Place your mouse pointer over the slider to pause. Use the Arrows or Dots to navigate between slides.
@ School
The benefits of teaching the grade-specific COOL TO BE ME material systematically as part of an integrated life skills curriculum, a pastoral care curriculum or as enrichment ensures that learners are taught all the core SEL competencies at each stage of their development. It also assists in creating a consistent SEL approach throughout the school.
Foundation Phase: Grade 1 – 3
BUILDING BLOCKS is the COOL TO BE ME Foundation Phase curriculum. It is a theme based curriculum that combines developing the core SEL competencies within each learner while progressively exploring key developmental themes from grade 1 to 3.
Engaging, fun, effective and easy-to-implement
These unique aspects of the BUILDING BLOCKS curriculum make it easy-to-implement, fun, engaging and effective.
- Engaging stories as the vehicle for teaching and learning.
- Audio books for classroom and home use.
- Clearly defined learning opportunities.
- Easy to follow Teachers Manual and lesson plans.
- A digital resource library with worksheets, classroom accessories and teaching aids.
- School curriculum is supported by CTBM @ home, including fun family games and chats.
Grade 1 : Building Blocks Red
Developmental theme : Feeling happy and safe
Neuroscience informs us that the brain learns best when it is calm and content which makes ‘feeling happy and safe’ a very important theme to address in Grade 1. The learners explore the following four building blocks and related SEL competencies so that they develop the skills to navigate their daily challenges and quickly return to a calm and content state of being; ready to learn:
- Feelings
- Being kind
- Sharing
- My circle of love and support
Grade 2 : Building Blocks Blue
Developmental theme : Becoming confident and responsible
The Grade 2 theme challenges the learners to grow in confidence and responsibility. They explore these four building blocks while building on the SEL competencies learnt in grade 1:
- Being truthful
- Being confident
- Being responsible
- Bouncing back
Grade 3 : Building Blocks Green
Developmental theme : Discovering my inner world
The nine year old learner in grade 3 is going through a very interesting developmental phase. They are expected to be able to cope with more responsibility and ‘stand on their own two feet’, while entering the very beginning stages of the identity crisis which peaks in pre-adolescence. Many become unsure of their ability to cope. Grade 3’s developmental theme of ‘discovering my inner world’ helps them move through this insecurity by engaging in these four building blocks.
- My miraculous body
- My brilliant brain
- My wise heart
- My special gift
Intermediate Phase Grade 4 and 5
Grades 4 and 5 are characterised by friendship complications and miscommunications! Typically ten and eleven year olds will start experimenting by exerting their personal power on the peer group or testing the boundaries with authority figures, positively and or negatively. If we do not use this opportunity for social and emotional learning, this still harmless phase escalates quickly into bullying epidemics within schools and difficult, disruptive elements within classrooms in the senior phase.
The following themes play out in grade 4 and 5:
- Shifting and exclusive friendship groups (You are my friend. You are not my friend. You can sit with us. You can’t sit with us.)
- Dissing and teasing (beginning phases of bullying)
- Testing the boundaries with authority figures (beginning of disruptive and disrespectful behaviour)
- Cyber stupidity
The COOL TO BE ME Intermediate Phase curriculum directly addresses these developmental issues through two targeted programmes. COOL TO BE FRIENDS in grade 4 and COOL TO CONNECT in grade 5.
Thought provoking, experiential, creative and easy-to-implement
These unique aspects of our Intermediate Phase curriculum create a thought provoking, experiential, creative and easy-to-implement learning opportunity for learners, educators and parents:
- Experiential learning cycle is the vehicle for learning (game/activity; reflection; generalisation; application)
- Creative and fun elements engage learners attention (rap songs; friend-shakes; graphic novels and so much more)
- Easy-to-follow Educator Manual with clear lesson plans
- Easy to fit into busy timetables
- Thought provoking and reflective journaling for learners
- Family discussions to engage parents and children in SEL
Contact us to discuss an implementation plan to suit your school.
Grade 4 : Cool To Be Friends
COOL TO BE FRIENDS in grade 4 focuses on the developmental theme of friendship. It provides a safe and creative space for children to learn and practice social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making and gain an understanding of the importance of bringing the value of kindness, respect and fairness into the classroom and school community. When we practise these values, we approach all people in friendship and peacefully resolve fights, arguments or disagreements. More specifically Grade 4 learners will learn:
- How to be a good friend
- Why community and friendship is important
- To act and speak with kindness (Be a builder not a breaker)
- To bring mutual respect into the peer group
- To co-operate, compromise and play fair
- How to resolve conflict peacefully
- To reflect honestly on their personal choices and actions and how they impact their classmates.
