The Jelly Donut Difference (compassion and empathy)

I ordered The Jelly Donut Difference a few months back and keep forgetting to write a post about it. The Jelly Donut Difference is written by one of my favorite authors, Maria Dismondy.  I originally purchased The Jelly Donut Difference to read with my first graders during their unit on compassion and empathy.  After reading the book I decided to use it with a group of kindergarten students who are having a hard time getting along with their classmates.

The Jelly Donut Difference is about a brother and sister who don't always get along (argue, push each other out of the way, etc...)  They notice that an elderly neighbor is lonely and work together to show empathy and compassion.  The author has a free Reader's Guide available.  Many of the pages are more beneficial to a classroom teacher, however, I did use the comprehension questions as well as the pages that are focused on making a difference.  I also downloaded a free lesson on TPT (link below) and found this to be the most useful in teaching the idea of kindness to kindergarten students.  Finally, I gave each student a kindness goal and rewarded them with jelly donut holes from dunkin donuts if they met their goal.  I also love the idea of doing a jelly cake in a crockpot for a classroom lesson and have included a link to that blog as well.

Connections:

You can purchase The Jelly Donut Difference HERE.

teachinginstripes.blogspot.com -jelly cake in a crockpot

Free Reader's Guide

Teacher's Pay Teacher's FREE lesson by An Apple A Day in First Grade

Cute Ideas HERE by www.teachingwithcrayonsandcurls.com

Another lesson and downloadable writing template HERE by www.primarily-speaking.com

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.

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" by Reed-Resources

Problem Solving/Feelings by Kristen-Brooks-Dankovich

Giraffes Can't Dance-A lesson on Kindness

Giraffes Can't Dance: Responsible Behavior, Self-confidence Development, Trustworthiness

Rudolph (Bullying, Diversity)

I found a lesson from WWW.PACER.ORG using Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and decided to use the lesson with one of my 3rd grade classes today.  I started out showing the students the YouTube clip of Rudolph being teased for being different from his peers.  We then used the discussion questions from the teaching guide and talked about differences and shining bright.  I also showed students the YouTube clip of the misfit toys and we talked about their feelings as well.  If you don't remember the misfit toys, they are the toys who were banished to a cold island because they were unique and didn't look like the other toys.  We then used the star template included in the Activity Guide and completed the sentence, My star shines bright because________________________.

Connections:

YouTube Link: Rudolph Gets Teased by the other reindeer

YouTube Link: The Island of the Misfit Toys

Discussion and Activity Guide

Positive Post-it Day

My 5th grade students just finished celebrating Positive Post-it Day.  If you haven't heard of Positive Post-it Day you can read about the student who created it HERE.  You can also watch the YouTube video HERE.  I plan to have a school-wide postive post-it day next year but started with the fifth graders this year.  

Positive Post-it Day can be done with any grade level.  The Kindergarten Smorgasboard shared here lesson HERE.

My Lesson:

1.  Give each student a class roster (or write each student's name on the board).

2. Give each student a pack of post-it notes.

3.  Have students write a positive message on each note.  I asked students to write messages that would be meaningful to each specific student so we did include names in the messages.

4.  Allow students to place post it notes on lockers.

5.  Give students time to return to their own locker to read the messages their classmates wrote to them.

6.  Students leave their post-it notes on their lockers until the end of the school day when they can remove them and take them home with them.

I had a lot of positive feedback after this lesson.  Some of the students were really surprised by their classmates comments:)

Friendship Behaviors with The Recess Queen

The Recess Queen is a great book to use to talk about friendship behaviors.  If you don't have this book you should definitely consider adding it to your resources.  There are a ton of great lesson ideas on TPT.  I have made connections to my favorite FREE ones below.

Mean Jean dominates the playground.  Everyone is afraid of Mean Jean.  "Nobody swung until Mean Jean swung. Nobody kicked until Mean Jean kicked.  Nobody bounced until Mean Jean bounced."  Mean Jean is scary and and nobody plays with her.  But when Katie Sue, a teeny girl, moves in she changes everything.  Mean Jean stops yelling and bossing and pushing and bullying and learns to play with the other kids.   You can purchase The Recess Queen HERE.

Free Connections:  All of these resources are FREE on TPT:

The Recess Queen Chit Chat Cards

The Recess Queen

The Recess Queen

The Recess Queen - Reading Response

Mean Jean the Recess Queen Character Traits

I also purchased this Craftivity ($4.00)

The Recess Queen

Related Posts:

Making Friends Is An ART!

Sportsmanship

Goodbye Bully Machine, Hello Kindness!

Juice Box Bully...Empowering Kids to Stand Up For Others

A Bug and a Wish (conflict resolution and problem solving)

Spreading Rumors

Pink Tiara Cookies for Three-A lesson on Friendship

Bullying

Enemy Pie (Friendship)

Kindness Counts and The Potato Chip Champ

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

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Good Bye Bully Machine, Hello Kindness!

My fifth graders just finished their bullying unit using the book Goodbye Bully Machine! 

Description from Amazon:  Kids learn what bullying is, why it hurts, and what they can do to end it with this fresh, compelling book.  The unique format of Good-Bye Bully Machine helps kids understands the definition and impact of bullying by comparing git to a mean machine-the bully machine.  Kids can see how bullying makes the machine grow more imposing, while kind behaviors dismantle it.  Through the machine, kids gain awareness of their roll in bullying, whether they are targets, bullies, bystanders--or all three.  The role of the bystander is especially important.  Good-Bye Bully Machine helps kids see the power of the bystander to becoming an ally, which means learning how to show empathy, engage in kind acts, and take a stand against bullying.  It's a perfect way to engage reluctant readers and hard to reach kids.    

 This book does a great job at explaining the different types of bullying as well as the feelings that the victims of bullying feel.  We used the free reader's guide and worked on this unit for 8 weeks.  You can download the reader's guide here.   You can purchase the book here.  Here is the breakdown of our lessons:

Lesson 1:  Read Goodbye Bully Machine!

Use the discussion questions on pages 4-9 in the Reader's Guide to lead a group discussion.  We discussed the questions as we went through the book verses saving all of the questions till the end.

Lesson 2:  Make Bully Machine Collages

You can find this activity in pages 12-14 of the Reader's Guide.  Here are some examples:

Lesson 3:  Our Classroom is A Place Where...

You can find this activity on pages 15-17 of the Reader's Guide.  Directions for leading this activity are on page 11.

Lesson 4: Class discussion on the perspectives of the bully, the victim and the bystander.  This group read the Weird Series last year as fourth graders so we referred back to the main characters in Weird, Dare, and Tough. I first did my Good Bye Bully Machine lesson two years ago and really wanted to build on it.  As I was looking for ideas I came across the school counseling by heart blog.  She also used the weird series as party of her Bully Machine unit so I am sharing a link to that as well.   You can find her blog HERE.

Lesson 5:  Class discussion on I messages.  "I-Message" worksheets (found in the Reader's Guide on pages 18-19)

Example Lesson

YouTube Video

You Tube Video

You Tube Video

Lesson 6:  Bully Book Review

I divided the class into small groups and assigned each group a book about bullying.  The students were given this worksheet from school counseling by heart's blog to complete.  These are the books that I assigned them:  Mookey the Monkey Gets Over Being Teased, Bully B.E.A.N.S., Tease Monster, Alley Oops, My Secret Bully, Just Kidding, Nobody.  

Lesson 7:  Bully Book Review Continued

I had students return to their groups from the week before and gave them time to finish their book review worksheet.  They also had time to create a poster about their book

Lesson 8:  Students Presented their Bully Book Review Book Reports

Bulletin Board/Hallway Display:  We used the "Our Classroom is a Place Where..." lesson from the activity guide to create our bulletin board.  We cut out the different sayings on pages 15-17 and pasted them to the display.  

