Rudolph: 2nd Grade

Second Grade Guidance

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Keeping with the Christmas theme for my lessons, I used Rudolph as another example for my second graders. We used the story of Rudolph to learn how to see the good in others, respecting differences, and learning that being different is okay! 

Luckily, the second graders had just watched Rudolph for recess (due to rainy weather) so they were experts on the story when I came for guidance. 

We discussed what we saw in Rudolph that was being a not so great friend and examples of when saw others being a good friend to Rudolph. We also discussed why Rudolph was excluded, how he could have been feeling when others treated him differently, and how we could be friends. 

We talked about being unique, accepting differences, and looking for the good in others despite differences. The second graders did so well with this conversation! They came up with great ideas on how to friends to one another, how to help others, and what to do when we see others being excluded or treated differently based on outside appearances. Once they realized how "mean" the other reindeer were to Rudolph, they were determined to not be like those reindeer and to be more like Rudolph. 

Our quote from this lesson to bring it all together was from Rudolph. 

"He always knew he was a little different, but he let his light shine regardless of what others said"

We then did a fun activity together that I found at http://firstgradewow.blogspot.com/

We each created our own Rudolph with a message on what we learned from the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer-which turned out to be the cutest/sweetest responses I've had from second graders! After hanging them up, I took time to read all of them and it was one of those moments when you realize the kids are actually listening and learning from the lesson! 

Here is our Rudolph finished project:

Conflict Resolution

5^th and 6^th Grade

Conflict Resolution

When in doubt about wondering what to do next with middle school, turn to conflict resolution! In my opinion, there can’t be enough lessons on healthy conflict resolution when discussing middle school students.

For this lesson, I used a Prezi. Prezi is a pretty neat presentation creator online. I’ve used Prezi’s for my lessons and also while I was in grad school for my own classroom presentations. The templates provided include those from professional all the way to silly and fun-mostly why I love this website! The kids think it’s so cool to see something other than a normal PowerPoint and I find it definitely keeps their interest-which is always a plus! 

You can start creating your own Prezi’s, share them with others, and see other Prezi’s other people have made. The website is www.prezi.com

Back to conflict resolution-My Prezi included:

•         Defining conflict and resolution
•         A fun video showing conflict
•         Defining perception
•         Fun pictures to show the students we all perceive things differently
•         Defining tolerance
•         Steps of conflict resolution
•         Rules for fighting fair

You can find my conflict resolution Prezi at: 

https://prezi.com/x6v3kvpwz29m/copy-of-health-2-conflict-resolution/

After going through the Prezi, I handed out the steps of conflict resolution and the rules for fighting fair. I then split the students into 4-5 groups. I gave each group a situation that may lead to a conflict. I instructed them to work as a group, use the steps and rules, and come up with a healthy resolution to the problem.

Following the group work, each group read their scenario aloud and shared how they would use the steps and rules to resolve the conflict.

Overall, I really enjoyed doing this lesson with my 5^th and 6^th graders. I think the Prezi was super informative, yet fun and engaging. The students loved the presentation and also worked very well in their groups. Some groups even came up with their own skit to act out the scenario!

Bullying Lesson: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

5^th and 6^th Grade Guidance

Reindeer Games

To keep with the Christmas theme, today in 5^th and 6^th we played reindeer games!

We used Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to discuss bullying. The goal of this lesson was to teach the differences between teasing, meanness, conflict, and bullying.

We started this lesson by playing scoot. This game is a fun way to get students up and moving while keeping them engaged on learning about bullying. I downloaded this reindeer game from Teachers Pay Teachers at one of my FAVORITE stores, The Savvy School Counselor. This game was included in the December activity packet.

Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Savvy-School-Counselor

To set up the game, I cut out questions cards-1 for every student in the class. I then printed out number squares to correspond with the question cards. I set 1 question card and corresponding number on every desk. The students start at their own desk. The object of the game is for the students to “scoot” to each question in the room moving in numerical order until they are back into their own desk.

For this game, students must read the scenario on the cards and determine if the behavior is bullying or not. I played some fun Christmas to go along with the theme. Each time the music stopped, the students moved to the next desk. For a class of 16, it took about 2 Christmas songs to finish-so about 6-ish minutes.

Once we finished, we went over each scenario together to determine if it was bullying. It was a great way to see their previous knowledge on bullying.

