Instructor: Carolyn Mosiman

Community: Grades 1 & 2, Full Class

Plan Creation Date: February 13, 2009

Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community

Lesson Plan:


  • Listening activity: short series of claps, thigh slaps, arm movements. I do, they copy. End with very quiet, very slow movements.
  • Introduce breathing with Hoberman Sphere
  • One-minute reflection: Seated, eyes closed, I’d like you to think about you’re walk from your classroom to my classroom. I see your class lining up and Mrs. _ holding up a “V”. She’s reminding you of the Vinland School Expectations. As a school community member, you’re expected to be responsible, respectful, kind and ready to learn. Your class walks out of your classroom, everyone has a “0” voice level. You walk through the pod and you see all of the other (first or second) grade classrooms working hard. You pass quietly and responsibly, all the way down the hall, past the office, past the lunchroom, the gym, the library … your class walks so quietly they’re hardly noticed. Then you pass Mr. Jones in the hallway. You hear him give your teacher a “class compliment” because her class looks so responsible walking in a straight line with hands to themselves. You walk into the fifth grade pod and notice how hard the fifth graders are working. Your voices are at a “0” voice level because you want to be respectful of the fifth graders and you don’t want to disturb their learning. You get to my door and you hear me say “nice job walking quietly through the fifth grade pod.” You enter my classroom and find your seat. You’re all “ready to learn.” Mrs. _ has so many self-managers in her class!
  • Review “How To Give a Compliment” and “How to Accept A Compliment” list modified from ACCESS curriculum. (poster and on whiteboard)


  • Assign partners, knees to knees
    • Tell your partner about a compliment you gave to someone else today or yesterday. Who did you compliment, what did you say?
    • Tell your partner about a compliment someone gave you today. Who gave you the compliment? What was it? How did it make you feel?
    • Ask for a few volunteers to share their examples with the whole class.
  • Practice giving and receiving a compliment (give them the compliment to use, scenario cards); use students to role play their examples after partner practice.
    • You walk by your partner’s desk and notice s/he’s coloring a picture. S/he’s working hard, quietly, used lots of different colors … Give your partner a compliment.
    • Someone asked you to play with him at recess this morning.
    • Your partner always shares his class supplies with you when you need something.
  • Follow the Compliment Game lesson plan (Yoga Calm, page 112). Using two yoga straps connected together, form a circle and practice giving and receiving compliments.
  • Group brainstorm specific compliments for their teacher (using the “How To Give a Compliment” list of things to compliment. When the teacher comes to retrieve his/her class, ask the teacher to stand in the compliment circle and receive several compliments.


  • Breathing with the Hoberman Sphere.
  • Everyone sit back, close eyes. Think about who you can compliment today. Is it the lunch lady, the recess aide, a classmate, someone else? What will you tell them? How do you think they’ll feel when they hear your compliment? Now, make a plan to give that compliment today. I’ll be excited to hear all about it the next time I see you.

Brief Compliment circle with teacher in the middle.

* All subsequent lessons start with sharing compliments: Who gave a compliment during the past week? To whom? What was the compliment? How do you think it make him/her feel? Who received a compliment during the past week? From whom? How did it make you feel?

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