Wow! It’s Wednesday!

Mrs. Cravinho, Mrs. Pescatello’s Classes and Otters

We continued with our new topic!!!!  EMPATHY!

EMPATHY AND DOING SUPPORTIVE THINGS

When you have empathy and feel another person’s feelings it usually causes you to want to do something. Empathy pushes us towards action; action that is helpful, cooperative and caring. These helpful, cooperative and caring behaviors in turn give us positive feelings about ourselves and a positive reputation among others

Random Acts of Kindness – 7 days!  A Challenge to the kids!

EMPATHY AND MAKING/KEEPING FRIENDS

The Golden Rule: “Treat Others the Way You Want to be Treated.”

Treating Others Kindly

Respecting each other

Understanding each other

Sticking up for one another

Taking time to be together

EMPATHY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

A conflict is when two or more people disagree with  each other or have an argument. They  might have a difference of opinion or one might not like something the other person did. Conflicts can make people feel angry, hurt, sad, put down, powerless and even scared.

Conflict resolution is when people try to resolve or settle their disagreement.

Empathy really comes in handy when you are trying to resolve your conflicts because understanding the other person’s point of view can help you find solutions that are good for both of you.

When you are able to find solutions that are good for both people, this is called a “win-win” solution rather than a “win-lose” solution. It is important to have empathy as you try to find “win-win” solutions.

Evaluating Conflict Resolution Styles

Compromise

Brainstorming

Agree to Disagree

Mediation

The kids were wonderful!

5th Grade Girls

Oh so much chatter!!!  Really working on taking turns, listening to others and staying on topic! We also had a few minutes at the end of lunch to play “Fact or Crap”!

A Wonderful Wednesday!

Happy New Year Everyone!  It is fabulous to be back!

Miss Lubs’ Class

Today we continued with our topic of Empathy.

• POINT OF VIEW

Opening: I first asked students to share their favorite song and then we had a discussion. People shared many different types of music and songs; sometimes, because we like something and we expect almost everyone else to like it too; then we can have trouble understanding why they don’t.

Objective:

• To talk about seeing things in different ways and looking at other people’s points of view

 ACTIVITY:

• Picture of young girl/old woman

• Students described the person in the picture
• Talked about why some students see an old woman first and some a young girl?
• Discussed whether there a wrong way to see the picture

 People often have different ways of seeing things – a different point of view; This happens because we have different bodies, different kinds of families and different kinds of experiences

• READ: The Maligned Wolf – The story of Little Red Riding Hood as told by the wolf. We then discussed the differences between the two stories and how telling a story from a different point of view makes a big difference.
  

 WRAP UP

• Discussion Questions: Has there ever been a time when your own point of view has changed? Maybe you used to dislike a certain food and now you like it? Maybe you thought a particular sport wasn’t fun, but now you like it?

The kids were awesome!!!!!

Fourth Grade Girls Group

Today we eased ourselves back into group……and since groups will be changing next week, we decided to color and chat away!

Third-Fourth Grade Social Thinking Group:

We did not have a full group today – so instead of beginning something new, we decided to practice our skills and play a game!  The boys were fabulous and very very cooperative. No Destroyers of Fun around today!

Mrs. Dudda and Mrs. Enoch’s Classes:

We continued our discussion on Empathy: Respecting Differences

Opening Activity: Students shared and discussed one way in which they are the same and one way in which they are different

Sometimes we have similarities and sometimes we have differences. Sometimes it is hard to understand why people don’t feel the same way we do, and that can lead to disagreements

Today we looked at how our opinions might be different and talked about how we can work on respecting those differences.

Activity: Opinion Continuum

We taped three signs around the room – Strongly Agree; Strongly Disagree; Not Sure

We discussed: What is an opinion? Strong beliefs that people have, sometimes based on fact and sometimes not

I then read statements and asked students to decide how they felt about each one by going to the part of the room – Asking the kids why they chose where to stand. Direction: I want each person to decide how you feel about a statement; there are no right or wrong answers; sometimes we are tempted to go along with what our friends think – but if we do this, we won’t be able to see the differences in the room; be courageous and make a personal decision

Discussion Questions

Were there any times when it was hard for you to decide where to stand?

Was there a time when you were standing in a different place from a friend of yours?

When you want to tell someone that you don’t share his or her opinion, what is a respectful way to say that? – Without attacking anyone’s opinion; e.g. “I disagree with…”

The classes were great!

