“Look at the world around you. It may seem like and immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push in just the right place, it can be tipped" Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point)
Decision Making and Drug/Alcohol Awareness Assemblies
GOOD DECISION, BAD DECISION- Suitable for elementary grades:
Welcome to the hot new game show to help kids learn the skills to make good choices for themselves. Your host Squint Popinjay and his assistant Vaina White help our two contestants (Doofus and Gracie) explore their options and use critical decision making skills
GOOD KID GONE BAD- Suitable for middle school grades:
In the style of a film noir detective story our hero Mr. Spade Private Eye is hired by Eric to investigate why his younger sister has started acting out. Throughout the investigation we discover, the sister, Kathleen, has been dealing with the pressures of her new middle school workload.
Presented by four actors, both show follow concepts your students will easily understand and allows your students to help the performers make the right choices and avoid the wrong ones.
Through the scenes your students learn to define what a drug is and how drugs and alcohol affect your body. Your students will see examples of peer pressure and learn why it is important not to let others make decisions for you. Our aim is to educate students through the art of theatre. These presentations would be a perfect compliment to your Red Ribbon Week or simply reinforce your students’ critical thinking skills.
CONCEPTS COVERED:
-Good Decision Making Questions to ask yourself
o Can you be honest about your decision?
o Is it against the rules/law?
o Will it hurt you or others?
o Did you think your decision through?
• What are the negative consequences?
- What is a drug?
o Anything that changes the way your body works
• How drugs/alcohol affect your body
-What is peer pressure?
o Pressure from friends or other people your age to do things
o Why it is important to think for yourself
“GOOD DECISION/BAD DECISION” and “GOOD KID GONE BAD”
educate students on the effects of drug and alcohol use
and teach them the skills to make good choices.
“The Visible Bystander” How To Make A Change!
Suitable for grades K-6, this assembly features a theatrical storyline with discussion to clarify each concept.
Premise: Our story unfolds in an elementary school (similar to your school) and like every school; this one has problems with bullying. There are victims, bullies, supporters, and of course many kids such as our narrator, who are bystanders. As the story unfolds, our seemingly “invisible” bystander observes scenes of physical bullying, verbal bullying, and cyber bullying, and wants to help but is not sure how to go from just seeing what is happening to helping out the victim and changing the outcome. In the end, with specific anti-bullying strategies and help from the audience, the bystander learns how to help stop the bullying from happening in your school and change the fate of victims everywhere.
The goal for “THE VISIBLE BYSTANDER” is to create a common vocabulary for the issue of Bullying and educate students on recognizing and overcoming its effects.
"The energy really kept the kids attention. The vocabulary was important and the examples were real. You taught great coping strategies. Kids need these strategies."
Merideth Smith, 3rd grade teacher, Nancy Young Elementary, Aurora
This assembly features short monologues, role-playing and student questions and interaction. It is appropriate for grades 6 - 8.
Premise: This powerful presentation was designed based on the most current research involving Bullying and its effects on those involved. The structure of the presentation helps raise the awareness of middle school students of this important issue through recognizable scenes and role-playing that force them to see their behaviors from the outside. The presentation has sad moments, funny moments, serious moments, and powerful moments.
The goal of “change it!” is to create a common vocabulary for the issue of bullying and educate middle school students so they will be able to recognize and overcome its effects.
The following is an outline of concepts covered during
"The Visible Bystander" and “CHANGE IT!”
RECOGNIZING BULLYING
WHAT IS BULLYING
What seems like teasing is actually hurting the victim
THE 4 ROLES OF BULLYING
Bully
Victim
Supporter
Bystander
THE MAIN TYPES OF BULLYING
Physical: hitting, pushing, fighting, etc.
Verbal: name-calling, threatening, etc.
Cyber: email, text message, IM, etc.
