Reader 1: Good morning Thunderbirds! Today is Thursday, September 3, 2009. I am Reader 1and my co-host is Reader 2. Thunderbird News is brought to you by the 6 Pillars of Character.
A responsible person is prepared.
Reader 2: Insert weather here.
Reader 1: This week we have been learning about Neil Armstrong. We have talked about how he has self-control and self-discipline. He also had to be prepared. To go the moon, astronauts train for many years. He went to school to learn how to fly. He trained on many different types of airplanes. He did lots of exercise programs. Astronauts have to be in great physical shape. They practice being under water, up high in the air and in small spaces. Astronauts have to be prepared. Neil Armstrong was prepared when he went to the moon.
Reader 2: Hey wait a minute. That sounds like school projects. The teachers are always telling us to start them right away so we don’t have to do it all at the end. I guess they are teaching us how to be prepared. If your teacher assigns a project and you do a little every night, you will be prepared. Then if you run into problems you will be prepared. If you wait until the last minute, then you will not have time to handle problems that come up. Think about it… a responsible person is prepared.
Reader 1: Please join us as we stand to say the Pledge of the Allegiance and the Statement of Natural Rights. After the Statement of Natural Rights, we will pause for a moment of silence.
Now we will pause for a moment of silence.
Read announcements from Orange Folder.
Reader 2: Now for our Thunderbird joke of the day. Today’s joke is from Student A in class B. What do you serve but never eat?
Reader 1: I don’t know what?
Reader 2: A tennis ball.
Reader 1: Thanks for joining us this morning for the Thunderbird News. Have a great day!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thunderbird Morning News... August 31, 2009
Reader 1: Good morning Thunderbirds! Today is Monday, August 31, 2009. I am ___from ___ and my co-host is ____ from ____. We are coming to you live from the big play ground.
Thunderbird News is brought to you by the 6 Pillars of Character. A responsible person sets goals.
Reader 2: Insert weather here.
Reader 1: Our person of character this week is Neil Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong was an astronaut. He was the first person to set foot on the moon. This is not something he just decided to do. It was something he had to work towards. He set goals and did his best to reach those goals. At the age of six he went for his first flight and new he wanted to be a pilot. He worked hard and by the age of 16 he had his pilot’s license.
Reader 2: A man named Mr. Pullman said, “What is worth having is worth working for.” That means if we want something we need to set goals to get it. We need to have responsibility for ourselves to work at it. If you want to be the best soccer player, it is not up to your parents to practice. If you want to get a new belt at karate, you are the one who needs to practice. If you want to do well in class, you are the one who needs to listen and do your homework. Ultimately, we choose if we will succeed by the work we do.
Think about it … a responsible person sets goals and does their best to reach those goals.
Reader 1: Please join us as we stand to say the Pledge of the Allegiance and the Statement of Natural Rights. After the Statement of Natural Rights, we will pause for a moment of silence.
BOTH say pledge: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
BOTH say statement of natural rights: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Now we will pause for a moment of silence.
Reader 1: We have ___ with us this morning to announce our cool point winners.
Read announcements from Orange Folder.
Reader 2: Now for our Thunderbird joke of the day. It is from ___ class. What is a mummy’s favorite kind of music?
Reader 1: I don’t know what?
Reader 2: Wrap music.
Reader 1: Thanks for joining us this morning for the Thunderbird News. Have a great day!
Thunderbird News is brought to you by the 6 Pillars of Character. A responsible person sets goals.
Reader 2: Insert weather here.
Reader 1: Our person of character this week is Neil Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong was an astronaut. He was the first person to set foot on the moon. This is not something he just decided to do. It was something he had to work towards. He set goals and did his best to reach those goals. At the age of six he went for his first flight and new he wanted to be a pilot. He worked hard and by the age of 16 he had his pilot’s license.
