BUILDING POSITIVE CLASSROOM RELATIONSHIPS

Transcription

1 BUILDING POSITIVE CLASSROOM RELATIONSHIPS CREATED BY: Telesa Bullock and Tannis Bailey and Medicine Hat School District # ext. 4821

2 KIT CONTENTS A Social Story - Being A Good Listener Big Listening Game Small Listening Game Class Puzzle Let s Make a Deal cards from PECS Give Me 5 Poster Listening Songs Poster Break Card A Social Story Interrupting Circle Time Rules on a ring Interrupting Cards on a ring Book Little Tiger is Loud by Susan Hood Tiger Puppet Musical Instrument Craft paper plates, macaroni, stickers Popsicle Stick Loud and Quiet Cards Loud and Quiet Situation Cards A Social Story When To Hum and Sing A Voice o meter Our Different Voices Book - Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies by Howard Binkow Pig Hat, Black Garbage Bag (Invisible Cape), Funny Hat, Robot Hat Magic Friendship Bottle When To Tell A Teacher Situation Cards Dangerous and I Can Use My Words Cards with Fly Swatter 3 Reasons To Tell An Adult Poster

3 Building Positive Classroom Relationships Lesson Suggestions Please note - these activities may be taught in a number of settings and revisited at different times of the day. Some activities may work better in a one on one or small group setting, where other stories and activities can be used with the whole class participating. Don t try to get through all of the ideas in one sitting. Give the children time to practice what is being taught in unstructured settings such as center time or on the playground. There are many different stories shared throughout the lessons. Reading the same books over and over (or for several days) is a great way to give children a chance to experience more opportunities to feel confident and competent, which is an important part of social and emotional development. Lesson 1 Objective: To identify and understand what it means to be a good listener in class. 1. Read the social story Being A Good Listener. Discuss what it means to be a good listener and what the child can do to become a good listener (stop, look at my teacher, keep hands and feet still, etc). The children may also come up with other ideas of how they know how to be good listeners. 2. The Big Listening Game - Using the skills outlined in the Being A Good Listener story practice them while having fun playing the Big Listening Game! This game requires space to move, so if you are not playing it in the classroom with the whole class, you will need to prepare a place ahead of time to play this game. There are two levels of this game. Level 1 is a beginner level that teaches listening skills through colors and shapes. Level 2 is a more advanced level that teaches listening skills through language concepts and beginning letter sounds. The teacher or assistant leads the game and provides direction to the children by following the instructions outlined on the Listening Game Directions Card. 3. Small Listening Game This game can be played in a small group setting and is played like a Bingo Game. Auditory Discrimination,

4 Integration and Memory cards are included. Once the child has responded to the direction, he/she is given a Bingo Chip which they then place on the Bingo Card. Once their Bingo card is full, they have won the game. 4. Class Puzzle As a human family, we all want to belong somewhere. Being a part of a classroom is a very special thing for all children. Explain to the children that they all share a classroom, friends and fun activities together. The class puzzle demonstrates the whole group of students together. When a child is having a difficult time listening and/or respecting classmates, a piece of that puzzle is not fitting right. Something needs to be done to help that piece fit. The child or class can come up with a strategy to help the piece fit better. This is another way to help the child develop some ownership and responsibility for their behaviour and come up with a positive solution, while learning to understand that they are a valuable contributor to their class. This is also a good visual support for the children to see that they all belong and are very important. This strategy can be used when supporting families as well. When there has been a marital separation or a family member has gone away to work or school, the family puzzle can be used to explain visually why a child may feel sad or even angry. The puzzle can also illustrate the family members that are still around, demonstrating to the child that they are not alone and that there are other members they can rely on or trust in. 5. Let s Make a Deal Card and reward pictures adapted from the PECS program. The penny card or Let s Make a Deal Card gives the child a visual awareness of how much longer an activity will be and an opportunity to be working towards something more positive. First, the teacher must determine what will motivate the student. The pictures supplied are common student motivators, but not all rewards will work with all students. The pictures included are stickers, a special activity, a special toy, computer time or a special book. If these rewards are not motivating to the child, the teacher will need to find an item that is more rewarding. The teacher will then take a picture of it or use the actual object to show the child what they are working towards. The child is shown the pictures and chooses the reward they will be working towards. The picture is placed in the top right hand corner and the teacher gives the child a penny as he/she is engaged in the

