Social Thinking Group Updates

We've been super busy working in our Social Thinking groups. I'm proud of all the hard work that the kids have been putting into learning new skills. Here are some of the things we've been working on and resources you can use at home...

Kinder group #1: We've been working on developing language skills for positional words including "on, under, and above". We've also worked on expanding our recognition of basic feelings facial expressions.

Kinder/1st grade: We've continued working on expanding the accurate recognition of facial expressions. We've also worked on learning how to use a 5 point scale to identify our anxiety level, triggers that typically put us in the "danger zone" (4 or 5), and strategies to use to bring our anxiety back down to a manageable level (1 or 2). The 5 point scale is adopted from Kari Dunn Burton's work The Incredible 5 Point Scale.

The calming sequence is adopted from her book When My Worries Get Too Big.  The instructions for the calming sequence are to: close your eyes, breathe in and out slowly, and rub your thighs. We also add the instruction to "think of your happy place". The kids all came up with a location or image they could think of that made them feel calm and good. Ask your child where his "happy place" is. It is a great idea to practice using the calming sequence during calm periods so that it is easier to access during stressful moments.

2nd grade: We've spent a great deal of time delving into Superflex (created by Michelle Garcia Winner) and the strategies to defeat the Unthinkables. Superflex is a superhero who uses flexible thinking to solve social problems.

The two main Unthinkables that we have covered are Rockbrain (the boss of the Unthinkables) who makes us get stuck on our own ideas and not be flexible with alternative ways of doing things and Glassman who makes us have big reactions to small problems. The boys have identified common situations that cause them to have difficulty with Rockbrain and Glassman and strategies to defeat them. Please feel free to use any of these resources at home to help your child (or have your child help you!) defeat the Unthinkables.

The main calming tool that we are using to defeat Glassman and start to problem solve is progressive relaxation. Here is a visual that you can use to guide at home. The "shortcut" way is just to tighten fists and release with a deep breath.

We also use the following guidelines to help us determine what size the problem really is. Sometimes problems can feel really big, but when we check it out we find that they are more manageable than we originally thought.

5th grade: We have been working on continuing our discussion about conversation skills and have explored how to identify sarcasm. As you can imagine as we prepare for middle school, recognizing sarcasm is an important skill to know! We discussed the common characteristics of sarcasm which include variations in tone, saying the opposite of what is meant, and appropriate audiences for sarcasm - usually not your teachers or parents! ;)  We watched video examples of sarcasm and identified what the real meaning is in the verbal exchange.

We are eager to expand all these skills in the new year!

I want to wish all of you a relaxing, peaceful and joyous holiday. I hope you all get a chance to relax and enjoy quiet time with your precious kiddos! See you in 2013!

Upcoming Schedule for Parent Support Co-op

The Difficulty of Making Behavioral Change

Parents,
I just wanted to share this article with you from Pam Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP. She works with Michelle Garcia Winner at the Social Thinking Clinic in California. She wrote this article about the difficulty and complexity of making behavioral change. It certainly serves as a good reminder about the complicated nature of what we ask students to do on a yearly basis. I encourage you to read it and email me any questions you have about the process or the techniques described. If you have a question, I'm sure others do as well. I would love to answer any questions that I can!

Click here to access the article.

Visuals To Prompt Play Skills

We've spent a number of weeks targeting group play skills including sharing and taking turns in the Kinder & 1st grade social thinking groups. The following visual has proven useful to cue students to use language to initiate and maintain play interactions. Feel free to print and use at home.

This powerpoint social story can also be helpful to review the "playdate rules" before playing with a friend.   Click here to download the "Playing with a Friend" social story.

Social Thinking Group Updates

Here are the latest tidbits from our Social Thinking groups...

