Lessons 2 and 3
Here are some pictures of the posters we discuss during the lessons. These are resources from MindUp, Conscious Discipline and Second Step.
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
Students will be able to:
Second Step Lessons: Being Assertive
Lesson Concepts:
I talked to the students about the different parts of out brain that are involved in self-regulation. I have some really great posters from Conscious Discipline that show these three different sections: brain stem, limbic system, and pre-frontal lobes. When I talked about the brain stem, I taught the students that this when the brain is asking: "Am I safe?" We talked about the behaviors they would show if they were in a room with a really mad tiger. They said they would freeze, run away, hide, or hit, kick, punch, etc. Absolutely that is what you should do! You should do anything to keep yourself safe. This is so great we have this part of our brain, it helps us survive in scary situations. However, the brain needs help in knowing the difference between a dangerous situation and something that happened at home or school where you're feeling very mad. In order to do this, we have to remind ourselves: "we are safe" and take big, deep breaths to shift our brains up to the limbic system. The limbic system is the emotional state of our brains, here our brains are asking if we are loved. The behaviors we display here include crying, arguing, yelling, name-calling, anything that is verbally aggressive. We can move from this part of our brain up to our pre-frontal lobes, which is where we want to be. We shift up to the pre-frontal lobe by taking big, deep breaths and giving us time to calm down. The pre-frontal lobes are the executive state of our brains. This is where we can problem-solve. When we are here, the brain is asking: "what can I learn from this?" This is when we can use our assertive/big voice to solve problems. The students also learned how the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is our wise leader and the amygdala is the security guard. When we feel overwhelming feelings, the amygdala is alerted and we need to let the amygdala know we are safe by taking big deep breaths to shift to our PFC to make good decisions. We watched Calm Down the Amygdala to learn more about our brain and to give us suggestions of how to calm down our amygdala.
We talking about the differences between a passive voice, aggressive voice, and assertive voice. We discussed how using our assertive voice is the best. Using an assertive voice means: using your big voice in a calm, firm, and respectful way, standing up straight and tall, and looking the person in the eyes.
We read Shubert's Big Voice (Shubert shows us how he uses his big voice to stand up to Benny). Together we worked on a Brain Power worksheet to check our understanding of what each part of the brain helps us with. On the back side of this sheet, the students wrote: "Take 3 Deep Breaths" to remind them that is how they calm down their amygdala to shift to their PFC to make good decisions and they drew a picture of them breathing. They may have drawn themselves breathing by doing the square, pretzel, balloon, drain, spaghetti, thinking of a happy place, or thinking positive/green thoughts.
- Identify and describe parts of the brain: Amygdala, Brain Stem, Limbic System & Prefrontal Cortex
- Identify and demonstrate calming strategies
- Demonstrate assertive communication skills
- Identify passive, aggressive, and assertive responses
Second Step Lessons: Being Assertive
Lesson Concepts:
- Being assertive involves using an assertive posture (face the person you're talking to, keep your head up and shoulders back) and assertive tone of voice (use a calm, firm voice; use respectful words)
- Assertive communication is the best way to ask for help.
I talked to the students about the different parts of out brain that are involved in self-regulation. I have some really great posters from Conscious Discipline that show these three different sections: brain stem, limbic system, and pre-frontal lobes. When I talked about the brain stem, I taught the students that this when the brain is asking: "Am I safe?" We talked about the behaviors they would show if they were in a room with a really mad tiger. They said they would freeze, run away, hide, or hit, kick, punch, etc. Absolutely that is what you should do! You should do anything to keep yourself safe. This is so great we have this part of our brain, it helps us survive in scary situations. However, the brain needs help in knowing the difference between a dangerous situation and something that happened at home or school where you're feeling very mad. In order to do this, we have to remind ourselves: "we are safe" and take big, deep breaths to shift our brains up to the limbic system. The limbic system is the emotional state of our brains, here our brains are asking if we are loved. The behaviors we display here include crying, arguing, yelling, name-calling, anything that is verbally aggressive. We can move from this part of our brain up to our pre-frontal lobes, which is where we want to be. We shift up to the pre-frontal lobe by taking big, deep breaths and giving us time to calm down. The pre-frontal lobes are the executive state of our brains. This is where we can problem-solve. When we are here, the brain is asking: "what can I learn from this?" This is when we can use our assertive/big voice to solve problems. The students also learned how the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is our wise leader and the amygdala is the security guard. When we feel overwhelming feelings, the amygdala is alerted and we need to let the amygdala know we are safe by taking big deep breaths to shift to our PFC to make good decisions. We watched Calm Down the Amygdala to learn more about our brain and to give us suggestions of how to calm down our amygdala.
