EDUCATION / BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT

Grades 3-5

“The series is highly recommended and will prove invaluable to school professionals with structured lesson plans and supplementary materials to help all students succeed.”
—Lori Ernsperger, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Executive Director of Behavioral Training Resource Center
“My colleagues and I have conducted several studies on the curricula in the Strong Kids series and have been impressed with how easily public school educators have been able to implement these with fidelity. We have also documented improvements in students’ internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression) following implementation of Strong Kids.”
—Paul Caldarella, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Brigham Young University

STRONG KIDS

The Strong Kids curriculum helps students develop the social-emotional skills they need to manage their challenges and succeed in school and life. Developed by a team of educational and mental health experts, this evidence-based, age-appropriate curriculum is low cost and low tech.

Authors

Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Ph.D. University of Oregon Eugene
Laura L. Feuerborn, Ph.D. University of Washington, Tacoma
Barbara A. Gueldner, Ph.D. Successful Kids Today
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Oanh K. Tran, Ph.D. California State University Hayward

Contents

Section I

• Introduction and Overview
  • Chapter 1 About Strong Kids
  • Chapter 2 Preparing Your Lessons and Your Students
  • Chapter 3 Overview of the Lessons
  • Chapter 4 What’s New: Updates to Strong Kids and Strong Teens

Section II

The Strong Kids—Grades 3–5 Curriculum

• Lesson 1 About Strong Kids: Emotional Strength Training
• Lesson 2 Understanding Your Emotions 1
• Lesson 3 Understanding Your Emotions 2
• Lesson 4 Understanding Other People’s Emotions
• Lesson 5 Dealing with Anger
• Lesson 6 Clear Thinking 1
• Lesson 7 Clear Thinking 2
• Lesson 8 Solving People Problems
• Lesson 9 Letting Go of Stress
• Lesson 10 Positive Living
• Lesson 11 Creating Strong and SMART Goals
• Lesson 12 Finishing UP!

Section III

Appendices

• Appendix A Strong Kids Knowledge Test for Students in Grades 3–5
• Appendix B Basic Fidelity Checklist

Lesson 6: Clear Thinking 1

SEL Competencies Addressed

• To teach students an awareness and understanding of common thinking traps.
• Understand the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors.
• Develop an awareness of their own thoughts.
• Identify common thinking traps that affect behavior.

Materials Needed

• Supplements 6.1–6.2 (online download)
• Supplement 6.3 (online download and handout)
• Supplement 6.4–6.5 (online download)
• Supplement 6.6–6.7 (online download and handout)
• Supplement 6.8 (homework handout)
• Optional props (dark glasses, binoculars, and fortune cookie)

Introduction

During our last meeting, we talked about ways to deal with your anger—what it looks like and healthy ways of dealing with anger.

Key Terms and Definitions

• Thoughts: Ideas or opinions in the mind that can affect feelings.
• Self-talk: The things we say to ourselves, which can be negative, positive, or neutral.
• Thinking traps: Thoughts that represent inaccurate or unrealistic interpretations of events.

Activity A: Thoughts Associated with Emotions

• Use Supplement 6.4 as a visual aid. Ask for volunteers to share thoughts and emotions based on their experiences.

Activity B: Identifying Thinking Traps Part 1

• Discuss common thinking traps using Supplement 6.6 as a handout. Engage students in identifying those traps from their own lives.

Example Situations

1. Jason’s parents are getting a divorce. He thinks this is all his fault.
2. Maylee’s teacher suggested she run for class president, but she felt no one would vote for her.
3. Tamika got a bad grade on her spelling test and thinks she is the worst student in the class.
4. Lakota receives praise but feels upset because he did not perform perfectly.
5. Maylee believes she is always a bad kid in comparison to her sister.
6. Emma feels alone in her grief after losing her pet.
7. Jason unfairly generalizes his experience with one individual to everyone from Alabama.

Closure

Reflect on a key concept learned today and engage in a group breathing activity.

Additional Activities

• Have students create flash cards to illustrate thinking traps.
• Journal about their thoughts and identify patterns.

Homework Handout

• Students list situations where they faced thinking traps and identify their emotions and the corresponding thinking traps.