https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6HhKlpp7ok

OBJECTIVES): Students will identify the difference between problems in their control and problems out of their control. Students will begin to think about coping strategies/problem solving skills. 

CASEL DOMAINS: Self-Management, Responsible Decision Making

OUTLINE:

Optional Opener:

• Give each student playdoh or pipe cleaner and give them 2 minutes to transform it into whatever they want. Let a few share out. "You were controlling and changing the play doh (or pipe cleaner) to make it different." Collect playdoh/pipe cleaner.

• Give each student a rock and ask them to make the rock into the same thing they made their play doh/pipe cleaner into. Af ter the protest: "Ah, you're right. You can NOT change or control the rocks. There are some things in life that we can control or change and some things that cannot control or change. Not just rocks and playdoh, but problems we have. Today we're going to learn and talk about things in our control vs. things out of our control." Collect rocks.

No prep/No prop opener:

• "There are some things in life that I have control over, like what I ate for breakfast, and some things I don't have control over, like the person driving super slow in front of me on the way to work. It's important that I know the difference. If I think my breakfast is gross, that's a

problem ... but it's a problem I can fix by making something different. The person driving slow in front of me is a problem I can'ffix, but I don't have to be angry and cranky about it. I can choose to take a deep breath and let it go. Today we're going to talk more about how some problems are inside of our control and some problems are outside of our control. I want you all to know the difference so that you can be even better problem solvers."

• Read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Preface by explaining that the book is about a boy who has lots of problems one day and that some were in his control and some were not. While reading, pause and discuss how Alexander is trying to run away from his problems (to Australia!) instead of trying to solve them or cope with them.

• Sitting in a circle, give each student one or more of Alexander's problems. Have students take turns standing, reading their problems and stating if they think it is inside or outside of Alexander's control (or a little bit of both!). Discuss as needed, focusing on the some of the nuanced ones like "limo beans for dinner" (out of his control) vs. "hating limo beans for dinner" (in his control because it's an affifude or opinion).

• Using a hula hoop or a circle drawn on butcher paper in the middle of the group, ask students to place their problem card inside (to represent inside his control) or outside (to represent outside his control.)

• If your group needs some more movement: Write numbers on the cards. Ask all students to stand in a circle and put their card on the floor in front of them. Everyone walks the same direction around the circle while repeating the title of the book (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) two times. When done chanting, everyone stops walking and is standing in front of a card. You (counselor/teacher) calls out a number. Whoever is standing in front of that card picks it up and reads it, then the group decides where it should go .

• In small groups, students sort problem/idea cards into whether or not they are in or out of their control. They can use large pieces of butcher paper with a circle on it, small hoops, or just left vs. right. Challenge early finishing groups to discuss ways to solve the problems.

• Another alternative is to give each student a card, I at a ti me, and have them move to place it in a designated area of the room to represent inside vs. outside of their control. You can also assign fun movements (skipping vs. penguin waddling vs. hopping) to the designated location ..

• When all groups are done, discuss cards that challenged the students or that there was disagreement about. Select cards representing problems your students are most struggling with and/or talk about how some problems could have elements both in and out of their control.