What we do matters to others.

• how we behave towards others (Perspective)

• appropriate behaviour in a variety of settings (Responsibility)

• the impact of our behaviour on others (Reflection)

Connection, Perspective, Reflection

Related Concepts:

Acceptance, Relationships, Attitudes, Responsibilities, Behaviours

Story#1

The students listed to the story ‘A Cat and a Dog‘ by author Claire Masurel. In this story, a cat and a dog live in the same house, but they are not friends. They fight all the time, about everything. Then disaster strikes. Dog’s beloved ball bounces up into a tree and is stuck. Cat’s precious stuffed mouse falls into the pond. The story illustrates how a simple act of kindness can foster friendship.

Cornelis “They are angry, they are fighting, they are causing trouble.”

Reggie “Maybe they don’t like each other.”

Teacher “How can they solve the problem?”

Cornelis “They can put the carpet down.”

Reggie “One can sleep on it one night and the other the other night.”

We discussed problems we may have in school. The students began to brainstorm ideas for how we can work and play in school. We discussed Good Choices. SLO’s

• identify the consequences of their actions
• accept responsibility for own actions
• listen to others
• respect differences
• co-operate and share in mixed groups
• learn to take turns
• accept that others might have different opinions and preferences about things
• resolve arguments peacefully
• participate in communal classroom activities
• develop age appropriate skills for different social occasions

 

Story#2

During the last few weeks the students have been settling in, getting to know their peers and exploring their new learning environment. How do they demonstrate the attributes of the  Learner Profile? 

They are…

Inquirers

• We ask questions.
• We like to learn and discover new things about the world.
• We are curious, we will carry this love of learning throughout life.

Risk Takers

• We have the courage to try new things.
• We are not afraid to give it a go even if we feel shy.
• We try to solve problems in a lot of different ways.

Thinkers

• We are thoughtful.
• We try to solve problems and make good decisions.
• We do this by thinking about things and by learning from our mistakes.

Open-Minded

• We know that people are different and may do different things.
• We know that not everyone will think like us and that’s fine.
• We listen and try to understand others.

Knowledgeable

• We have learned many things.
• We can tell you about these things and we can show you.
• We can use this information to solve problems in life.

Reflective

• We think about what we have learned, what we are good at and what we can improve the next time.
• We take the time to think about our actions and their effects.

Caring

• We care for other people and try to help others.
• We care about everything around us.
• We want people around us to be happy and we are sensitive to their needs.

Communicators

• We talk about our ideas.
• We are able to express ourselves in more than one language.
• We can also communicate using mathematical language, symbols and drawings.

Principled

• We always try to do what is right.
• We are fair and follow rules.
• We are honest with ourselves and with others.

Balanced

• We eat healthy food and we exercise.
• We like to learn about different things.
• We understand it is important to have a balance of work and play.

Story#3

During the last few days we have been sharing our ideas about appropriate behaviour in a variety of settings (Responsibility). We had a new picnic mat in class and this encouraged a discussion on how we can work together as a community.

• 
• Cornelis “We are eating.”
• Ruby “That is me and Cornelis, we are peeling the orange.”
• Reggie “They are helping.”
• Ruby “We are eating our snack. We are being in a circle.”
• Jasmine “We are all sitting together.”
• Ruby “That is the rule. We have to share the mat.”
• Cornelis “Also, you don’t step on the picnic mat.”
• Ruby “Because it will get dirty.”
• Lawrence “We can’t step on the picnic mat or the food.”
• Cornelis “You must not touch someone else’s food.”
• Reggie “We wash our hands because it is dirty.”
• Amber “We can’t step on the mat. When the picnic gets dirty we dirty our food as well.”
• Hannah “We are sitting in a circle on the mat because we can put our food on the mat.”

Story#4

What we do matters to others.

We were excited to hear that the students in one of the Grade 2 classes will be our reading buddies for the year. We decided to bake cookies for them. Ms. Angie helped us bake the yummy chocolate chip cookies.

