My Challenge Check-In

Take a moment to think about your school day. Sometimes, we face little hurdles that make things tricky. These might be things like:

• Finding it hard to focus on a task
• Feeling nervous or anxious, especially before a test
• Not being sure when or how to ask for help from a teacher

In the space below, briefly (and privately) jot down one challenge you sometimes face in the classroom or during schoolwork. You don't have to share it out loud if you don't want to, but thinking about it helps us understand what tools might be most useful.

Think about:

• When does this challenge usually happen?
• How does it make you feel? (e.g., frustrated, stressed, confused)

We'll discuss general challenges as a group in a moment, but keep your specific challenge in mind as we learn some new strategies today.

My Toolkit of Strategies

Today, we're building our personal toolkit with strategies to help us manage challenges like staying focused, handling test anxiety, and confidently asking for help. Let's practice putting these tools to use!

Tool 1: Breathe It Out - The 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

This simple breathing exercise can help calm your body and mind, making it easier to focus or reduce anxiety. Follow these steps:

1. Prepare: Sit comfortably with your back straight.
2. Exhale Completely: Gently exhale all the air from your lungs through your mouth, making a 'whoosh' sound.
3. Inhale (4 counts): Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
4. Hold Breath (7 counts): Hold your breath for a count of seven.
5. Exhale (8 counts): Exhale completely through your mouth, making a 'whoosh' sound, for a count of eight.
6. Repeat: Inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

• When to use it: Before a test, when you feel distracted, when you feel frustrated, or when you need a quick reset.

Tool 2: Positive Self-Talk - Your Inner Cheerleader

What you say to yourself in your mind has a big impact on how you feel and what you do. Let's practice replacing negative thoughts with empowering ones.

Challenge: Identify a common negative thought you might have (e.g., "I'm going to fail this test," "I can't focus," "I don't understand anything").




Positive Reframe: How can you turn that negative thought into something supportive and encouraging?

• Examples:
  • Instead of "I'm going to fail this test," try "I've prepared, and I'll do my best."
  • Instead of "I can't focus," try "I can take a deep breath and restart this task."
  • Instead of "I don't understand anything," try "It's okay to ask for clarification, I'll try to identify what I do understand."

Tool 3: Ask for Help Smartly - Self-Advocacy Scripts

Asking for help is a sign of strength! It shows you're taking responsibility for your learning. Let's practice some ways to ask for help clearly and effectively.

Scenario 1: You're stuck on a problem or instruction.

• What NOT to say: "I don't get it." or "This is too hard."
• What TO say: "Excuse me, Mr./Ms. [Teacher's Name], I'm a bit stuck on number 3. Could you clarify the instructions for this section?" or "I'm having trouble understanding the difference between A and B. Can you explain it again?"

Scenario 2: You're feeling overwhelmed or losing focus.

• What NOT to say: (Sighing loudly, putting your head down, getting visibly frustrated without communicating).
• What TO say: "Mr./Ms. [Teacher's Name], I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed by this task. Would it be okay if I took a quick 30-second breathing break, then try again?" or "I'm finding it hard to concentrate right now. What's the best way to refocus?"

Quick Role-Play: Let's practice one of these. Think about a time you might use one of these phrases. How would you phrase it?

One Step Forward

We've explored some powerful tools today to help you unlock your inner calm and power. Now, it's time to think about how you'll use them.

Reflect and Share:

1. Out of the strategies we discussed today (Deep Breathing, Positive Self-Talk, Smart Self-Advocacy), which one are you most likely to try this week?
   
   
   
   

2. How do you think this strategy might help you with a challenge you face in school (e.g., test anxiety, staying focused, asking for help)?
   
   
   
   

Be ready to share your chosen strategy and how you think it might help with the group.

Unlock Your Inner Calm & Power: Teacher Script

(0-5 minutes) Warm-Up: My Challenge Check-In

"Good morning/afternoon, everyone. Please settle in. Today, we're going to talk about something really important that can help you feel more in control and confident at school. To start, I'd like you to take a look at the Warm-Up: My Challenge Check-In (or the slide on the screen)."

"Silently, I want you to think about or jot down one challenge you sometimes face in the classroom or during schoolwork. This could be anything from getting distracted, to feeling nervous before a test, or not knowing the best way to ask for help."

"Take about a minute to think about your personal challenge. You don't have to share it out loud if you don't want to, but keep it in mind as we go through our lesson today. It helps us understand what tools might be most useful."

(Pause for 1 minute for reflection/writing)

"Alright, thank you for reflecting. Now, without sharing specific details about yourselves, can anyone share some general types of challenges students might face in school? Things like... 'sometimes it's hard to focus' or 'tests can be stressful.'"

(Allow 1-2 students to share general challenges, affirm their responses. Transition smoothly to the next part.)

(5-10 minutes) Introduction: Inner Calm & Power

"Excellent. Today, we're going to talk about how we can tap into our 'Inner Calm & Power' to manage these kinds of challenges. Think of it like this: your brain and body have superpowers, and we're going to learn how to activate them!"

"Our goal today is to equip you with some practical strategies, some 'tools,' that can help you feel more in control, focused, and confident, whether you're taking a test, working on an assignment, or just trying to navigate a busy school day. These tools can help with everything from staying on task and managing test anxiety, to knowing exactly how and when to ask for help."

"We're going to explore a few of these tools in our Slide Deck: Unlock Your Inner Calm & Power."

(10-25 minutes) Strategy Deep Dive & Practice: My Toolkit of Strategies

"Let's dive into our first tool, which is a fantastic way to hit the 'reset' button on your brain and body: Deep Breathing."