5 tasks at hand. The child is often reminded that they only need four pennies until they get their special activity. The teacher can give the pennies as quickly or as slowly as needed. Once the child has 4 pennies on his/her Let s Make A Deal Card, the reward picture is exchanged for the actual reward. The child looks at the book, plays on the computer, plays with the toy, receives the sticker, or enjoys the special activity for a short time and then returns to choose another reward picture and makes another deal with the teacher. The child is again reminded that they will only need 4 pennies to earn their desired reward. The child continues to earn pennies until they complete the undesired task. 6. Show your students the - Give Me 5 Poster included in your kit. Remind the children of the 5 ways they can show that they are listening. a. Eyes on the speaker b. Ears listening c. Mouths closed d. Hands still e. Minds Thinking 7. Break Card While reviewing daily expectations, explain to the child that when they feel that things are getting to be too much to handle, they can use a break card. By handing the break card to the teacher, it will give them time away from the group to do something calming. Parameters such as how many break cards are allowed in one day as well as the duration of the break must be established at the outset to prevent overuse of the break card. This break card will also support the child in becoming more aware of when and what is overwhelming and replacing a negative behaviour with something more positive. 8. Review this lesson by using the Listening Songs included in your kit. Give Me Five Song (to the tune of Are You Sleeping ) and When I Am A Good Listener (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell ). 9. Praise the children for their efforts.

6 Lesson 2 Objective: To understand the concept of interrupting and implement positive strategies to prevent interrupting. 1. Read the Interrupting social story. Discuss what it means to interrupt and the ideas shared in the story such as I wait for my teacher to call my name; I raise my hand when I want to say something. 2. Read and discuss the Interrupting Cue cards with your students. Talk about how they might feel when someone interrupts them. Demonstrate and discuss what they could do instead of interrupting their teacher and friends. Role play with your students using situations that are relevant to them (for example): a. It is Molly s turn for show and share. She is talking about her doll. You want to tell the class about your brand new hot wheels bike. You start talking about your bike, but Molly was still talking about her doll. Using the cue cards, make a better choice. 3. Circle Time Rules on a ring. Discuss the rules with your students. These rules can be posted up in the classroom, or have the rules placed in a very special spot so the children have access to them throughout the day if they need the visual reminder. 4. Praise the children for their efforts. Lesson 3 Objective: To identify, understand and implement different voices for different situations. 1. Read the story Little Tiger is Loud by Susan Hood. This book introduces and wonderfully illustrates the use of different voices for different settings. While reading the story discuss why you would use a different voice depending on where you are. 2. Using the Tiger Puppet, go around the children and speak in a loud voice for the puppet you may even put the puppet s face really close to the child to whom you are speaking. Next, ask the children how they felt about the puppet s voice was it too loud, was the puppet too close? Did you feel good about his voice, how did it make you