Kinder & 1st Grade has been learning about play skills outdoors and indoors. We have been learning and practicing how to initiate play, how to share materials and toys, and how to take turns. The kids have watched video modeling by Playtime with Zeebu and have worked to problem solve basic problems in play situations. The kids love Zeebu. There are some basic feelings identification games available on the website if you would like to access them from home. Just click HERE to access the website.

2nd graders and 5th graders have worked hard on developing conversation skills. We have used various video modeling resources as well as experiential activities. We have practiced how to show and tell when others are interested or not interested, how to observe appropriate personal space, how to use our friend files to help us figure out what to talk about, how to take conversational turns, and how to adjust through related conversational topics. We are now beginning to learn about flexible thinking through the Superflex curriculum. Superflex is a curriculum created by Michelle Garcia Winner. Superflex is a superhero who teaches how to use strategies to defeat the "Unthinkables". Unthinkables are characters who cause inflexible thinking. As we study various strategies, I will post visual tools that you can use at home in the sidebar.

Preparing for Camp Champions

Woo hoo! It is almost time for the 5th graders to go to Camp Champions. The kids and I have been preparing by reading the Powerpoint below, generating lists of questions or concerns, and finding answers. They are feeling confident and ready! If you would like to go through the Powerpoint at home, click below.Camp Champion

Expected & Unexpected Behaviors... What's It All About??

Michelle Garcia Winner is a Speech-Language Pathologist who coined the term "Social Thinking". Social Thinking is the core tenet of what I teach in the SCORES program. It is more than teaching explicit social skills (even though that is important as well). It is about teaching deeper. Teaching WHY certain behaviors create particular feelings and thoughts in others. It is about teaching that social interaction is reciprocal.

One of the core terms we use are "Expected" and "Unexpected". These do not connote good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate. They simply identify what types of behaviors are expected in various situations and how engaging in expected behavior creates calm, positive feelings in others. For example, talking to my coworkers in the middle of a faculty meeting would be unexpected. Dr. Pena would not have calm feelings and would react negatively to me. However, talking to my coworkers at an afterschool get together is expected and would create positive feelings in my coworkers. The same behavior can be viewed differently based upon context.

So, how do you use this at home? You embed it into every day life. You verbally observe and take note with your child of what is expected in various situations. You verbally observe and take note if you notice someone not engaging in expected behavior. You ask your child to observe and take note independently. You help your child connect the dots between behavior and the feelings/thoughts it creates in others. You look at it from the perspective of educating your child about what is expected instead of reprimanding them after the fact.

Kids with social thinking challenges must be taught explicitly the expectations for various situations. Kids who are working on learning the social thinking language have to work just as hard as someone who is learning a foreign language. They do not learn effectively by simple modeling. You have to spell it out!  When you do, you will see much less anxiety and upsetting behaviors. Your child WANTS to do the correct thing, but sometimes he or she simply does not know the social language.

For more information about using the terms "expected" and "unexpected", I encourage you to check out Michelle Garcia Winner's blog. She recently wrote an excellent article about this issue. You can find her blog at http://www.socialthinking.com/component/content/article/597-using-expected-unexpected-social-thinking-vocabulary?utm_source=Book+Awards%2C+Peters+Article%2C+Denver+free+ticket&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email

Please don't hesitate to email if you have questions!

Social Thinking Group Snippets

Hello Parents!
Here is a quick update about what is happening in Social Thinking Groups...


