January Character Trait: Self-Control

Book Clovis Keeps His Cool by Katelyn Aronson 

Theme Recognize emotion by looking inside one’s self and in others to identify and connect with feelings being expressed. 

Goal: Students will understand the different ways people express their emotions and how to respond to these expressions in an empathetic manner.

Tools Learned:

Use your lid. Reconsider before acting. 

Using Positive Self-Talk (to calm down, or decide what to do next) Notice and accept feelings. 

Keep your cool by 

• Breathing 

• Counting 

• Physical Activity 

Make a genuine apology and offer second chances

Details about the book - Clovis used to struggle with his temper, but ever since he took over his grandmother’s china shop, he’s been learning how to manage it. However, when rivals from his football days tease him at the shop, Clovis faces a big challenge to keep his cool and is unable to use his coping tools. The result is the destruction of the tea shop. After he loses his cool, Clovis honors his grandmother’s memory by reconsidering and giving second chances to his rivals. Clovis offers himself a second chance at keeping his cool and the result is a discovery of how offering second chances can lead to building new relationships.

Character Trait: Courage 

Book : Ruby Bridges Goes to School or Ruby Bridges This is Your Time by Ruby Bridges 

This month’s books, Ruby Bridges Goes to School or Ruby Bridges This Is Your Time, tell the story of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to integrate a New Orleans school following the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown vs Board of Education, which ordered school districts in the South to end the policy of racially segregated schools. In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked through an angry crowd and into school, changing history. Ruby Bridges is the author of both books. Her message serves as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.” These books tell the story of Ruby’s courage and remind us all that the struggle for justice continues. Project Cornerstone has had a Ruby Bridges book in their curriculum since 2008. For some, talking about race, discrimination, sterotyping, differences, and biases has felt uncomfortable, but we have learned that they continue to be important to discuss with our youth. In this lesson, students learn how Ruby Bridges was a world changer

Theme : Be a world changer by standing up for the rights of others. 

Goal : Students will perform courageous actions that build a more caring, just, inclusive, tolerant, and safe school community.  
 

Tools :

Your child can be a world changer by:

 • Inviting and including others 

• Asking how someone is feeling 

• Being an active listener

• Doing intentional acts of caring

 • Standing up for the rights of others

• Respecting differences 

•Learning about other cultures 

• Celebrating diversity

Link to the Book

October Character Trait: Compassion

Book: I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer  

This book promotes the empathy-building skills of active listening, examining biases, and perspective-taking. Power of connection through empathy helps students improve their mental health by learning to understand underlying issues in a person’s life, Tolerance Acceptance, Belonging, and Safety.
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Listen With Your Whole Heart: The use of active listening allows students to gain insight into the speaker’s experience, encouraging perspective-taking and building empathy. BE RESPECTFUL. Walk in someone else’s shoes. Understand and care about others. Be a super listener. Engage others by asking:

• How can we add to the idea of…?
• What other ideas or examples relate to this idea? Read body language and voice. Do intentional acts of caring.

Theme: Have respect and empathy for others.

Tools:

• Develop and practice empathy skills such as active listening, perspective-taking, and compassion.
• Promote empathy as a means of resolving conflicts, reducing stress, and building stronger connections with others.
• Examine their own biases, assumptions, and prejudices that may hinder the ability to have empathy for others.
• Identify caring adults and support systems available to advocate for them.

Goal: Students will develop and practice empathy skills as a means of resolving conflicts, reducing stress, active listening, perspective-taking, and compassion that helps in building stronger connections with others.

September Character Trait: Respect

Book: The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig 

"The Invisible Boy," authored by the talented Trudy Ludwig, touches on the very essence of what it means to connect with empathy. This book beautifully illustrates the importance of making everyone feel welcome and included in our communities. Through the story of Brian, readers learn valuable lessons on establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships with a variety of people.

Ludwig's storytelling genius allows children to see the perspective of others, even if their views, experiences, or culture differ from their own. "The Invisible Boy" provides a unique opportunity for children to not only get to know themselves better but also to empathize with others whose behavior, needs, and self-expression may be different from their own.

Theme:  "Connect with Empathy" Reach out to invite and include all students. 

Tools for Empathy

1. Creating an inclusive environment.
2. Understanding social cues.
3. Fostering connections through kindness.
4. Speaking and behaving empathetically.
5. Cultivating a culture of respect.

Goal : Students will explore ways to have empathy for each other, make and keep friends, and demonstrate genuine consideration and respect towards each other.

The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

"The OK Book" is a motivational picture book that celebrates the skills and talents children possess. This book encourages and empowers them to discover the power of "YET". It allows them to fail and then try again to build resiliency skills. Being OK gives them permission to try and explore all kinds of activities that just may lead to the discovery of what makes one great!

Theme: Self-Awareness (identify emotions, self-perception/identity), recognizing strengths, sense of self confidence, and self-efficacy.​​​​​​​

Goals:

•  To develop a growth mindset that embraces trying new things.  
•  To understand and develop resiliency skills.  
•  To turn I can’t (reactive) attitudes into I can (proactive) attitudes.  
•  To find joy in discovering new sparks and interests.  

