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

Attention Seeking

I've been sitting in a lot of meetings lately and one behavior that seems to keep coming up is negative attention seeking.  Some students misbehave because they are trying to attract the attention of their teacher or their peers.  These students don't care if the attention they receive is negative attention or positive attention.  There are some great interventions for attention seeking behaviors at http://specialed.about.com.  I use a lesson from www.projectwisdom.com to talk to students about attention seeking behaviors and I supplement this lesson with the book Millie Fierce.  Millie Fierce is a great example of a student who uses negative attention seeking behaviors.  Millie feels that she is ignored because she is too plain.  Millie decides that she will start being fierce (cutting in line, painting the dog, stealing birthday cake) in order to get attention from others.  Millie gets attention, just not the kind of attention that she was hoping for.  Millie's actions end up being hurtful to others. and the meaner Millie gets the more others stay away from her.

Description from Amazon:  Millie is quiet.  Millie is sweet.  Millie is mild.  But the kids at school don't listen to her.  And she never gets a piece of birthday cake with a flower on it.  And some girls from her class walk right on top of her chalk drawing and smudge it.  And they don't even say they're sorry!  So that's when Millie decides she wants to be fierce!  She frizzes out her hair, sharpens her nails and runs around like a wild thing.  But she soon realizes that being fierce isn't the best way to get noticed either, especially when it makes you turn mean.  So Millie decides to be nice--but to keep a little of that fierce backbone hidden inside her.  In case she ever needs it again.
Connections:
Negative Attention Seeking Lesson Idea:  www.projectwisdom.com.
Books:  Mollie Fierce; Let's Talk About Needing Attention

A lesson on friendship

One of the books that I use in small groups is The Sandwich Swap.  The Sandwich Swap leads to great discussions on how we can be different, but still be friends.  The story is about two girls who are best friends, but that friendship is tested when each girl tells the other that her lunch seems gross. Salma and Lily come from different cultural backgrounds and their lunches reflect that they have differences. The Sandwich Swap is a great reminder that we need to embrace and appreciate each other's differences.  If you want to use this book in a classroom setting you can find an entire lesson plan along with scenarios at Read4Health.  You can also find a script for a skit along with some other lesson ideas HERE.  I especially like the writing part where you have students write about a time where they thought they weren't going to like something but ended up liking it after they tried it.

You can purchase The Sandwich Swap HERE.

Description from Amazon:  Lily and Salma are best friends.  They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together.  Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus-but what's that between friends?  It turns out, a lot.  Before they know it, a food fight breaks out.  Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences?  Or will a sandwich come between them?  The smallest things can pull us apart-until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference.  In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance.

Connections:

I haven't used this lesson yet but plan to download it and use it to go along with The Sandwich Swap.  I love that you create PB&J friendwiches while learning about important friendship traits and that yucky toppings (gets jealous bacon, has a bad attitude lettuce, gives put downs onion, etc...) ruin the sandwich.  You can get it for $4.80 on TPT and it is 67 pages long, including a game and a bulletin board idea!

Friends Stick Together Like PB&J

You could also download the FREE PRINTABLE SANDWICH from http://kidsactivitiesblog.com and have students write friendship traits on each piece of the sandwich.

This Friendship Venn Diagram with questions would be a great tool for talking about diversity among classmates:

Here is another Friendship Venn Diagram:

There is a fun activity in this Free TPT product:  Book It: Retell It, Write It, Make It!.  Students can work together to see how many words they can make out of "sandwich swap".

This would be a good worksheet to hand out prior to reading the story.  Students could fill it out as the story is read:

Listening & Making Predictions

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Tacky the Penguin

Tacky the Penguin is a cute book about being yourself.  Tacky the Penguin is an odd bird and doesn't behave like all of the other penguins.  He wears crazy Hawaiian shirts while all of the other penguins are in their tuxes.   The other penguins find Tacky annoying until his odd behavior saves the day!  I use this book with kindergarten and first grade students to teach lessons on tolerance, self-esteem, self-acceptance, etc...

Purchase Tacky the Penguin HERE.

Connections:

Lesson:  Read Tacky the Penguin aloud for students then lead a discussion:

Discussion Questions:

Tacky the Penguin

Next, use the Venn diagram from the link below to compare Tacky to the other penguins.  

Tacky the Penguin

You could also use this printable to compare the actions of Tacky compared to the other penguins:  This printable has a cute writing activity called "Like Tacky" with a shirt that students can decorate any way they wish.

Tacky the Penguin Companion Printables

You could also have students write on this paper:

Tacky the Penguin Writing

Next, have students create their own "Tacky Penguin":

Create your own Tacky the Penguin

Finally, have students write a sentence telling you what they like about Tacky:

Writing Prompt: I like Tacky because...