EMPOWERING CHANGE
VICTIMS
Why and how victims are chosen
Strategies for bystanders/victims: examples, role-playing
Fight back, act cool
Escape, distract
Seek help
POWER OF THE BYSTANDER
Creating a school culture that does not tolerate Bullying
"Don't Sweat the Net"- Internet Safety/Cyber-bullying (6-8th grade)
In this age of computers and technology, we have every convenience at our fingertips. Our characters are four typical teens discovering the fun and dangers of the Internet. Your students can relate as they get into cyber-situations. Through interactive discussions and humorous scenarios, your students learn to overcome the pitfalls of the Internet. In compliance of the Illinois State Internet Safety Act, "Don't Sweat the Net" covers the following topics: Protecting private information/ Identity Theft. Being approached by strangers online. Learning who you can trust for help (Parents. Teachers, Principal, Social Worker, Police) Strategies for overcoming Cyber-bullying the internet and Cyber-bullying are real and not just a game.
Very enthusiastic staff! Interactive with the audience. You gave very specific informationfor the students. It's a great way to discuss difficult topics with students. They reallyseemed to enjoys it and learned some new things!
K Klotter, Teacher, (Lincoln Middle School, Berwyn)
According to the Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/27-13.3 ( c ) “School Districts may adopt an age appropriate curriculum for Internet safety instruction to students in grades kindergarten through 12. It is hereby recommended that the curriculum provide for a minimum of 2 hours of Internet safety education each school year that includes instruction on 7 topics:
(1) Safe and responsible use of social networkingwebsites, chat rooms, electronic mail, bulletin boards,instant messaging, and other means of communication on theInternet.
(2) Recognizing, avoiding, and reporting online solicitations of students, their classmates, and their friends by sexual predators.
(3) Risks of transmitting personal information on the Internet.
(4) Recognizing and avoiding unsolicited or deceptive communications received online.
(5) Recognizing and reporting online harassment and cyber-bullying.
(6) Reporting illegal activities and communications on the Internet.
(7) Copyright laws on written materials, photographs, music, and video.
"Big Heart Ed"- Character Education and Friendship assembly for elementary students (K-6th grade)
Meet “Big HEART Ed”. Ed is the kind of kid everyone wants to be his or her friend. But not because Ed is cool or good at sports, but because he has HEART (HONESTY, EMPATHY, ACCEPTANCE, RESPECT AND THOUGHTFULNESS) and uses those traits when he meets new people. Through Ed’s actions, we learn how to use HEART to be tolerant of differences (in our physical appearance, ways of life, our beliefs and ideas) and be the kinds of friends we would all like to have. In each scene the kids in our story show your students how to use the character traits of : Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.“BIG HEART ED” was inspired by the latest research from the Teaching Tolerance Organization and the Illinois Learning Standards for Social and Emotional Learning.
"Awesome! I really enjoyed this program!! The staff was super lively and really engaged the students. The lessons were age appropriate and the topic was appropriate for our character education program. I love that after each scene the students were asked questions. The interactive portion was great! I will definitely tell our principal to have BOOM Troupe back for another assembly because it was really entertaining and educational and I felt the students really enjoyed it."
Upon opening the book your students are invited on a Journey to Readtopia where reading comes to life. Along the journey, they will learn the 4 Golden Rules of Reading: asking QUESTIONS, forming CONNECTIONS, creating MENTAL PICTURES, and making INFERENCES. Through interactions with humorous characters your students will learn how to overcome their reading challenges. Journey to Readtopia was created with the most effective strategies for reading improvement and I.S.A.T. reading achievement.
(Available January-May)
"The actors really draw the kids attention by thier silliness :) they did a great job of making it real when the characters were "worried" about reading. It was so great to have an assembly that had a direct connection to what we are teaching! You really captured the students' attention, had great skill to teach and presented it with great humor!"
"MAKING IT CLIQUE" - High School Issues (8th grade only)
A student starting high school finds herself outside of the social circle, the "cliques."♦ She becomes distracted by peer pressure to change the way she acts and dresses in order to "fit in"♦ and soon finds herself compromising who she is. Your students learn to be true to themselves, and find their own place with people who appreciate them the way they are. Along the journey your students will face issues including Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Dating Issues, Academic Expectations, Self-Esteem and Self-Image. Making it Clique has been based on specific research gathered from Chicago area high schools about the realities students face. (Available Spring 2012)
