February 14 - February 18
Thanks for the Feedback!
Sometimes it is difficult to receive a compliment with a simple, "Thank you." It can also be challenging to accept constructive feedback from your teacher, coach, or parent. During this lesson, our 2nd and 3rd grade students learn about giving and receiving feedback. We watch several short video clips of some competition television shows judging the contestants. The students point out the difference between a compliment and constructive feedback from each clip. We also read the book, Thanks for the Feedback by Julia Cook. As a class, we talk about ways to respond to both compliments and constructive feedback. We end the lesson by having the students review a new game and give us feedback about the product. What they like, don't like, and what they would change.
This is a wonderful lesson to reinforce at home. When your child receives constructive feedback from a teacher, a coach, a friend, or yourself, remind them that it is to help them grow and improve. Then, talk about the best way to respond: "Thank you for letting me know. That is great feedback! I will do my best to work on that."
January 31 - February 4
Teamwork
It is all about working together this week! Learning to work and play as a team is a valuable life skill. It will help students when completing group projects in school, playing sports, being in the band or chorus, help them as they work with colleagues in a future career, and so much more. In this lesson, we watch several videos about teamwork. We practice our teamwork skills with two activities. One, the students create a pipeline using PVC pipes and must be able to roll a marble down the pipe without it falling out. For the second activity, students must line up in birthday order without using their voices. They communicate in other ways to achieve this goal. It is a fun and interactive lesson that the kids really enjoy!
January 17 - January 21
Flicker of Hope
This week's lesson was about finding HOPE in difficult situations, knowing who your HOPE builders are, and becoming a HOPE builder. We read a wonderful story called, Flicker of Hope by Julia Cook. It uses a metaphor with candles and their light being bright or just a flicker. Sometimes we have "dark clouds" in our lives that can dim our light. We can find hope builders to help keep our light bright! The students brainstormed different people in their lives who could be their hope builder if they ever need to reach out: parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, teachers, school counselors, coaches, etc. Then, we had fun working together to light up an Energy Stick. It was a great demonstration on how we can help keep each other's light bright. Next, the students worked in small groups rolling a cube with various questions on it. They took turns rolling and answering the questions to their group. We ended the lesson with a great video about hope and ways to find hope in everyday life.
If your child is ever feeling down and having trouble seeing the hope in their life, please don't hesitate to reach out to their school counselor for support and resources.
December 6 - December 10
Focus
As a continuation to Active Listening, we are practicing our Focusing skills this week. All of us know how important it is to maintain focus when the teacher is speaking, completing an assignment, listening to our friends, or cleaning our room. However, it can be challenging when distractions arise. Distractions can come from noises, items/toys within our grasp, T.V., video games, other people, the weather, the room temperature, our hunger, even our own thoughts. The trick is to practice our focusing skills and learn how to block out those distractions.
We have several activities during the lesson where the students get to practice maintaining their focus. They watch a "Bubble Bounce" mindfulness video where they are told to keep their eyes on a certain bubble. Then, the students listen to a story being read while I try to distract them by doing different activities in the room. After the story, they are asked several comprehension questions to see how well they were able to focus. Our next activity is a memory game. The students take turns trying to make a match by focusing on the pictures that other students have already uncovered. Lastly, the students are shown a word on the board. They are asked to tell me the color of the word rather than read the word. This, too, requires a special kind of focus.
The students really seem to enjoy this lesson and practicing their focus skills!
November 15 - November 19
Active Listening
This is a really fun lesson practicing our active listening skills! We start with a game called "Tuned In" that requires the students to really pay attention. Each student is given an index card with a different set of directions on it. We provide very little instruction on the game. We tell them to read their cards and then pay attention. Basically, it is a "domino effect" type game. You can't complete your task until someone before you completes theirs. After the game we talk about Active Listening and what is involved. To be an active listener, you have to use more than just your ears:
- Eyes - look at the person speaking
- Brain - think about what is being said
- Hands & Feet - remain still
- Mouth - closed
- Body - face the person speaking
- Ears - listen to what is being said
We also discuss how active listening helps us at school, at home, with our friends, and with our families. If time permits, the students may get to practice their active listening with another fun activity. Each student is given a paper grid. While we read a story to them, the students follow the directions to move about the grid with their pencil and draw different things in different spots. Finally, the class is given an opportunity to beat their time by repeating the "Tuned In" game. Prior to playing the game a second time, we talk about ways that we can beat our time. The kids really enjoy this lesson and practicing their listening skills.
As a parent, I know our children don't always listen when we speak or ask them to do something. If you've experienced the same thing, here are a few tips to try:
- Use your child's name before you make a request.
- Make sure your child has paused the t.v. show or video game they are watching.
- Ask them to look at you.
- Make your request. Be specific about when you would like them to complete the request.
- Sometimes children struggle with multi-step directions. So, give them one direction at a time if needed.
- Ask them to repeat back to you what you said.
- Give them positive feedback after they followed your directions.
October 25 - October 29
Tough!
