19_Smart Choices

You mainly feel the way you think. —Albert Ellis Smart Choices At Home Resources Level: Lower Elementary (K-2) Concepts: • Choice • Emotion • ThoughtsBig Ideas For This LessonMaking smart choices is about focusing on one small moment at a time. By stopping to observethe situation before we act, we in turn can alter the outcome of any experience. Throughout theirday, children are constantly negotiating choices - whether they realize it or not!We can support students in making smart choices by teaching them to stop and think beforechoosing an action. The core of this lesson is about providing children with a simple self-regulationdecision making tool (STOP-THINK AGAIN-CHOOSE) to empower them to make changes withintheir control. Essential VocabularyBehavior: Any observable action, or pattern of actions, in response to a thought, emotion or event.Emotions (Feelings): Something you feel in response to an event, thought, or behavior. Emotions are complex reactionsto events and thoughts that help us to understand and respond to situations in our life. They can be pleasant, unpleas-ant, or neutral and are usually accompanied by physical sensations.Thought: Interpretations (opinions) we form about others, our world, and ourselves. The result of processing and orga-nizing information. Thoughts inform our behaviors and emotions. One’s internal dialogue or something you tell yourselfthat you could put in quotes (e.g. “Everything will be okay.”)© 2018 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 1 of 2 All rights reserved.

SMART CHOICES | GRADES K-2 PracticePractice the “STOP-THINK AGAIN-CHOOSE” strategy that your student learned in class:STOP = Put hand up like a policeman.Stop your negative thought.THINK AGAIN = Put your hands on your head and massage your brain. Rethink the situation.CHOOSE = Put finger up like you have an idea. Make a smarter decision.Example: During math, you are confused (feeling), so you think, ‘I don’t get it! I quit!’ (thought), and you areaboutto get out of your seat and leave the classroom without asking (behavior/do), but you remember toSTOP - THINK AGAIN - CHOOSE (I feel confused, maybe I should raise my hand and ask for help), so you makea smarter choice! Student Resources• The Way I Act (Picture Book) by Steve Metzger• What If Everybody Did That? (Picture Book) by Ellen Javernick• Y ou Are Friendly (Picture Book) by Todd Snow• What to Do When You Grumble Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Negativity (Informational Text) by Dawn Huebner• What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (Informational Text) by Dawn Huebner• What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming OCD (Informational Text) by Dawn Huebner• What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger (Informational Text) by Dawn Huebner• I Make Smart Choices (Video & Song 4:30)• Stop Think and Act (Pinterest – Posters) Adult Resources• Get Your Kids to Make Smart Decisions: 5 Must-Teach Tips (Blog)• Helping Kids Make Smart Choices (Blog)• Stop Think Do Model (Article)© 2017 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 2 of 2 All rights reserved.