Gratitude

Week of :    October 29 – November 1                    

       Theme:  Being Thankful- Gratitude

     Date                   News                             Greeting             Sharing               Activity

Mon 10/29 SLC’s
Tuesday a.m. 10/30   EF	Good Morning! It’s EF Day today! Based on yesterday’s SLC’s, what Goals can you set for 2nd Quarter? Ponder….	Gift Greeting to someone with the same color eyes	n/a	Great & Speedy Goal Setting (GSGS) Activity
Tuesday p.m. 10/30   Activity	Good Afternoon! This week we focus on Being Grateful. Practicing gratitude increases happiness!  Research shows that grateful people do better in school, have better friendships, are healthier & even make more $.  It’s a good thing to practice!	Cumulative Greeting	n/a	Gratitude Tree
Wed 10/31   Activity	Happy Halloween!   Let’s be spooktacularly fabulous role models for the Elementary kiddo’s today.	Question Greeting	n/a	Charades
Thursday 11/1   Share	Good Morning!   What do you think of this quote? “If the only prayer you said in life was ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.” -Meister Eckhart	Good Morning Friend	Triple Whip Share: State something you are thankful for. Round 1: your family Round 2: Seacrest Round 3: yourself	n/a
Friday 11/2   Activity	Did you know?  Some studies show that a daily practice of gratitude is MORE POWERFUL than medicine when it comes to treating sadness.  Mark below how skilled you are in practicing gratitude: 1----5----10 times per day I think or express gratitude	Greet someone you haven’t greeted in several days.	n/a	Thank You Notes

Notes:

 

Whip Share:

A topic is introduced by the leader.  Students are given a minute to think.  Each student offers a brief response to the topic; responses quickly “whip” around the circle.  “Who is someone you depend on and why?”

 

Students answer a few words or a sentence, answering in order around the circle (the order and brevity increases safety and diminishes risk of over-exposure).  Introverts might speak softly at first; extroverts might be silly, or posture.   

Teacher is watching for respectful listening and speaking, and for full participation.

 

Introduced for the first time, Whip Share needs to be modeled and practiced (like any activity). The teacher demonstrates by giving her answer to the question: “Who is someone you depend on and why?”  A discussion of some finer points follows.

 

Teacher:  “I depend on my best friend because she cares about me but is also honest when giving me advice.”

Teacher: “What did you notice about my answer?”

 Student:  “It was short.  You said a complete sentence.”

Teacher:  “Yes, I did answer in a full sentence, but in this first round that’s not a requirement.  What else did you notice?”

Student:  “You looked at us when you talked.”

 

At first there may be uncomfortable posturing, and students may say something is their favorite even when it isn’t because they know it’s typical.  It takes a certain amount of safety to admit that you really like something different than our peers.  A marker of a true community is when students begin speaking honestly, and are not afraid to reveal that they are a little different.

 

Daily Instructions

Tuesday, October 30

 

Greeting:  Gift Greeting – Students greet someone with the same eye color and extend an imaginary gift to the person they greet.  The gift should demonstrate a level of relationship between the greeter and the student being greeted by being related to an interest the student being greeted has.  “Good Morning Jordan.  I am giving you a volleyball because I know you play on the team.”

 Activity – Great & Speedy Goal Setting – Ask students to think about what they learned yesterday about their first quarter performance – strengths and weaknesses.  Give them a second to think.  Some groups may spontaneously discuss, depending of level of safety.  Next, ask students to think of two goals they could develop for second quarter. 

Remember that a good goal is SPECIFIC and manageable, with a time frame.  Help students consider small goals that are achievable (the brick vs. the pyramid).  Once the goals are formed, have students write down the goal(s) in the right margin of their planners, to be reviewed each EF Monday and transferred to the next week (if it’s still applicable).

Wednesday, October 31

News:  Please remind students of appropriate conduct during the Halloween Parade.

Greeting:   Question Greeting – Count three people to your right.  Greet that person and ask that person what his or her favorite Halloween costume EVER was (either his own or someone elses).  Share your own as well. 

Activity:  Charades – Advisor prepares a list of vocabulary words.  Choose a form for guessing (raising hands, blurting; ringing a bell).  To play a student (or pair of students) is selected.  The Advisor assigns that student or pair a vocabulary word without disclosing it to the whole group.  The word is mimed while the rest of the class tries to guess it.  New students are selected to mime each new word.  Advisors take a turn as well, having a student assign you a word to mime for your advisees.

Thursday, November 1

Greeting:  Good Morning, Friend (p.223) – Ask a student to pick the language of the day for the greeting.  He or she recites the greeting and the rest of the class repeats it back. [cards attached]

Share:  [See Whip Share instructions above.] 

             

“Okay, it’s Whip Share time and we are going to go around the circle quickly three times today.  One the first round, state something (one word or one sentence) that you feel grateful for in your family (for example, that we have a place to live; that my dad has a good job; that my mom is kind; my brothers are funny and make me laugh).  On the second round, you will share one word or one sentence about something you feel grateful for at Seacrest; then finally, something about yourself (for example, my eyes that see; my golf swing after much practice….).

Friday, November 2

Greeting:  “Greet someone you haven’t greeted in several days.”

 

Activity:  Thank You Notes

                Everyone loves to feel appreciated.  Often we appreciate people in our hearts and minds but stop short of expressing our gratitude. 

                Who is someone at Seacrest who has done something nice for you?  Think about everyone whom you see from the first thing in the morning to the last thing as you leave.  There are many unsung heroes!  Is Nurse Rae always there for you?  Do you appreciate Mrs. Ryan’s smiles and greetings at the front desk?  Is there a teacher who makes you laugh or who goes the extra mile to help you “get” a tough concept?  What about Mr. Keith, who works tirelessly to keep our computers running?

                Appreciation is an art and thank you notes are falling by the wayside in our technological age.  They are needed and important!

               

                About the format:                Greeting

                                                                Thank you

                                                                Specific details

                                                                How act of kindness made you feel

                                                                Closing

 

                Example:                               Dear Mrs. Smith,

                                                                               

                                                                                Thank you so much for talking with me last week when I                                                                                 was confused about my American History test.  Your patience and                                                                         your jokes made me feel better about the mistakes I had made and                                                                   encouraged to try again.  I really appreciate your kindness!

 

                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                Betsy Ross

 

                Ask students to write a rough draft on a piece of scrap paper.  Review notes and help with needed edits.  THEN AND ONLY THEN give cards to students for the final drafts.

               

We are grateful for our wonderful Advisors!!!