• Reggie “We are making cookies with Ms. Angie.”
• Ruby “We put the flour in there.”
• Cornelis “Also we need some butter.”
• Franz “Ms. Angie showed us the cookies in the book.”
• Cornelis “She needs ingredients.”
• Reggie “Butter, sugar.”
• Ruby “And flour”
• Cornelis “And brown sugar. And we also need chocolate and butter.”
• Ruby “Also she needed eggs.”

• Franz “We are stirring the egg.”
• Jasmine “I put my hand on the table and the other hand on the shirt. That is egg.”

• Amber “One hand I hold the bowl and the other hand I am stirring the dough.”
• Cornelis “I was waiting and my hands were on the chair. Because Jasmine was doing it I had to wait for it. I asked Jasmine can I have it to stir?”
• Ruby “I said…can I have a turn?”

• Reggie “That is dough to make cookies. Because we need to roll it into a ball.”
• Cornelis “And also we need to put some flour in our hands.”
• Ruby “Because it does not stick.”
• Abby “I wanted to put it on the tray.”
• Ruby “She put them in the oven.”
• Hannah “Because the cookies are still raw.”
• Reggie “Then they will turn right.”
• Cornelis “Also you need to bake them until they are all ready.”

• Cornelis “We went to the Grade 2 class.”
• Hannah “My sister’s class. I gave it to my sister.”

• Reggie “They said Thank You!”

• Hannah “Ms. Linnie and Ms. Nora got cookies too.”
• Ruby “We gave them because we have to eat them.”
• Reggie “Because we wanted to share.”

SLO’s

• develop an inquiring mind
• ask simple questions
• make observations
• follow a template/guide for study
• make statements that reflect their understandings
• develop their ability to reflect by describing the sequence of activities undertaken
• listen to others
• co-operate and share in mixed groups
• learn to take turns
• accept that others might have different opinions and preferences about things
• participate in communal classroom activities
• develop age appropriate skills for different social occasions

Story#5

Care and Empathy

As the weeks progress many examples of how students grow as a community become more visible. Helping each other navigate through tasks, showing concern and empathy for those who are hurt and supporting each other emotionally helps create a safe, caring and thoughtful learning environment.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/900297029338906625

SLO’s

• communicate with others in order to experience relationships and make friends
• reach out for help when it is needed for themselves or others
• identify when their actions have impacted on others

Story#6

Essential Agreements

Conversations about safety and care have been at the forefront during the last few weeks of school. These conversations are driven by the concepts acceptance, relationships, attitudes, responsibilities and behaviours. Literature and daily situations often provide opportunities for discussions about our care for others and the environment. In order to ensure that everyone works collaboratively, the students together with their teachers created ‘Essential Agreements‘.

Photographs of students creating this culture and climate for learning and play were shared with students to help them better understand these agreements.

Story#7

Zones of Regulation

The students sorted pictures of different feelings and emotions. This activity introduced students to the four zones used to categorize the different emotions and states of alertness people experience. 

Students listened to an online story ‘The Feelings Book‘ by Todd Parr. This is a surprising and silly book about moods and feelings.

Students listened to the story ‘On Monday When It Rained‘ written by Cherryl Kachenmeister. In this story the author and photographer have captured the thoughts and feelings of one small boy, whether he is proud or scared, lonely or excited.

 

SLO’s

• explain possible causes for their different feelings and emotions
• identify positive thoughts and attitudes in themselves
• identify and explore strategies that help them to cope with change
• recognise that everyone has feelings, emotions and perspectives that may differ from their own
• share their own ideas and feelings in an appropriate manner

Story#8

Today we read the book ‘When Sophie Gets Angry — Really, Really Angry‘ by Molly Bang. Anger can be a very upsetting and big emotion for young students. People do lots of different things when they get angry. This story shares what a little girl does when she gets angry. It was a good opportunity to talk about some of the strategies we can use when we feel ANGRY.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tISX0wadZnE

While reading the story, the students made connections with the Zones of Regulation posters displayed in the classroom.

SLO’s

• explain possible causes for their different feelings and emotions
• identify positive thoughts and attitudes in themselves
• identify and explore strategies that help them to cope with change
• recognise that everyone has feelings, emotions and perspectives that may differ from their own
• share their own ideas and feelings in an appropriate manner