1. LISTENING WITH EMPATHY+UNDERSTANDING
Play Chinese Whispers (Repeat 2-3 times varying the message). Discuss what happens when you don’t listen (you get the wrong message, you don’t know what to do, you might get in trouble or get hurt, you might hurt people’s feelings etc.) Discuss the importance of listening- it is important to listen to others because it helps us to learn, stay safe and understand how other people are feeling. Discuss concept of ‘Listening with Understanding and Empathy’. Display and discuss ‘Listen’ Poster.
2. MANAGING IMPULSIVITY
Use a teaching bear/puppet. “Billy Bear has been getting into lots of trouble lately. He hasn’t been lining up properly during line up times, he has been calling out and interrupting, he has been running up and down the school corridor, he has been hitting his classmates; he has been wrestling on the carpet. He needs our help” Discuss what “Billy Bear” needs to do to start ‘Managing his Impulsivity’. Discuss consequences of not ‘Stopping and Thinking’ e.g. Getting into trouble, getting hurt, and hurting others. Display and discuss ‘Stop and Think’ Poster.
3. PERSISTENCE
Shoelace activity – Use teaching bear/puppet. “We need to show Billy Bear how to tie up his shoelaces- he has given up!” Use the opportunity to teach children who haven’t yet learnt how to tie up their shoelaces. Discuss the importance of ‘Persistence’ and get children to share examples of when they had to show ‘Persistence’ e.g. learning to walk, riding a bike, writing their name. Talk about people in our school and the community who have to ‘persist’ e.g. Sportsmen, Musicians. Display and discuss ‘Persist’ poster.
4. STRIVING FOR ACCURACY
Use teaching bear/puppet. “I have been trying to teach Billy the Bear to write his numbers properly but he keeps rushing and writing them backwards. What does he need to do to write his numbers properly?” Discuss why it is important to ‘Strive for Accuracy’- you don’t make as many mistakes, you get better results, you feel better about yourself and your work. Discuss the importance of taking your time, ‘checking’ work and asking for help when you need it. Talk about people in our school and the community who have to ‘Strive for Accuracy’ e.g. The Principal, The Office Staff, Canteen Helpers, School Captains, Doctors, Mechanics, Cooks, Builders and what would happen if they didn’t. Display and discuss ‘Make It Right’ poster.
5. THINKING AND COMMUNICATING WITH CLARITY AND PRECISION
Use Teaching Bear/Puppet. Hide in different parts of the room. Blindfold different children. Other children have to give them oral instructions for finding the puppet, using clear, precise instructions. Talk about people in our school who are good at ‘Being Clear’ e.g. School Principal, School Captains, Teachers etc. Talk about times at school when children have to be clear e.g. during Show and Tell, asking for help, answering questions. Talk about the importance of ‘thinking before you speak’. Discuss what happens when you are not clear- people can get confused, you give the wrong message, people’s feelings can be hurt. Display and discuss ‘Be Clear’ poster.
6. TAKING RESPONSIBLE RISKS
Use Teaching Bear/Puppet. I am trying to teach Billy Bear how to read, but every time that he gets to a word that he doesn’t know, he stops reading and won’t even attempt the word. Discuss some of the strategies that Billy might try to read unknown words. Explain that unless you ‘risk’ getting something wrong, you have no hope of getting it right. Explain that making mistakes is an important part of learning. Display and discuss ‘Try New Ideas’ Poster.
7. QUESTIONING & PROBLEM POSING
Play game of ’10 Questions’. Talk to children about times at school when they need to ‘Ask Questions’ eg. When they need help with their work, when they haven’t heard what is being said. Talk about people in our school and the community who have to be able to ‘Ask Questions’ eg. The Principal when he/she is hiring new teachers, Teachers when they are trying to sort out problems in the yard, Police officers/Detectives, Doctors, Journalists etc. Discuss why it is important to ‘Ask Questions’- You find out more information, you understand better, you know what to do next, you don’t feel confused, you don’t make mistakes or get into trouble because you are doing the wrong thing. Display and discuss ‘Ask Questions’ Poster.