This week the students are enjoying the third book of our series called, Tough! by Erin Frankel and Paula Heaphy. This story is from Sam's point of view - the girl that has been bullying the other kids. We learn that Sam is being treated in a mean way by her brother, she is TV watching shows that model negative peer interactions, and she is jealous of some of the other kids. In the end, Sam demonstrates empathy towards others and starts developing positive friendships. For this week's activity, the students work together solving different puzzles to discover a phrase about empathy. We have been so proud of how our students are working cooperatively in their groups to solve their puzzles. They are taking turns, listening to one another, and encouraging each other! We hope that this unit on Bullying Behavior has been informative and helpful! Please let us know if your child ever needs help in a bullying type situation. We do not want this behavior at our school and will do what we can to prevent it from happening.
October 11 - October 15
Bystander or Upstander?
The students are so excited to read the second book in our series called, DARE! by Erin Frankel and Paula Heaphy. This time the story is from the perspective of the bystander turned upstander, Jayla. It really illustrates the dilemma kids experience when they have been bullied and when they see bullying happen. It is difficult to stand up for others out of fear that they may become the new target. After the story, we watch a great video by Soul Pancake that demonstrates a social experiment about bystander behavior. The students learn that the larger the group of people, the less likely anyone will jump in and help someone. The smaller the group of people, the more likely someone will help. This is called the Diffusion of Responsibility. Ask your child about this phenomenon and how it works. Finally, we discuss the differences between an Upstander and a Bystander and how important it is to have courage to become an upstander. The students finish the lesson by creating a simple flip book that explains the differences between a Harmful Bystander and a Helpful Upstander.
As parents and adults in our children's lives, it will be valuable to model upstander behavior in all situations: welcoming new neighbors, helping someone broken down on the road, getting something off a high shelf for someone at the grocery store, stopping gossip when you hear it, etc. Also, praise your children when you see them being an upstander. You can also point it out in books that you are reading or movies you are watching.
September 20 - September 25
Is it Bullying, Mean, Rude, or Conflict?
This week students are learning to decipher between various negative interactions with others. Many times it is difficult to determine if a negative action is bullying, mean, rude, or just a conflict between peers. The students watch a great video about bullying behavior to get the lesson started. We read the first story of a three-book series, Weird, by Erin Frankel and Paula Heaphy. The first story is from the perspective of the student being targeted. The kids are really enjoying the book and many can relate to how the main character is feeling. Next, we go over the characteristics of the different types of behaviors. See the chart below. Finally, the students work together to sort through various scenarios and categorize them into bullying, mean, rude, or conflict behaviors. As school counselors, educators, and parents it is important to help our students identify what type of behavior has occurred so they can know what types of strategies to use in each situation.
In our next lesson, we will read the second book of the series, Dare. It will be from a bystander's perspective. We can't wait to talk about ways students can by "upstanders!"
September 7 - September 10
Conflict Resolution
Now that our students understand EMPATHY, they can start resolving their conflicts in a more productive way. We started this week's lesson with a funny video from the movie Shrek showing an example of a conflict. Then, we watched a Brain Pop that laid out the steps to solving a conflict. We reviewed and learned ten different strategies students can use to help them solve their conflicts with their peers and siblings. Lastly, students played a game at their table matching up appropriate strategies with various conflict scenarios.
If you would like to encourage your children to solve their own conflicts, have them choose a resolution from the list below and see if they can start problem solving on their own.
Share
Take Turns
Flip a Coin
Talk it Out
Use an "I" Message
Postpone
Pick a Different Activity
Get Help
Apologize
Walk Away
August 23 - August 27
Empathy
Putting Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes
This week we want to define EMPATHY for our students and discuss how it can improve our relationships with our family, friends, peers, and other adults in our lives. We start our lesson with a great video from Sesame Street - yes, Sesame Street! The kids may say they don't like it but they actually become engaged the minute it is playing on the screen! The characters explain (in a fun way) what it means to have and show empathy. Next, we read the story, Stand in My Shoes, by Bob Sornson. It is a wonderful book about a little girl who learns how to show empathy to her family, friends, and teacher. After the story, we have two scenarios that we ask the students to discuss. We answer questions like, "How do you think that person feels?" or "What is it like for that person during their work day?" Lastly, the students play a game about empathy, answering questions among themselves as they wind their way through the game board.
If you want to continue developing empathy with your children, you can ask questions during reading a book, during a movie, or t.v. show. How do you think that made the character feel? How would you feel if that happened to you? You can also help your child identify his/her own feelings by saying, "You seem really sad about that." or "I bet that made you feel a little nervous."
August 9 - August 13
Coping Cafe' (5th Grade)
Filling Your Toolbox with Coping Strategies (4th Grade)
We wanted to begin the year by giving our students several strategies they could use if they find themselves feeling sad, mad, frustrated, worried, scared, or stressed. We read the story, Marcy's Having All the Feels, by Allison Edwards. Then, the students rotated between six different centers where they learned and practiced various coping strategies: breathing, stretching, coloring, using fidgets, using their senses, and the "Rainbow" strategy. We ended the lesson with a great visual of food coloring in water. Each color represents different feelings. Sometimes when we don't express those feelings, we feel all murky and yucky inside. Students then told us their favorite coping strategy they learned today. For each strategy, we poured a "magic solution" into the murky water and watched it lighten up. We explained that is how the coping strategies work on our feelings. It makes us feel lighter and clearer so we are ready to face any problem that may arise.
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