After going over the questions, I think passed out “Rudolph’s Problem Solving Square” and went over teasing, meanness, conflict, and bullying. I got this sheet from a pack on Teachers Pay Teachers called Christmas Reindeer Games: Teasing, Meanness, Conflict, and Bullying at the Counseling Wisdom store. 

Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Counseling-Wisdom 

Once the students had each of these down, we looked at the different examples we can see each on throughout the story of Rudolph. The students did a fabulous job of giving examples of each from Rudolph. I was so impressed with their memory on the account that we didn’t have enough time to actually watch the movie!

After this discussion, I passed out scenarios for the students to work in groups. I instructed the groups to determine what category their scenario fell under-teasing, meanness, conflict, or bullying. I then asked each group how they could handle their specific situation.

 Overall, this lesson was really fun! However, it is imperative that students understand that during the scoot game there is no talking, running to the next desk, bumping into one another, etc. Also this lesson did take some time to complete everything so I would make sure the teacher is okay with using 45 minutes or so for this lesson or you could break it down into 2 lessons. That being said, I LOVED this lesson! I wanted all my lessons to have some sort of Christmas theme and this lesson fit that perfectly while teaching the students about bullying in a fun and engaging way! And with it being Christmas, of course I couldn't help but to bring some goodies for the students!                                   

I found this adorable Christmas erasers, along with pencils, at the Dollar store!

Adding Some Christmas Spirit

Christmas Spirit in Guidance

“I can make the Grinch grin by…”

We are quickly approaching Christmas break, so I wanted to incorporate some Christmas spirit into m guidance lessons these last 2 weeks.

With first grade this week, we went back from last week (Rainbow Fish) and refreshed on our adjective words when describing a friend. The students did a GREAT job remembering all of our adjective words when characterizing a good friend and a not so good friend.

After our review, I played the original Grinch song.

(found on YouTube-about 3 minutes long https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgP0aUKlmNw). 

We then used our adjective words to describe our Mr. Grinch. I found a FREE print out at Twin Dragonfly Designs. Link: http://www.twindragonflydesigns.com/

I hung up our Mr. Grinch and wrote all the adjectives around him. Examples included: mean, angry, sad, sneaky, plays tricks, robber, hates Christmas, etc. After we completed describing Mr. Grinch, I asked students if he fit our description for a good friend or a not so good friend. All the students were VERY confident in their decision that Mr. Grinch is a not so good friend.

After determining our Grinch was a not so good friend, I asked students if there was a time they were a not so good friend. We discussed that sometimes we can all make poor choices when it comes to being a good friend everyday. I then asked students if they thought having a bad day meant never being nice to someone again. They all agreed that having a bad day or sometimes making poor choices does not mean that we can be mean to others.

After a productive discussion, I passed out a Grinch (found at: http://coloringarena.com/grinch-coloring-pages/) and a writing sheet called “I can make the Grinch grin by…”. (I made this sheet myself in Microsoft Word). I encouraged the students to think of ways to still be nice to others when we or someone is being a not so good friend. I then instructed them to use their ideas to come up with a sentence on how they could be nice to the Grinch and make him smile.

Overall, this lesson was very cute and also gave a GREAT message to the kids about making poor choices, getting past those choices, and always being nice and being a great friend! The students did an excellent job with describing a good friend, characterizing our Grinch, coming up with ideas on being friendly, and remembering that everyone has bad days but to always remember to treat others how we want to be treated.

(Plus it was a fun and inspiring way to incorporate Christmas!)

Finished project:

That Bugs Me Lesson

That Bugs Me!

4th Grade Guidance

This week's lessons all incorporated conflict resolution. For the fourth grade, we did That Bugs Me! This was a fun lesson with a cute activity to teach students to recognize things that bug them, that we all do things that bug others, and how to resolve conflict that may arise. 

I purchased this lesson on TeachersPayTeachers for $3.00-definitely worth the investment :) The store is called The Learning Tree by Kimberly Santana. Along with the supplies to make the bugs, it comes with some GREAT activity sheets for recognizing feelings, conflict resolution, and planning ahead to make positive choices. 

Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Learning-Tree

I started the lesson with asking the students what they thought conflict meant. Examples included fighting, not getting along, arguing, etc. After we had a great definition for conflict, I asked the students what they thought resolution meant. Examples included solving, making up, etc. 

We then put the two words together and discussed what it meant to have a conflict and how we could resolve conflict. Overall, the students did a great job with this discussion!

