The MASS APPEAL of Lifeskills Training!

Happy 2017! We're ushering in the new year with a renewed energy that we're about to share throughout the Pioneer Valley. On Wednesday, January 11, Kat Allen of FRCOG's Partnership For Youth and Frontier Regional School's Kate Blair (yours truly) will be featured on WWLP's Mass Appeal to speak about the Lifeskills Training Program and its adoption in middle schools throughout the Franklin Quabbin region. This segment airs between 11am and noon, so tune in and hear updates on this fantastic prevention program that we're fortunate to have in so many middle schools in western Massachusetts! In case you miss it, check back to the blog - I'll post a clip of our segment!

Yours in prevention,

Kate

Lifeskills Goldmine!

Home Page of the Middle School Teacher's Site

It's Sunday in western Massachusetts, and it is a perfect day to take in the sights of this golden time of year. The foliage is giving us quite a show, with the hills transforming into yellows, oranges, reds and greens. In addition to teaching Health Education, I also teach ESL (English as a Second Language), and my ESL students are in complete and total awe. These are kids who all come from countries in which there is no fall foliage spectacle like we have in western Mass. Truly, they're dazzled.

If you're a teacher, Sundays typically mean preparing for the academic week ahead. For teachers who are preparing their Lifeskills lessons this week, there are a few dazzling resources out there that are worth their weight in gold and will save you lots of planning time. Many of you have already bookmarked this site, but if not, make sure you save this in your favorites. Go to http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/msweb/teacher/index.php to reach the Middle School Teacher's site (see screenshot above), which I've profiled on this blog previously. Yes, it's good enough to mention more than once! Here, you'll be able to access quick formative assessments for each unit in each level of LST. 

The image above shows a student self-check, which students can use to measure their own comprehension of the basic objectives of each unit. My students really like being able to "show what they know" and prepare for quizzes. It also helps to cement the key takeaways that LST really wants kids to absorb. There's also a vocabulary crossword or each unit that can be completed either online or printed out. 

So there it is! A little goldmine for LST teachers. If you use these resources in your class, I'd love to hear about it!

Happy fall,

Kate

Quick Tip #1 - LST Middle School Teacher's Site!

Although we've mentioned this site in a previous post, it's SO GREAT that it warrants another shoutout! Check out this Quick Tip for implementing Lifeskills in the classroom! Use the ACTIVITIES tab on the LST Middle School Teachers' Site for lesson activators, review, and formative assessments. Use the RESOURCES tab for additional information/background related to substance abuse. Click the link below to access both resources on this site:

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/msweb/teacher/resources.php