Reader 2: A man named Mr. Pullman said, “What is worth having is worth working for.” That means if we want something we need to set goals to get it. We need to have responsibility for ourselves to work at it. If you want to be the best soccer player, it is not up to your parents to practice. If you want to get a new belt at karate, you are the one who needs to practice. If you want to do well in class, you are the one who needs to listen and do your homework. Ultimately, we choose if we will succeed by the work we do.
Think about it … a responsible person sets goals and does their best to reach those goals.
Reader 1: Please join us as we stand to say the Pledge of the Allegiance and the Statement of Natural Rights. After the Statement of Natural Rights, we will pause for a moment of silence.
BOTH say pledge: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
BOTH say statement of natural rights: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Now we will pause for a moment of silence.
Reader 1: We have ___ with us this morning to announce our cool point winners.
Read announcements from Orange Folder.
Reader 2: Now for our Thunderbird joke of the day. It is from ___ class. What is a mummy’s favorite kind of music?
Reader 1: I don’t know what?
Reader 2: Wrap music.
Reader 1: Thanks for joining us this morning for the Thunderbird News. Have a great day!
A New Year ... School Year 2009-2010
Welcome back everyone! We are ready for a new year! Character Counts Classes have begun. Our kindergarten students and first graders have been learning all about manners. Ask them what the magic words are... we should all know them. We have learned that manners are more than just the words. It is also how you act and behave in different places.
Next week we begin classes for the whole school. This year rather than two classes a month, it will be one and it will be 45 minutes long.
The month of Septebmer is responsibility. In kinder and first grade we will be learning about how to handle our mistakes. In 2nd and 3rd we will learn that we have to do our own work. In 4th and 5th we learn that putting off our work, whining about it or getting others to do is not helping ourseleves. Ask your students what they are learning about their character this month.
Also, You will begin to see some changes to this web link. Last year we started a Thunderbird News Team. We are excited that we will be able to continue this team this year. I am pleased to be able to work with some talented young people. This means also that there will be some changes. For now, I will be posting the weekly news to this site for the students to be able to read and practice. Please be patient with us as we set up another blog for the students to use.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Next week we begin classes for the whole school. This year rather than two classes a month, it will be one and it will be 45 minutes long.
The month of Septebmer is responsibility. In kinder and first grade we will be learning about how to handle our mistakes. In 2nd and 3rd we will learn that we have to do our own work. In 4th and 5th we learn that putting off our work, whining about it or getting others to do is not helping ourseleves. Ask your students what they are learning about their character this month.
Also, You will begin to see some changes to this web link. Last year we started a Thunderbird News Team. We are excited that we will be able to continue this team this year. I am pleased to be able to work with some talented young people. This means also that there will be some changes. For now, I will be posting the weekly news to this site for the students to be able to read and practice. Please be patient with us as we set up another blog for the students to use.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
January is Fairness Month
Wow has the time gone by fast. This month has been the month of fairness. What is fairness? Well here at Painted Sky we are learning that fairness does not necessarily mean equal. It does mean equal opportunity. One of the activity all of the classes are doing is to divide something and share it with a friend. For example, have your kids try to share one piece of cake. Ask them, what a FAIR way to share the cake would be. What they have learned in class is that one person can divide it and the other can select which piece they will have. This keeps it fair... not necessarily equal because one person may get a slightly bigger piece but at least the OPPORTUNITY was equal. An interesting perspective on fairness and as we are finding in some of the classes, it is also a new concept to some of the students.
We are also learning more about understanding our classmates. In the K and 1 classes we are "putting ourselves in each other shoes." Ok, not literally but figuratively. We have them trace their shoes and then stand in each others shoe spot. Ask them questions and then try to figure out what they are looking at in class. Do this at home? How well do you know each other? The concept of this game is to help us begin to think about each other rather than immediately jump to a judgement. These kids are learning that just being friendly is a way to be fair. If we treat people the way we want to be treated, we are most likely going to treat them with fairness. We have read a chapter in a book called How to Behave and Why by Munro Leaf. The chapter is you have to be fair. In this chapter we learn that when we act nice and kind to others we will be fair. We learn that this should start at home, when we first get up in the morning. Great each other with happiness. And it should end at home, going to bed with a smile and a friendly good night. And then everywhere we go during the day, we can be friendly and nice to others. This will make them want to be around us more. We also have learned in this book that the secret of fairness is sharing!