We talking about the differences between a passive voice, aggressive voice, and assertive voice. We discussed how using our assertive voice is the best. Using an assertive voice means: using your big voice in a calm, firm, and respectful way, standing up straight and tall, and looking the person in the eyes.
We read Shubert's Big Voice (Shubert shows us how he uses his big voice to stand up to Benny). Together we worked on a Brain Power worksheet to check our understanding of what each part of the brain helps us with. On the back side of this sheet, the students wrote: "Take 3 Deep Breaths" to remind them that is how they calm down their amygdala to shift to their PFC to make good decisions and they drew a picture of them breathing. They may have drawn themselves breathing by doing the square, pretzel, balloon, drain, spaghetti, thinking of a happy place, or thinking positive/green thoughts.
Third - Fifth Grades
Third graders will be able to:
Second Step Lessons: Being Assertive Lesson Concepts:
Knowing how to ask for help is an important skill for learning. The students who need the most help may sometimes be least able to ask for it. The ability to communicate assertively not only contributes to academic success, but is also important for solving problems and standing up for oneself or others. Assertiveness skills can help children relate well with peers. It is important for students learn the differences between assertive, aggressive, and passive ways of communicating. Students can learn to use assertive communication skills to stand up for themselves and get a point across without disrespecting others. Students who learn how to be assertive can also use those skills to be an upstander - someone who stands up for others. Students can also use assertiveness skills to get help in school and to communicate respectfully with adults across a variety of situations. We started the lesson by watching The Learning Brain to learn answers to the following questions: How does my brain work? What happens in my brain when I'm learning? What stops my brain from learning? What can I do to develop a learning brain? The students discussed new things they learned about the brain - ask them what they learned! Then we talked about the differences between a passive voice, aggressive voice, and assertive voice. We discussed how using our assertive voice is the best. Using an assertive voice means: using your big voice in a calm, firm, and respectful way, standing up straight and tall, and looking the person in the eyes. We looked at a picture of a 3rd grade girl Naomi who was new to class and needed to find a group to work with for a project. We discussed how she was feeling nervous, but how she could ask to join in assertive way. I showed examples of what passive, aggressive, and assertive ways of communication looks like and sounds like. The students has an opportunity to practice their assertive skills too. We know the more they practice better they will get and will feel more comfortable being assertive in real life situations. We read Nobody! Stopping throughout the book to identify situations students could use their assertive voice to solve problems. We also read Soda Pop Head, discussing the brain throughout the book. I have some really great posters from Conscious Discipline that show these three different sections: brain stem, limbic system, and pre-frontal lobes. When I talked about the brain stem, I taught the students that this when the brain is asking: "Am I safe?" We talked about the behaviors they would show if they were in a room with a really mad tiger. They said they would freeze, run away, hide, or hit, kick, punch, etc. Absolutely that is what you should do! You should do anything to keep yourself safe. This is so great we have this part of our brain, it helps us survive in scary situations. However, the brain needs help in knowing the difference between a dangerous situation and something that happened at home or school where you're feeling very mad. In order to do this, we have to remind ourselves: "we are safe" and take big, deep breaths to shift our brains up to the limbic system. The limbic system is the emotional state of our brains, here our brains are asking if we are loved. The behaviors we display here include crying, arguing, yelling, name-calling, anything that is verbally aggressive. We can move from this part of our brain up to our pre-frontal lobes, which is where we want to be. We shift up to the pre-frontal lobe by taking big, deep breaths and giving us time to calm down. The pre-frontal lobes are the executive state of our brains. This is where we can problem-solve. When we are here, the brain is asking: "what can I learn from this?" This is when we can use our assertive/big voice to solve problems. The students also learned how the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is our wise leader and the amygdala is the security guard. When we feel overwhelming feelings, the amygdala is alerted and we need to let the amygdala know we are safe by taking big deep breaths to shift to our PFC to make good decisions. We watched Emotion Management to learn more about how our brain works when we feel overwhelming or intense feelings. We finished the book at the end of the lesson. |