Welcome to the simulation titled “Emotional and Mental Wellness for Elementary and Middle School.” This is a transcript of the simulation designed for screen readers.
This virtual simulation was designed to help elementary and middle school teachers, administrators, and staff use communication techniques with students to discuss concerns, build resilience, increase connectedness, and refer students in distress.
Pic 1: A title card with the words “Setting Up for Success” is displayed. The screen fades to an empty classroom where a teacher stands in front of a whiteboard.
Ms. Abbie: Have you ever felt like you’re totally prepared for a big presentation, or a lesson plan, only to have something unexpected happen that catches you off guard?
Whether you’ve been in the profession for 30 years or 3 months, we all have that happen from time to time.
When it comes to teaching, we like to have a plan for everything, just in case.
Pic 2: The text “Ms. Abbie, fifth grade teacher” appears next to her on the whiteboard.
Hi, I’m Ms. Abbie, and I’m a 5th grade teacher.
I’ve been teaching for longer than I’d like to admit. (pauses)
Pic 3: The text next to her changes to “Positive Environment” with a thumbs-up symbol.
And I’ve learned that students will always find ways to surprise you, but if you create a positive classroom environment, you can spot changes early and resolve problems quickly.
Pic 4: “Connectedness,” “Resilience,” and “Discuss Concerns” appear in a list below “Positive Environment.”
A positive classroom environment is one that promotes and practices Connectedness and Resilience and creates a pathway to Discuss Concerns.
Here’s what I mean:
Pic 5: The text on the whiteboard fades away and is replaced by the title “Connectedness.” Underneath it the words “Building strong relationships” appear with a symbol of shaking hands.
Connectedness means building strong relationships in the school and community.
Building a positive classroom environment means showing students they’re safe physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
Pic 6: “Building strong relationships” fades away and is replaced by “Check in” with a check mark.
A simple check-in or engaging prompt at the beginning of class can go a long way toward promoting connectedness.
Something like:
Pic 7: Fades to a screen titled “Ways to Check In” with a color wheel at the center. Each slice of the color wheel shows a different emotional emoticon ranging from happy to sad.
Use a color wheel to help students share how they are feeling. Can be done in a small group or in partners.
Pic 8: The next slide shows a dial with different emotional emoticons ranging from red (sad) to green (happy).
Use Mood Meters to help students identify their emotions using colors and word queues.
Pic 9: The next slide shows a circle of blue people with a single person highlighted yellow. The person highlighted yellow has a speech bubble.
Use Dialogue Circles where students and teachers share using a “talking piece” to remind students that only one person talks at a time.
Pic 10: The next slide shows a piece of paper and a pen.
Students draw or journal how they are feeling.
Pic 11: The next slide has an image of a checklist.
Prepare a prompt at the beginning of class for students to write, color, or draw about.
Pic 12: The next slide shows an image of an arrow pointing to two web pages.
You can find more information about these in our resources at the end.
Pic 13: The screen fades back to Ms. Abbie in front of the blank whiteboard.
Students can do these activities by themselves, choose to share with a trusted partner, or with a whole group.
Having a variety of prompts helps keep things fresh and allows you to check in with students and build a trusting relationship with them.
By taking five minutes out of your regular classroom schedule to check in, you’re getting to know your students better.
Pic 14: The title “Positive Environment” with “Connectedness,” “Resilience,” and “Discuss Concerns” underneath reappears next to Ms. Abbie.
Talking about emotions and giving students the language and skills to process how they’re feeling helps when the student is struggling.
Pic 15: All text fades and is replaced by the title “Resilience,” which has three emoticons, one sad, one neutral, and one happy, and the text “Ability to adapt and work through feelings” underneath.
Resilience is being able to adapt well and bounce back quickly in times of stress.
One way to build resilience is by using language that identifies what you’re feeling. Naming the feeling gives you a place to start working through it.
Here are some ways students can practice working through tough feelings:
Pic 16: The image fades and is replaced with a slide titled “Resilience Strategies” with the subtitle “Mindfulness” underneath an icon of a face with closed eyes.
Students sit quietly and notice how they feel. They can close their eyes and sit with the feeling until they feel like they can control it. Sometimes breathing deeply can help.
Pic 17: The next slide’s subtitle is “Deep Breathing” with an icon of a face blowing out a breath.
Students can close their eyes and count slowly to 10 while taking deep breaths. This helps them focus on something they can control, their breath, and can be enough to help them regulate again.
Pic 18: The next slide is subtitled “Movement” with a smiling emoticon with arrows pointed in four directions.
Provide space where students can safely move their body. This could be a space to walk, do arm circles, or even jump. This movement break can help them regulate again.
Pic 19: The next slide is subtitled “Journaling/Drawing” with the image of a pen and a piece of paper.
Sometimes students need a quiet place to draw, color, or journal what they’re feeling before they have the words to express it to you. Giving them the time and space to do this helps them feel in control.
Pic 20: The next slide is subtitled “Resources” with the image of an arrow pointing towards two web pages.
You can find more information on these in our Resources at the end.
Pic 21: The image fades away and is replaced by that of Ms. Abbie next to the whiteboard with the title “Positive Environment” with a thumbs-up icon and the words “Connectedness,” “Resilience,” and “Discuss Concerns” listed underneath.
When students feel connected in their classroom and they have strategies they can use when working through those tough situations, they’re in a better place to open up and share with you when concerns do arise.
Pic 22: The text fades and is replaced by the title “Discuss Concerns” with the image of two word bubbles underneath.
Knowing your students’ “normal” means you’re better equipped to talk with them when you notice something has changed. Here’s what I mean:
Pic 23: The image fades away and is replaced by a shadow image of a student named Amir, alone.
Last week I noticed Amir, who’s usually very chatty during group discussions, seemed quiet and withdrawn. His drawing during our morning meeting wasn’t as bright as usual.
Pic 24: The image fades and is replaced with the shadow image of a student and a teacher talking. The teacher has a speech bubble with a question mark in it.
While the other students were sharing with their partners, I asked Amir to share with me, and asked how he was feeling.
Pic 25: The teacher’s speech bubble fades away and steam and spikes appear above Amir’s head.
Pic 26: The steam and spikes disappear and are replaced by two speech bubbles, one from Amir and one from the teacher.
He admitted he was feeling down, and wasn’t sure why. We talked more and it turned out that he was feeling stressed about a fitness test coming up in a gym class.
Pic 27: The speech bubbles fade away and are replaced by an an icon of a face blowing out a breath.
We discussed ways he could prepare. I asked him which calming strategies he liked and he said deep breathing. We practiced a few deep breaths together.
Pic 28: An image of the student playing ball with another student.
I checked in again after lunch, and he felt better. Sometimes students just need to know someone is looking out for them.
Pic 29: The screen returns to Ms. Abbie standing in front of a blank whiteboard.
When something changes, even if it’s something small, it’s best to check in early just in case there’s more going on.
Pic 30: The text “Positive Environment” with “Connectedness,” “Resilience,” and “Discuss Concerns” underneath reappears next to Ms. Abbie.
Asking your student what strategies they like helps give them some control and choice. It may also mean they are more likely to try it if it was their idea.
As we all know, having a conversation is not a one-time fix, but part of ongoing communication with your students. We’re going to explore some specific communication techniques you can use next.