ALL of the classes are learning that LISTENING is the fair way to act. With the K-1 classes, we play a listening game. We stand back to back. I ask one partner to answer a question, the other partner then has to tell what they heard. We check if it is right. How well do we listen? How well do we speak up so that we can be heard? Can we block out the other voices and noises so that we can listen? Do we interupt making it harder for others to listen. We then play "Heads up, seven up" and learn that fairness means taking turns.
In the older classes 2-5 we all play a game called the Hula Hoop Really Race. We learn that fairness means, everyone knows the same rules, everyone plays by the same rules, we don't INTERRUPT and we behave with good sportsmanship. We watch a video about a girl who knows what it means to have good sportsmanship and because she acts with fairness and puts herself "in anothers shoes," the right thing happens. You can read the story of Sarah Tucholsky, Mallory Holtman (the one who puts herself in someone else's place... knows what it feels like) and Liz Wallace http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?id=3372631 or the watch the video http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3376663. As the coach for the Oregon team says, it is amazing when someone has "character enough to step up and do the right thing." What a great example for our kids.
In the second session, these kids learn about lying. Is it ever fair to lie? We learn that Merriam Webster dictionary defines lying as "making an untrue statement with the intent to deceive." We discuss how lying is usually done in order to gain something for ourselves. This is not fair. Fairness says we don't take advantage of others but that is exactly what we are doing when we are lying. We play the lying game. This game also helps us get to know our classmates better. In grades 4-5 we also do a game with feathers. Every student is given a feather. They have to keep the feather in the air and it can not land on anything or they are out. If they can keep it going, they are given another feather and they have to keep both going. The feather represents their lie. We talk about how when we lie we have to remember it, keep it going, tell another lie and then keep track of them, sometimes we have to ask a friend to lie for us, the lie can then "stick" to the friend and become a rumor, it can definitely make us feel exhausted because we are always thinking about it and how we will keep it going. We often lie hoping it will make us more popular but unfortunately it may back fire on us. Once people find out we have been lying they don't trust us any more. Lies are exhausting and not FAIR to ourselves, our friends or anyone else around us.
Ask your students, what have they learned about fairness this month.
We are also learning more about understanding our classmates. In the K and 1 classes we are "putting ourselves in each other shoes." Ok, not literally but figuratively. We have them trace their shoes and then stand in each others shoe spot. Ask them questions and then try to figure out what they are looking at in class. Do this at home? How well do you know each other? The concept of this game is to help us begin to think about each other rather than immediately jump to a judgement. These kids are learning that just being friendly is a way to be fair. If we treat people the way we want to be treated, we are most likely going to treat them with fairness. We have read a chapter in a book called How to Behave and Why by Munro Leaf. The chapter is you have to be fair. In this chapter we learn that when we act nice and kind to others we will be fair. We learn that this should start at home, when we first get up in the morning. Great each other with happiness. And it should end at home, going to bed with a smile and a friendly good night. And then everywhere we go during the day, we can be friendly and nice to others. This will make them want to be around us more. We also have learned in this book that the secret of fairness is sharing!
ALL of the classes are learning that LISTENING is the fair way to act. With the K-1 classes, we play a listening game. We stand back to back. I ask one partner to answer a question, the other partner then has to tell what they heard. We check if it is right. How well do we listen? How well do we speak up so that we can be heard? Can we block out the other voices and noises so that we can listen? Do we interupt making it harder for others to listen. We then play "Heads up, seven up" and learn that fairness means taking turns.