You can purchase Goodbye Bully Machine! HERE.

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Spookly The Square Pumpkin

Spookley the Square Pumpkin is an adorable story with a meaningful lesson about being different. Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a great book to read to Kindergarten or First Grade Students.  You can visit the Pacer Website to download free materials including a skit, comprehension activities, lesson ideas and more.  You can also visit this website to request materials.

You can purchase the following items on Amazon:

Book, CD and Plush Pack

Spookley The Square Pumpkin DVD

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin (Book Only)

Spookley Plush Toy

There is also a "sequal" to Spookley the Square Pumpkin:

Spookley the Square Pumpkin: A Family to Be Thankful For

Description from Amazon:  I don't have a family, "Spookly said with a mon.  "I'm the only square pumpkin that has ever grown."  Spookley the Square Pumpkin wishes he had a family and a place he belonged.  He feels sad and alone, until he discovers that no one family tree grows quite the same as another.

Counseling Connections:

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Song (If I was Round, If I fit in)

Unique Pumpkins- Spookley the Square Pumpkin *FREEBIE*

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Telling vs Tattling (free)

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Book Companion ($4)

Spookley Craftivity: A Different Kind of Pumpkin ($2.00)

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Themed Activities (I am Special Because...) ($1.75)

Spookley Problem/Solution Activity

Self Discipline and the Spookley Pumpkin (ASCA aligned lesson and activity) ($1.50)

Spookley Template (Free)

Story Questions (Free)

Lesson Idea from Mrs. Brinkman's Blog

Lesson Plan

A Spookley Snack

Related Posts:  It's Okay to Be Different...We all fit in

Chocolate Milk, Por Favor

One of my all time favorite lessons is based on the book The Potato Chip Champ by Maria Dismondy. You can connect to that lesson here.

I just ordered Maria Dismondy's new book, Chocolate Milk, Por Favor.  I love it!  I received this book in the mail on Saturday and can not wait to use it in the classroom.  The best part is that there is a reading guide on Maria's website for FREE!  

Maria also lists the common core standards that align with each activity!

More about the book:  Johnny is a big fan of school but all that changes when the new kid, Gabe arrives.  Gabe doesn't speak any English, and that doesn't stop Johnny from going out of his way to be unkind.  What will Johnny do when Gabe starts to make new friends?  Will he join in the fun of making a new friend or turn the other way?  Johnny realizes a powerfulmessage in this story where empahty and inclusion teach us that actions speak louder than words.  Read to find out how chocolate milk plays a major role in the discovery of the real universal language. (description from Amazon)

I plan to use Chocolate Milk, Por Favor with my 3rd graders. These are the centers that I plan on using (activities can be find in the reading guide.)

Discussion Center:  How to be a good friend

Discussion Center (2):  Table Talk (I will serve chocolate milk at this center)

Writing Center:  Celebrating You!  What Makes You Different? or Developing Point of View

Reflection Center:  Asking and Answering Questions (empathy)

Dramatic Center:  Poem/Song/Skit about Diversity

Art Center:  Celebrate Diversity Poster Challenge

You can also find a coloring page here.

Fun Fact:  September 27th is national Chocolate Milk Day:)

More books by Maria Dismondy:
Spaghetti in A Hot Dog Bun
Pink Tiara Cookies For Three
The Juice Box Bully

It's Okay To Be Different-We All Fit In!

I was recently introduced to Todd Parr's books and I have to say that I am loving them!  They are bright, colorful and pretty funny.  I just finished a lesson using It's Okay to be Different.  This is a lesson that I have done for years but I always used the book What I Like About Me!.  I like to switch things up but I could probably use both books and make the lesson even more meaningful!

