Teacher Script: Tracking My Inner Compass

Warm-Up: How's Your Vibe? (5 minutes)

(Display Warm-Up Activity: How's Your Vibe? - or have students write it on a sticky note)

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! To start our session today, I want to do a quick check-in. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'feeling pretty low/drained' and 5 is 'feeling fantastic/energized,' how would you describe your current 'vibe'? Just think about it for a moment, or jot it down privately. No need to share your number out loud unless you want to."

"Now, think about why you feel that way. What factors might be influencing your vibe today? Did you get enough sleep? Did something exciting happen? Are you feeling stressed about something?"

"If anyone feels comfortable, you can share one thing that's contributing to your vibe today. It could be something positive or something challenging. (Pause for voluntary sharing, ensure a safe and non-judgmental space)."

"Thank you for sharing, or for just reflecting. It's a great habit to quickly check in with ourselves, and that's actually what we're going to talk about today: how to track our inner compass."

Introduction to Social-Emotional Progress Monitoring (10 minutes)

(Display Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slide 1: "Your Inner Compass: Navigating Your Feelings")

"Just like a compass helps you find your way when you're exploring, you have an 'inner compass' that helps guide your feelings and actions. Today, we're going to learn how to read that inner compass, understand where it's pointing, and how to adjust our direction when we need to."

(Display Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slide 2: "What is Social-Emotional Health?")

"So, what exactly is 'social-emotional health'? It's a big term, but it simply refers to how well we understand and manage our feelings, how we get along with others, the choices we make, and how we handle challenges and stress in our lives."

"Can anyone give an example of something that shows good social-emotional health? (e.g., apologizing after a disagreement, staying calm when frustrated, cheering up a friend)."

"Why do you think it's important for you, as 8th graders, to develop strong social-emotional skills? How can it help you in school, with friends, or at home? (Encourage a few student responses)."

"Exactly! It helps us in every part of our lives. And just like we track our grades to see how we're doing academically, or track our progress in a sport, we can also track our social-emotional growth."

(Display Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slide 3: "Progress Monitoring: Tracking Your Growth")

"This brings us to 'progress monitoring' for our social-emotional health. It sounds fancy, but it just means paying attention to your feelings and actions over time. It's about noticing changes, understanding patterns, and figuring out what helps you grow stronger and what might be holding you back."

"It's not about being perfect, it's about being aware. If you plant a seed, you don't just leave it; you check on it, water it, make sure it has sunlight. Progress monitoring is like checking on your own growth."

Strategies for Tracking Progress (10 minutes)

(Display Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slide 4: "How Can I Track My Inner Compass?")

"So, how can we actually do this? How can we track our inner compass? There are many simple ways. Here are a few:

• Mood Check-ins: This is what we did at the start of class! Just taking a moment to notice how you're feeling throughout the day or at different times.
• Journaling: This is a powerful tool. Writing down your thoughts, your feelings, and what might have triggered those feelings. It helps you see connections.
• Self-Reflection Questions: Asking yourself questions like: 'What went well today?' 'What was challenging?' 'How did I handle it?' 'What could I do differently next time?'
• Talking to a Trusted Adult: Sharing your experiences and insights with a parent, guardian, teacher, counselor, or another adult you trust. They can offer a different perspective or support."

"We're going to use a special Journal: My SE Growth Tracker today that combines some of these ideas."

(Display Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slide 5: "Choosing Your Focus Area")

"For our activity today, I want each of you to think about one social-emotional area you'd like to understand better or perhaps improve. It could be something like: managing frustration, feeling more confident, speaking up for yourself, handling stress, or even making new friends."

"This is a personal choice. There's no right or wrong answer. It's about what you want to work on. Take a moment to think about an area that resonates with you."

Personal Reflection & Goal Setting (3 minutes)

(Distribute Journal: My SE Growth Tracker to each student. Instruct them to fill out the first section.)

"Now, I'm handing out your Journal: My SE Growth Tracker. Please fill out the first section where it asks you to identify one social-emotional area you want to focus on and why it's important to you."

"You'll also jot down a small, actionable step you can take to begin monitoring this area. For example, if your focus is 'managing frustration,' your step might be 'notice when I start to feel annoyed.' If your focus is 'feeling more confident,' your step might be 'try to make eye contact with one new person today.'"

"Remember, this journal is for you. You don't have to share anything you write unless you want to. The goal is to start building that self-awareness."

(Circulate the room to offer support and answer questions.)

Cool-Down: One Word Reflection (2 minutes)

(Display Cool-Down: One Word Reflection - or have students write it on a sticky note/exit ticket.)

"Alright, let's wrap up with a quick cool-down. In just one word, how do you feel about learning to monitor your social-emotional progress? Or, if you prefer, share one word that summarizes your key takeaway from today's lesson."

"(Call on a few students to share their word, or have them write it down as an exit ticket.)"

"Thank you, everyone. I hope you take these ideas with you and continue to check in with your inner compass. It's a powerful tool for your growth and well-being!"

Warm-Up: How's Your Vibe?

Instructions: Take a moment to think about how you're feeling right now. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your current "vibe" or emotional state?

1 = Feeling pretty low/drained
2 = A little off, but okay
3 = Neutral, just cruising along
4 = Feeling good, positive
5 = Feeling fantastic/energized!

My Vibe Today:

What's contributing to your vibe today? (e.g., got enough sleep, something exciting happened, feeling stressed about a test, looking forward to something, etc.)

Cool-Down: One Word Reflection

Instructions: In one word, describe how you feel about learning to monitor your social-emotional progress, or share one key takeaway from today's lesson.

My one word:

My Social-Emotional Growth Tracker

Part 1: My Focus Area

1. One social-emotional area I want to understand better or improve is:

(Think about things like: managing frustration, feeling more confident, speaking up for myself, handling stress, being more patient, making friends, etc.)

2. Why is focusing on this area important to me right now?

3. One small, actionable step I can take this week to start monitoring this area is:

(Example: If focusing on frustration, your step might be "notice when I start to feel annoyed." If focusing on confidence, your step might be "try to make eye contact with one new person today.")

Part 2: Weekly Check-In (Optional for future use)

(This section can be used later to continue your progress monitoring. You can use it daily or weekly to check in with yourself.)

Date:

My focus area today/this week:

What did I notice about this area today/this week? (e.g., When did it come up? How did I feel? What did I do?)

What went well? What was challenging?

One thing I learned or want to try next: