Guiding the Magical Yet

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 minutes)

(Display Slide 1: Your Magical Yet Journey!)

"Good morning, second graders! Today, we're going on a super special journey, a 'Magical Yet Journey'! Has anyone ever heard of a 'yet'? What do you think it means?"

"That's okay if you haven't! We're going to discover its magic today. First, let's talk about something wonderful: hopes and dreams! What are your hopes and dreams for this year? What do you wish you could do?"

(Display Slide 2: What are Hopes and Dreams?)

"Wow, those are amazing! Dreams are exciting wishes for the future, like wanting to learn to ride a bike without training wheels, or hoping to be a great artist. Hopes are things you really want to happen, like making new friends or scoring a goal in soccer!"

Introducing the 'Magical Yet' and Story Time (10 minutes)

(Display Slide 3: Sometimes things feel hard...)

"Sometimes, when we have big hopes and dreams, things can feel a little bit hard, right? Maybe reading a big book feels hard, or tying your shoes takes a long time. Who can share something that feels hard for them right now?"

"It's totally normal for things to feel hard! But guess what? We have a secret superpower word, a magical word that can help us. That word is YET!"

(Display Slide 4: But then there's the 'Magical Yet'!)

"When something feels hard, and you think, 'I can't do it!' you can add the super special word: YET! It means you haven't done it right now, but you are learning, you are growing, and you will get there! You just haven't done it... yet!"

(Display Slide 5: The Power of 'Yet')

"Let's try it! Instead of saying, 'I can't read big books,' what can we say? (Pause for answers) Yes! 'I can't read big books... YET!' How about, 'I can't tie my shoes?' (Pause for answers) Right! 'I can't tie my shoes... YET!' Isn't that amazing? It changes everything!"

"Now, I'm going to read you a special story called Reading: The Little Engine That Could... Yet!. As I read, listen for how the little engine keeps trying, even when things are hard. Think about where the word 'yet' could fit in their journey!"

(Read Reading: The Little Engine That Could... Yet!)

Class Discussion: Yet We Can! (5 minutes)

"What did you notice about the Little Engine? Did it give up when things were hard? (Pause) No! It kept trying! Where could the Magical Yet fit into its story?"

"Using the prompts from Discussion Prompts: Yet We Can!, let's talk about how the word 'yet' makes us feel. Does it make you want to try harder? Why?"

"Can anyone share something they currently think they can't do, but now they can add 'yet' to it?"

Activity: My Hopes and Yet Dreams (8 minutes)

(Display Slide 6: Your Hopes and Yet-Dreams!)

"Fantastic ideas! Now, it's YOUR turn to think about your own hopes and dreams and how you can use the Magical Yet. I'm going to hand out this Worksheet: My Hopes and Yet Dreams."

(Distribute worksheets and drawing supplies.)

"On your worksheet, I want you to first draw or write about one of your hopes or dreams for this year. What is something exciting you want to achieve or learn? Then, think about something that feels a little bit challenging right now, and write it down, adding the word YET to it! Remember, it's okay if it's hard, you just haven't mastered it... yet!"

(Circulate, offering help and encouragement. Remind students of the time.)

Wrap-Up & Share (2 minutes)

(Display Slide 7: Keep Dreaming! Keep Yet-ing!)

"Alright, wonderful work everyone! Who would like to share one of their hopes or dreams, and maybe one thing they can't do... yet?"

"Thank you for sharing! Always remember the power of YET! You can do amazing things, even if it feels hard right now. Keep trying, keep learning, and keep growing! Your magical yet journey is just beginning!"

The Little Engine That Could... Yet!

Once upon a time, a long train was full of toys and good food for the children on the other side of the mountain. But oh dear! The train broke down, and it couldn't go another inch. The children would have no toys or treats for their birthday party!

A shiny Passenger Engine came by. "Please, will you pull our train over the mountain?" asked the toys.

"Oh, I can't do that," said the big engine. "I am too grand for toy trains!" And off it went.

Next came a big, strong Freight Engine. "Please, will you pull our train?" begged the toys.

"I can't pull a broken train like that," grumbled the Freight Engine. "My job is heavy freight, not toys!" And it chugged away.

Then, a tiny blue engine came puffing along. It was very small and had never pulled such a big train before. "Please, little engine, will you help us?" cried the toys. "The children won't have their birthday party without us!"

The Little Blue Engine looked at the big, heavy train. It looked at the tall mountain. It felt scared. "I'm not very big," it thought. "I don't think I can pull such a heavy train up that big mountain... YET!"

But then, the Little Blue Engine remembered the children and their party. It took a deep breath. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!" it whispered.

It hooked onto the train. It chugged and it pulled. "I can't do it... yet!" it thought when the hill got steep. "But I can try! I can try! I can try!"

Slowly, slowly, the Little Blue Engine pulled the train up the mountain. It huffed and it puffed. Each time it felt like giving up, it just thought, "I haven't done it... YET!"

Finally, with one last, big chug, the Little Blue Engine reached the top! Then, it smoothly rolled down the other side, all the way to the town. The children cheered! They had their toys and their food, all thanks to the Little Blue Engine that said, "I think I can... and even if I can't YET, I will keep trying!"

My Hopes and Yet Dreams

Name: ____________________________

1. My Special Hope or Dream!

What is something you really want to do or learn this year? Draw a picture or write about it below!

2. Something That Feels Hard... YET!

Think about something that feels a little tricky or hard for you right now. Write or draw about it, and remember to add the word YET!

I can't ___________________________________ ... YET!

My plan to keep trying: (Draw or write one way you will keep practicing!)

Yet We Can! Discussion Prompts

1. In the story of Reading: The Little Engine That Could... Yet!, when did the Little Engine feel like giving up? What did it do instead?
   
   
   
2. How does adding the word YET change how you feel about something that is hard? Does it make you want to try harder? Why or why not?
   
   
   
3. Can you think of a time when something was hard for you, but you kept trying and eventually learned it? What was it?
   
   
   
4. What is one thing you can say you can't do... YET? What is one small step you could take to start learning or improving at it?
   
   
   

Dream Cloud Creation

This activity is a fun way to visually represent your hopes and your powerful "yet" statements!

Materials Needed:

• Small piece of paper (can be a cut-out cloud shape if time permits, or simply a small rectangle)
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Your Worksheet: My Hopes and Yet Dreams

Instructions:

1. Choose Your Yet! Look at your Worksheet: My Hopes and Yet Dreams and pick the "I can't... YET!" statement you wrote or drew.
2. Draw Your Cloud: On your small piece of paper, draw a fluffy cloud. You can make it colorful!
3. Write Your Yet: Inside your cloud, write your complete "I can't... YET!" statement. For example, "I can't solve big math problems... YET!"
4. Illustrate (Optional): You can draw a small picture around your cloud that shows you trying or learning the thing you can't do yet.
5. Share Your Sky of Dreams! Once your dream cloud is ready, we can share them! We might hang them up to remind us of our amazing growth mindset and all the things we are learning to do! (Teacher will guide sharing if time allows).