1. Feeling Excited
A. Think privately of a recent occasion when you felt excited.
B. Continue thinking about:
What you were excited about
When you first felt excited about it and whether the feeling lasted
How excited you feel at the beginning of a new term – and why
C. Then, share your thoughts about 1, 2 and 3 with a talking partner.

2. Excited – always good? As a whole group, discuss:
Where, in the body, people feel excitement, and what it feels like
Whether the feeling of excitement is always a good one, and if not what makes it not so good. (Try to give examples.)
What is meant by ‘over-excitement’, and what should be done about it
Whether people are more excited at the beginning of a school year or at the end – and why

3. strengths and weaknesses
Self-control –
strengths and weaknesses
Think and decide privately which of the following you control best, and which you control worst:
Your VOICE
Your FACE
Your HANDS
Your CONCENTRATION
Your IMAGINATION
Your PATIENCE
B. Then, share your thoughts about with a talking partner, and discuss why some things are more difficult to control than others.

4. Self-control - difficulties
As a whole group, discuss:
When is it difficult to control your body, and why?
(Consider at least 3 examples.)
When is it difficult to control your desires, and why?
When is it difficult to control your excitement, and why?

5. Self-control – bodies A. In small groups (4 or 5 people),
think of 6 different ways in which people learn how to control their bodies
agree on 3 of them to present to the whole group
agree on 1 person to speak for your group, and try to make sure she/he
has something interesting to say about each example.
Then as a whole group, discuss at least one example from each small
group, aiming to agree on 6 pieces of advice to people who want to
improve their control of their own bodies.

6. Self-control – always good?
As a whole group, discuss:
Which are most difficult to control – your feelings, your thoughts or
your actions?
(Give reasons for your view, but do not be surprised if
others have different views and reasons.)
When it might be good to try to control your feelings,
and when it might be not so good.
(Again, give reasons.)
When it might be good to try to control your bodies,

7. Self-control – power of thought
As a whole group, discuss:
1. Whether some people can ‘control’ the thoughts of others.
(Give and expect examples.)
Whether people’s thoughts can get ‘out of control’.
What we actually mean by ‘controlling your own thoughts’,
and how easy it is.
(Give and expect reasons.)
When it might be good to control your own thoughts
and when it might be not so good.

8. Self-control – thoughts
A. In small groups (4 or 5 people),
think of 6 different ways in which people learn how to control their thoughts
2. agree on 3 of them to present to the whole group
3. agree on 1 person to speak for your group, and try to make sure she/he has something interesting to say about each example.
B. Then as a whole group, discuss at least one example from each small group, aiming to agree on 6 pieces of advice to people who want to improve their control of their own bodies.

9. Self-control – personal task
A. Privately, write down some of your own thoughts about self-control.
The following might help you to ‘control’ or organise your thoughts:
Are there different parts of you that you control at different times, or in different ways?
How have you got better at self-control since you were a baby?
In what ways might you like to be still more self-controlled?
What have you learnt from the rest of your group about how you could
make that happen? OR
B. Write a story about someone who learnt better self-control. (It could be you!)