Our character strength for next week is Open-Mindedness. This means, thinking things through and being open to different people and/or ideas. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a concept that most of the students will understand with regard to Open-Mindedness.
Also related is the perspective – this picture story book shows how we can all see things the same thing differently.
I also like this clip which illustrated how judgment can literally cloud our opinions of others.
Self Control means being able to control our emotions, thoughts and actions. It means thinking carefully about how we behave.
At school, demonstrating self-control could involve:
– Coming to class with everything needed to get to work rather than being
unprepared
– Remembering and following directions rather than needing to be reminded
– Getting to work right away rather than procrastinating
– Paying attention rather than getting distracted
Interpersonally, demonstrating self-control could involve:
– Allowing others to speak rather than interrupting
– Being polite to all, even when stressed or angry
-Not losing your temper
– Remaining calm, even when criticised or otherwise provoked,
rather than losing your temper
“Mr Huff” by Anna Walker
Animated version of “No, David!” by David Shannon
Teamwork means being a great team mate, doing your share and getting people to work well together.
People with teamwork as their top strength excel as a member of a group. They are loyal and dedicated teammates, they always do their part, they work hard for the success of their group.
The key concepts of teamwork involve:
Teamwork is also closely related to the sense of belonging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXTeFa43730
When have you used teamwork?
Being persistent means working hard to finish what we set out to achieve and not giving up. It means setting and achieving goals despite challenges and difficulties. Being persistent involves “grit” which is similar to stamina and effort.
I’m sure that you can relate to Susie in this story about persistence while fishing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USE_MzDttz8
Even David Beckham understands the need to be persistence!
“I want to explore and find out new things”
People who are curious are interested in learning more about anything and everything. They are always asking questions and find all subjects and topics fascinating. They like exploration and discovery.
Key Concepts:
There are two key components to curious individuals: They are interested in exploring new ideas, activities and experiences, and they also have a strong desire to increase their own personal knowledge.
Benefits:
Curiosity fuels intrinsic motivation to learn
Curiosity brings pleasure and enhances memory
Curious people have more developed cognitive skills; they learn more and
learn better