education - 30 Mindfulness Activities for Teens Parents:Parent Learning Center - Expectations That Your Teen Will Appreciate In The Future Teachers:Time - Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not AlrightChicago Tribune - 'No worse fate than failure': How pressure to keep up is overwhelming students Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com