A Terrific Tuesday!

May everyone’s holiday season be merry and bright and filled with joy!!!!!

Peace to all!

Have a happy and restful vacation!

WOW! The Christmas Crazies are peaking!

Today……..all the groups just chatted, chatted, chatted….and colored holiday pictures and sang a little bit, too!!  My oh my!  The kids are certainly excited for this holiday season!

Controlled chaos at it’s best!

I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Mr. Andruchuve was in charge today!!!!  He did an AWESOME job!!!!!

Another Terrific Tuesday!

Miss Lubs Class

Today we took a little detour from our empathy lessons to read two brand new books about Bullying – “My Secret Bully”

Here is the all-too-familiar story of Monica.  She and Katie have been friends since kindergarten.  Monica loves being around her when she’s nice.  But there are times when Katie can be just plain mean.  And Monica doesn’t understand why.

Monica is a target of relational aggression, emotionaly bullying among friends who will use name-calling and manipulation to humiliate and exclude.  But with a little help from a supportive adult—her mother—Monica learns to cope and thrive by facing her fears and reclaiming power from her bully.

AND: “Just Kidding”

A rare look at emotional bullying among boys from the best-selling author of My Secret Bully.D.J.’s friend Vince has a habit of teasing D.J. and then saying, Just kidding!” as if it will make everything okay. It doesn’t, but D.J. is afraid that if he protests, his friends will think he can’t take a joke. With the help of his father, brother, and an understanding teacher, D.J. progresses from feeling helpless to taking positive action, undermining the power of two seemingly harmless words. Trudy Ludwig takes another look at relational aggression, the use of relationships to manipulate and hurt others, this time from the boy’s point of view.

The kids loved the books!

4th Grade Girls Group and Social Thinking Group

Today I was talked into bringing supplies to make holiday cookies! What a creative bunch of kiddos we have!

Mrs. Dudda and Mrs. Enoch’s Class

Today we read another new book from the Superflex Series:

Superflex takes on Brain Eater focuses on one of the social cognitive challenges we see most often in our students, distractibility, with strategies on how to stay on track with every day activities like getting ready for school and listening in class! The engaging comic book is the third in the Superflex series designed to help children learn more about their own social behavior and strategies to regulate it…

Superflex, our Social Thinking superhero, helps teach elementary school students how they can use strategies to conquer their own Brain, not quite so flexible Team of Unthinkables. Through this humorous and delightful comic book, students are encouraged to think about thinking and what they can do to self-regulate some of their own wayward thoughts and behaviors.

The book was a big hit!

Happy Last Monday Before Vacation!

New 5/6 Anxious Girls Group!

A full group today…and we welcomed a new member! We continued to explore different ways to defeat our worries. Today’s strategy: Talk Back to Your Worry! The girls all made worry monsters and then developed phrases to defeat the worry!  A great job!

5/6 Social Thinking Group 1

Today we made Christmas Unthinkables!!!!!  What fun – the boys really get it! Then we had some gym time to celebrate!

7th Grade Girls

Today we listened to holiday music and colored holiday pictures!

8th Grade Girls

Another more focused group today with real conversation – working on helping the girls take responsibility for their behaivor.

Pfish Class

Today we continued our new topic: Empathy.

Do you know the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is something that our ears do, but listening requires our ears and our brain.

Listening means that you think about what the person is saying. You really pay attention and show that you are interested. You try to understand how the other person feels and thinks.

Good Listeners do the following:

• Look at the speaker
• Lean forward and nod your head
• Think about the words and the feelings of the speaker
• Match facial expressions to the feelings of the speaker
• Show an interest by asking questions

Mark Twain once said: “If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.”

Roadblocks to Empathic Listening:

• Getting distracted
• Changing the subject
• Finishing the speaker’s sentences
• Daydreaming
• Wanting to give advice
• Making a joke out of what the speaker says
• Thinking that what the person says is stupid or boring
• Believing that you are right

On a very basic level, emotional contagion – or the catching of feelings – is one of the precursors of empathy.

Now that you are able to read someone else’s feelings, it is important that you let yourself feel some of that feeling along with him/her.

That doesn’t mean that you will feel exactly the same as the other person, or to the same degree as that other person, but you will share some of the feeling with him/her.

In order to have empathy with someone you must share the other person’s feeling.

ACTIVITIES:

Imagine What it Would be Like

Imagine Empathy

A Marvelous Monday!

Welcome Friday!

