Inside Out

In a prior post I referenced the Pixar film Inside Out. The story is told primarily from the perspective of feelings - joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust - inside the mind of an 11-year old girl named Riley. Uprooted from her midwest life, Riley is faced with the challenges and emotions of adjusting to a new town, San Francisco, and a new school. For more information, check out the review on Common Sense Media, a great resource!

I have used Inside Out as a teaching tool across the grades in my wellness classes. In the 5th and 6th grades, students created "islands" to represent their interests and values. In the primary grades, I used the film to explore emotions and what makes us feel happy, sad, angry, etc. As you are cooped up inside, this could be a great way to do something fun as a family while using it as an opportunity to do some social-emotional learning! For some ideas, check out 5 Teaching Ideas Connected to Inside Out. Lessons cover identifying, talking about our feelings and "self talk."

Problem Solving: Size of Problem

Note: I had planned on posting mini lessons for you to do with your child at home. I am rethinking this idea. The last thing I want to do is add more to your plates, even though it is optional. Instead, I will share information and end with how you could apply it at home. I will also try to limit my posts to <2 per day to avoid overwhelming your inboxes!

Students have learned how to categorize problems into three sizes:

• Small: problems they can fix on their own, without help (i.e., you break your pencil).
• Medium: problems that require some help from an adult or peer and do not require immediate attention (i.e., you spill milk on the floor).
• Large: problems that require immediate help from an adult, usually around issues of safety (i.e., someone threatens to hurt you). 

Figuring out the size of the problem is the first step in being able to match the reaction. The problem size should match the size of the reaction:

• Small: I can fix this problem myself. What are some options?
• Medium: I need some help, but it does not have to happen right away. Who could help me?
• Large: I need help from an adult right away. Where is the closest adult?

How could you use this at home? You could adopt the size of problem language. For example, if your child seems to be overreacting to a small problem, start of by helping her use some calming strategies such as taking deep breaths. Once relatively calm you might ask, "I wonder if this is a small, medium or large problem? It seems like a small problem that I am believe you can solve on your own. Let's see if we can brainstorm some possible solutions." 

You could also talk about how a large reaction to a small problem causes the problem to grow. For example, your child gets frustrated with an assignment and throws their Chromebook on the floor and it breaks. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about these concepts. I am always just a phone call or email away: jstevenson@huusd.org, 583-7876.

For other resources, check out the following:

• How Big is the Problem?
• Size of Problem Poster
• Size of Problem Video (via Facebook Watch)