knocking out bullying in october!

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. My very first ever See Bean Teach post was about that very topic, so I thought it would be a nice throw-back to look at some more anti-bullying ideas! Here, I've listed three lessons I've taught so far this month and two more I plan to teach. I like to be able to to link our content with talking about social skills type topics (just so we can make connections between what we learn and the real world)...  I also feel like lessons that help build our classroom community are a tool to help prevent bullying because I've notice that it is much easier for students to pick on those they know very little about... but when they know another's story and where they come from and who they really are, they find it easier to choose to say and do uplifting things. Pacer.org is a great online resource for some facts, along with Stomp Out Bullying.

(1)

As mentioned, my very first post, many moons ago was about a lesson I did with a kindergarten class during my senior year of college. It all focused around The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin and how to avoid bullying. It went over really well, so this year I decided to whip that baby back out! My class had a bunch of fun listening to the story on YouTube and then making their own unique pumpkins a couple weeks ago. Of course, I added in an attempt at some academic content and had them make a verbal text-self connection before they could craft their own Spookly, but it was a much needed afternoon of creative thinking and fun after a week of 6 weeks tests (BOO ON THAT.)

(2)

We learned about adjectives in language arts this week, so we combined that with a lesson I saw on good ol' Farley's blog a while back. We described my "friend" that I'd drawn on chart paper using adjectives. When the children slung out unkind words, I crumpled it up. When they said kind things, I uncrumpled the paper. We noticed that the wrinkles were still there, and even after we tried to smooth the paper out by saying nice things, the wrinkles didn't totally go away. I think it made a bit of an impact, because after the lesson we did a full on "share you feelings circle" for about 10 minutes. I made sure to end it by asking all of the students to share something that has been a positive interaction with another person in their life so that we could have some emotional closure and a way to bring our thoughts back to a happy place if they'd traveled a little away from there.

(3)

We also drew portraits of a classmate (they had to draw out of a jar so it was random!) and described them using 10 adjectives. I was so pleasantly surprised that no one had unkind things to say on their drawings AND they were all excited about who they got (even when it wasn't there bestfriendevereverever). I am proud of how close-knit and sweet my students are. We even had a "special visitor" from another class in another grade our room that day (yep, I get to be that teacher) so I threw his name in the bucket too and my sweet little nuggets just acted like that was totally normal and drew him a beautiful portrait as well!

(4)

We watched the BrainPop Jr. video on bullying and then did a class sort to clarified the difference between true bullying and teasing someone of having a "mean moment" using the phrases I cut from a chart that I found on Ms. Sepp's Counselor Corner. It sparked a lot of great discussion about what kinds of things we could problem solve on our own or by talking with the person who offended us, versus what kinds of things we couldn't solve unless we got help from an adult.

(5)

We read The Recess Queen, Chrysanthemum, Giraffes Can't Dance. Then we practiced making Text-Self connections. We talked about how we felt and how the characters felt, and experiences that we had that we similar to experiences the characters. We used Venn diagrams to compare both our life experiences and that of the characters AND the characters in the books. There's a freebie in my TPT store- it's not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it works! (:

I linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share these five ideas! You should participate, too!

P.S. Real talk- this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Check out my About Mrs. B page for more info on that!

reasons to clarify your classroom rules

Because I teach in a very small school in a very small town, I often get to fill roles that I wouldn't have the opportunity to in a different situation. (see? see me finding the good?!)

This week, I had one of those opportunities. As a kinder student was hauled out of class, I just so happened to be standing in the hallway. And it just so happened that the principal needed to attend to another important matter. So I got to run a little behavior intervention. This sweet, docile student, P, had apparently lobbed his pencil box across the room, aiming at the head of another student. And he hit him. Right smack in the nugget.

After a little relationship building (letting him try on my glasses) and maaaaaany minutes of conversation in both English and Spanish, I finally got out of him that the other student had said something ugly, in English, but little P didn't want to say it because he wasn't supposed to. As I attempted to convince him that he needed to tell me the word so I could chat with the offender, but that P wouldn't get in trouble, the principal returned. We walked him into an empty classroom, and she asked him to whisper the word. He seemed a little confused by whispering, so she showed him. He nervously leaned up right next to her ear and yelled "F*CK!" and then covered his precious little bright red face with both hands.

