The Most Magnificent Thing

I would have to say that I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK!  This book is the best for covering a PLETHORA of concepts for character education.  It talks about a little girl who wants to make something, she tries and tries again, gets frustrated and mad, and finally looking over all of her mistakes, she completes her final masterpiece.  This book covers anger, frustration, pain, trial and error, mistakes, setting and completing goals, accomplishments, perseverance, hard work, and many more.  Such a cute, cute story for every grade and I highly recommend it.  

Journey To Success: Skill

This month, our school is working on SKILL as our Citizenship of the Month topic.  Each month, I have selected a topic for the teachers to be looking out for students who are displaying these character traits.  Here is a lesson plan I have developed, based on John Woodens Journey to Success concepts.

You can find my lesson plan here.  I used the book Leo the Lightning Bug, my all time favorite story to share with kiddos.  It covers so many different topics its crazy!!!

For my Kindergarteners, we made these cute little bugs that I got from this cute place, click here.

 

Also, just wantd to share that there is a Leo the Lighting Bug app for $2.99.  I thought it was pretty cute for little kiddos.

Activity: Things we can't/can control

I used this activity after I taught a lesson on Anger.  I got the idea from 104 Activities That Build, by Alanna Jones (pg. 266, Out Of Control).

I changed the rules a little bit to fit more to my needs, so this is what I did:

I reviewed our last lesson about Anger.  I explain that we are going to play a game that has to do with managing our anger. 

I split the class into 2 groups.  I have 2 buckets full of prizes/candy and a pair of big dice for each.  I explain to the students that for the 1st round, I will give them 7-8 minutes to get as many turns as they can to roll a double.  Should they get a double, that person gets a prize.  When the time is up, I ask:

1.  What was fair about this game?
2.  What was unfair about it?
3.  What control do we have over the dice?
4.  Are we guarunteed a prize?


For the second round, the rules change.  Still, a prize is given when a double is rolled, but instead of the prize being issued to the roller, the prize goes to everyone else.  The second round ends when the first and only double is rolled.  Then I ask:

1.  Was there anyone who didn't get a prize at all?  If so, ask them how they feel. 
2.  Is it the end of the world since they didn't get a prize?

Then we discuss what things in life we can control versus the things we cannot control. 

I then ask the students:
1.  What can we learn from this activity?
2.  How does this apply to our lives?

Anger

For anger, I found this really cute book.  At the first, I talked to the kids about the lesson we talked about last year regarding the FIRST FEELING.  We reviewed what the wrapper represents as well as the chocolate.  I then introduced this book and challenged the students to look for all of the first feelings that Horace gets.  As I read the story, I stopped and had the students point out the first feeling (there are at least 5 different feelings).



After I read the story, I asked the students these questions:

1.  What was Horace mad about?
2.  What was his first feeling(s)?
3.  Why did Horace hiss at his mom?  Growled?
4.  Why did Horace feel mean?
5.  What does the pot represent?  Salt?
6.  Why did they scream and stick their tongue out at the pot?
7.  What does it mean to boil with anger?
8.  How did Horace feel at the end of the story?
9.  Which ways do people normally do with their anger or meanness?
10.  Could Horace have done something different?

To incorporate the story with our own lives, I have the students really think about how we are like the pot of water.  What makes us get to our boiling point.  The salt represents the bad things that are added to our pot that helps us boil faster.  Then we talk about ways to release the anger without hurting yourself, someone else, or something that will make a bigger problem.



Anger: Hershey's Kisses

This week, I did one of my very favorite lessons on Anger. The kids absolutely love it to and it is such a great analogy so that the kids can understand it. Even my Kindergarteners got it! Yay!

Materials:
one HERSHEY'S KISS for every child

I know it seems expensive, but the payoff is great and well worth it! A lot of "lightbulbs" turn on after this lesson!

To begin the lesson, I bring the candy concealed in a gift bag. I ask the kids about the present, what is more important: the wrapping (outside) or the inside that is important? They answer what is inside. I usually put a little more drama into it and act very excited about the wrapping/the look of the present and they think its funny. Anyway, Anger is like wrapping paper, wrapping us up really tight. That part doesn't really matter, what does matter is the inside.

For the Hershey's Kisses--I have the students think of a time that they were angry and explain to them that there is always a feeling that comes first (embarrassed, sad, jealous, etc.) then the secondary emotion (anger). The first feeling can never be happy, because you can't go from being happy to angry. Also, I explain that Anger is just like mad, upset, ticked, etc. So they get the idea that there is something completely different that happens first and then we get angry.

Once they think of and share their 1st feeling, that earns them a candy. I tell them not to open it yet. We go over the parts of the candy that the wrapper=anger and we have to unwrap it to get to "the good stuff" (chocolate/feelings). How do we get to the good stuff? We have to calm down, take deep breaths and uncover the anger to get to what it is we are so upset about. As the class is giving the ways to calm down, we all slowly unwrap the candy. I remind them to not eat it.

Once it is unwrapped, I have them wad up the Anger/wrapper, and compare to the candy/feelings. I ask them: Which is smaller? The anger/wrapper is smaller and no longer matters. It is garbage now and the most important thing is what was the inside, just like a present.

Then, I allow them to eat their candy and throw their wrappers away.

Here is my bulletin board I have created for this lesson.




Hershey Candy object lesson came from Shauna Jones.