Thursday, March 22, 2018

Guided Meditation Information

Guided morning meditation

Guided meditation to close your day

Jason Stephenson guided meditation


Mindfulness

Focus on Self Care

Heading: Mindfulness and Meditation - Effect on the Brain

Learning Objective: I can learn about mindfulness and meditation and how they effect the brain 

mindfulnessa mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

Research:

Neuroscience of Mindfulness: What Happens to Your Brain When You Meditate

What Does Mindfulness Meditation Do to Your Brain?

Mindfulness Can Literally Change Your Brain



Big Ideas (write these down!):
-Daily meditation for 8 weeks increased brain volume of study participants in the areas responsible for learning, emotional regulation, and empathy, and shrank the amygdala (fight or flight regulator)
-Expert meditators' brains are trained to default to the meditative state; permanent change in perception
-Meditation can relax you and regulate your emotions in the short term, but it can also change your brain permanently if you approach it as a form of mental exercise.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Notebook check in; Nature & the Brain articles, videos, & notes; Nature Walk and journaling

Notebook Check In...
Please get out your notebooks and turn to the page where you have this heading & LO:
Heading: Biography Essay Research
Learning Objective: I can conduct research on an environmentalist in order to learn about their contributions and accomplishments.

If you turned in your paperwork you'll get it back now; glue them in under the above heading.
You need to do color processing on the left hand side about your environmentalist. Take 15 minutes to organize and work on your notebook. 

Roses & Thorns (share out)


Calendar check in: 

-This week tutorial Wed & Thurs
-Spring Break next week!
-End of Quarter 3 April 12th

Turn to a new right hand page in notebook


Heading: Nature and the Brain


Learning Objective: I can explore research on nature's effect on the human brain and think about how I can apply it to my own life.


Current research on how exposure to nature effects the human mind and body:



Stanford researchers find mental health prescription: Nature (w/video)



Big Ideas: (write this down!)
-More than 50% of world's population lives in urban areas
-City dwellers have 20% higher risk of anxiety, 40% higher risk of mood disorders
-Research has found less negative thought patterns in the brains of people exposed to nature
-Researchers found a lower incidence of 15 diseases in people who lived within about a half mile of green space. 
-Exposure to nature can lower heart rate, slow breathing, decrease cortisol production
-Gives prefrontal cortex (brain's command center) a chance to rest


Nature Walk

Let's go outside! You need your notebook and a writing utensil. No electronics out please!
While outside you'll have the opportunity to tune into your senses and do some reflective journaling.







Monday, March 12, 2018

Presentations

Essays and presentations submitted after Friday 3/16 will receive a 0, no exceptions.

Today we will continue Environmentalist presentations!

Ms. Ferro will score your presentation using the rubric HERE 

Be able to speak about your environmentalist for at least 3 minutes. 

Audience members will score each presenter using the rubric sheet provided

One slide required with the following bullet points:

1. Subject's name and birth date/date of death
2. What they are most known for
3. Brief introduction to their early life
4. Three details about their environmental accomplishments/contributions
5. Summarize their impact on others/history

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Begin Environmentalist Presentations

Today we will begin Environmentalist presentations!

Ms. Ferro will score your presentation using the rubric HERE 

Be able to speak about your environmentalist for at least 3 minutes. 

Audience members will score each presenter using the rubric sheet provided

One slide required with the following bullet points:

1. Subject's name and birth date/date of death
2. What they are most known for
3. Brief introduction to their early life
4. Three details about their environmental accomplishments/contributions
5. Summarize their impact on others/history

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

ESSAY DUE! Oral Presentation Rubric & Requirements

Ms. Ferro is sick :( 
Your sub is Mr. Whitehill

Announcement: you must turn in a permission slip to the library for climate change poet Kathy Jetnil Kejiner by the end of school today to attend 7th or 8th period on March 14th. There should be slips on my front desk.

Environmentalist Essay is due TODAY! Drop your essay in your period's folder in Google Drive using the blog entry before this one. The permission is set for you to be able to add to it. If you don't know how to do it - ask!
Please use the Google Drive period folders to submit so I can keep track of who turned theirs in!

After you have submitted your essay, work on your presentation. No need to submit, I'll grade you during your presentation using the rubric.

We will do presentations next class period, Thursday the 8th.

Presentation Rubric HERE 

Be able to speak about your environmentalist for at least 3 minutes. Don't just read from your slide!

One slide required with the following bullet points:

1. Subject's name and birth date/date of death
2. What they are most known for
3. Brief introduction to their early life
4. Three details about their environmental accomplishments/contributions
5. Summarize their impact on others/history