WEBELOS

Scholar

Mental Skills group

Den Activities

Circle Ten Council

·         Let the boys talk about what's going on in school. Don't try to change any of their ideas, but guide the discussion in such a way that they will see the value of an education.

·         Learn about the history of education, how schools developed in America.

·         Prepare a chart of the school system and explain and discuss with boys.

·         Discuss & do a den service project for the school.

·         Invite the parents of Webelos to come to a den meeting dressed in the type of clothes they wore to school. Have them bring along such things as class pictures, yearbooks, report cards, etc. and allow each ample time to share his/ her school days with the den.

·         Have a panel of parents with various jobs explain their schooling and training for these jobs.

·         Invite an educator to talk with the den about some of the scholar requirements.

·         As a den, talk about good study habits.

·         Have someone from the public library talk about the local literacy project.

·         Tour a local high school or visit a local college campus.

·         Play a Newspaper Search game looking for articles about education.

·         Encourage boys to find out all they can about schools in your community ... the different types and how they work... the problems and opportunities. Discuss these at a den meeting. Have the boys make a list of the things they like about school and another list of the things they don't like about school. Give these lists to the principal.

·         Have the boys make a daily time schedule and use it to determine if they are making the best use of their time.

Careers in Education

Circle Ten Council

Have each boy choose one career in education and think of what may be involved in that career.  Have them make a collage of pictures that relate his ideas about that career.  You may be surprised at a Webelos Scout's perception of some of these jobs.  When done, discuss them and clarify any misconceptions.

Speakers

Circle Ten Council

Teacher

College professor

School principal

Librarian

Additional ideas:

Circle Ten Council

Invite a member of the school board or a professional educator (teacher or principal) to talk to the boys on the value of an education and what school has to offer a boy.

Have the boys try to find out some of these things:

·         What jobs are there at school for the boys to do?

·         What extra-curricular activities are available?

·         What community activities is the school used for?

·         Who are the people on the office staff, cafeteria staff, and custodial staff? What are their responsibilities?

·         What are some of the problems of the school, and how can you help?

Have the boys list what they consider the best and worst things in their school. Arrange to give these lists to the principal or a school board member. Invite them to a den meeting to talk with the boys. Important to the participants in such a meeting is a feeling of trust and comradely. Allow the meeting to have an informal setting. After respectfully introducing the guest, let it become an informal rap session. A few cookies and punch served by the Denner has worked wonders in the past. Now is the opportunity for the leader to blend into the woodwork and enjoy observing. Do not become concerned with a lack of participation on the boys' part. If the guest is someone concerned with the boys of this age group, he or she will draw them in.  A little more informal would be a meeting at school between the boy and a teacher. Have the boy list questions and set up approximately 10 minutes to meet. Have the boy discuss his meeting at a den meeting.

Field Trips

Circle Ten Council

Plan a trip to the library to have the librarian demonstrate the use of a microfilm or microfiche viewer.

Ask a librarian to explain the Dewy Decimal System or Library of Congress system, visit the public library, and have boys complete applications for library cards, if they do not already have one.

Briefly visit a school board meeting. Let them know you are coming. They may be interested to know the boys are working on the Scholar Activities Badge.

Spelling Mixer

Circle Ten Council

Print large letters on 5x8 index cards, one letter per card.  Do not use the letters J, K, Q, V, X or Z.  Make several cards with vowels on them.  Have a card for each person in the group.  On signal, the Cubs hold up their cards, then rush around to find two other people with letters that when combined with theirs, makes a valid 3-letter word.  They must lock arms, in order and rush to a judge who writes their word on the back of their card if the word is valid.  Then they separate and each rushes to find two more letters to make another word.  Play continues for 5 or 10 minutes.  The winner is the person with the most words on his or her card.

The Twenty-First Century

Circle Ten Council

Have the boys discuss what they think school will be like 25 years from now.  Will the students all be at computers?  Will they interact with teachers from a TV hookup from their homes?  Will they travel to Mars for math and Saturn for science?  Will someone have invented a smart pill for every subject?  In the future, will we do away with some of the subjects that are taught now?  Which ones?  What new subjects might be offered?  Divide them into groups to make posters of their view of education in the future.

Seven Ways to Improve Grades

Circle Ten Council

Learn to Listen - Look at the speaker, concentrate on his words, take notes, participate in discussions.

Develop Good Study Habits - Avoid distractions, have supplies handy, do homework at the same time each day, make a list, do the things you hate first, schedule a short break if needed.

