Teaching Grade 1 Students the Power of Positive Action

Welcome to Positive Action! In this lesson, Grade 1 students learn about the philosophy of the program and the concept of positive and negative actions.

To start, the teacher introduces Maurice the Mouse. Maurice is a recurring character throughout the whole curriculum which helps explain what Positive Action is all about. The students learn that positive actions bring everyone health, happiness, success, and good feelings. Negative actions, on the other hand, result in negative feelings and poor outcomes.

Further reinforcing this lesson, the teacher asks students to participate in an exercise where they must say whether an action described is positive or negative. This SEL activity helps them understand the difference between both types of actions.

Following said exercise, Grade 1 students sing along to the "I Am a Positive Action Kid" song. This catchy tune helps them remember why positive actions are important and how positive actions can make them feel good about themselves and make life better for everyone around them.

The lesson ends with an introduction to the ICU box, which will be used throughout the school year. When students notice a classmate performing a positive action, they are encouraged to write it down on a note and place it in the ICU box. Once per week, all notes are taken out of the box and read aloud, allowing everyone to recognize those doing positive actions.

By the end of this lesson, the students have a better understanding of what positive and negative actions are, why performing positive actions is important, and how to recognize others for their positive behavior.