In the older classes 2-5 we all play a game called the Hula Hoop Really Race. We learn that fairness means, everyone knows the same rules, everyone plays by the same rules, we don't INTERRUPT and we behave with good sportsmanship. We watch a video about a girl who knows what it means to have good sportsmanship and because she acts with fairness and puts herself "in anothers shoes," the right thing happens. You can read the story of Sarah Tucholsky, Mallory Holtman (the one who puts herself in someone else's place... knows what it feels like) and Liz Wallace http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?id=3372631 or the watch the video http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3376663. As the coach for the Oregon team says, it is amazing when someone has "character enough to step up and do the right thing." What a great example for our kids.
In the second session, these kids learn about lying. Is it ever fair to lie? We learn that Merriam Webster dictionary defines lying as "making an untrue statement with the intent to deceive." We discuss how lying is usually done in order to gain something for ourselves. This is not fair. Fairness says we don't take advantage of others but that is exactly what we are doing when we are lying. We play the lying game. This game also helps us get to know our classmates better. In grades 4-5 we also do a game with feathers. Every student is given a feather. They have to keep the feather in the air and it can not land on anything or they are out. If they can keep it going, they are given another feather and they have to keep both going. The feather represents their lie. We talk about how when we lie we have to remember it, keep it going, tell another lie and then keep track of them, sometimes we have to ask a friend to lie for us, the lie can then "stick" to the friend and become a rumor, it can definitely make us feel exhausted because we are always thinking about it and how we will keep it going. We often lie hoping it will make us more popular but unfortunately it may back fire on us. Once people find out we have been lying they don't trust us any more. Lies are exhausting and not FAIR to ourselves, our friends or anyone else around us.
Ask your students, what have they learned about fairness this month.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
November is Citizenship Month
Did you know that royalty used to wear PURPLE cloaks to address their citizens? Yes, that does mean that our pillar of the month, CITIZENSHIP is purple.
There is another reason for the purple citizenship pillar. Purple is made of two other colors, red and blue. Just like red and blue mix to make purple, we all mix to make one community. We are all different and yet it takes all of us to make up our community. We are all citizens of one community. We are all citizens of the Painted Sky Community, which is part of our Oro Valley Community, which is part of our Arizona Community and etcetera.
Ask your students what it means to be a good citizen.
We have been learning that a good citizen does their share. For the K and 1 classes, we say that a good citizen helps others. In the other classes, we discuss what it means to do your share. When we do our share we are a good neighbor. We volunteer to help others - not for profit or glory but just because they need help. We talk about how we all have neighbors and if we really look there may be people around us we can help. We need to talk to our parents or guardians first and then maybe we can offer to help someone. Maybe it can even be in our own home. Maybe both of our parents work and we can offer to help do extra chores around the house... just to help out. There are many ways we can volunteer to help.
In class we have discussed that when we work together we can make a difference. In our morning announcements we heard that Helen Keller once said ”Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” We talked about how when we work together and we each do our share we can really make things happen.
In grades k-3, we have been reading the book Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by Dyanne DiSalvo-Ryan. The students learn from this book that 5 people working together feed 121 people for lunch. They talk about how they each had a job and did it. When each of these people did their job, things ran smoothly. The visitors each left the soup kitchen full. The people who worked in the soup kitchen were not paid for this job but did it because they like to help.
We talk about how 4 adults were able to feed 121 people. We talk about how they each had their own job and they did their share. It takes teamwork to feed that many people.
In grades 4-5, we have been doing a shortened version of Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Please see link at side). The boy, Trevor, is given an extra credit assignment by his social studies teacher. He bases his plan on a math problem his father gave him. "Would you rather have 100 dollars a day for 30 days or 1 dollar the first day that is doubled every day for 30 days." We get our calculators and calculate which one we would rather have. We then talk about how many people we could help if each of us help 3 people and "pay it forward". We discover that it would not take much to help all of the people in our school if we all just "pay it forward."
We then talk about what we can do as a team. During our lessons this month and next, we are focusing on the Adopt A Family Project. So we calculated how much we could have for these families if we each just brought in $5. Our fifth grade classes alone could provide 5 families with meals for one week. We talk about the fact that economically this is a hard year for many families and there are many others ways to give. Just like in our story "Pay It Forward." Mrs. Greenburg could not give of her time and efforts but she could give financially and Trevor could not give financially but he could give his time and efforts. We have many different ways we can give, even to the families in need. They need clothes and shoes. Gently used clothes and shoes would help. We tell the kids to bring them in. We talk about being creative and finding alternative ways to help out.