Here is another cute idea from Live, Laugh, Love Kindergarten:  Tacky Penguin Craftivity

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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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Making Friends is an Art! (Making and Keeping Friends)

Last week I posted one of my crayon themed lessons and I'm sharing another one today (sidenote:  this book is actually about colored pencils).   Once my third graders are done with their lesson on empathy and compassion using The Day the Crayons Quit I introduce a book that talks about friendship qualities.  Making Friends is an Art! is my absolute favorite book about friendship.  The main lesson of this book is that " To have good friends, you need to be a good friend."  The author also points out that "you can't expect the other colors to like you if you don't like yourself."   The main character (Brown Pencil) learns that he doesn't have friends because he never laughs, always puts others down, frowns, complains, disagrees, etc...

Making Friends is an Art!

Connections:

www.elementarymatters.com has a great lesson idea with a making friends is an art FREEBIE!

TPT: Making Friends is an Art FREEBIE

Making Friends is an Art Guidance Lesson

Teaching Kids How to Make Friends

Discussion Questions and Crown Activity by Life Lesson for Little Ones

Here is another crown FREEBIE:

I also purchased this product from TPT for $2.00.  I would recommend it!

PowerPoint with activity

You can purchase Making Friends is an Art! HERE.

More books about friendship:
How to Lose All Your Friends


How to Be a Friend


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Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is an important lesson for students.  My go-to-book for sportsmanship issues in k-2 is Howard B Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship.  My favorite book for grades 3-5 is Sally Sore Loser.  

Howard B Wigglebottom Learns about Sportsmanship:

I love Howard B Wigglebottom books and so do students!  I have quit the collection going and I found a few more that I am excited to order.  In Howard B Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship, Howard has a hard time losing.  He cheats and upsets his friends because he will do whatever it takes to win.  Howard later realizes that winning isn't everything.  He learns the importance of sharing and playing fair.  You can purchase the book HERE.

 

You can find material HERE to go along with Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns about Sportsmanship.  I also love the soccer ball writing idea HERE or the Kickball Curriculum from TPT:

HOWARD B. WIGGLEBOTTOM SPORTSMANSHIP READING LESSON (Free)

Sally Sore Loser

Sally loves to be first at everything!  She is first in line at school. She is first out the door at recess.  She is first at dinner to finish her mac n' cheese!   Unfortunately, Sally dislikes losing and this can lead to hot tempers and hurt feelings.  She even gets the nickname Sally Sore Loser from her classmates at school.  With the help of her teacher and her mom, Sally learns the rules for being a good winner and a good loser, and the most important thing is having fun.  You can purchase the book HERE.

Connections:

Sportsmanship Sort (Free)

Writing Prompt

What is Sportsmanship?

Sportsmanship Checklist Poster (Free)

The Rules of Good Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship Code

Gossip is like Feathers (Mr. Peabody's Apples)

I recently did a lesson with my fifth graders on Rumors and Gossip.  This is a 2-3 day lesson depending on how much time you have with the class.  Side note:  my principal evaluated me doing this lesson...she loved it:)

Lesson 1:  

assessment piece:  Anticipation Guide for Mr. Peabody's Apples

Read Mr. Peabody's Apples to the class.  You can purchase the book HERE.  

Pre-Reading and Post-Reading Questions:  HERE

Lesson 2-3:  PowerPoint, Activity, Discussion

This is the presentation that I created for this lesson:  PowerPoint Presentation: Mr. Peabody's Apples: Rumors and Gossip

Activity:  The rules for the activity are in the PowerPoint.  I found the activity HERE.  I changed the activity in that I had the students try to put the glitter back into the original container.  

You can also use Mr. Peabody's Apples to teach trustworthiness.  Great lesson idea HERE and HERE.

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Growth Mindset

Today I am connecting you with some resources that I have found to be useful in teaching growth mindset.  There are so many great products out there!  This is my first year focusing on "mindset" and I am very excited to be adding something new to my counseling curriculum!

These are good resources if you are unfamiliar with growth mindset:

Mindsets in the Classroom

A Mindset for Learning: Teaching the Traits of Joyful, Independent Growth

You can find a PowerPoint Presentation for students HERE.

I am going to start with Bulletin Boards.  I love this Bulletin Board set on TPT and it is only $1.50. This packet is 18 pages and totally worth $1.50!

Mindset Bulletin Board

The next two bulletin boards were found on Pinterest.  I'm not sure who to give credit to but they look a lot like the materials provided in the link above.

Change Your Words, Change Your Mindset Bulletin Board

The next bulletin board was found at http://www.schcounselor.com

Next, i'm connecting to FREE resources that I have found on TPT.  

Growth Mindset

Mindset

Growth and Fixed Mindset Back to School Letter Size Posters

Growth Mindset Brain Unit

Growth Mindset Posters

Change Your Mindset!

HOW TO USE GROWTH MINDSET

Growth vs Fixed Mindset Video

Growth Mindset Cards

These books would be great resources as well:

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

Making A Splash - Growth Mindset for Kids

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle

Beautiful Oops!

The Dot

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

The Most Magnificent Thing

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