## EDUCATION / BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT

Grades 6-8

> “The series is highly recommended and will prove invaluable to school  
> professionals with structured lesson plans and supplementary materials  
> to help all students succeed.”  
> —Lori Ernsperger, Ph.D., BCBA-D,  
> Executive Director of Behavioral Training Resource Center  
> “My colleagues and I have conducted several studies on the curricula in  
> the Strong Kids series and have been impressed with how easily public  
> school educators have been able to implement these with fidelity. We  
> have also documented improvements in students’ internalizing symptoms  
> (e.g., anxiety and depression) following implementation of Strong Kids.”  
> —Paul Caldarella, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Brigham Young University

### Strong Kids—Grades 6–8 Curriculum

Help your students develop the social-emotional skills they need to manage their challenges and succeed in school and life. Developed by a team of educational and mental health experts, this evidence-based, age-appropriate curriculum is low cost and low tech.

### About the Authors
- **Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Ph.D.** 
  University of Oregon Eugene
- **Laura L. Feuerborn, Ph.D.** 
  University of Washington, Tacoma
- **Barbara A. Gueldner, Ph.D.** 
  Successful Kids Today Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- **Oanh K. Tran, Ph.D.** 
  California State University Hayward

### Sample Lesson: Clear Thinking 1

**Purpose and Objectives**  
This lesson teaches students an awareness and understanding of common thinking traps. In this lesson, students will:
- Understand the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors
- Develop an awareness of their own thoughts
- Identify common thinking traps that affect behavior, thoughts, and emotions

**Materials Needed**  
- Supplements 6.1–6.2 (online download)
- Supplements 6.3–6.4 (online download and handout)
- Supplement 6.5 (online download)
- Supplements 6.6–6.7 (online download and handout)
- Supplement 6.8 (homework handout)
- Optional props (dark glasses, binoculars, and fortune cookie)

#### Running Short on Time?
Suggested stopping points: end of Activity B and Closure activity.

### Introduction  
5 MINS. Introduce the lesson. Lead students in a focusing activity. Then, show students Supplement 6.1 and discuss how people have emotions and thoughts and how we can sometimes fall into thinking traps.

### Key Terms and Definitions
- **Thoughts**: Ideas or opinions in the mind.
- **Self-talk**: The things we say to ourselves.
- **Thinking traps**: Patterns of thoughts that are inaccurate or unrealistic interpretations of events.

### Thoughts Associated with Emotions  
Recognizing our thoughts helps us understand our emotions.

### Activity A: Thoughts Associated with Emotions  
5 MINS. Using Supplement 6.4 as a visual aid, ask for volunteers to share thoughts and emotions.

### Identifying Thinking Traps
15 MINS. Discuss eight common thinking traps.

### Closure
2 MINS. Close the lesson using a brief breathing activity and a reflection on the lesson content.