This month is all about working together. Our games focused on teamwork.
In Kindergarten and 1st grade we played a game with hula-hoops. The goal of the game is to work together and to learn how to encourage our teammates. The students stand in a circle holding hands. The hula hoop is placed between two of the students. The students rejoin their hands in the middle of the hula hoop. The students have to figure out how to pass the hula hoop around the circle without letting go of hands. They can encourage and help one another but can NOT let go of hands. To make it interesting, we often had two hula hoops going at the same time. The students did very well and they quickly learned that when they tried to be independent of the circle (letting go of hands), the hula hoop would "get away."
In the 2nd through 5th grades, the students were given four sticks and a tennis ball. At first their only rules were to pass the ball in a line from point A to point B without using their hands, feet or floor. Each team member had to play.
After a few minutes, they were given more direction. In the end, they were told that they were to form two lines facing each other. This way they had a partner across from them. The lines went from Point A to Point B. They had 2 sticks between them, each holding the ends. They worked together to pick up the sticks and pass it to the next two people who were holding the other two sticks. They then passed their sticks behind the other players to the next people in line.
In the end, all of the students commented that they liked the game better with rules and directions. They even thought it was fun. Without the rules, they found it to be confusing and frustrating. They also found that it took teamwork to control the balls on the sticks and not drop them when passing them.
Overall it was a very successful lesson on teamwork. We will see our our citizens do as we help our families who are in need. It is sure to be a very creative month of ideas for all.
There is another reason for the purple citizenship pillar. Purple is made of two other colors, red and blue. Just like red and blue mix to make purple, we all mix to make one community. We are all different and yet it takes all of us to make up our community. We are all citizens of one community. We are all citizens of the Painted Sky Community, which is part of our Oro Valley Community, which is part of our Arizona Community and etcetera.
Ask your students what it means to be a good citizen.
We have been learning that a good citizen does their share. For the K and 1 classes, we say that a good citizen helps others. In the other classes, we discuss what it means to do your share. When we do our share we are a good neighbor. We volunteer to help others - not for profit or glory but just because they need help. We talk about how we all have neighbors and if we really look there may be people around us we can help. We need to talk to our parents or guardians first and then maybe we can offer to help someone. Maybe it can even be in our own home. Maybe both of our parents work and we can offer to help do extra chores around the house... just to help out. There are many ways we can volunteer to help.
In class we have discussed that when we work together we can make a difference. In our morning announcements we heard that Helen Keller once said ”Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” We talked about how when we work together and we each do our share we can really make things happen.
In grades k-3, we have been reading the book Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by Dyanne DiSalvo-Ryan. The students learn from this book that 5 people working together feed 121 people for lunch. They talk about how they each had a job and did it. When each of these people did their job, things ran smoothly. The visitors each left the soup kitchen full. The people who worked in the soup kitchen were not paid for this job but did it because they like to help.
We talk about how 4 adults were able to feed 121 people. We talk about how they each had their own job and they did their share. It takes teamwork to feed that many people.
In grades 4-5, we have been doing a shortened version of Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Please see link at side). The boy, Trevor, is given an extra credit assignment by his social studies teacher. He bases his plan on a math problem his father gave him. "Would you rather have 100 dollars a day for 30 days or 1 dollar the first day that is doubled every day for 30 days." We get our calculators and calculate which one we would rather have. We then talk about how many people we could help if each of us help 3 people and "pay it forward". We discover that it would not take much to help all of the people in our school if we all just "pay it forward."
