RULER

Academic:
The Charter provides the opportunity for teachers to facilitate deeper understanding of the words a group of students chose. Teachers should look for opportunities for students to identify Charter words in character studies, literature units, and historical events.

Social Justice:
In community-based learning or service-learning units, consider creating a Charter with the outside groups, people, or organizations with whom your students are engaging. Provide students the opportunity to listen to and to reflect on the emotional needs of others, particularly those who are different from themselves.

Academic:
The Mood Meter is a versatile tool that can be used for a “RULER analysis” of characters. The RULER analysis asks students to use the Mood Meter as the primary tool to answer the following questions about fictional or historical characters they may encounter in academic content:
• R: Where is the character on the Mood Meter? How do you know?
• U: What caused the character’s feelings? How is this feeling affecting how the character interacts with others?
• L: What feeling word best describes what the character is feeling? RULER Middle School Core Routines Mood Meter Check-In
• E: How is the character expressing their feelings?
• R: Does the character need to shift from where they are to achieve their goals?

Social Justice:
We most typically associate productive “red” feelings with feelings of perceived injustice (anger) or passion towards a cause; ask students which societal issues put them in the red to better understand how they can engage with their local communities to make change. Further, employ strategies to nudge your students towards feeling red when you are preparing to discuss topics such as injustice. To shift your students into the red, consider showing them controversial photographs or news headlines, or consider prompting them with a thought-provoking topic where they are required to choose a side.

Other:
Some students with individualized education plans (IEPs) may have a plan that mandate a “check in/check out” system with a trusted adult. A Mood Meter check-in could be incorporated as part this reflection with the social worker, mentor, or other adult.

Tip:
The RULER portal offers an easy way to conduct a virtual Mood Meter Check-In. This may be a good option for middle-school classrooms. Teachers, once logged into the site, can navigate the tools along the top bar and start a new Mood Meter plot. You may share this plot information with parents and invite them to support students in plotting themselves.
If you are leading a synchronous class with teleconferencing software, you can share your screen as you do this, and students at home will be able to see the plot code, contribute to the Mood Meter Check-In in real time, and see how the rest of their classmates are feeling.

Academic:

You can ask students to take a few focused breaths as they reflect on a piece of academic content. Encourage them to pause, think, and breath in between learning a new lesson or reading a text and responding and discussing. This pause will help students have more developed responses when they do share. You can also integrate focused breathing into a lesson by asking your students to reflect deeply on what they notice. For example, in a history lesson, you may ask your students to close their eyes and pay attention to what they hear as you play audio of a primary source, such as a famous speech or recordings from a protest or news coverage. RULER Middle School Core Routines Focused Breathing Encourage your students to sit tall and still and try to quiet their thoughts so they can be immersed in what they hear. After the recording is finished, allow students to discuss what they noticed.

Social Justice:
Incorporate the Best Self Reflection: As you or others take focused breaths, participate in a visualization of your Best Selves. This practice may be particularly helpful when considering events or interactions that are triggering, such as witnessing or being subject to a microaggression or prejudice. Imagine what your best self would do as an ally, advocate, or upstanding person. Notice any thoughts or sensations that come up.

Academic:

Circles can be leveraged for academic discussion such as Socratic seminars or round-table discussion; be sure to provide students with prompts or questions ahead of time so that students are prepared to participate.


Social Justice:
Circles provide an opportunity to create a safe space to discuss local (at school and in the larger community) and national events with one another as well as provide the opportunity to give voice to community members and share perspectives. Consider inviting outside participants into your circles, but be sure to share with them the purpose and routine of the Community Circle.