After a little more discussion, P revealed that the boy had dropped an f-bomb while working, and the rule in the classroom if you don't know what to do when something bad happens is:

"Tell Mrs. _____."

And Mrs. _____ was at an appointment, so a sub was in the room. And to little P, that meant taking matters into his own hands.

LOVE this graphic representation of rules/behavior from The Autism Helper

So, back to the title of the post... I have been inspired to reevaluate the way I explain things in my room and to spread the word- Classroom teachers, thiiiink about the language you use to explain your classroom rules, especially if you have a student who is on the spectrum or is labeled with Asperger's, or any other social/communication challenges. At least once a week, try to do a think aloud scenario with your students about how to react to different situations in regards to classroom rules. Use social stories to explain common confusions. You never know students may act on the laws you (their wise and perfect leader- suriously) lay down and spending a few extra minutes clarifying could save drama... or another child's cabeza! ;)

life is crazy... but a freebie!

To say I had little understanding of what I was getting myself into would be an understatement... Without going into too many details, I quickly realized:

a) that this year is going to be absolutely ridiculous
b) I can't fix everything at once, and
c) if I can keep my head above water 80% of the time in the elementary school setting with supports from my administrators as needed and booze at regularly scheduled intervals, I'll consider that mastery. #LOLspecialedteacherIEPjoke

I took a break from this little guy for the last few weeks just so I could make an attempt at getting the year started with some degree of effectiveness, but as I'm sitting down in my kitchen writing, I'm remembering how therapeutic it is. So maybe I'll be here more often. Maaaaaaaaaaybe.

Speaking of therapeutic... and the promised freebie... I have now have a TPT store with a grand total of 1 product. And it is free. You are welcome.

I use this 5 deep breaths thingamajig with a student who has some difficulty managing anger. It is a tool in his Cool Down Bucket. I am very aware that the Cool Down Bucket/Kit/Box/Whatever is NOT an original idea, nor is the 5 Deep Breaths Folder. I'm having trouble finding the original source (as opposed to one of the many pinterest pins/bloggers/research article writers who has referenced it) of this idea, but just so we're clear: I am not claiming this little bit of genius as my own. I'm only claiming that I couldn't find one for free on TPT, so I spent about 5 minutes to make yet another similar version of a 5 Deep Breaths visual on Microsoft Word and I thought other people might want to use it instead of spending their own 5 minutes on the computer.

Prep Instructions (they're complicated, so stay with me here):

1. I cut the top rectangle part and glued it to the inside of an unmarked file folder (so it can travel with my student to other classes and not be too embarrassing- something he is concerned about). The whole thing was laminated.
2. I cut out the five numbered red squares individually and laminated them. 
3. Then, I added velcro to the back of the 5 numbered squares, the five red squares on the top rectangle part, and to five spots on the the bottom inside half of the file folder (to keep the numbered squares accessible and not lost!).

How the Magic Works:

1. Each red numbered box represents one deep breath for the student to take. 
2. With each complete deep breath, the student moves one of the red numbered squares from the bottom of the file folder to a red un-numbered square at the top.
3. Repeat as necessary (or try a new method if this one seems like it isn't calming!)

Tips & Tricks

1. TEACH THE STUDENT HOW TO USE THE TOOL. Don't just throw it in front of him or her and tell the student to use it when they're angry or frustrated. (I know this sounds dumb, but I wouldn't be saying it if I hadn't seen it done...)
2. I'd recommend teaching pretty explicitly how the tool works and practicing taking the deep breaths and moving the red squares for the first time when the student is calm.
3. Maybe make two copies... If you work with challenging kiddos, YOU might need a little tool like this for personal use. ;)

Enjoy, friends!

Spookley the Square Pumpkin

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

Tomorrow, I am teaching a social skills lesson about bullying to my kinders. Research shows that bullying can start at any age, so in my opinion, teaching strategies to help stop the behaviors can never start too early!

After watching and listening to an online read-aloud of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano, we are going to create our own unique pumpkins and practice role-playing the Stop, Walk, Talk strategy in small groups.

I used resources from Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center website to plan. It is an AWESOME place to find facts and information about bullying and ways to address the issue for students pre-k through 12th grade.

Through October 31, the Spookley lessons, movie, and read-aloud online, and discussion questions are all FREE on the Pacer website!

Check out some of our unique pumpkins! Spookley would be proud.