We then talk about what we can do as a team. During our lessons this month and next, we are focusing on the Adopt A Family Project. So we calculated how much we could have for these families if we each just brought in $5. Our fifth grade classes alone could provide 5 families with meals for one week. We talk about the fact that economically this is a hard year for many families and there are many others ways to give. Just like in our story "Pay It Forward." Mrs. Greenburg could not give of her time and efforts but she could give financially and Trevor could not give financially but he could give his time and efforts. We have many different ways we can give, even to the families in need. They need clothes and shoes. Gently used clothes and shoes would help. We tell the kids to bring them in. We talk about being creative and finding alternative ways to help out.
This month is all about working together. Our games focused on teamwork.
In Kindergarten and 1st grade we played a game with hula-hoops. The goal of the game is to work together and to learn how to encourage our teammates. The students stand in a circle holding hands. The hula hoop is placed between two of the students. The students rejoin their hands in the middle of the hula hoop. The students have to figure out how to pass the hula hoop around the circle without letting go of hands. They can encourage and help one another but can NOT let go of hands. To make it interesting, we often had two hula hoops going at the same time. The students did very well and they quickly learned that when they tried to be independent of the circle (letting go of hands), the hula hoop would "get away."
In the 2nd through 5th grades, the students were given four sticks and a tennis ball. At first their only rules were to pass the ball in a line from point A to point B without using their hands, feet or floor. Each team member had to play.
After a few minutes, they were given more direction. In the end, they were told that they were to form two lines facing each other. This way they had a partner across from them. The lines went from Point A to Point B. They had 2 sticks between them, each holding the ends. They worked together to pick up the sticks and pass it to the next two people who were holding the other two sticks. They then passed their sticks behind the other players to the next people in line.
In the end, all of the students commented that they liked the game better with rules and directions. They even thought it was fun. Without the rules, they found it to be confusing and frustrating. They also found that it took teamwork to control the balls on the sticks and not drop them when passing them.
Overall it was a very successful lesson on teamwork. We will see our our citizens do as we help our families who are in need. It is sure to be a very creative month of ideas for all.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
True Blue!
We are well into October and well under way with our trustworthiness classes. Have you asked your students why we refer to them as the Six PILLARS of character? Why pillars?
Ask them:
Why is the responsibility pillar is green?
Why is the trust pillar blue?
What does it mean if you are true blue?
What are the characteristics of trust?
In all the classes we are reading "The Gingerbread Man." Yes, even the 5th graders get to hear this old tale. Ask them why the gingerbread man should not have trusted the fox? What were the clues that the fox is not trustworthy?
For the K and 1 classes, ask them about their chains of trust. Look for it in mid-November in the cafeteria. We are planning on connecting all of them and hanging the long strand in the cafeteria.
In the social skills portion of this class the older students (4-5) are learning about gossip and lies. The younger kids (K-3) are learning how to respond with 'nice' words. Grades 2-5 are seeing a role play on how to use your 'nice' words to turn a situation around. This is based on the work of Izzy Kalman (check out the web link on the right side of the page... Bullys2Buddies).
Keep watching for more updates this month. Ask your kids what they are learning about character and how they are putting it into practice.
Ask them:
Why is the responsibility pillar is green?
Why is the trust pillar blue?
What does it mean if you are true blue?
What are the characteristics of trust?
In all the classes we are reading "The Gingerbread Man." Yes, even the 5th graders get to hear this old tale. Ask them why the gingerbread man should not have trusted the fox? What were the clues that the fox is not trustworthy?
For the K and 1 classes, ask them about their chains of trust. Look for it in mid-November in the cafeteria. We are planning on connecting all of them and hanging the long strand in the cafeteria.
In the social skills portion of this class the older students (4-5) are learning about gossip and lies. The younger kids (K-3) are learning how to respond with 'nice' words. Grades 2-5 are seeing a role play on how to use your 'nice' words to turn a situation around. This is based on the work of Izzy Kalman (check out the web link on the right side of the page... Bullys2Buddies).
Keep watching for more updates this month. Ask your kids what they are learning about character and how they are putting it into practice.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Responsiblity 2-5 Lesson
Just like K-1, grades 2-5 have been studying responsibility this last month.
