Keys to Success in 4th Grade

 
Each year I LOVE to do this lesson with my fourth graders!  It comes from Puzzle Pieces, a guidance lesson book full of relevant lessons for my students.  This lesson helps students learn the relationship between success in school and future success in a career.  The students had a great time taking some job "tests." ;)

I began the lesson by having students name as many jobs as they could think of.  This led the students to the realization that they do currently have a job - school.  We then talked about behavior and about how repeated patterns of behavior can become habits.  Once a behavior becomes a habit, it can be difficult to break.  Habits tend to influence our reputation.  I used examples of habits that students could have right now that would greatly affect them later in life in a career or occupation - being late, failing to complete a task, speaking disrespectfully to authority, or not getting along with peers.

Students then learned about three keys to being successful at any job.  The first is following directions.  Be sure to ask your child if you can see their following directions test.  The second key is concentrating.  The third key is to think before any choice.  Your child will most likely try to trick you with their extra copy of "Job Test Number Three."  The point of this test is that you cannot always go with your first impulse when answering a question or performing a task.  Most times decisions require thought and concentration.

These ideas that we discussed in class can help students not only in future careers but also in their current schoolwork.  School is the practice field for most of life's experiences, and your child is at an age where realizing that everything they are learning is relevant and applicable to everyday life is crucial.

Teaching Tolerance: There Are No Bullies

This article from Teaching Tolerance brings up some great points about bullying:

Bullying is a hot-button issue. High-profile lawsuits and suicides have thrust bullying into the national spotlight. More schools are implementing policies designed to protect victims and crack down on perpetrators. In some schools, however, these efforts are outpacing education about bullying and the conditions that compel youth to engage in it. For the sake of all students, the time has come to look closely at two questions: Why do kids bully? How can we help them stop?

Why do kids bully?
Bullying is a behavior, not an identity. For behavior to qualify as bullying, two conditions must exist:

• The aggressor must intend to hurt or intimidate someone less powerful.
• The behavior must be repeated.

A young person’s behavior may meet these conditions in some situations but not others, which leaves schools, parents and researchers searching for underlying motives.
Jaana Juvonen, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, explores the motives of power and control in her research on bullying. “We’re talking about strategic behavior that is there for a particular purpose … to fill a need. And the need is being able to control others,” says Juvonen. “These are kids who are very deliberately, intentionally trying to hurt another kid. They want to dominate and feel powerful … Then the question in terms of how to help [a child who] bullies is to ask, 'Why do they have this need for control and power?'"

While attempting to answer this question, Juvonen has noticed that bullying behavior spikes during transition years, particularly the transition from elementary to middle school.

“It is during these times of social uncertainty where some kids resort to … primitive means to establish a social hierarchy,” she says. “When you get into a new social environment you really don’t have a sense of where you fit in, where you rank, who are your friends versus foes. It is helpful to have this dominance hierarchy.”
Why some kids take this path and others don’t isn’t well established. What is clear is that aggressive kids often perceive ambiguous interactions—and even facial expressions—as negative or threatening. Kara Penniman, a school-based social worker in Columbus, Ohio, notes that students who bully often think their behavior is justified because others are “out to get them,” and this belief touches off a cycle of negative interactions.

“Many kids who exhibit bullying behavior … don’t see themselves often as being particularly powerful,” Penniman explains. “Sometimes they themselves are experiencing intimidation, threats, power and control problems with other people, so it can be really common for them to see themselves as the victim.”
Ultimately, though, all youth who exhibit bullying behavior—victims of aggression or not—are using bullying as a tool to meet a strong need, says Juvonen.

“[There are] these incredibly powerful cyclical pathways,” she says. “Kids learn that there’s this unmet need to feel powerful, to be able to control others, then you act in certain ways and you get rewarded for it.” These rewards, however, exist in the short term only.

According to bullying experts Dan Olweus, Sue Limber and Sharon F. Mahalic, 60 percent of boys who bullied others in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24; 40 percent had three or more convictions. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that youth who bully are at increased risk for depression, conduct disorders, substance abuse and suicide.

How can we help?
The painful effects of bullying lead many educators to focus on justice and safety for students who are targeted and to feel contempt for those responsible for the pain—an approach that often results in harsh disciplinary measures, such as suspensions and expulsions from school.

These zero-tolerance measures may appear responsive, but Juvonen and most experts who study school discipline warn against policies that make school a threatening, uncertain place. Juvonen notes that in addition to not addressing the root causes of bullying, such harsh tactics fuel the perception that youth have no choice but to fight for themselves.

The most effective bullying interventions don’t focus on only one category of kids, but rather acknowledge that all students benefit when schools empower youth and teach them about healthy relationships.

(article continued here)

Feelings Bingo!

This week in kindergarten I put the kiddos to the test!  For the last few weeks we've been discussing feelings through different stories and activities.  I introduced Feelings! Bingo to them and explained the rules.  Since each bingo board had different feelings faces on it (from Jellybean Jamboree), I showed each face and we brainstormed what they might be feeling.  Then I explained that I will be reading clues for them to figure out which feeling I'm describing.

