Friendship Group Update, Week of Dec. 13

At school it feels like we’re going down the homestretch….the last week before a well-earned winter break.  (I have a feeling that parents aren’t quite as excited about this as teachers are!)  In the spirit of play and fun, we are doing a couple of different things in group this week to practice our play skills as well as build on our ability to cooperate with one another. 

I introduced a new group of folks to students this week to help incorporate play and emotions: the Emotes.  They are an animated bunch of characters whose name indicates what feeling they represent (Abash is embarrassed, Jumpy is shocked, Joi is excited, etc.).  I’ve got a poster with the full collection, as well as the first comic book, and (best of all) the action figures.  For the boys, it was an especially fun way for them to act out emotions through their play.  You can check them out at www.emotes.com.  I haven’t vetted the site too thoroughly, but it’s certainly interesting at first glance!

Finally, we worked cooperatively to make bubbles.  Students had to work together on teams to create the biggest bubble they could by using water, dishsoap, and straws.  It was a fun activity and I am quite impressed with the bubble-blowing talent at Hilltop. 

I hope everyone’s winter break goes well and I am looking forward to kicking off our unit on mindfulness in January.  Have a happy holiday season!

5 Point Scale Books

I forgot to mention earlier that the 5 Point Scale Booklets that we worked on throughout October and into November will be going home with the kids this week.  They turned out pretty cute and hopefully they're a helpful tool as well!

Friendship Group Update, Week of Dec. 6, 2010

This week in group we’re just going to continue right on playing!  Last week we finished up our anxiety plans, discussed ways to choose and make friends, and played a fun game.  With the younger students we focused more on the fundamentals of play: taking turns, following rules, and being a good sport.  This week within all of the groups we will be directing our attention to the communicative aspect of play: asking to join a group, listening and responding appropriately to others, and being mindful of what our body language is saying, as well as the body language of others, during social situations.  (I know how to take the fun right out of playing, don’t I?)

For some students the social nuances of play come naturally, while for other students they must be learned and practiced.  Next week we’ll be playing team-building games which will require a great deal of communication, cooperation, and flexibility.  Watch out! 

I should mention that I was hoping to do a game with the groups on the Smartboard this week, but a lot of the games I came across that would be appropriate for what we’re learning would be best suited on the computer for one student, not a whole group. I recommend going to Jill Kuzma’s website (www.jillkuzma.wordpress.com) for some great computer game ideas.

Friendship Group Update, Week of Nov. 29, 2010

I hope this finds everyone well-rested and well-fed after a well-deserved Thanksgiving break!  There is definitely an excitement in the air as we anticipate just three more weeks of learning until winter break.  And speaking of excitement, I am excited to finally have a web page up and running!  I will use this page to post the weekly group updates, as well as a place to list helpful books, games, internet sites, and other resources for you to explore as the year goes on.  Starting next week, rather than sending notes home, you can check my blog for the update on Friendship Group.  If you don’t have regular computer access, just let me know and I can continue to send notes home with your child, not a problem.

Be forewarned, the website is far from perfect, but at least it’s a start!  (I have to give a shout-out to my tech savvy mother for all of her help on this endeavor!)  You can find it by going to the Hilltop webpage (www.westonka.k12.mn.us/hilltop), clicking on the “Special Education” tab towards the top, and then clicking on my name on the Special Ed page.  Or you can go to it directly (www.mssavageauathilltop.blogspot.com). 

This week we are transitioning from working on anxiety plans to working on play skills.  While some students have no trouble easing themselves into social situations, other students struggle with how to initiate and sustain play.  We’ll be doing some reviewing and role playing of moving into a play situation, as well as just doing some playing---most of us learn best by jumping in and doing it.  Should be a fun week!

As always feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.  Here’s to going paperless!

Lessons for the Year

Friendship Group

Year-At-A-Glance

(subject to many changes)

September---Introductions, Group Norms, Review/Refresh (Social Thinking)

            *Week of 13^th: Introductions, Expected/Unexpected, Cooperative Game

            *Week of 20^th: Review (Superflex book and activities)

            *Week of 27^th: Social Thinking Jeopardy

October---5 Point Scales (The Incredible 5 Point Scale)

            *Week of 4^th: Intro to 5 pt. Scales, review practice scales

            *Week of 11^th: Make pages 1-3 of scale

            *Week of 18^th: Make pages 4 & 5

            *Week  of 25^th: Finish packets, role plays, Smartboard lesson (TBD)

November---Coping with Anxiety (I Bet I Won’t Fret)

            *Week of 1^st: Intro to what it is, feels like, causes, etc. (activities 1 & 2)

            *Week of 8^th: Calming Tools---Breathing, Meditation, 3-3-3 Technique

            *Week of 15^th: Releasing Tools---Physical activities

            *Week of 22^nd: Develop Personal Stress Plans

December---Cooperative Play (Social Thinking)

            *Week of 29^th: Intro to play (why?, who?, etc.), Role Play joining activities

            *Week of 6^th: Smartboard Lesson (TBD)

            *Week of 13^th: Cooperative Team-Building Game

            *Weeks of 20^th & 27^th: Winter Break

January---Mindfulness (Mind Up)

            *Week of 3^rd: Intro to the Brain (extention activities)

            *Week of 10^th: Mindfulness and Focus

            *Week of 17^th: Mindful Listening

            *Week of 24^th: Mindful Seeing

February---Mindfulness Cont’d. (Mind Up)

            *Week  of 1^st: Mindful Smelling

            *Week of 7^th: Mindful Tasting

            *Week of 14^th: Mindful Movement 1 (small motor)

            *Week of 21^st: Mindful Movement 2 (large motor)

March---Mindfulness Cont’d. (Mind Up)/Self Awareness (Social Thinking)

            *Week of 28^th: Optimism/Happiness

            *Week of 7^th: Gratitude/Kindness

            *Week of 14^th: Spring Break

            *Week of 21^st: Perspective Taking (mindfulness), Intro to Self Awareness

            *Week of 28^th: “All about me vs. thinking of others”, Good/Weird Thoughts

April---Anger Management (Let’s Learn to Manage Our Anger)

            *Week of 4^th: Intro to anger mgmt, 5 point scale

            *Week of  11^th: Lion vs. Mouse Activities, Review anxiety techniques

            *Week of 18^th: Smartboard Lesson (TBD)

            *Week of 25^th: Cooperative Game (Frustrating one to test patience!)

May---Communication (Social Thinking)

            *Week of 2^nd: Non-Verbal Day (body vs. spoken language)

            *Week of 9^th: Literal vs. Figurative language/Idioms

            *Week of 16^th: Smartboard Lesson (TBD)

            *Week of 23^rd: Non-Verbal Cooperative Game

June---Transitions

            *Week of 1^st: Tours, introductions, how to handle change

            *Week of 6^th: End of Year Party