Kindergarten

• Our two Kinder groups have been working on learning about Whole Body Listening. Whole Body Listening is a core concept that is used throughout their entire school day. It teaches the students to observe whether their bodies are helping them pay attention (are your ears listening to the speaker? Are your eyes looking at the speaker? Are your hands/feet quiet? Is your bottom sitting? Is your brain thinking about the topic?).  We cue the kiddos by saying, "Show me Whole Body Listening!".  You can use this term at home to help your child pay attention to the family at the dinner table or attend to any task where they need to display attention to the group. 
•  If you would like a visual to cue Whole Body Listening at home, you can find a printable on   the right sidebar under the "Whole Body Listening" tab.
• Another tool that is very handy is the Whole Body Listening helper. This is a small object (an action figure, a lego piece, etc.). It sits on an index card where it "helps" the child monitor whether their body and brain is in the group. While it is on the card, it is not a toy, but a tool. As long as the child's body is facing the group and their body is helping them listen, the WBL  helper stay on the card. When the child's body or brain leaves the group, then the adult takes the WBL helper off the card and makes sure the child notices. Cue them with "Show me Whole Body Listening" and return the helper once the child has redirected his attention. At the end of the activity, if the WBL helper is still on the card, the child should earn a small reward for his efforts. Using this tool over time helps train the child to become more aware of his own attention.
• Here is an example of a Whole Body Listening helper.

 

1st Grade

• We have been also been re-teaching the concept of Whole Body Listening. Please see the above Kinder post for ideas and tools. 
• This week we will continue to practice Whole Body Listening in game format.

2nd Grade 

• The kids have been reviewing the concepts of Whole Body Listening and the tools a Social Detective uses by teaching it to the teachers! We are so excited to see how much they remember from last year and what a great job they did teaching it.
• We also began working on developing Conversation Skills by watching a video model. This week we will continue to learn more about conversation skills. 

5th Grade

• We have begun working on Conversation Skills by watching a video model and will continue to work on developing our conversation skills this week through role playing games. 

** Please remember to sign up to follow this blog by email (if you haven't done so already!). I want everyone to get the updates and it saves me a step of having to email everyone to notify you of a new post if you've signed up. You will NOT receive unwanted emails. You will only receive an email when a new post has been published to this blog. Please enter your email address on the right sidebar under the "Follow By Email" header. Thank you!! 

The Connection Between Sensory Issues & Behavior

Special-ism.com has posted a good article about the connection between Sensory needs and behaviors. I encourage you to take a look at it here.

How To Teach Your Child To Pause & Think

Dear Parents,
Here is a good article written by parenting coach, Dan Perdue, at Special-ism.com about how to teach your child to respond to a signal word. A signal word can be a valuable tool to help your child pause during a tantrum or emotionally charged moment and remember his goal of making good behavioral choices.

I encourage you to take a look at this short article and decide if this is something you would like to teach at home. Click here to view the article Pause the ADHD Outburst.

Tips for Managing the Back to School Transition

I hope that you have had a relaxing and fun summer. As always, the transition back to school seems to come all too soon! 

Please know that after I return to school the week of August 20, I will be contacting each family to offer a quiet time for your child to visit their new classroom. You are, of course, welcome to bring them during our regular "Meet the Teacher" event, but that can be very noisy and crowded. If your child is likely to feel overwhelmed, then I encourage you to consider bringing them at the alternate time. I also plan to snap some photos of their classroom and teacher and email them home (as soon as the teachers have finished setting up their classrooms).

This time of summer we all start to feel stressed about transitioning from summer to school. I don't know any students who find transitions enjoyable. Anxious behavior is to be expected from most of our children (and more than a few parents and teachers!).  Please consider using some of the suggestions listed below to help ease your child's transition back to school.

• An increase in difficult behavior or tantrums is not unusual. Be calm and consistent with your expectations.  Consistency of expectations is essential to decrease anxiety.  Do your best to stay emotionally calm. Positively reinforce calm behavior with praise and preferred activities.

• Keep conversations about school starting to a minimum. Discussing it over and over again does not calm anxieties. Imagine if you are afraid of spiders and the people around you want to talk about spiders every day for a couple of weeks! I doubt that it would help you stop being afraid of spiders. Continue about the business of getting ready for school (buying supplies, etc), but minimize the conversation while occasionally emotionally checking in. Let your child know that if they do want to talk about their feelings, you are available. Saying something like "How are you feeling about going back to school?" or "Do you have any worries?" can help your child know that you are available to talk.  