8. RESPONDING WITH WONDERMENT & AWE
Use Teaching Bear/Puppet. “Every time I try to teach ‘Billy Bear’ something new, he says things like “do I have to?”, or “that’s easy” or “that’s boring”.” Discuss what ‘Billy Bear’ needs to do to start ‘responding with wonderment and awe’. Brainstorm ideas with children. Explain that sometimes, even when you don’t want to do something or it is not your favourite thing to do (eg. maths, spelling), you change the way that you feel about something by having a positive attitude towards it- by going ‘Wow!!!’. Display and discuss ‘Go Wow’ poster.
9. FINDING HUMOUR
Tell chn jokes from a joke book. Model and encourage chn to laugh. Ask the chn what they are doing- using their ‘Sense of Humour’. Talk about people in our school who are good at ‘Finding Humour’ using teachers and other children as examples. Discuss the importance of ‘Finding Humour’- people want to be around you, it helps you to relax, be happy etc. Talk about appropriate and inappropriate times for ‘Finding Humour’ eg. being able to laugh at yourself, not when someone is hurt or it could hurt someone’s feelings. Display and discuss ‘See the Funny Side’ poster.
10. GATHERING DATA THROUGH ALL SENSES
Play game of ‘I Spy’. Talk to children about times when they have to use their different senses at school eg. Sight ( ); Sound (instructions, assembly, bell, music); Touch (Art, Dance, PE); Taste/Smell (???). Talk about people in our School/Community who have to use their 5 senses- eg. ladies in the canteen, chefs, doctors, policeman, blind and deaf people. Display and discuss ‘Use 5 Senses’ poster.
11. THINKING INTERDEPENDENTLY
Take the children out for a game of tunnel ball/Fruit Salad/other simple game that involves working in teams. Discuss. Point out that the team that worked together the best was the winner. What happened to the teams that didn’t work together? Talk about the importance of being able to work together. Talk about people in our community who have to work together to be successful eg. Teachers, Policeman, Sportsmen Display and discuss ‘Work With Others’ poster.
12. CREATING, IMAGINING & INNOVATING
Read children the story ‘Imaginitis’. Talk about people in our Community who have to ‘Create and Innovate’ eg. Artists, Scientists, Musicians, Inventors. Discuss times when children need to ‘Create and Innovate’ eg. during Art, Music, Story Writing. Explain to the children that without ‘Trying New Ideas’, no progress would be made, things would always stay the same, there would be no new inventions or improvements. Display and discuss ‘Create and Innovate’ poster.
13. THINKING FLEXIBLY
Get the children doing simple exercises to test their flexibility e.g. touching their toes, touching hands behind their backs etc. Explain that just as it is important to be able to make our bodies flexible, it is also important to be able to make our brains flexible. Explain to children that things don’t always go to plan and at such times we need to be able to change and ‘adapt’ to our circumstances. Discuss times at school when the children may need to be flexible eg. when timetables change, during wet day timetables, changing rooms during school renovations, when there is a CRT in etc. Display and discuss ‘Think Flexibly’ poster.
14. REMAINING OPEN TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Use Teaching Bear/Puppet. “Every time I try to teach Billy Bear something new, he always says “I already know how to that” or “I don’t need to practise I can do it already”.” Explain to the children about how learning never stops, even when you become good at something. Relate to teachers and how they are continuously learning how to do their jobs better through Curriculum Days, Planning Days, PDs etc. Point out that when you stop learning, you stop improving in what you are doing. Relate to famous sports people and how to stay being the best, they have to continue to improve in what they do otherwise they will be overtaken by their opponents. Display and discuss ‘Learn Forever’ poster.
15. APPLYING PAST KNOWLEDGE TO NEW SITUATIONS
Use Teaching Bear/Puppet. “When Billy Bear is writing in his diary, he keeps making the same spelling mistakes over and over again, even though I always make sure that I correct his mistakes. What isn’t he doing?” Discuss the fact that Billy Bear isn’t learning from his mistakes. Explain to the children that by learning from our mistakes, we can make sure that we don’t keep repeating them over and over again. It is only by learning from our mistakes that we can ever improve. Talk about how Teachers have to learn from their mistakes- if they take a lesson that doesn’t go so well, they need to adjust it so that it works better the next time. Display and discuss ‘Use Past Knowledge’ poster.
16. THINKING ABOUT YOUR THINKING
Display and discuss ‘Think About Thinking’ poster.
© Mia Schubert
Scoresby Primary School