Children Can Be Better Too: Self-Improvement in 5 Positive Actions

Fostering life skills and emotional well-being has increasingly taken center stage as educators recognize the importance of social-emotional learning. SEL programs like *Positive Action are helping with this. *In its sixth unit, Grade 1 students are taught invaluable lessons about positive actions for self-improvement.

This evidence-based SEL lesson begins by reinforcing five positive actions: believing in one’s potential, having the courage to try, turning problems into opportunities, being persistent, and broadening one’s horizons. Learning here is maximized through lesson review activities, restating key takeaways from the preceding class meeting. Effective lesson summary techniques emphasize and enhance understanding of the recently expounded concepts about positive actions.

Students reflect on each of the positive actions for self-improvement they have learned. They are prompted to draw parallels from literary pieces they may have read during class hours or find examples from their own or classmates' experiences.

By summarizing lessons this way, students can think critically and introspect on what they have learned. They are given an opportunity to articulate their understanding of the subject matter in their own words. In the process, these valuable insights are also embedded deeper into their psyche.

Following the review, students ground these abstract values into more tangible experiences. They do this through a fun and age-appropriate SEL activity. They color a picture of Steamy the Train and cut along dotted lines on their activity sheets. Finally, they guide their train out of the tunnel.

After this, the teacher facilitates reflection by returning focus toward what Positive Action refers to as the Positive Thoughts-Actions-Feelings Circle. This concept illustrates how positive thoughts lead to positive actions that result in positive feelings about oneself. In this lesson, the class focuses on the Positive Circle that results from broadening one’s horizons.

With newfound confidence and an enriched understanding of positive actions, Grade 1 students are poised to embark on the next phase: setting personal goals for self-improvement. The atmosphere is charged with anticipation as they reflect on the lessons learned and channel their enthusiasm into objectives.