I thought about it hard, and debated whether or not it was worth trying again. But I know this activity can be so beneficial, even for a short amount of time. I decided to try it during Red Ribbon Week. Some things I did differently this year:
1. I created a plan that focused on every area that did not work in the past. The biggest issue was how to quickly identify the table that the students sit at. Because we incorporated Character Counts with Red Ribbon Week, I used our seven character traits as a label for each table.
2. I emailed the teachers to discuss the table identification with their students, and tell them what table they would sit it.
3 I promoted it!
4. I used colors and character traits as identification tools. This was especially helpful for the young students. It was easy for them to remember what color table they had to sit it.
5. I met with the café staff to have them assist in getting students to their table. They also helped facilitate and and questions with the tables.
6. I had ice breaker questions at teach table.
I bought different colored table cloths at the dollar store and put them on the tables. I then printed out the character traits and taped them to the end of the tables.
The students had a great day! The staff had a good time. No one wanted to rip their hair out.
I even had a 6th grade student, who are typically resistant to this day, say "This was so much fun! Can we do it again?!"
I have decided to do Mix It Up Day two more times this year. I finally figured out how to make it work.
3 I promoted it!
4. I used colors and character traits as identification tools. This was especially helpful for the young students. It was easy for them to remember what color table they had to sit it.
5. I met with the café staff to have them assist in getting students to their table. They also helped facilitate and and questions with the tables.
6. I had ice breaker questions at teach table.
I bought different colored table cloths at the dollar store and put them on the tables. I then printed out the character traits and taped them to the end of the tables.
The students had a great day! The staff had a good time. No one wanted to rip their hair out.
I even had a 6th grade student, who are typically resistant to this day, say "This was so much fun! Can we do it again?!"
I have decided to do Mix It Up Day two more times this year. I finally figured out how to make it work.
2012 Mix It Up Day at Lunch
Mix it Up Day is an activity to encourage students to
identify, question, and cross social boundaries. Students will move out of their comfort zone and connect
with someone new over lunch. When
students interact with those whoa re different from them, biases and
misconceptions can fall away.
Mix It Up Day at Lunch will take place on Tuesday, October
23
Students will sit at a designated table based on their last
name:
A-C Respect Red
D-F Responsibility Orange
G-I Courage Yellow
J-L Kindness Green
M-O Self-Discipline Blue
P-R Integrity Purple
S-U Perseverance White
V-Z Good
Judgement Black
Please let your students know about this day and the
procedures. The younger grades may
feel apprehensive about the activity, so encourage and speak positively about
Mix It Up Day. Inform them of the
table that they will be sitting at.
I put a color with the table to help the younger students remember where
they will be sitting.
The staff members will encourage conversation and
participation in the ice break questions that will be on each table!
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