Fourth Grade: Similarities and Differences

We began our lesson by watching "Walk, Walk, Walk" and listening for the different feelings words mentioned in the song. Next, we looked at a picture of two students who were waiting to do the same activity. The two students were showing different emotions about what they were about to do. We talked about how we thought each of the students were feeling, then predicted what they were waiting to do.

For the rest of the lesson, we talked about two students: Enrique and Maia. These two students were both starting in new classes, and they had both similar and different characteristics. We watched a video to learn about the two students, and then we talked about what we knew about each student. Next, we talked about their differences: different hobbies, different ethnicity, different feelings, different taste in food, etc. After we had discussed all of the differences between the two students, we moved on to similarities. We were surprised to find that two students who seemed so different could have so much in common.

We concluded our lesson by talking about what would have happened if we had not taken the time to get to know Enrique and Maia. We may have never given them a chance as a friend. We ended our lesson by discussing how we can get to know others instead of judging them based on how they look, and what happens when we judge others before we know them.

Second Grade: Identifying Feelings

For our second unit this year, we are exploring empathy. Our first lesson in this unit focuses on identifying feelings. We began our lesson with a quick run-down of the skills for learning and what they mean: focus attention, listen, use self talk, and be assertive. Next, we moved onto our brain builder: The Feelings Factory. For this activity, the students were my workers in the feelings factory (which is a silent factory) and they had to pay close attention to make sure I said "Foreman says" before showing me a feeling. Students had to use their faces and bodies to show the feeling I asked for, but only if I said "Foreman says." We discussed the skills for learning used in the activity before moving on to our next task.

For the remainder of our lesson, students discussed a student named Daniel who had gotten lost from his family during a hike in the woods. Students had to act as feelings detectives and search for clues that showed how each person was feeling. We talked about three places they could look for clues: face, body, or the situation (what's going on). Students shared how they thought Daniel felt in the situation: most said scared. Once we had decided on scared, they shared what clues proved that feeling. Many commented on Daniel's wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and open mouth. They also talked about why he was scared: he was lost (the situation).

Students took turns showing their partner their scared face while the other partner pointed out the clues that showed the student was scared. We also talked about how it feels in our bodies when we are afraid. We ended the lesson by discussing comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. We talked about how everyone experiences uncomfortable feelings (like being scared), and then we brainstormed other comfortable feelings. We ended the lesson by looking at pictures of Daniel's family members and discussing: how they felt, what clues showed that feeling, and whether it was a comfortable or uncomfortable feeling.

Kindergarten: Being Assertive

For our final lesson in our skills for learning unit, we discussed being assertive: asking for help in a calm, firm, respectful way. We began our lesson by introducing a new way for students to share ideas called Think, Turn, Tell. When we share using Think, Turn, Tell, the first thing students do is think. I will pose a question to the class and each student must come up with an answer. Once all students show me the silent signal that signifies they have an answer (a silent thumbs up), I instruct students to turn and tell their partners their ideas. One student shares first, and once that group is finished sharing, the other partner is able to turn and tell their partner their ideas. We practiced this new way of sharing by having students share their favorite thing about recess.

Next, the students had a visit from puppy and snail. Snail had been given a classroom job to water the plants, but he could not find the pitcher. He asked Puppy for help, but Puppy did not know where it was either. Puppy advised Snail to ask the teacher  for help, and Snail was scared at first, but finally Puppy convinced Snail that it was okay to ask the teacher because she is here to help. We talked about the importance of the order in Snail's attempt to solve the problem: first he looked for the pitcher himself, then he asked a friend, and finally he asked the teacher.

We spent the remainder of our lesson talking about a picture of a student named Lucy. Lucy was in the library looking for a book about dinosaurs, but she couldn't find it. The teacher was busy helping another student, so Lucy could not ask her for help.  Students used Think, Turn, Tell to discuss different options Lucy could use to solve the problem. Students came up with several ideas: take one more look, ask another student, wait until the teacher has finished and then ask for help. We talked about what to do when we need help: try one more time yourself, then ask a friend, and finally if the friend can't help ask an adult.