7 feel? Role play different voices for different places (e.g. on the playground, in the library, in the gym, etc). 3. Share the Voice-O-Meter pictures showing the whisper voice, talking voice, singing voice and outside voice. Discuss and practice using the different voice volumes. Have the children practice quiet and loud while singing a familiar song like the good morning song. They can sing it quietly (whispering) the first time and then sing it loud. Audiotape the children as they sing and then play it back to see if they can hear the difference in the quiet and loud versions of the song. Ask if they like singing the song in a quiet or loud voice. 4. Use the Tiger Puppet to practice these voices. Post these pictures and make reference to the different voices to help the children experience and understand the difference. 5. Musical Instruments: Have the children create tambourines using the macaroni and paper bowls. There are also stickers included to make them look fancy. In reviewing the different voices as demonstrated through the Voice-O-Meter, shake the instruments according to the voice (i.e. whisper voice quietly shake your tambourine, singing voice vigorously shake your tambourine, etc.) 6. Give the children the Loud and Quiet Puppets. Using the Loud and Quiet situations included in the kit, ask the children to show (with their puppets) if it is a loud or a quiet situation. 7. Read the social story When to Hum and Sing. Discuss that sometimes it is okay to hum and sing like when you are in music class or singing with the class. It is not okay during story time or table time because it really bothers your friends and they cannot hear what your teacher is telling you. Schedule a time during the day to hum and sing. When you look on your picture schedule and it shows that it is singing or humming time, you can sing all you want! Lesson 4 Objective: To understand the concepts of bullying and tattling and to identify when to tell an adult. 1. Read and discuss the story Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies by Howard Binkow. This book introduces Howard as a victim of bullying. Howard is bullied by the Snorton Twins, who are fist punching, name calling and foot stomping bullies the worst kind of

8 bullies! It wonderfully illustrates how children worry about their safety but yet try to handle difficult situations on their own. Although Howard reminds himself that he should be Brave, be Bold and that a teacher must be Told; he still tries to handle the Snorton twins on his own. By using the props included in your kit (black garbage bag for an invisible cloak, pig hat, robot hat, and funny hat) act out the story. Involve the children in the re-enactment and provide opportunities for the children to share their own personal stories. Note: It is good practice to not have the children play the role of the bully. Remind children that bullies do not just hit, sometimes they use words that can be just as hurtful as a punch or kick. Discuss words that can be hurtful (e.g. I hate you, You are dumb., Don t touch my stuff you idiot, etc.). Bonus: On the last page of the story book, there are other ideas for lessons and reflections to further strengthen the childrens understanding of bullies. 2. Review what it means to be a good friend. Using the Kindness Tree (included in the Being a Good Friend Kit) sort the kind apples from the unkind apples. Children require repetition in mastering these skills. Play this game often and praise them for their efforts of treating one another with kindness. When you notice children treating one another with respect, blow friendship bubbles in the classroom using the bottle of bubbles included in your kit. 3. Read and discuss the poster 3 Reasons to Tell an Adult. a. Is it a danger to others? b. Is it a danger to yourself? c. Is it a danger to property? 4. Play the Fly Swatter Game. Set the Dangerous Card and the I Can Solve the Problem Card along side each other. By looking at the pictures presented to the child, he/she determines if it is a dangerous situation (e.g. Jake left the playground with a stranger) or if it is a situation that you could handle (e.g. Sam said that my picture is ugly). Using the fly swatter, hit the appropriate danger/not dangerous sign. If the child or children are having difficulty with this, the Cue Cards included in the Hands are Not for Hitting kit would be helpful to provide visual support and cues in developing positive solutions to problems. 5. Praise the children for their efforts.

9 Building Classroom Relationships Student: Instructor: The child will engage in the following lessons to increase his/her understanding of building classroom relationships. Please indicate if the child requires prompting (i.e. verbal cues or modeling) or if the child can complete the objective independently on the tally sheet below. The goal is to have the child achieve 80% accuracy at the independent level. This record sheet should be placed in the student s binder for reference for IPP goals. Lesson 1 Objective: To identify and understand what it means to be a good listener in class. Date With Prompting Independent Level

10 Lesson 2 Objective: To understand the concept of interrupting and implement positive strategies to prevent interrupting. Date With Prompting Independent Level Lesson 3 Objective: To identify, understand and implement different voices for different situations. Date With Prompting Independent Level

11 Lesson 4 Objective: To understand the concepts of bullying and tattling and to identify when to tell an adult. Date With Prompting Independent Level