For example, "I put my shirt on backwards this morning and my classmates are laughing at me."  I elaborated by describing what your body might be feeling, "blushing, hanging head low, holding back tears, hiding face, stomach doing flips..."  (embarrassed)

When students earned "Bingo!" I gave them a feelings face sticker:

I concluded the lesson with one of my favorite tricks, The Magic Coloring Book of Feelings!  It appears to be just a regular coloring book, but I ask students to describe how they are feelings and "throw" their feelings into the book which "colors it."  They enjoy when I shake out their feelings and end up with a blank book.

10 Ways To Be An Upstander

Check out this great article on BullyBust.org:

Every single day we each have the opportunity to make our schools (and our world!) a better place. Putting an end to bullying is everyone's responsibility. When we work together and stand strong against bullying, we are creating communities that are stronger, safer, and more supportive - places where every person is valued for who they are. Here's how YOU can help:

1. Learn more about mean, cruel, and bullying behavior. Educate yourself and your community with the resources on BullyBust.org. For example: Why do kids bully? Where does bullying take place most often in your school? What are the effects of bullying? How can we prevent it? Understanding this information will help you if you are bullied, and will help you to stand up to bullies if a friend or classmate is being bullied.
2. Help others who are being bullied. Be a friend, even if this person is not yet your friend. Go over to them. Let them know how you think they are feeling. Walk with them. Help them to talk to an adult about what just happened. (Just think for a moment about how great this would be if someone did this for you when you were being picked on or hurt!)
3. Stop untrue or harmful messages from spreading online or in person. If someone sends a message or tells you a rumor that you know is untrue, stand up and let the person know it is wrong. Think about how you would feel if someone spread an untrue rumor about you. Don’t laugh, send the message on to friends, or add to the story. Make it clear that you do not think that kind of behavior is cool or funny.
4. Get friends involved. Share this site (and other related sites) with friends. Let people know that you are an upstander and encourage them to be one too. Sign the Stand Up Pledge, and make it an everyday commitment for you and your friends.
5. Make friends outside of your circle. Eat lunch with someone who is alone. Show support for a person who is upset at school, by asking them what is wrong or bringing them to an adult who can help.
6. Be aware of the bullying and upstander policies at your school and keep it in mind when you witness bullying. What are the school’s bully prevention policies? Are there also policies that “catch” kids “being good”? How can you support school rules and codes of conduct support students and adults doing the right thing? If there isn’t a policy, get involved or ask teachers or front office staff to speak about how you can reduce bullying.
7. Welcome new students. If someone is new at your school, make an effort to introduce them around and make them comfortable. Imagine how you would feel leaving your friends and coming to a new school.
8. Refuse to be a “bystander” and be a role model to others instead! If you see friends or classmates laughing along with the bully, tell them that they are contributing to the problem. Let them know that kind of behavior is not okay in your school.
9. Respect others' differences and help others to respect differences. It’s cool for people to be different—that’s what makes all of us unique. Join a diversity club at school to help promote tolerance in your school.
10. Develop an Upstander/ Prevention program or project with a teacher or principal’s support that will help reduce bullying and promote socially responsible behavior in school. Bring together a team of students, parents and teachers who are committed to preventing bullying, and create a community-wide project to raise awareness, share stories and develop helpful supports. Learn more about how to start an Upstander Alliance at www.bullybust.org/upstander and access free support to sustain your team.

The Way I Feel in Kinder

In kindergarten we are continuing to talk about feelings we experience.  We started by reading the amazingly illustrated The Way I Feel by Janan Cain.  In this story we are introduced to different characters that are experiencing more complex feelings such as jealousy, disappointed and frustrated.  The pictures are vivid and students easily relate to their own memories of feeling that way.

After the story we played "Musical Feelings" using Todd Parr's Feelings Flashcards.  These are AMAZING!  They have a different emotions on each side so students have a choice with each card.  I had students stand in a circle around the outside of their large carpet and I placed the feelings flashcards in front of them.  As the music played students walked/danced/skipped around the cards.  Once the music stopped, they grabbed the closest card to them and sat on the carpet.  Students raised their hands to describe a time when they felt the feeling on their card.  If they shared I rewarded them with a small candy corn eraser (thank you Dollar Spot at Target!).  This was also good practice for listening skills!

Parent Resources for Second Step

SECOND STEP FAMILY CODES

 

Second Step offers resources and activities that reinforce concepts taught in the classroom for parents to utilize.  Use the following directions to access the topics your child is practicing in our Monday SEL lessons.

 

Go to this website: www.secondstep.org

Then enter this activation key code depending on the grade level you wish to access where it says:

Pre-K - Early Learning -  SSPE FAMI LY68

Kindergarten - SSPK FAMI LY70

First Grade- SSP1 FAMI LY71

Second Grade - SSP2 FAMI LY72

Third Grade- SSP3 FAMI LY73

Fourth Grade- SSP4 FAMI LY74

Fifth Grade - SSP5 FAMI LY75

Then follow the directions for setting up passwords.

October Newsletter, Issue 2