Puppy showed the students three different ways to ask for help.

• Passive (looking down, shy): I just can't find the book.
• Aggressive (demanding): Grrr. Just get that book for me!
• Assertive (calm, firm, respectful and confident): Excuse me, can you please help me find the book?

We talked about why the last way was the best way to ask for help, and why the other two ways weren't good. We discussed what it means to be assertive, and what it means to be assertive. We concluded our lesson by having students take turns being assertive when asking for help.

Fourth Grade: Being Assertive

For our first lesson in our second rotation, we focused on being assertive - asking for what you want or need in a calm, firm, respectful way. We engaged our listening skills by watching the music video "Walk, Walk, Walk" and listening for the phrase "recognize those feelings."

We started our discussion on being assertive by discussing how our bodies can send messages. I asked students to make a passive pose, where students may feel afraid that they don't have the right to say what they want or need. We talked about whether this was a good way to get what we want or need and why it isn't: people might not take you seriously, people might not pay attention to you.

Next, we made an aggressive post, where students are being demanding and not thinking about other students' perspectives. We talked about why this is not a good way to get what we want or need: you make others feel uncomfortable, scared, or mad. For the remainder of our lesson we discussed a video clip about a student named Karley who pushed others out of a game of four-square to ensure her opportunity to play before recess was over. We discussed what each student wanted or needed in the video and whether they asked for help in a passive, aggressive, assertive way. By the end of the lesson, we all agreed that being assertive, or asking for help in a calm, firm, respectful way, is the best way to ask for help.

Second Grade: Being Assertive

For our first lesson in our second rotation, we learned our final skill for learning: being assertive. We started our lesson with a review of the previous skills for learning we had discussed: focus attenion, listen, and use self-talk.

For this lesson's brain builder, we did an activity called "The Doodle Dance." For the Doodle Dance, students must pay attention to my directions as they are vital to the success of this activity. Students are shown six different doodles that correspond with a particular dance move. Students must do this activity silently. I hold up the doodles in a certain order, which is very imporant because: all dancing must be done in reverse order of when the doodle was held up.

The dance moves are as follows:

• Red Bug - Shoulder Shrug
• Yellow Squiggle - Hip Wiggle
• Green Clover - Shake All Over
• Blue Tree - Lift Knee
• Purple Drops - Foot Hops
• Orange Star - Air Guitar

After the activity, we discussed which skills for learning had helped the students to be successful and how they had implemented these skills for learning. For instance, what were they focusing on? How did they use self-talk? Next, we talked about our final skill for being assertive: asking for what you want or need in a calm, firm, respectful way.

For the remainder of our lesson, we looked at a photo of a student named Connor. Connor had listening to the directions and paid attention to the teacher, but he did not understand what he was supposed to do. We talked about how Connor might have felt in the situation: frustrated, disappointed, confused, sad, angry, embarrassed and alone. We all agreed that Connor needed help, so we brainstormed who he could ask for help: his seat neighbor, a friend, or the teacher.

Next, we explored three different ways to ask for help:

• Passive: shoulders and head down, quiet voice
• Aggressive: aggressive stance; loud, rude voice
• Assertive: head and shoulders up; calm, firm, respectful voice

We talked about each of the different ways to ask for help and why being passive or aggressive wouldn't work. Being assertive is the best way for learners to ask for what they want or need. We ended the lesson by practicing asking our partners for help in an assertive way.

Kindergarten: Self-Talk

Last week we focused on another skill for learning that can help students be successful: using self-talk. Self-talk takes place when students use a quiet voice to talk to themselves inside their heads. After this lesson, students had learned three of the four skills for learning: focus attention, listen, and use self-talk.

We started our lesson with another round of Follow, Follow to warm up our listening skills, but this time students had to repeat the directions before they did the motions. This helped students remember that repeating directions can help them remember what they are supposed to do. Next, we listened to the "Be a Learner" song and students listened for specific words and did the corresponding body movements.