They have learned that pillars are a vertical support structure in architecture. A pillar holds up a building and more specifically a roof. In modern buildings we do not always see pillars or columns but they are there under the walls holding up the roof. The are strong, straight and sturdy. They can hold a lot of weight.
In 2,600 B.C. they were used in the palaces of Eygptian pharoahs. They were also used in the palace of a Roman Emperor during the Roman Empire. Today we see pillars in the White House and even the Pima County Courthouse.
We talked about what do the people associated with these buildings have in common; a pharoah, a Roman Emperor, the President of the United States and a judge. These are people we associate with strength, power and authority. When we see these buildings associated with these people, that is what we think... these pillars represent, strength, power and authority.
Life is a series of choices and we believe that our children will need strength, power and authority in their character (the six pillars of character) to help guide them in making good decisions. We talked about how some decisions will be easy and some won't. We talked about the people who can help us make good decisions (parents, teachers, siblings and good friends). We then talked about how the pillar of responsibility can help us make good decisions. Responsibility leads us to ask the following questions:
1) Is this doing my duty (moral or legal obligation)?
2) How is this going to affect me and others? What is the consequence to this action?
3) Is this my best work?
4) Do I have a good attitude about this? Have I set my goals?
We played a relay game in which 6 students from each class were asked to move "turtles" from one tank to another (bean bag turtles... from one end of room to the other). One student had been pre-selected to throw a fit and not do the work. We talked about how this made the team feel when they were not able to complete the race. We praised the "pre-selected" child for doing their responsibility because they did as the teacher asked and it is hard to be the different person. We talked about how to encourage one another. We went over negative phrases and we can help our friends and ourselves change the negative phrases to positive phrases.
Ask your children what is the operative word of the positive phrases? (TRY... that is all we ask you to do is try... try your best)
Our second session for Second Grade consisted of a review and a discussion much like the K-1 classes. We talked about our happy colors and happy places. We talked about what color we see when we are angry and how our body feels (tight, tummy hurts, clenched fists). We went over the breathing and our choices when we are getting upset. We stop, breathe, and think. When we think, we realize we can ask the person to stop, walk away or tell an adult. These are the choices we have when someone has done wrong to us at school. Ask your children about their smiley and angry faces (they received handouts) and what color they used for each. Help your kids understand what their body is telling them. Describe what you see when they are nervous, happy, angry, frustrated or have hurt feelings. Help them understand that they can use positive thoughts and self-talk to change what they are doing.
We then played a game of Simon Says. The purpose of this game was to discuss Action versus Reaction. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (Sir Isaac Newton).
In grades 3-5, our second session consisted of a review, a discussion of our happy colors, happy places, angry colors and what we do (clench fists, tighten jaw) when we are upset. We then played a round of Football. Yes, that is what I said. Football. The classes were divided into two teams with quarterbacks. We reviewed what it is to be a good leader and a good team member. The quarterback was tossed the ball. They then had a choice to pass or play. To play, they picked a card and read a scenario. They were then GIVEN the answer on the back of the card. That determined their yardage. If it was an incomplete pass or a penalty, they were given time as a team to discuss what they should have done differently. This allowed them to gain some yards back.
One of the scenarios lead to a discussion on name calling. The scenario was "What if someone called you a nerd for getting good grades. What do you do?" The 20 yard answer was "Hmmm.... you think so. Well, I think I will take that as a compliment. I hear that many successful people today were once called nerds." We talked about how we can take a negative and turn it around. We talked about how it is hard for someone to keep insulting us if we keep turning it into a positive. This approach is actually from a gentleman named Izzy Kalman. To learn more about his ideas see the article in the following link: http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/bullyproof-your-child_2.html. You can also learn more about his ways at his website. Please see the Character Building Sites at the side of the blog: Bullies2Buddies is Izzy Kalman's site.
Well, that is about all we have time for now. We are looking forward to this month of October and Trustworthiness. Please keep checking back for more information on what your children are learning through Character Counts! at Painted Sky.
