Grade 1 students are no strangers to negative thoughts, actions, and feelings. They may sometimes feel sad, angry, or frustrated and even act out negatively. This is why it's important for them to learn how to turn things around and get back into the Happy Circle. This is where the Thoughts-Actions-Feelings (TAF) Circle comes in.
The lesson begins with a short review of the TAF Circle and the Positive Action philosophy. The teacher explains that when one thinks positive thoughts and does positive actions, one experiences positive feelings, which leads to another positive thought. To reinforce this concept, the students sing along to the "Thoughts-Actions-Feelings" song.
Next, the class plays an SEL game to put the concept into practice. Three chairs are placed in the middle of the room, and three students are chosen to sit on them. One chair represents thoughts, another chair represents feelings, and the last one represents actions. The student on the thoughts chair shares a positive or negative thought. Then, the second student tells an action that comes from that thought. Lastly, the third student tells how they feel about themselves as a result of that thought and action.
"Learning how to flip an Unhappy Circle into a Happy one is an important lesson for Grade 1 students. It helps them develop a positive mindset and teaches them that they have the power to control the way they think, act, and feel."
The teacher then asks whether the thoughts, actions, and feelings the students shared belong in the Happy or Unhappy Circle. The class discusses the difference between the two Circles, and the teacher asks who wants to be in an Unhappy Circle, to which the response is unanimous: no one.
To help the students learn how to turn an Unhappy Circle into a Happy one, the teacher starts with a positive thought and shows how it leads to positive actions and feelings. Then, the teacher presents a series of unhappy thoughts, actions, and feelings and asks the students to "flip" them into positive ones. For example, if the teacher says, "I don’t want to share my toys," the students flip it into "Sharing toys is fun because other kids want to play with me."
Finally, to help students think about which Circle they are in at any given time, they each get a card with the Thoughts-Actions-Feelings Circle. This card serves as a reminder to check their thoughts, actions, and feelings and ensure they are on the right track.
Learning how to flip an Unhappy Circle into a Happy one is an important lesson for Grade 1 students. It helps them develop a positive mindset and teaches them that they have the power to control the way they think, act, and feel. By using the effective teaching strategies in this lesson, students can learn to turn their Unhappy Circles into Happy ones and live happier, more fulfilling lives.
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