Talking In Circles

Today I'm excited because look what came in the mail from my friends at the Josephson Institute of Ethics in CA. It's one of their AmAzInG new products 

that I predict you're going to love.

The best part? They're available for all grades K-12. 

I've got the one for grades 6-8 opened up right now and I'm looking at the September, Week 1 page. Basically, there's a quote or a story (with some activities sprinkled in as well) followed by some open-ended reflection questions to get your superheroes thinking,  kind of like this:

Grade 6: What does the quote mean to you? What makes you happy? How does what you say make others happy?

Grade 7: Give three examples of ways in which you can reframe something you've said to make it more positive, happier. What can you do to change what you're about to say before you say it?

Grade 8: Think of three people who always use uplifting words. What character traits do these people have in common? How do these traits help them succeed?

That's it. Five meaningful minutes. More if you've got the time. Use it with a think, pair, share. Have them think about it silently, then find a partner and swap thoughts. Finally, come back to whole group for highlights and closure, time permitting, of course. They'd work well for writing prompts, too.

Imagine if this were planted in your talking circles each day. 

I'm so grateful to Character Counts! for this positively impactful product. 

Click the picture of the product for purchasing info.

Tomorrow our book study continues at Teacher To The Core. I can't wait to read what Katie has to say about obedience.