• Respect your child's feelings. Don't try to convince them to be excited about school. Simply listening and reflecting back their feelings can help take a lot of the "power" out of those anxious feelings. 

• Children who have difficulty with transitions do much better with a visual schedule. This is absolutely one of the most effective things you can do to decrease anxiety!  Print off either of the two calendars below or have your child make his/her own. The week before school starts help your child write a plan for each day. It would be helpful for them to also fill in an activity that they are looking forward to doing after school each day for the first week of school. Help them see that preferred activities can be enjoyed even after school starts again.

• Check off each day as they pass so your child can see what is next on his plan.

• Get your child back into the routine of a regular bedtime and wake time. Please don't wait until the weekend before school starts to adjust their sleep schedule -- or eating or meds schedule for that matter!

• Consider arranging a playdate with a school friend. Consider taking the kids to play on the playground at school. This can remind them of the fun times they will have once they are back at school.  

• Arrange everything for the first day of school the night before (clothing, lunchbox, supplies, etc). Eliminating the mad rush in the morning will help keep things calm.  Again, having a simple visual schedule made for the morning can make things more predictable and calm for your child. You can help your child write or draw a schedule or you can make one using google images. When my children were younger, I actually took photographs of them performing each step of the schedule. It was more motivating to see themselves successfully doing the right thing. A basic morning visual schedule can look something like this:  

Or this...

Or it can look like a simple list if your child is a good reader and does not need picture cues.

• Above all, keep a positive and calm attitude. Your "vibe" is easily felt by your child.

I hope these suggestions will be helpful. Please send me an email if you have specific concerns or needs that we need to discuss. I don't have a classroom phone hooked up yet (I've moved rooms...will send more info on that later!), but can always be reached via email.
 

 

Now go enjoy your last couple of weeks of summer vacation! See you soon! ~ Mrs. Hively

Fun Activities for Hand Strengthening

Summer time is perfect for relaxing, but also perfect to work on strengthening the muscles in your child's hands! By spending time doing fun activities during the summer, your child will return to school in the fall ready to develop their handwriting skills.

Here's some helpful info about hand and finger strength from Therapystreetforkids.com:
More about hand and finger strength . . .

There are well over 25 muscles in your forearm and hand.  The muscles in the forearm control elbow, wrist and finger movements.  Smaller muscles within the palm of the hand control the more refined movements of the thumb and fingers.  

It may appear that someone has strong hands when they are able to squeeze something really hard.  But that's not the whole story.  That type of strong grip comes mostly from the forearm muscles.   When squeezing, some of the strength comes from the smaller muscles within the hand, but these muscles contribute only a little bit to total grip strength.  

So, when we look at hand strength, we also need to look at the strength of those small muscles within the hand.  In infancy, these muscles are not fully developed.  Babies are able to grip and squeeze first with all of their fingers in unison before they are able to control movement in each finger individually.   As infants develop, they are able to control the thumb and fingers individually, rather than as a mass grip or squeeze.

Why is this important?

When the large and small muscles of the forearm and hand are slow to develop, weakness and incoordination may result.   The large muscles of the forearm may overcompensate for weak inner hand muscles.  As a result, the child will find ways to hold, pinch and grip small objects in awkward ways.  As examples, the child may have difficulty

• picking up small items (bits of food, Cheerios, coins, etc.) using the pads and tips of the index finger and thumb.
  
• holding a pencil, crayons and markers with a 3 or 4 finger tip pinch
  
• holding and using feeding utensils effectively
  
• fastening closures (zippers, snaps, buttons) on garments easily
  
• using scissors
  
• imitating various finger positions during finger play  (e.g., touching each finger to the thumb-opposition, making the "A-ok" sign).
  
• manipulating small items within the hand (e.g., transferring coins within the palm out to the fingertips). 