I then wrote on the board "What Bugs You?". I instructed the students that we would not be using any names, just behaviors/actions that bug them. Student examples included: 

• Being bossy
• Being jealous
• Using mean words
• Name calling
• Tattle-tale
• Interrupting 
• Blurting out
• Not playing fair/cheating

I then wrote on the board "Things You May Do That Bugs Others". I explained that we all sometimes do things that bugs others. I gave them an example that I know sometimes I interrupt others and that bugs other people. They did a great job being self aware and giving examples of some of their behaviors that may bug others. 

After this discussion, I passed out all the supplies they would need for their bug. Each student receives: a bug head, body, wings, eyes, and antennas (pipe cleaners). Students also received a circle with writing lines that goes on the bug body. 

I asked the students to put their bug together first. I then instructed them to write "It bugs me when.." on one of the bug wings. On the lined paper they were instructed to write something that bugs them. 

Once their bugs were all put together, we went over some of the things students wrote and how we could resolve the conflict that may arise. 

Overall, I LOVED this lesson! It was a super creative way to discuss conflict (which sometimes can bring negativity) and how to resolve conflict! The lesson was not only very engaging for the students, it allowed them a moment of self reflection on things that bug them and some of their behaviors that may bug others. 

Here are a couple pictures of the finished project:

Rainbow Fish Lesson

Rainbow Fish

My friends in first grade were having a little trouble being kind and being friends with one another. So for this week’s guidance with 1^st grade, I decided to talk about Rainbow Fish.

First we talked about different parts of a friend. Examples included: good listener, plays nice, says nice things, sits with you at lunch, etc. We then talked about parts of a not so nice friend. Examples included: bullying, pushing, saying mean things, tattling, etc.

We then watched Rainbow Fish. I found this awesome video on YouTube. It reads the story and incorporates a song along with visuals from the book. It is more of a movie instead of the book just being read.

You can find it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzZuS3ze-Ho

After watching Rainbow Fish, I asked the students about Rainbow Fish. Questions included:

• Does Rainbow Fish fit our parts of a good friend or not so nice friend?
• How did Rainbow Fish make friends?
• How did Rainbow Fish keep his friends?
• How can we be more like Rainbow Fish at school?
• How can we be like Rainbow Fish at home?

I then handed out a sentence activity. Students were instructed to complete the sentence: “A good friend…”

I found this writing activity for FREE on TeachersPayTeachers by Leticia Gallegos. The link to the store is: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Leticia-Gallegos

After they completed their sentences, I handed out a Rainbow Fish for them to make their own as a reminder of how to be kind , make, and keep friends. (Found on Pinterest).

Overall, I was really happy with the lesson and the students loved the video! I think the video kept their interest that way they really concentrated on the message of the overall lesson. 

Here are some of the finished projects:

Christmas Bulletin Board

Christmas Bulletin Board
We Shine When We are Kind!

Now that we are back from Thanksgiving break, I wanted to change my bulletin board to a more Christmas-y theme :) 

While looking around for ideas (obviously I believe in working smart not hard-never re-create the wheel if you don't have to!), I came across a cute theme with Christmas lights. The shining Christmas lights are to remind the students to keep up good character behaviors (as we all know towards Christmas break students can forget their manners!). 

I titled my bulletin board "We Shine When We are Kind!". Again, I wanted to remind the students that although we are getting closer towards Christmas break, it's still important to treat each other with kindness. 

For my bulletin board, I made a Christmas tree from green butcher paper. I just cut three sections and added some brown construction paper at the bottom to create the tree stump. I also just got a star from Microsoft Word shapes and added that at the top of my tree. 

I found the great Christmas light bulbs at  http://www.cliparthut.com/

On each light bulb there was an example of how we can show kindness to others. These included:

• showing empathy 
• being a good listener
• smiling at a friend
• giving a compliment
• treat others with kindness and generosity
• help others in need
• use kind words. 

I also added some presents under the tree found on Pinterest

For an extra touch, I found some battery powered Christmas lights at Michael's for $9.99!

Here is my finished project:

Enemy Pie

Third Grade Guidance

Enemy Pie

Today for third grade guidance, we discussed the importance of friendship and the ingredients of being a great friend!

For this lesson, I used “Enemy Pie” by Derek Munson.