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Enemy Pie is a heartwarming and engaging story that's narrated by the main character, a young boy who has a problem with the new kid who moved into the neighborhood. With his fathers help, the boy learns an effective recipe for turning your best enemy into your best friend. The story delivers a powerful lesson about friendship and the importance of not jumping to conclusionsabout people before you know them. 

Theme : Relationship Skills (ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups).

Goals: 

• To develop a growth mindset that embraces meeting new people and discovering new things about classmates and friends. 
• To improve friendship making skills to include forgiveness and learn to make a genuine apology.
• To be aware that their actions can cause friendships to bloom and wilt.

Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day  by Jaime Lee Curtis

This book was selected because it teaches about emotional literacy-naming, understanding, and coping with feelings. This book shows students the range of emotions a person can feel and how to identify them. It teaches students to identify their own emotions and to understand how another person may be feeling. Learning to identify feelings is important to building empathy. Having a rich vocabulary to describe feelings helps children understand themselves better and understand and communicate with others better as well. Identifying emotions helps children cultivate better relationships.​​​​​​​

Theme: Motivate Kids to manage their own emotions and behaviors

Goals: 

1. Name and notice the feelings/emotions of self and others.

2. Learn ways to accept and deal with feelings. 

3. Empower students to practice specific skills they can use to influence things that happen to them. 

4. View disappointment and sadness as temporary and fixable states. 

The Day You Begin  by Jacqueline Woodson

“The Day You Begin” is about a little girl entering into a new world. It features this beautiful African American girl talking about her expectations about entering someplace new and her thoughts about how she might be received. She eventually figures out how to make herself seen and heard. This book celebrates diversity in the classroom and talks about how we can learn about the world from each other.

Theme : Celebrate Differences

Goals: Accept and celebrate differences. UPstanders practice intentional acts of caring. Practice inclusive behaviors to create a caring school. Show empathy to others. Speak your voice. Recognize and value all dimensions of diversity.

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

This book helps students recognize that they have the power within themselves to deal with bucket dipping behaviors. The main character is empowered by a caring adult, her grandmother. As her grandmother fills her bucket, Molly Lou gains self confidence which empowers her to stand up to bucket dipping behaviors. Molly Lou models positive self-talk to other students in the class. She demonstrates how positive energy can not only change negative behavior, but also create a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Theme : Walk Proud, Smile Big and Sing loud

Goals: Use self-care to be your best. Focus on the fact that you have the power to choose how you react! Use your body language to stand tall, walk proud, smile big and sing loud. Remove mud thoughts by using clear thoughts and positive self-talk. Stop, think, and understand to prevent bucket dipping. Identify and name the caring adults that are your cheerleaders. 

René Has Two Last Names by René Colato Laínez

This book is about a little boy, René, who moves from El Salvador to the United States. René has two last names which represent his mother and father’s families. His classmates make fun of him for having such a long name. René is proud of his names and intentionally uses his family tree homework assignment to stand up to the bucket dipping and explain the significance of his family names.

Theme : Embrace Your Culture

Goals: Try to get to know people before making judgments. Understand and learn about different cultures and how diversity makes us stronger. Identify and celebrate individuals’ personal identities. Use positive personal power to stand up for traditions and beliefs. Be inclusive and accepting of differences. Understand friendship boosters and busters. Hang out with people who let you be YOU!

April’s character trait is “Acceptance.”

We will read the book, “One” by Kathryn Otoshi

Theme: It just takes ONE to make a difference! Everyone counts.

Goal for April: Students will know, accept and value who they are, and know that they have the power to make a difference in their own (and other students’) lives.

March's character trait is “Honesty.”

This month we will read the book "Trouble Talk" by Trudy Ludwig. This book is about the power of words and how words can either be uplifting or hurtful.

Theme: Rumors stop with me!

Goal for March: Help children become more aware of their personal responsibility to treat others with kindness and respect. Use tools of healthy talk and a genuine apology.

February's character trait is "Empathy."

We will read the book, “The Recess Queen” by Alexis O’Neill

Theme: Peaceful conflict steps.

Goal for February: Empower students to use their skills as UPstanders to create a safe and caring climate on the school playground by using conflict resolution, telling and making a report, and inviting and including all to participate in play.

December’s character trait is “Caring.”

We will read the book, “Say Something” by Peggy Moss

Theme: If you see an injustice... say something! Say and do something. Move from bystander to becoming an UPstander.  

Goal for December: Provide students with concrete examples of bully behaviors and discuss strategies for safely responding to verbal, physical, and relational bullying. Use kindness and be an UPstander to counteract negative behavior. 

November’s character trait is “Leadership.”

We will read the book, “Simon’s Hook” by Karen G. Burnett

Theme: Five tools to deal with teasing. 

Goal for November: Help students feel empowered and in control of things that happen to them. Learn specific language and techniques to avoid taking the bait. 

October's character trait is  "Respect." 

We will read the book," Have You Filled a Bucket Today? " by  Carol McCloud . 

Goal for October: Empower students to intentionally fill their buckets and the buckets of others with good feelings.