 Here are some fun summer activities to help increase hand and finger strength:

• Clay, therapy putty, Silly putty, play-doh, Sculpey, bread dough, modeling foam (Crayola Model Magic)

  • These are all excellent materials for squeezing, squishing, pushing, pulling and molding
    
  • Try hiding small objects (beads, pennies, beans) inside and then try pulling them out
    
  • Use a rolling pin to flatten it out, then use cookie cutters to make shapes
    
  • See Recipe for putty 
   

Interlocking construction toys

• Mega Blocks are large sized Legos and are best for preschool age children
  
• Bristle (Krinkles) blocks are a good choice for preschool age
  
• Legos, Tinkertoys and K'nex are best for older children
  
• Pop beads: large size for preschool, small (play jewelry type) for older children
  
• Linking chains
  

Water play with spray bottles, water guns, squirt toys, sponges

• Spray bottles: help water plants or spray the windows to clean, play with it in the bathtub, play outdoors in warm weather, fill the bottles with liquid chalk (see instructions here) or liquid watercolors (see instructions here).
  
• Water guns and squirt toys: outdoor summer fun as well as in the bathtub.
  
• Sponges: squeezing to wring out the water is great for strengthening hands and forearms.  Help wash the car, wash toys and dolls in the sink or bathtub, squeeze sponges on your friends during water play outdoors, bring a bucket or cooler filled with water and sponges to cool off on a hot day when on picnics, soccer games and other outings.
  

Clothespin games:

• Use the pads of the thumb and index finger to open the clothespin rather than pinching it open against the side of the index finger
  
• When pinching open, try alternating each finger to squeeze opposite the thumb.
  
• place clothespins along the top of a container and then on top of each other to construct a design.
  
• Pick up small objects with the clothespin: cotton balls, pompoms,crumbled paper, beads, pegs, etc.
  
• Attach several clothespins along the bottom hem of shirt and then pull them off.
  
• Place clothespins around an index card
  
• Hang up pictures or plush toys on a string, like a clothesline.
  

Hole puncher:

• Punch holes along strips of paper (1 to 2 inches wide) or along the edges of a sheet of paper or paper plate.
  
• Use hole punch clippings to make confetti or 'snow' to glue on paper for pictures
  
• Grip style hole punchers (pictured at left) are easier for children to use, rather than the small punchers that require a strong pinch to operate.
  

Bubble Pack

• Pop the bubbles on large or small bubble pack by pinching with thumb and index finger or by pushing down on bubbles when sheet is placed on a hard surface.
  

Squeeze toys and materials

• Foam balls, animals and shapes
  
• Tennis ball "Hungry Guy" (see instructions):  When you squeeze the ball the mouth will open.  Hide pennies, pegs, beads and other small things inside.  Squeeze to open and shake out the contents, then feed the "hungry guy" by slipping in the "food".  The wider the slit, the easier it will be to open the mouth wide.  Start with a wide slit for young children.
  
• Rubber "pinky" balls
  
• Bulb syringe (usually in infant supply sections of stores) or turkey baster to squirt water, or have a race by squeezing them to blow cotton balls and pompoms across a finish line.
  
• Craft activities that require using bottles to squeeze: glue, glitter glue, puffy paint, fabric paint, etc.
  

Summer Vacation Transition Anxiety

Parents, I know that you are probably as eager to start the summer as I am! Not having to drag our kids out of bed and get to the school on time will be such a nice break! I know the kids are super excited to have a break from homework and the responsibility of being a student for a few months. As wonderful as summer break is, the transition between the school year and summer can be hard on our kiddos.

This time of the year is filled with unexpected changes.... classrooms are being packed up, schedules are altered, everyone is excited, and so many "special" events that require flexibility and heavy doses of social skills are happening. The kids and I have been having many discussions about handling the changes. Many of them have adopted our skill of asking their teacher in the morning, "Are there any changes today?" This has been a great help and eased many worries.

