February 2018: Self-control

Students will be learning about self-control this month and why it is important to maintain control over their words and their actions. We are always experiencing different feelings and sometimes it is harder to control your mind and your body.
Students were taught to STOP, THINK, and then ACT. Sometimes students will act without thinking about how their words or their actions affect other people.

First, students will have a discussion about self-control and what it means using prior knowledge and new information. Then students will practice having self-control using a bubble machine. 

1. We will turn on the machine and the students will be able to pop as many bubbles that come near them. 
2. We will turn on the machine and students will have to maintain self-control and not pop a single bubble. 

After the students practice using self-control, we will read the story 

You Get What You Get 

by Julie Gassman. 

This story is about a squirrel named Melvin who throws a fit when he doesn't get what he wants. At school, he has to follow the rule "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit". He is able to maintain his self-control at school but still thinks it is ok to throw a fit when he doesn't get what he wants at home. He quickly realizes that rule is just as important at home too when his sister gets upset when she doesn't get what she wants. 

After reading the story we will also talk about the importance of maintaining self-control with your words too. Your brain acts like a filter and your words need to go through the social filter to determine whether it is a thought that you can say out loud or a thought that should stay in your filter and you should only think it. 

Students will be given examples of thoughts they can "say" and thoughts that they should only "think".

Then students will partner up and work on a worksheet where they will have to put each "thought" in the column it belongs. 

SAY IT               or                 THINK IT

Our goal is for students to continue to practice self-control and to be more aware of their words and actions and how they impact their social settings.