Monday, February 13, 2017

Mindset Monday (Giraffes Can't Dance)

I have used the book Giraffes Can't Dance (affiliate link) to teach lessons on problem solving, perseverance, diversity and self-esteem and I recently realized that Giraffes Can't Dance is another great book for teaching mindset and "the power of yet".  Apparently I'm not the only one who made this connection as I found a FREE worksheet on TPT, made by The OCD Teacher in Room 112, where students are given the opportunity to reflect on something that they can't do yet and then write about how they can get there.  You can find that worksheet for FREE HERE.  I also found a packet that costs only $1.00 on TPT, made by Growth-Mindset-In-Action,  This packet, which focuses on growth mindset and ability, can be purchased HERE.  The Brown Bag Teacher also posted a great lesson on her blog. You can find that lesson HERE.  I plan to have my students create a bulletin board called "Giraffe's CAN Dance".  I will try to post a picture when it is complete.  You can purchase Giraffes Can't Dance HERE.
Product Details
If you want to use Giraffes Can't Dance for other topic areas you can find some great ideas below:

Connections:
Exploring Diversity with "Giraffes Can't Dance"

Giraffes Can't Dance Reading Response FREEBIE!









Monday, February 6, 2017

Mindset Monday and The Pout Pout Fish

It has been awhile since I have done a Mindset Monday post!  I have been using The Pout Pout Fish books a lot this year and I was thrilled when I found The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School.  It is a great book for talking about mindset and the "power of yet".  There are a lot of really cheap resources on TPT that I purchased to help me teach this lesson.  You could easily teach this lesson without purchasing anything additional but I couldn't help myself:)
Product Details
You can purchase The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School HERE.

The Pout Pout Fish Goes to School Writing Activity

Growth Mindset lesson about New Beginnings

The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School--Growth Mindset Reading

Pout Pout Fish Facts : You Are Smart

Friday, February 3, 2017

Empathy (Hey, Little Ant)

Hey, Little Ant is a great book that challenges readers to look at life from an insect's point of view.  It is the perfect book for teaching empathy.   It can be really difficult for young students to understand the concept of "standing in someone's shoes" and this book does a really good job of showing just what this means.  
Product Details
Hey, Little Ant can be used to teach so many different topics.  The teacher's guide lists the following:
  • Respecting differences
  • Fostering respect for all living things
  • Considering stereotypes
  • Recognizing alternatives to resolving tension through violence
  • Exploring concepts of big and small, powerful and powerless
  • Standing up to peer pressure

  • Connections:
    I absolutely love the lesson that lunchbuddiesplus shared on her blog.  She uses Hey, Little Ant to show the difference between  a "thinking of you" person vs. a "just me" person.

    You can also get some ideas from the Hey, Little Ant Teacher's Guide.

    Some good resources on TPT:
    Social Skills, Perspective Taking, Thinking about others  ($3.50)
    Social Skills, Perspective Taking, Thinking about others

    Bullying- Hey Little Ant! ($3.50)
    Bullying- Hey Little Ant!

    These are all FREE on TPT:
    Hey Little Ant Point of View by Lockwood's Little Learners
    Hey Little Ant Point of View

    Ant Writing Response Pages {Freebie} by Jen Ross - Teacher by the Beach
    Ant Writing Response Pages {Freebie}

    Hey, Little Ant Opinion/Persuasive Writing by Creativity-To-The-Core
    FREEBIE Hey, Little Ant Opinion/Persuasive Writing


    Ant Craftivity by Kelly-Morgan
    Persuasion- Hey Little Ant

    Hey Little Ant Bulletin Board Writing  by Working-4-The-Classroom
    Hey Little Ant Bulletin Board Writing Pages
    Hey, Little Ant! Reader's Theater by Hanssen-House
    Hey, Little Ant! Reader's Theater