Students did the following motions:

• Focus/Attention - make attentoscope
• Listen - cup ears
• Eyes, Ears, and Brain - point to eyes, ears and brain

Snail visited the class and talked about a problem he was having in class. Snail has been forgetting to write his name on the top of his paper, so he practiced repeating "write my name on the top of the page" to himself several times to help him remember. By repeating, he is more likely to remember and is solving a problem!

For the remainder of the lesson we focused on a photo of two students sitting at their table in the classroom. Paulo was working hard on an assignment, but Samarah was playing with her pencil instead of working. We looked at each student and talked about whether they were focused on their work. We decided that Paulo was focused, but Samarah was distracted. We talked about the different skills for learning that Paulo could be using to be successful: focusing attention and listening. We also talked about a new skill for learning Paulo was using to stay focused: self-talk. Even though Samarah was being distracting by playing with her pencil, Paulo used self-talk to stay focused on his talk and remember his directions.

Fifth Grade: Being Assertive

For our final lesson in this rotation, we focused on being assertive: asking for what you want or need in a calm, firm, respectful way. We started our lesson by watching "Walk, Walk, Walk" and having students listen for attention for how many times they heard the phrase "recognize those feelings."  Once we had engaged our listening skills, we moved into a group activity where students took turns with their partners being a sculptor and being the clay.

I asked partners to sculpt their clay into an aggressive pose. Sculptors were given 30 seconds to sculpt their clay (the other partner), and once I said to "freeze!" we analyzed the different poses we saw. We talked about some of the students with angry faces, hands on their hips, fists clenched, and other intense poses. Next, we had our sculptor and clay switch roles. Partners were instructed to sculpt the clay into a passive pose. We looked at the different poses that had been created and discussed what parts of the poses represented being passive: many of these were students shaped into positions of being unsure of themselves, not making eye contact, etc. For both of the poses we talked about how we would feel if someone made that posture toward us and if this was an effective way to get what we wanted our needed.

For the remainder of the lesson we discussed a video clip regarding three students working on a group project. We talked about what a particular student wanted or needed from the situation and how we could tell. We also talked about how that student needed to tell the other student assertively what she wanted or needed, and what her voice, her words, and what the body language should look and sound like.

Here is the link to this lesson's prezi:
http://prezi.com/yros_vkgyksu/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Third Grade: Being Assertive

For my final lesson with third grade for this rotation, I taught students the final skill for learning: being assertive.  We started by reviewing the previous skills for learning we had discussed so far: focus attention, listen, and use self-talk. We went back over the expectations with each of these skills because they would be important in that day's Brain Builder.

For this lesson's brain builder, we did an activity called "The Doodle Dance." For the Doodle Dance, students must pay attention to my directions as they are vital to the success of this activity. Students are shown six different doodles that correspond with a particular dance move. Students must do this activity silently. I hold up the doodles in a certain order, which is very imporant because: all dancing must be done in reverse order of when the doodle was held up.

The dance moves are as follows:

• Red Bug - Shoulder Shrug
• Yellow Squiggle - Hip Wiggle
• Green Clover - Shake All Over
• Blue Tree - Lift Knee
• Purple Drops - Foot Hops
• Orange Star - Air Guitar

After the activity, we discussed which skills for learning had helped the students to be successful and how they had implemented these skills for learning. For instance, what were they focusing on? How did they use self-talk? Next, we talked about our final skill for being assertive: asking for what you want or need in a calm, firm, respectful way.

We looked at a photo of a student named Naomi who had gotten to school late. Her classmates were working in groups to complete an assignment, and the teacher told Naomi to go join a group. Naomi stood by her group, but none of them noticed that she was standing there. I modeled three different ways Naomi could ask for help.

