Starting in November, we’re featuring a weekly resource with discussion questions related to social and emotional learning (SEL) and growth mindset. If you sign up by email, you’ll receive the content in your inbox each week. But if you miss one, no worries! We’ll share them all on our blog too.
Featuring one of our 30 affirmations each week, we will send questions or thoughtful reflection related to the five core competencies of SEL. We hope to spark discussion with your students as you select from the options and incorporate them into your classroom learning. It will be easy to pick and choose the questions that work best for your students.
You’ll want to get your Inspired Minds products ordered so that you’re all set for each week of discussion. For the virtual classroom, the postcard size is perfect for holding up to a screen. Or for in-person discussion, we recommend the poster size.
These posters are perfect for promoting health awareness and encouraging conversation about hand-washing. A set of 5 posters, each printed on 11×14 card stock.
This activity works with the Inspired Minds postcards, magnets, or hand-off notes and is a way of inspiring creative thinking as well as promoting social-emotional learning in the classroom. Have a station in the classroom set up with a box or jar of the cards. As a time filler or for an activity if students finish early on a project, they could head to the Think-Pair-Share station. At this station, each student draws one card from the jar. Using that title, they complete a think-pair-share sheet. On the provided downloadable sheet (see below), students may write how this affirmation relates to them or makes them feel. They could also write a poem or draw a picture that represents how it relates to them.
When another student enters the station, students pick a friend to share their creation with.
We’ve designed the Inspired Minds products to instill positive thinking in students. One way to interact with the 30 statements is to provide students with an opportunity to write their thoughts about how an affirmation applies to them personally. The goal is for students to build a growth mindset as they think about the concepts and also to grow their social-emotional learning as they think about how it applies to their own behavior. Certain affirmations would also lend themselves to writing about how to include others who are different from themselves.
One way of using the posters is to put one poster on the the board in front of the classroom and then allow students to journal using a writing prompt. For example:
Writing prompt: Think about a time when you quit trying or gave up. Now, write an imaginary story of how it might have turned out if you hadn’t quit.
Have all students write about the same affirmation, as given in the example above.
Use one affirmation, but let students free write about what comes to mind when they see that statement.
Have students write about what they would tell themselves as if they were writing it to another student (using a second person point of view).
For older students, they could do a video journal to practice presentation skills instead of a writing activity. Using the same writing prompt, they would video their response.
For creative writing, have students write a story about a character who displays the quality of the affirmation of the day. For example, a character who never gives up.
Additional ideas for various ages:
Have each student pick a title they relate to and use it as a brief writing prompt. This works well with the hand-off notes, magnets, or postcards, since they could choose one and take it to their own desk.
Writing could be a great way to begin or end class. It helps to keep students engaged and fill time purposefully until class is dismissed.
For older students, use the writing activity during finals weeks before other tests, presentations, or big projects that might cause some students high levels of stress. Having them individually journal about their feelings and ending with an affirmation could definitely increase their confidence.
PREPARE: Draw multiple boxes or large squares on the whiteboard. Place a different magnet (affirmation) in each square, leaving room to write in the square. (This could also be done on a larger scale with the posters or postcards.)
PARTICIPATE: Ask students to identify with one of the titles and think about why that title relates to them.
Then ask them to write a short sentence or word to explain their thought on a sticky note, or have them come up to the board to write on the whiteboard. Have students place sticky notes on the board when they are done.
After each student has a chance to come to the board, you could take it one step further and have all of the students who picked the same box group up and share in their small groups why this title related to them.
You could also have each group share with the class why they believe this affirmation is important.
We just debuted the prototypes of our brand new Spanish posters at a conference, and they were a huge hit! Coming very soon on the website we will have all 30 posters in Spanish. Check out this sneak preview. We are dancing with happiness! ¡Estamos bailando de felicidad!
If you just can’t wait until they are available online, contact us for an early order. We would be happy to make it work.
