Materials: Paper (this can be individual pieces of paper, notecards, or a Post-It Easel Pad, whatever works best for your class), Writing utensils
Instructions:
1. Introduce the activity for the day, What is a Mentor? Explain to students that each of us as we go through life have mentors that help shape who we are. These can be mentors in our personal lives, professional lives, at school, home, etc. While introducing the activity, have a mentor pass out supplies or set up the Post-It Easel Pads around
the classroom.
- – Depending on if you do this activity at the beginning of the year or end of the year, this could be a great moment of either setting the tone for the school year or reflecting on the school year.
- – Materials, individual pieces of paper, notecards, Post-It Easel Pads depend on the structure of your classroom. If you’re unsure what works best for your group, ask your teacher for their insight!
2.Read aloud each of the prompts and give students 5 minutes to think about their own responses to each prompt. Prompts can include:
- – What is a mentor?
- – What traits or characteristics does a mentor have?
- – Why is having a mentor important or beneficial?
- – Who is a mentor?
3. After students have time to think about each prompt on their own, encourage them to write down their thoughts to each prompt on the paper your team decided on (individual piece of paper, notecards, Post-It Easel, etc.). Give students
15 to 20 minutes to do this.
- ***NOTE: If a student is having a harder time writing things down, have them go around and either underline or circle other students’ answers that stick out to them as relevant***
4. After students have had a chance to work together answering the prompts, ask students to return to their seats and review each of the prompts and answers as a group. Mentors can either walk around reading aloud answers to prompts or a few students can.
5.Wrap up the activity by asking students some final questions and tying back to Adopt A Class:
- – Can YOU be a mentor?Who are you a mentor to?
- – What does it take to become a mentor?
- – What are you hoping to gain from us being your mentors?
Tips: Write out questions on the pieces of paper ahead of time. Give students time to think on their own before working together and highlight your own experiences with either having a mentor or being a mentor.