Tool 1: Breathe It Out - The 4-7-8 Breathing Technique (5 minutes)

"Turn your attention to the slide, 'Strategy 1: Breathe It Out.' Deep breathing is incredibly powerful. It can help you feel calmer, focus better, and reduce stress almost instantly. It's like a secret weapon for when you feel anxious about a test, or when your mind is just wandering during class."

"We're going to try something called 4-7-8 breathing. I'll guide you through it. Just follow my lead. You can close your eyes if you feel comfortable, or just focus on a spot in front of you."

"First, I want everyone to gently exhale all the air from your lungs through your mouth, making a soft 'whoosh' sound."

"Now, close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose to a mental count of four."

"Hold your breath for a count of seven."

"And now, exhale completely through your mouth, making that 'whoosh' sound, for a count of eight."

"Let's do that two more times. Inhale for four... hold for seven... exhale for eight."

"One more time. Inhale for four... hold for seven... exhale for eight."

"Alright, open your eyes if they were closed. How do you feel? Even just a few rounds can make a difference. Remember, this is a tool you can use anytime, anywhere, when you need to calm down or refocus."

Tool 2: Positive Self-Talk - Your Inner Cheerleader (5 minutes)

"Now let's move to our next tool: Positive Self-Talk. This is about what you tell yourself in your head. Our thoughts have a huge impact on our feelings and our actions. If you tell yourself 'I'm going to fail,' you're more likely to feel anxious and perform poorly. But what if you changed that message?"

"Look at the slide, 'Strategy 2: Positive Self-Talk.' Instead of letting negative thoughts take over, we can actively replace them with positive, encouraging ones. You can be your own best cheerleader!"

"Think back to the challenge you identified earlier. What's a negative thought that sometimes pops into your head when you face that challenge? (e.g., 'I can't do this,' 'This is too hard,' 'I'm not smart enough')."

(Pause for reflection)

"Now, how could you reframe that into something positive? For example, instead of 'I'm going to fail this test,' you could say, 'I've prepared, and I'll do my best.' Or instead of 'I can't focus,' you could try, 'I can take a deep breath and restart this task.'"

"Can anyone share a positive reframe they thought of, or an example of positive self-talk they might use?"

(Call on 1-2 students, reinforce their ideas.)

"Fantastic. Practicing positive self-talk can really change your mindset and help you feel more capable."

Tool 3: Ask for Help Smartly - Self-Advocacy Scripts (5 minutes)

"Our third tool is all about 'Asking for Help Smartly.' Asking for help is not a weakness; it's actually a huge strength! It shows you're engaged, responsible, and committed to your learning. But sometimes, it's hard to know when to ask, or how to ask in a way that truly helps your teacher help you."

"Let's look at 'Strategy 3: Ask for Help Smartly' on the slide. Being specific makes a big difference. If you just say, 'I don't get it,' your teacher doesn't know where to start. But if you say, 'I'm stuck on number 3, can you clarify the instructions for this section?', that's much more helpful."

"We're going to do a quick role-play. I'll be the teacher, and I'd like one or two volunteers to practice asking for help in these scenarios. Who would like to try the first scenario: you're stuck on a problem?"

(Facilitate a quick role-play with one student, providing encouraging feedback. Then, prompt for the second scenario.)

"Great job! Now, who would like to try the second scenario: you're feeling overwhelmed or losing focus? How would you communicate that effectively?"

(Facilitate another quick role-play. Emphasize calm, clear communication.)

"These phrases might feel a little formal at first, but practicing them helps you feel more confident. Remember, your teachers want to help you learn, and clear communication makes that easier for everyone."

(25-30 minutes) Reflection & Wrap-Up: One Step Forward

"We've covered some powerful tools today: Deep Breathing, Positive Self-Talk, and Smart Self-Advocacy. You now have an 'Inner Calm & Power Toolkit' that you can use any time you need it."

"To wrap up, I'd like you to think about what we discussed. Look at the 'One Step Forward' slide. Out of these three strategies, which one are you most likely to try this week? And how do you think it might help you with a challenge you face?"

(Allow students a moment to think.)

"Can anyone share one strategy they plan to try or one thing they learned today?"

(Allow 2-3 students to share. Reinforce their choices.)

"Fantastic. Remember, practicing these tools makes them stronger and more useful for you. The more you use them, the more naturally they'll come when you need them most."

"As a final step, I'd like you to complete the Journal: Reflecting on My Power. This will give you a chance to think more deeply about how these strategies connect to your personal goals. Please take a copy on your way out/complete it later."

"Thank you, everyone. You all have incredible inner calm and power within you; now you have a few more ways to unlock it!"

Reflecting on My Power

Today we talked about unlocking your inner calm and power using strategies like deep breathing, positive self-talk, and smart self-advocacy. This journal is a space for you to think about how these tools can help you specifically.

Part 1: My Personal Toolkit

1. Out of the three strategies we discussed, which one resonated with you the most, and why?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Describe a specific situation in school where you could use this strategy. How would you apply it?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Think about the '4-7-8 Breathing' technique. When do you think would be the best time to practice this during your school day? (e.g., before a test, during a challenging assignment, when feeling overwhelmed).
   
   
   
   

4. Write down one or two positive self-talk phrases that you will try to use when you feel challenged or frustrated. Make them personal to you!
   
   
   
   

Part 2: Asking for What I Need

5. Reflect on the 'Smart Self-Advocacy' phrases. Imagine a situation where you need to ask a teacher for help. Write down exactly what you would say, making sure to be clear and specific.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

6. What makes it hard sometimes to ask for help? How might practicing these self-advocacy phrases make it easier?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Part 3: My Growth Mindset

7. What is one thing you learned today that makes you feel more confident about managing challenges in school?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Remember, these tools are for your benefit. The more you use them, the more effective they become! Keep this journal as a reminder of your growing power.