Both of these books teach remind children that it's okay to be different. These books teach kindness, empathy, diversity and most importantly, self-acceptance.
Discussion:  What does the term diversity mean?  Take some time to discuss student's thoughts and ideas about diversity.  Do you know anyone who is like the characters in the story?  Why do you think the author used the colors that he did?  
Activity:  Play a version of "Simon Says" where students do something if they meet certain criteria.  Some examples:
If you are 7 years old stand up
If you have brown eyes put your hands on your head
If you wear glasses turn around
If you like green beans stand on one foot

Activity:  Play compliment tag  Have students sit in a circle and pick one person to be "it".  This student says another student's name and then gives that student a compliment.  The student responds by saying "Thank You".  The student who received the compliment is now "it" and must compliment another student in the group.  This continues until each student has had a chance to receive a compliment.

Activity:  Give each student a puzzle piece (link below).  You can have them draw a picture of them-self on the puzzle piece OR you can have them decorate it however they would like.  I have done both ways.  Once everyone is fineshed, put all of the pieces together.  Lead on discussion about all of the unique pieces coming together to create one beautiful picture.  

Diversity Puzzle:  Puzzle Pieces  or Puzzle Kit

Todd Parr's Webpage has some FUN stuff:  Fun Stuff

Connections:
It's Okay to Wear Boys Socks-A Very Diverse Lesson
It's Okay to be Colorful and Creative
It's Okay to Feel Different
Ipad App
It's Okay to be Different
Class Book Idea

Common Core Connections:
Literacy
RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in text.
RL.1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
RL.1.3  Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Speaking and Listening
SL.1.1a Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion.
SL1.1b Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.

Spreading Rumors

One of the books that I use to introduce the topic of rumors is She Said What About Me?   

The main character in She Said What About Me? discovers that her "friend" has told lies about her. She can't understand why her friend would do this and becomes so upset that she doesn't want to go to school.  She ends up talking to her parents who bring her to talk to the school counselor.  With their help, she decides to talk-it-out with her "friend".  

I like this book for several reasons:

1.  I love that the school counselor is involved.  This story is a great reminder that students can go to their school counselor for help.

2.  I love that the girls "talk-it-out".  I use the Kelso's choice curriculum and this is one of the 9 ways to solve a problem.

3.  The story shows how hurtful it is when someone spreads rumors.

4.  I like that the girls are able to repair their friendship.

5.  There are 12 discussion questions at the back of the book.

Activities:

Telephone:  We play the traditional game of telephone to show how a message can change as it is passed from one person to another.  I usually pull one student into the hall and tell them a simple message.  I instruct them to return to the classroom to whisper it in the next person's ear.  The process continues until the "rumor" has been spread to each student in the classroom.  The last person announces the message as they heard it.  The final message definitely changes after it goes through a class of 15-20 kids!  

Toothpaste:  Start by telling students that they will each squeeze a large amount of toothpaste onto a paper plate.  Explain that each glob of toothpaste represents a rumor coming out of their mouth. Once the toothpaste tube is empty ask for a student volunteer.  Instruct this student to put the toothpaste back in the tube.  Obviously, the student will not be able to put the toothpaste back in.  This can lead to a great discussion about the power of words and how words can't be taken back once they are spoken.  Once a rumor is out there, damage has been done and we can't undo it.  We also talk about how easy it was to spread the rumor (squeeze out the toothpaste), but impossible to take the words back (put the toothpaste back).

Posters:  Each student can pick a topic and make a poster to hang in the wall or in the classroom. (idea from the back of the book).

For Small Groups: A coworker recently recommended the book, The Drama Llama.  This book includes a story as well as worksheets/activities.  

Another great book about spreading rumors is The Secret that Olivia Told Me.  

You could also use the She Said What About Me Card Game.  I don't own this game but it looks like it would be good for a small group setting.  

More lessons on rumors/gossip can be found here:

http://musingsofamiddleschoolcounselor.blogspot.com/2013/10/glitter-gossip.html

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rumors-Gossip-Bullying-and-Social-Skills-Booklet-Helpful-School-Counselor-1327953

Rumors and Gossip PowerPoint Presentation

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/rumors/

Connecting Bully Prevention with Common Core Standards

Way back in March (of 2013)  I stated that I would be posting some of my own bullying lessons. You may have read this blog post about bullying and common core standards.  Well, life happened and the post never happened.  I'm back and am going to try this blogging thing again.  I wanted to connect to some more great resources that I have been using.  Once again the topic is bullying and once again the lessons are connected to Common Core Standards.  I did not create the lessons but wanted to share them because they are GOOD!