• Passive: shoulders and head down, asking in a quiet voice
• Aggressive: aggressive stance, loud, rude voice
• Assertive: head and shoulders up, calm, firm, respectful voice

We talked about why each way for working would or would not be an effective way to get what we want or need. We finished the rest of the lesson by having students practice asking for help in an assertive way.

Be Assertive:

• Face the person you're talking to
• Keep your head up and shoulders back
• Use a calm, firm voice
• Use respectful words

First Grade: Following Directions

For our third lesson, we dove deeper into our learning skills to discuss following directions and how it helps us learn. We began our lesson with a round of My Turn, Your Turn with Snail and Puppy. In this activity, students were supposed to follow Snail's directions and ignore Puppy's. This lesson required students to focus attention on who was speaking, listen to the directions they hear, and remember what was said to be successful.

After the Brain Builder, we reviewed what we had learned the week before with our attentoscopes. We talked about what they are, how we use them, and why they are important. We also talked about how using our attentoscopes helped us in My Turn, Your Turn. Next, we listened to the "Be a Learner" song, paying close attention to the words and listening for specific phrases: focus, attention, listen, and use eyes and ears and brain. There were specific motions we did any time we heard those phrases.

• Focus/Attention - make attentoscope
• Listen - cup ear
• Use eyes and ears and brain - point to eyes, ears, brain

For the remainder of the lesson we focused on a picture of a student named Brianna who was in class.  Brianna had heard the teacher begin giving instructions, but didn't wait until the teacher had finished giving directions before digging around in her desk to get out the supplies she thought she needed. Once she looked up, she realized she didn't know what the other students were working on or what she was supposed to be doing. We talked about how Brianna felt (sad, confused, angry at herself, nervous), and if we had ever not known what to do because we weren't listening to the directions or focusing on the teacher.

We talked about what Brianna could do to solve her problem, and we decided there were two good options: to ask a friend for help or to ask the teacher for help. We also discussed how we should ask the teacher for help (quietly raising our hands and waiting until she had called on us). When Brianna asks for help she makes sure she is focused on the teacher by putting on her attentoscope and she listens to what the teacher is saying. When she is finished, the teacher asks Brianna to repeat what she told her, which helps Brianna remember what she is supposed to do.

Finally, we talked about how listening involves more than just hearing sounds. It involves hearing the words, thinking about the words, and then remembering what was said. We can repeat what the teacher says to help us remember what to do and follow the directions.

Fifth Grade: Listening with Attention

For our second lesson, we practiced our listening skills by listening to the music video "Walk, Walk, Walk" and counted how many times we heard the word empathy. Next, we did an activity where students were divided into groups and had to start alphabetically and name items they would bring on a journey. Each student had to listen and pay attention to remember what letter they were on along with what items had already been mentioned, because each student had to recite the entire list of items that had been mentioned.

This activity reminded students of the importance of listening with attention because all of the groups were talking at the same time and it may have been difficult for students to hear exactly what the other group members had said. We talked about what listening with attention means (not just listening with our ears, but showing that we are actively listening and focused on the speaker), and we also talked about how listening with attention is a skill that takes practice, much like playing a musical instrument or playing sports. Next, we watched a video about a student who wasn't listening with attention to his friend.

After the video, students were asked to share with their partners how they could tell the student wasn't listening. There were several answers given: he wasn't looking at the speaker, he was thinking about other things, he he didn't know what the speaker had said, he interrupted the speaker. We talked about how the speaker felt when he realized the student wasn't listening, and how we would feel if it had happened to us. We talked about the importance of treating others with respect, and how listening with attention is a way to show that we are care about the person speaking as well as what they are saying.

Finally, we watched a second video where the student was able to listen with attention, and we looked for clues that showed he was listening. Students saw several indications that the student was listening: he made eye contact, he asked questions, he repeated what the speaker said, and he didn't interrupt. We discussed the importance of body language when others were speaking and how it shows others whether we are or aren't listening.

You can view my prezi for this lesson here:
http://prezi.com/ncile0nnippq/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share