Caring is the essential foundation for all learning, as all learning is an opportunity to cultivate caring. With that as a guide, the Rodro programs draw on the best of contemporary pedagogical practices such as student-centered learning, 21st-century skills, arts in education, collaborative problem solving, project-based learning, and most important of all, Social & Emotional Learning.
Rodro’s books and programs consider the whole child from their family/home support structure, to their individual needs, to their peers, and the communities where they live. (All Rodro programs are available through Eastern Suffolk BOCES.)
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Books and Crafts
Super Me- Anti-Bully Basics
My Good- Anti-Bully Anchors
Additional Character and Arts Programs
Books and Crafts
Literacy Based, Creative, Social-Emotional Learning
Grades K & Up, 45-60 min. sessions
Rodro’s, Books and Crafts programs are a terrific way for kids and parents to take learning to a higher level. After sharing Rodro’s delightful stories and their character building messages, kids and parents reinforce what they have learned by engaging in creative, fun, and exciting arts-based activities. Each activity capitalizes on the joy of creating a simple art project to deepen children’s comprehension and learning of social-emotional issues ranging from positive self-respect to anti-bullying.
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Books and Crafts: Private Sessions
Developing confidence via individual identity, character strengths, and natural talents.
Reading: Open to all books in the Rodro Catalog
Ages 5-11, 60 min. sessions
In Books and Crafts: Private Sessions, the learning is all about your child. It starts with the Books and Crafts program above and then expands to include personalized versions of all of Rodro’s available programs. Each of the private sessions is anchored in the themes of my books and activities where children can find a safe place to explore topics ranging from personal pride and anti-bullying to creative writing and science. You choose the themes that are right for your child. Through my Private Sessions, your child will discover her/his unique identity and character strengths, learn to embrace his/her natural talents, and build a foundation of strong character skills that will serve her/him for a lifetime.
ANTI-BULLY BASICS
Peace Avenger (Super Me assembly and classroom program)
Breaking down bullying by building up self-worth.
Reading: Superhero Quotes
Grades 3-5, 45-60 min. sessions
Award-winning author/illustrator and social-emotional learning specialist Paul Rodriguez focuses the essentials of 25 years of anti-bullying education into his latest program, Peace Avenger. All superheroes have the same core superpowers, a good heart filled with compassion, righteousness, kindness, a desire to help those in need. They are the opposite of bullies— they are up-standers. In this program, six volunteers are invited on stage and use props to portray the superheroes at the focus of a trivia game based on anti-bully quotes that they actually say in their movies. The activity capitalizes on the kids’ admiration and respect for their heroes to open them up to more in-depth conversations and greater ownership of the anti-bully messages of their quotes.The assembly concludes by connecting with real-life superheroes like Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi to emphasizes the program’s inspirational message, “Regular, everyday, extraordinary—Super Me!” (The Peace Avenger assembly is the introduction to its more comprehensive classroom component the Super Me Anti-Bully program. Please, see below for additional Super Me programs.)
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Super Me (Five to Eight-session Residency)
Breaking down bullying by building up self-worth.
Reading: I Care
Grades 3-5, 45-60 min. sessions
The bullying problem is like a math problem; you can’t expect children to solve the problem without knowing all the parts of the equation. Emotional intelligence provides the formula for the solution. From empathy to accountability, this program covers five essential concepts children need to understand to effectively address the broad range of complex and sensitive behaviors at the core of bullying. Students are provided with literary examples of conflicts and resolutions and then participate in guided social activities that provide experiential learning of the lessons exemplified in the stories. Throughout the program, students create personal, Superpower Treasure Chests. With each lesson, they choose fantasy superpowers and actual superpowers and portray them on their treasure chest in colorful illustration with written descriptions. They are also encouraged to fill their treasure chest with items that represent important moments in their lives and who they are as a person. These items are supplemented with handouts about their personal value, how to understand bullying, prevent it when possible, and resolve it peacefully if it happens. (Each session is also available separately.) https://creativec3.org/blog/view/238/root/1
Super Me: Private Sessions
Developing confidence via individual identity, character strengths, and natural talents.
Reading: Open to all books in the Rodro Catalog
Ages 5-11, 60 min. sessions
In Super Me: Private Sessions, the learning is all about your child. It starts with the Super Me program above and then expands to include personalized versions of all of Rodro’s available programs. Each of the private sessions is anchored in the themes of my books and activities where children can find a safe place to explore topics ranging from personal pride and anti-bullying to creative writing and science. You choose the themes that are right for your child. Through my Private Sessions, your child will discover her/his unique identity and character strengths, learn to embrace his/her natural talents, and build a foundation of strong character skills that will serve her/him for a lifetime.
My Good (Full Residency)
Developmental, consecutive grade anti-bully concepts.
K-5, 7–Day Residency, 45-60 min. sessions
Bullying is a multifaceted problem that focuses on the bully saying, “My bad.” The idea behind the Friends & Choices, Anti-Bully Anchors program is to switch the focus to positive behaviors that prevent bullying and saying, “My Good!” instead. This seven-day residency addresses six key anti-bully themes developmentally across grades K–5. The program provides each grade level with an anti-bully focus concept that is presented as an anchor lesson at the beginning of the year and then reinforced with a series of follow-up lessons and activities during the rest of the year. This provides children who are struggling with bullying behavior the opportunity to rethink, refocus, and redeem themselves.
The Rodro Model
Arts Integrated Residences (5-7 sessions)
Grades 3-5, 45-60 min. Sessions
The Rodro Model allows you to customize an enhanced series of lessons to address your most challenging curriculum requirements. This program is a collaboration between you, the classroom teacher(s), and myself, an arts intergraded teaching artist, to create an original 5-7 session unit of study that provides deep learning through a whole child approach. This arts-based curriculum allows each student multiple entry points into understanding its learning objectives by providing art making experiences combined with the example of a professional cultural resource performance or experience. During our planning sessions, you choose key learning objectives and I consult with you as I design visual arts, dance, and/or theater lessons and activities. During the process, you develop collaborative instructional strategies including arts integrated lesson planning and co-teaching. The Result is organic learning that fosters enduring understandings with real-world applications that enhance our children's lives.