If your child starts exhibiting behaviors that have been resolved for quite a while during this transition time, please take a deep breath. Yes, it is frustrating. I feel it, too. But regression during a big transition is very common. If your child has shown solid growth behaviorally and it seems like things are sliding backwards a bit give it some time before you start with a new intervention. Continue being consistent with your expectation and current plan. This will give your child the predictability they need during this time of transition. Keep emotions as neutral as possible so that the regression is not compounded by an emotionally charged response. Usually, the regression will stop and the skill will be restored after a short period of time. 

As we enjoy the long weekend, I'm going to ask each of you to please help your child with an activity that will help with the mixed feelings that can accompany the summer vacation transition. Please help your child fill out this calendar for next week identifying their plans for Thursday, Friday, etc. The plan does not have to be detailed. Just identify where they will be (home or traveling?), who they will be with, and a main activity they can count on.  It can be as simple as Thursday is Legos, Friday is a trip to the pool, Saturday is video games at home. Have your child post their calendar on the fridge or in their rooms. Doing this simple activity can help tremendously with decreasing anxiety and helping your child end their school year on a good note. The calendar can be found under "Transition" on the right sidebar.

Please make sure that you are following this blog by email. You will receive an email notification when new topics are posted.  I will be posting several pieces of information about activities for handwriting improvement and summer activity ideas over the next week.

Autism Social Skills Class through Austin Dog Alliance

I wanted to share some information about a cool opportunity for a social skills class for kids with Autism through the Austin Dog Alliance. They offer a "K9 Club" for kids ages 8-16 that teach them to work with dogs in various ways that support social skills goals. For more information, go here.

Calming Sequence for the Cardinalsaurs

The Cardinalsaur group has been working on learning a basic 3 point scale for emotional regulation and how to use the visual cue for the Turtle Technique to calm. The 3 point scale is a modified version of Kari Dunn Buron's 5 Point Scale technique. The kids learn to identify their feelings and then take steps to move to a calmer level. Once they are at a calmer level, they can begin to problem solve with adult help.

The Turtle Technique comes from the book Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck & Think by Rochelle Lentini. A Powerpoint that contains the scripted story can be found at http://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/teaching_tools/ttyc_toc.htm.

The Turtle Technique contains 3 calming steps.
1. Stop and keep your hands, feet, and yelling to yourself.
2. Tuck and take 3 deep breaths. (Some students physically tuck their heads inside their shirts, sit under a piece of furniture, or in a calm corner. Other students just close their eyes or lay their head down on the desk).
3.  Think of a way to solve your problem and make yourself feel better or ASK FOR HELP.

Feel free to print the image to use at home. It is also available under the calming tools page on the sidebar. Ask your child to teach you how to tuck and use the Turtle Technique. Please praise and reinforce your child whenever he or she attempts to use the technique instead of tantrumming at home. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Superflex Takes on Braineater

I just wanted to let you know that Superflex Takes on Brain Eater has been uploaded to my password protected wiki. You can find the wiki at http://www.mrshively.wikispaces.com.  If you do not yet, have a login, please email me and I'll make sure to hook you up!

If you would like to purchase this book, you can find it at http://www.socialthinking.com.

Social Thinking Group Topics ~ April 2012

I will periodically be posting updates to keep you informed about the topics that your child is learning in Social Thinking group. I suggest  that you subscribe to this blog or follow by email so that you will be aware when new material is posted.

The kids have been working to create "team" names for each individual social group. You should have received an email letting you know what "team" your child is on for reference purposes. If you are unsure, ask your child or shoot me an email. At this point, the only group who does not yet have a name is the 1st/2nd graders. We will be working on a team name soon.

The Cardinalsaurs is a group made up of Kindergarten and 1st grade students. The team name was created by combining two ideas from group members (Cardinals and Dinosaurs!). The great thing is that the kids figured out how to compromise with no guidance from me! I love it! One of the group members has contributed this fantastic drawing of what a Cardinalsaur looks like. 