The common core lessons are on Trudy Ludwig's Resource page: http://www.trudyludwig.com/resources_core.html

The books:

My Secret Bully:  I highly recommend this book for girls in 4th-6th grade. I am currently using it for a fourth grade girl group.  The story is about two girls who are "friends".  One of the girls, Katie, talks about the other behind her back and begins excluding her from activities.  Katie begins suffering from stomach problems and her mother provides advice/coping skills for Katie to use.  There are some discussion questions at the end of the book as well. You can find more lesson connections HERE, HERE,  and HERE.

Sorry!:  I am currently using this book in my fourth grade classroom guidance lessons.  The story line explains that saying sorry doesn't cut it, especially when you have done something mean on purpose. I love that the teacher prompts the character to "make it right" to show that they are truly sorry.  Here is another lesson that you can use with this book:  https://www.researchpress.com/sites/default/files/books/addContent/4986A.pdf

Confessions of a Former Bully:  Confessions of a Former Bully is a follow up to My Secret Bully. This time Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate and meets with the school counselor to learn how to be a better friend.  This book is full of tips for dealing with bullying as well as ways to turn bully behavior around.  I love the fact that the school counselor is involved!!!  More Connections to this book can be found HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

The Invisible Boy:  This is a good book for elementary students.  I am currently using it with a small group of second grade boys.  The story is about a student, Brian, who is isolated/excluded by his peers.  Brian imagines what it would be like to be a part of the group and the artwork in this story leads to its own discussion.  The story includes discussion questions as well.  You can find more lessons HERE, HERE and HERE.

Gifts from the Enemy:  I don't own this book but I am going to include it anyway because it looks like it could be a good one.  I just added it to my amazon shopping cart and plan to order it later today.  After reading the book description, it sounds like a book that would be great for a Junior High classroom lesson following a Social Studies lesson on the Holocaust.    

Just Kidding:  I don't have a common core lesson linked to this book but it is still a good book to use. If you need another lesson (other than the one on Trudy Ludwig's page) I have used the one shared Here by Coffee Cups & Lesson Plans. 

Kindness Counts and The Potato Chip Champ

One of my favorite authors is Maria Dismondy.  I have purchased several of her books and recently came accross the "Potato Chip Champ".  This book can be used in so many ways AND there is a fabulous teaching guide on the author's website! I divide my students into centers for this unit and the students always have a lot of fun! 

The Potato Chip Champ

Book Description (from Maria's Site):  Champ and Walter Norbert Whipplemoore are about as different as two kids can be…well, except for their love of baseball and potato chips. Champ had everything, but always wanted more. Walter had very little, but was never seen without a smile on his face. In the end, it is Walter and some crunchy potato chips that teach Champ a lesson about character that can't be taught in school.

You can purchase the book HERE.

I love that the character's in this story are BOYS who love baseball and potato chips.  I have a hard time finding stories that the boys relate to and my 3rd graders seemed to love this one.  The story has a great message and reminds kids to be kind to others. 

Centers: All of these activities can be found HERE.

1)  Discussion Center 1:  Comprehension Chips

2)  Discussion Center 2:  Comprehension Catcher

3)  Writing Center 1:  Catching Connections

4)  Writing Center 2:  Share the Good News

5)  Service Center:  R.A.K. challenge

6)  Drama:  Sing about Character

7)  Game Center 1:  Kindness is Catching

8)  Game Center 2:  Pathway to Empathy

9)  Creativity:  Character Cards-Create a baseball card for champ

You can find the teaching guide here:  Teaching Guide

My students loved the potato chip comprehension questions!

You can connect to other lessons HERE and HERE