Available on Amazon

This story is super cute and relatable for the kids! It is about a boy having a great summer until a new boy moves into the neighborhood. The new boy Jeremy seems to create a great deal of trouble for our main character. The boy’s father gives him the recipe for his well-known “Enemy Pie”. While the father whips up his famous Enemy Pie, the boys decides Jeremy is no longer his best enemy, but a great friend.

After reading the story, we discussed how easy it could be to make a best enemy and not a best friend. We also discussed different characteristics we would want in a friend, including honesty, caring, fun to play with, etc.

I then gave the students their own recipe sheet for a friendship. I found this activity sheet on Pinterest, which then led me to a great blog called A Year of Many Firsts 

Link to blog: http://www.ayearofmanyfirsts.com/

There are many other different lessons and resources-great blog!

After the students made their own “Friendship Pie Recipe”, they were able to discuss with each other and create their own Friendship Pie.

Image found on Google.

Overall, I loved doing this lesson with the third graders. The book was not only funny and silly, it kept the students interested and had a great message for friendship!

Here are some of the friendship pies created in today’s lesson: 

First Grade Guidance

First Grade Guidance

The Crayon Box That Talked

Because I loved the crayon activity with the kindergarten, I wanted to find a way to make it age appropriate for first grade as well. I love the message students get from reading "The Crayon Box That Talked" mainly because there are several different messages kids can get it out of it. Whether it is kindness, tolerance, or finding beauty in being unique, I love the different messages that can be told from reading "The Crayon Box That Talked". 

With first grade, I used the book to teach tolerance and appreciating our own and others' uniqueness. 

I started the lesson by reading "Crayon Box That Talked"

As we read the book, I asked questions along the way. Questions including:

• Does it sound like our crayons are getting along?
• Why might they not be getting along?
• Did they begin to work together?
• What happened when they crayons worked together?

After the story, we continued to discuss questions like:

• Are we like the crayons in the story?
• What happens when we don't get along like the crayons?
• Is it okay to be different like the crayons?
• What would it be like if we could only use 1 color from our crayon box?
• What happens when we get along even though we are different? 

I must say, I was REALLY impressed by the first graders with this lesson. They did a fabulous job of telling me how it's okay to be unique and different and how working together makes things "way more fun". 

I then gave the students a writing and drawing activity sheet. I found a great set of writing activities from TPT at The Bubbly Blonde Store. 

Link to store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Bubbly-Blonde

The activity sheet has a place for them to draw a picture of themselves with a writing prompt "I am SPECIAL..."

Again, the first graders did an excellent job with this activity! They wrote great examples of what makes them unique and special just like the crayons from the story. 

Monster Manners

Monster Manners

Third and Fourth Grade

Last week I did a fun lesson on appropriate behavior. It is called Monster Manners. I found this lesson FREE on TPT at the Growing Kinders store. 

Link to store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Growing-Kinders

I began this lesson by reading "The Day The Monster Came To School"

It is a cute story about a monster coming to school and basically behaving like a monster! The kids found the story funny and liked the overall message.

After reading the story, I asked questions like:

• What kind of behaviors did we see the monster do?
• Was the monster a Super Star student?
• How could the monster become a Super Star student?

At this particular job site, students strive to be on Super Star behavior. After reading the story, we discussed the differences between Monster Manners and Super Star Manners. 

With the Monster Manners lesson, there are monster cards showing monster behaviors (blurting, interrupting, yelling, etc.) and appropriate behaviors (sharing, kind words, keeping hands to yourself, etc). I just printed the document, cut out monsters, glued to construction paper, and laminated. 

 I had the students come up and sort the different behaviors into Monster Manners and Super Star Manners. I really enjoyed this part of the lesson because it allows the students to be interactive with the lesson and decide on their own what they think is appropriate vs. inappropriate behaviors. 

For third grade, I gave them a monster from our lesson to color and asked them to describe a monster manner and a Super Star manner their monster could do at school.

Monster clipart from: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com

For the fourth grade, I gave them a sheet that asks them to draw a picture of themselves making good choices at school. (This sheet came with the Monster Manners Lesson). 

Overall, I enjoyed doing this lesson as my first lesson with the 3rd and 4th grade. Not only was it fun and interactive, it also showed the students my expectations for them at school and when I'm in the classroom. 

It also served as a great way for classroom management with the students. From now on they will know when I say "Monster Manners" they are displaying unexpected behaviors and have a chance to get back on track without having to stop the entire class to correct behavior. 

Here are the finished projects for 3rd and 4th grade Monster Manners!