3Rs Lesson One Teaching Tips

Please review the full email for important 3Rs information!

This Friday, Nov. 4, is the kick-off day for The 3Rs, with most teams making their first classroom visit.  The first lesson is an introduction to the program and will allow team members the chance to share information about their personal career journeys (education, career path) as well as to start to get to know the students and understand their career goals.

If you are a returning volunteer, please note that we have kept the same curriculum as last year.  You can use your instructor's materials from last year with a few small updates which you can download from the 3Rs page of the CMBA website by clicking here on the Volunteer Resources tab.  You will need to download the PDFs labeled the 3Rs Intro (one page), the 3Rs User Manual (two pages), and Lesson One (full lesson).  New volunteers who have not attended an orientation can download the 2011-2012 3Rs Instructor's Guide or contact Jessica Paine at jpaine@clemetrobar.org to arrange for pick-up.

Here are a few important reminders as you get organized for Friday's introductory lesson:

How does my team get the curriculum materials for volunteers and students?
For teams that have not yet picked up their curriculum materials: curriculum materials (i.e. student folders pre-loaded with the First Lesson) for the first classroom visit are now available at the CMBA offices for pick-up by team captains or a designated team representative, unless alternative attangements have been made.  (Note that these materials for Lesson One are heavy and not easily carried without a car or other means of transportation.)  

We have been provided the number of students in your classroom by the schools.  If you learn there are more (or fewer) students, please let us know and we will adjust the number of sets of materials accordingly for the second lesson. 

Lesson One - The 3Rs DVD
There are two versions of Lesson One in your Instructors' Guides, one incorporating an introductory video and one without.  If you would like a DVD copy to bring with you, please ask our receptionist when you pick up your materials and a DVD will be provided to you.  The 3Rs introductory video is also available for download on the 3Rs page here - volunteers may save the video to their laptops and play it for students in their small groups at the lesson, if AV equipment is not available in their classrooms.  We ask that captains please confer with your teacher and your teams to determine whether you will be playing the video at the first lesson.

What is the Lesson Plan for the first classroom visit?
Please review the introductory materials as background and note the schedule for classroom visits (Nov. 4, Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Feb. 10, April 20, and May 11).  Name tags are suggested, both for the volunteers and the students.

The focus of this Friday's visit is Lesson One:  Introduction to The 3Rs.  In small groups, work with the students to complete the worksheet for Lesson One, allowing the students to identify/articulate their career goals and interests and to start thinking about what education and training is needed to achieve those goals. 

Prepare to share your career journey - how you decided on your career, your education and other training, etc., and what resources helped you along the way.  Remember that if your teacher wishes to participate, getting teachers to share their career journeys with the students as part of the professional team can be a great way to connect with the class. For more practical teaching tips and creative ideas, please click here.

Team Management
Team captains (or their designee) should contact all team members to ascertain their availability and to prepare for the first classroom visit.  We recommend a team conference call or meeting on or before the Wednesday before this Friday's visit.

Team captains (or their designee) should contact the classroom teacher in advance of the visit to introduce the team, let the teacher know the team is coming on Friday and ask any questions the team might have about the classroom or protocols for visiting the school (parking, entry procedures, etc).  Contact information for schools and teachers was provided in the school information attached to the 3Rs assignment email.  If your teacher has not provided a non-school phone number, you should call them at the school's main phone number.

Team captains should contact us immediately if they do not have good contact information for a team member (email address or telephone number issues).

What if our team cannot participate on Friday?

If the majority of your team members are unable to attend Friday's classroom visit, team captains should contact the classroom teacher as soon as possible to arrange for a "make up" session prior to the December 9 session.  Please send us an email to let us know you have done so.  If you know that you will be unable to attend Friday's lesson, please contact your team captain as soon as possible so that they can determine whether the visit should be rescheduled.

Protocols for school visits
Please familiarize yourself with the location of your school in advance (Mapquest or other driving directions are suggested).  Returning volunteers to Ginn Academy and Cleveland School of the Arts should note the new locations for those schools (change occurred before the 2009-10 school year). 

Please plan to arrive fifteen minutes early and remember to bring a photo ID!  Each high school has a designated entry door, with security and metal detectors.  Once you enter, please report to the office to sign in as a visitor before proceeding to your classroom.  Some schools will have a team of greeters to help teams as they enter for the first visit. 

Questions, concerns and feedback
If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.  Each team captain is encouraged to share feedback - both positive and negative - after each visit.  Remember to share concerns immediately so that we may address them prior to the next scheduled visit. 

Please contact us by email or telephone:  Jessica Paine at jpaine@clemetrobar.org (216) 696-3525 x4462.

Thank you again for your commitment to the students!