Use the Right Reading Technique - learn to skim by glancing through whole paragraphs at a time; use slower, more careful reading when you must understand and remember.

Improve Your Vocabulary - look up words you don't know, write them down, use the word(s) in your next conversation.

Sharpen Your Writing Skills - brainstorm for ideas, organize your thoughts, keep sentences short, use neat handwriting, double check spelling and punctuation.

Learn How to Take Tests - study well ahead of time (don't cram), relax, then face the test; read the directions carefully; answers questions you know for sure, pace yourself, work steadily; go back and fill in missing answers as best you can; double check your work for careless errors and omissions.

Develop a Positive Attitude - you are what you think you are - use positive thinking!

History of American Education

Circle Ten Council

Each of the paragraphs below contains information about education during four different periods of American history.  Discuss what America was like during each period, then, as a den, read each and decide which period the information most probably reflects:

Colonial                 America during 1600 – 1775

Early 19^th                        America during 1775 - 1865

Late 19^th                          America during 1865 – 1915

20^th Century           America from 1915 on

1.       Education reflected and participated in the development of “The American Way.” American History was instituted in schools during this time period.  Education became more secular in nature, and states enacted laws requiring compulsory school attendance.

2.       Resources were limited and physical demands left little room for education.  Education was initially established for religious motives (Puritans in New England.) Most education of this period was either in the home or apprentice training.  Nine colleges were formed during this time period.

3.       Enrollments in elementary and secondary schools were above 90% of the eligible students.  Wide inequities developed between states and local school districts.  America’s schools have developed as the nation has advanced.

4.       As the population became more concerned with technology and material progress, education progressed in turn.  Education was influenced by European immigrants and travel to Europe.  Secondary education replaced the academy and public high school became a reality.

5.       Three practices of education were established during this time: 1) Compulsory education, 2) Public support of schooling, and 3) Three levels of education (elementary,  secondary, and higher) were set up.

6.       This was the beginning of a movement toward state school systems.  Establishment of the elementary level was completed.  Secondary education was taken care of through academy training.  Numerous new colleges were started in the early nineteenth century.

7.       Colleges increased their courses and programs.  Teaching grew more toward a profession and teachers became concerned with a methodology of education.

8.       School efforts have been structured towards quality education; while the size of the education system increased in size greatly.  In schools the vocational education program diversified its offerings, while general education was considered a preparation for earning a living.  Schools began to look more toward the students vocational pursuits.

(Answers: 1-Early 19^th, 2-Colonial     , 3-20^th Century, 4-Late 19^th, 5-Colonial, 6-Early 19^th

7-Late 19^th, 8-20^th Century)

Can You Follow Directions Test?

Circle Ten Council

This is a classic that I remember from my school days.  I hope you can have some fun with it.  CD

This test is to see if you can follow directions.  Concentrate, but remember, you have only two minutes to complete this.

Read everything before doing anything.

1.       Put your name in the upper right-hand corner of this paper.

2.       Circle the word "name" in sentence number 2.

3.       Draw five small squares in the upper left-hand corner of this paper.

4.       Put an "x" in each square.

5.       Put a circle around each square.

6.       Put a circle around each word in sentence number 5.

7.       Put an "x" in the lower left-hand corner of this paper.

8.       Draw a triangle around the "x" you just put down.

9.       If you think you have followed directions up to this point, call out "I have."

10.    Now that you have finished reading this carefully, do only number 1 and number 2.

You have finished.  How did you do?

Study Skills

Circle Ten Council

You are the captain of your very own scholar-ship (learning). Teachers and parents can help, but how well you do in school depends greatly on how well you do your homework. School has just started. Imagine that your scholar-ship has just left port for a nine-month cruise. You will decide how smooth the trip is going to be. You will set your goals and chart your own course. Before your scholar-ship really gets under way, it's a good idea to check your skills to find out where you need to improve. You'll want to get your scholar-ship into shipshape. Draw a face that would show how well you think you use your study skills.

Lifestyle - Do you allow enough time for sleep, rest and fun activities?

Assignment - Do you keep up with and write down your assignments?

Schedule - Do you set aside time to study?

Place - Do you have a good, quiet place to study?

Organization - Do you organize your study area?

Focus - Do you keep your mind from wandering by remembering your study skills?

Review - Do you ask yourself questions or have your parents ask you questions to make certain you understand what you have studied?