Grade 5 : Cool To Connect
COOL TO CONNECT in grade 5 extends the grade 4 themes and values of friendship into effective communication skills, culminating in the all-important modern day survival tools of being cyber smart and emotionally savvy.
COOL TO CONNECT is an experiential exploration of communication. The programme creates an experiential space for learners to understand why ‘connection infection’ (miscommunications, fights etc) happen within the peer group and how they can restore ‘connection perfection’ through effective communication skills and values. More specifically Grade 5 learners will learn:
- Why we communicate
- The process of communication (responsibility of senders and receivers)
- The different ways people communicate
- Verbal communication – think before you speak
- Non-verbal communication – know what you show
- To listen actively – with their heads and hearts
- Digital and written communication
- To be cyber smart and safe
- To choose the right way of communicating in different situations and with different people.
Senior Phase Grade 6 and 7
In Grade 6 and 7 learners are exploring the developmental themes of identity and leadership. The COOL TO BE ME curriculum speaks directly to these developmental needs through two focused programmes COOL TO BE ME (Grade 6) and COOL TO LEAD (Grade 7).
Reflective, transformative and easy-to-implement
These unique aspects of our Senior Phase curriculum create a reflective and transformative and easy-to-implement learning opportunity for learners, educators and parents:
- Experiential learning cycle is the vehicle for learning (game/activity; reflection; generalisation; application)
- Simple analogies and games allow learners to understand and apply more complex ideas
- Addresses critical developmental themes while developing core SEL competencies
- Easy-to-follow Educator Manual with clear lesson plans
- Easy to fit into busy timetables
- Thought provoking, reflective and transformative journaling for learners
- Family discussions to engage parents and children in SEL.
In Grade 6 the learner is reaching the peak of their identity crisis with the themes of self-esteem (Who am I? Why does anybody like me?); self-worth (Why I am important or valued?) and mutual respect (Why should I respect you if you don’t respect me?). It is also very normal for them to answer these questions and formulate their identity based on three external observations:
- What I look like?
- What I achieve?
- What I own?
It is a critical time in their development to shift the way in which they see themselves (identity) from an external perspective (Points 1, 2 and 3 above which are transient and not always within their control) to an internal perspective which focuses on aspects of self that are eternal and create a strong, resilient foundation for 
lasting self-esteem, self-worth and mutual respect.
The Grade 6 learner then progresses into Grade 7 with a strong sense of self, ready to step into the leadership opportunity this year offers.
Contact us to discuss an implementation plan to suit your school.
Grade 6 : Cool To Be Me
This Grade 6 programme explores a crucial developmental challenge of this age group: Identity.
Understanding and accepting one’s identity is essential for the healthy development of resilient self-esteem, self-worth and the fostering of mutual respect. During this programme learners will shift from formulating an externally informed identity based on aspects of appearance, achievement and material possessions to an internally informed identity based on character, values, passions and interests, collaboration, goals and aspirations. The strength of this internal foundation supports lasting and resilient self-esteem and self- worth that leads to responsible decision making, healthy relationships, empathy and mutual respect within the peer group.
Learners will get to consider and explore the following concepts – individually and in groups:
- Who am I?
- Why am I important?
- Why is everyone else important?
- How do I create my life?
- My choices in my generation.
Grade 7 : Cool To Collaborate
COOL TO COLLABORATE is a one-day leadership workshop created for Grade 7. The workshop helps children to explore the concept of collaborative leadership.
Interactive and fun!
Through fun, interactive games and discussions the workshop aims to teach the following important aspects of collaborative leadership.
- Every individual possesses positive leadership characteristics and has the potential to develop others.
- Every individual is intelligent in a different way. Understanding how we are intelligent allows us to identify when and where we can lead.
- The most undervalued leader is the follower.
- The fluid transition of leadership within a group makes collaboration fun and effective.
- In order for Peer group leadership to work, we need to create an environment of mutual respect and appreciation.
What is “collaborative leadership”?
Collaborative leadership is the ability of the peer group to create an environment of individuality, mutual respect and collaboration that allows for the fluid movement between members of the group stepping up to lead, or using their power to follow, depending on what type of characteristics and intelligence each situation requires. This allows the peer group to create an environment that is supportive, fun, creative and effective. It enhances in children the ability to look beyond the ego and self and to understand that different circumstances require different roles and responsibilities from individuals. The result of this workshop is the intention of each participant to use the opportunity in Grade 7 to explore who they are as a leader; offer themselves as a leaders and work collaboratively with their peers to lead the school together.
Implementation
The workshop takes place on the school premises and is facilitated by trained COOL TO BE ME facilitators, supported by Grade 7 staff members.
Contact us to book a workshop.
