Emotional Strength Training Lesson 6- Positive Thinking Adapted from “Strong Kids” For Grade 6-8

Learning Target I can change my negative thoughts and beliefs.

Review What are some common thinking errors? Black-or-White Thinking Binocular Vision Dark Glasses Fortune-Telling Making it Personal Blame Game How can you change your thinking errors?

Name and Define Skills Self-Control- the ability to control your own behavior Personal Control- believing you have control over the outcomes in your life Optimism- believing, expecting, and hoping that things will turn out well Pessimism- always expecting something bad will happen

Discuss with a Partner Think of a time when you had some negative thoughts. Maybe you had an argument with a parent, problems with your friends, or you received a poor grade. What negative thoughts did you have? How did it affect the rest of your day? Do you think you could have changed your negative thoughts?

ABCDE Optimism A stands for ADVERSITY B stands for BELIEF Any situation when you feel uncomfortable B stands for BELIEF Bad thoughts that affect how you feel C stands for CONSEQUENCE Crummy feelings that make you feel worse D stands for DECIDING Deciding not to accept the negative thoughts E stands for ENERGY Enjoying the idea that you can control what you think about yourself

Activity- Partners or Groups Use the ABCDE Optimism Model to describe a situation in which you might have negative thoughts. Possible situations: Everyone laughed at your outfit and/or shoes. You answer a question wrong in class. You get a test back and you failed. You have lunch detention because you were disrespectful to your teacher.

Comprehension Check What is optimism? What are some ways you can start thinking positively?