The Cardinalsaurs have been working on improving joint attention through building projects. Joint attention is the shared focus of two people on an object or other person. Joint attention is a critical skill for social competence. It is necessary in order to reference the people and context of a situation. Social referencing is crucial in order to monitor the actions and feelings of those around us and to help adjust our own actions in response. We've worked on building our joint attention through play without verbal communication. One of the favorite activities is to choose an object that we want to build and each member of the team adds a designated number of pieces to the creation. You direct your partner's actions through your eye gaze by looking directly at the piece you wish for them to pick up and then directing their movement through your eye gaze.

To practice this at home:

 1. Use Legos, K'Nex or any kind of building toy with varied pieces.

 2. Allow your child to initially decide on an object that you will build as a team. One important rule is that no one can speak, they can only communicate through eye gaze. This emphasizes the rule of thumb "what I'm looking at is what I'm thinking about". The other rule is that you cannot move or remove any piece that another player adds to the creation. This rule allows for practice of flexible thinking when someone's idea varies from your own. Decide a number of pieces that can be added on each turn (1-3 is recommended).

3. After the first creation is complete, then the next person gets to pick an object. Emphasize that the pictures we create in our minds of the same object may vary. For example, if we are going to build a boat,  you may picture a speedboat, while I might picture a cruise ship. Neither is wrong and we have to be flexible as we build to accept the ideas of others.

This week the Cardinalsaurs are learning the basics of being Social Detectives. A Social Detective uses his eyes, ears, and brain to figure out what others are likely thinking and feeing and make social predictions. If you would like to read The Social Detective by Michelle Garcia Winner feel free to visit the Baldwin SCORES Wiki at mrshively.wikispaces.com.  The book is available for online viewing under the "Superflex" tab on the right sidebar.  If you do not yet have a login for the wiki, please email me and I will send you the login info.

The Social Detective concepts are important because they lay the foundation for learning basic Social Thinking skills. From this point on, we will begin to use the terms "Expected" and "Unexpected" to describe social behaviors. This takes away the connotation of "good" or "bad", but instead examines behavior from the perspective of whether it is expected in a given situation or not.  For example, crying when you have to transition activities is unexpected while crying because you fall down and scrape your knee is expected. The behavior of crying is not good or bad. Expected behavior creates calm feelings in others and yourself while unexpected behavior creates uncomfortable or upset feelings in others and yourself.

The other terms that we will begin using are "smart guesses" or "wacky guesses". Using the Social Detective tools (eyes, ears, brain) allow us to make "smart guesses" about what others are thinking or feeling and predict what may happen next. When we do not use these tools our guesses tend to be wacky and off-base.

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The soon-to-be-named group is made up of 1st and 2nd grade students and the Thinkables are a group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Both groups are currently working on expanding their knowledge of the Superflex strategies and techniques to defeat Braineater. Braineater is one of the Unthinkables that is a troublemaker for all of us at one time or another. Braineater causes us to be distracted and make our brain leave the group.

Watch the Superflex page on the right sidebar for various visual tools that I am in the process of uploading. So far the kids have learned about defeating Rockbrain and Glassman. You can also check the SCORES wiki for access to the Superflex books to read from home. If you do not have a username or password, email me and I will make sure you have access to the wiki. The wiki address is: mrshively.wikispaces.com. 

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The 5th Grade Transition group is focusing on preparing for the transition to middle school. This is an exciting and anxious time for students who are moving into this new setting. We are preparing through video clips and discussion about questions and concerns that they have. I have created a series of 20 short video clips of current 8th grade students providing information on topics that they wish someone had told them before they entered 6th grade. Here are the first two clips:

#1 - Reputation Begins on Day 1

#2 - What if I Don't Get a Class I Want?

More clips will be uploaded as we work on them as a group in class. It would be a good idea to have these clips available from home in the summer before the school year begins in August.