They have learned that pillars are a vertical support structure in architecture. A pillar holds up a building and more specifically a roof. In modern buildings we do not always see pillars or columns but they are there under the walls holding up the roof. The are strong, straight and sturdy. They can hold a lot of weight.
In 2,600 B.C. they were used in the palaces of Eygptian pharoahs. They were also used in the palace of a Roman Emperor during the Roman Empire. Today we see pillars in the White House and even the Pima County Courthouse.
We talked about what do the people associated with these buildings have in common; a pharoah, a Roman Emperor, the President of the United States and a judge. These are people we associate with strength, power and authority. When we see these buildings associated with these people, that is what we think... these pillars represent, strength, power and authority.
Life is a series of choices and we believe that our children will need strength, power and authority in their character (the six pillars of character) to help guide them in making good decisions. We talked about how some decisions will be easy and some won't. We talked about the people who can help us make good decisions (parents, teachers, siblings and good friends). We then talked about how the pillar of responsibility can help us make good decisions. Responsibility leads us to ask the following questions:
1) Is this doing my duty (moral or legal obligation)?
2) How is this going to affect me and others? What is the consequence to this action?
3) Is this my best work?
4) Do I have a good attitude about this? Have I set my goals?
We played a relay game in which 6 students from each class were asked to move "turtles" from one tank to another (bean bag turtles... from one end of room to the other). One student had been pre-selected to throw a fit and not do the work. We talked about how this made the team feel when they were not able to complete the race. We praised the "pre-selected" child for doing their responsibility because they did as the teacher asked and it is hard to be the different person. We talked about how to encourage one another. We went over negative phrases and we can help our friends and ourselves change the negative phrases to positive phrases.
Ask your children what is the operative word of the positive phrases? (TRY... that is all we ask you to do is try... try your best)
Our second session for Second Grade consisted of a review and a discussion much like the K-1 classes. We talked about our happy colors and happy places. We talked about what color we see when we are angry and how our body feels (tight, tummy hurts, clenched fists). We went over the breathing and our choices when we are getting upset. We stop, breathe, and think. When we think, we realize we can ask the person to stop, walk away or tell an adult. These are the choices we have when someone has done wrong to us at school. Ask your children about their smiley and angry faces (they received handouts) and what color they used for each. Help your kids understand what their body is telling them. Describe what you see when they are nervous, happy, angry, frustrated or have hurt feelings. Help them understand that they can use positive thoughts and self-talk to change what they are doing.
We then played a game of Simon Says. The purpose of this game was to discuss Action versus Reaction. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (Sir Isaac Newton).
In grades 3-5, our second session consisted of a review, a discussion of our happy colors, happy places, angry colors and what we do (clench fists, tighten jaw) when we are upset. We then played a round of Football. Yes, that is what I said. Football. The classes were divided into two teams with quarterbacks. We reviewed what it is to be a good leader and a good team member. The quarterback was tossed the ball. They then had a choice to pass or play. To play, they picked a card and read a scenario. They were then GIVEN the answer on the back of the card. That determined their yardage. If it was an incomplete pass or a penalty, they were given time as a team to discuss what they should have done differently. This allowed them to gain some yards back.
One of the scenarios lead to a discussion on name calling. The scenario was "What if someone called you a nerd for getting good grades. What do you do?" The 20 yard answer was "Hmmm.... you think so. Well, I think I will take that as a compliment. I hear that many successful people today were once called nerds." We talked about how we can take a negative and turn it around. We talked about how it is hard for someone to keep insulting us if we keep turning it into a positive. This approach is actually from a gentleman named Izzy Kalman. To learn more about his ideas see the article in the following link: http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/bullyproof-your-child_2.html. You can also learn more about his ways at his website. Please see the Character Building Sites at the side of the blog: Bullies2Buddies is Izzy Kalman's site.
Well, that is about all we have time for now. We are looking forward to this month of October and Trustworthiness. Please keep checking back for more information on what your children are learning through Character Counts! at Painted Sky.
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