Miss Ryder and Mrs. Noyes’ Classes

Today we read a brand new book that I just discovered!

By Amy Kahofer and Jack Pranksy

This poetic and engaging book introduces children (K-5th) to the amazing, creative power within us all: thought. It is not a book about changing thoughts or changing behaviors, but rather a story to help children (and adults!) see how their own thinking creates their lives, moment to moment, day to day.

Wonderfully illustrated, this children’s book not only introduces young readers to the concept of thought but also the amazing power of their own thoughts. Authors Amy Kahofer and noted prevention specialist Jack Pransky tell a simple yet profound message: that our thinking creates our feelings and behavior, and when our minds are calm we have access to natural wisdom and healthy feelings.

The kids really did love it!

Miss Hebert’s Class

This class is the first class to read the brand new Superflex book:

Superflex takes on Brain Eater focuses on one of the social cognitive challenges we see most often in our students, distractibility, with strategies on how to stay on track with every day activities like getting ready for school and listening in class! The engaging comic book is the third in the Superflex series designed to help children learn more about their own social behavior and strategies to regulate it…

Superflex, our Social Thinking superhero, helps teach elementary school students how they can use strategies to conquer their own Brain, not quite so flexible Team of Unthinkables. Through this humorous and delightful comic book, students are encouraged to think about thinking and what they can do to self-regulate some of their own wayward thoughts and behaviors.

The book was a big hit!

3rd Grade Boys

The boys had a great time today with Mr. Andruchuve!

4th Grade Girls

Oh…the Christmas Crazies……We shared Happy Happenings and played a game of Pictionary – the girls also talked me into letting them have lunch with me today……Enough said!

TGIF!!!!!!

The Christmas Crazies continue!!

Social Thinking Grades 5/6 II

Mr. Andruchuve was in charge of the group today and the kids played a social thinking game called “What Do I Do Now?”…..it was a fantastic group!

7th Grade Typical Peer Group

Chatting and singing today…..and some silliness, too!!!!

8th Grade Boys

Today I let Mr. Andruchuve run the group – hoping a male role model will help build leadership skills.

5th Grade Girls

Lots of Happy Happenings!!!!!

6th Grade Girls Groups

No group today!

7th Grade Social Thinking

No group today due to Panther Pause

Panther Pause

Today the group made Christmas/Holiday cards for Veterans….they did a fantastic job! Such a fabulous group of kids!

Once Upon A Mattress

Today the full cast started learning the music…..sounding good so far!!!  Next rehearsal is next Wednesday!

A Thrilling Thursday indeed!

Mrs. Cravinho, Mrs. Pescatello’s Classes and Otters

We continued with our new topic!!!!  EMPATHY!

Empathy and Temporarily Putting Your Own Feelings Aside

Can you hear someone else’s whispers if you are screaming?

Of course not! If you want to hear someone’s whispers you have to quiet your own voice so that you can her the voice of the other person

That is like putting your own feelings aside temporarily so that you feel the feelings of someone else. You have to quiet your feelings for a little while so that you can hear the feelings of someone else.

That doesn’t mean that your feelings don’t count; your feelings are very important but sometimes it is necessary to put our feelings on hold and come back to them after we have matched someone else’s feelings with her/him.

Have you ever had to put your feelings aside for something? Not laughing in church; not getting angry with your brother in front of the teacher

Have you ever had to put your own feelings aside in order to share someone else’s feelings?

Activities:

Calming My Feelings

Thinking of Others

Empathy and Making Supportive Statements

When good things happen, it is easy to know what to say: Congratulations; Good job; I’m happy for you; You’re lucky

It is not so easy to know what to say when bad things happen to people; it makes us feel uncomfortable

Sometimes it is good to say something hopeful and encouraging, and other times it is better to say something that shows you are aware of the person’s sad feelings

Rule of Thumb: When the bad situation is something that is not fixable (a pet dies) it is better to simply let the person know you are sorry to hear the news and are sharing their sad feelings with them. If it is a situation that can possibly be changed (a sweater is lost) it might be okay to say something encouraging.

What do you do when you don’t know what to say to someone? Have you ever said something supportive to someone? Has anyone said something supportive to you? How does it make you feel?

Activity:

Choosing Empathetic Statements

Great conversations today!

5th Grade Girls Social Thinking

As promised….we played “Apples to Apples”…..a rousing game if I do say so…..the Christmas Crazies are here!!!!!

A Wonderful Wednesday!