Becoming aware of the habits

Naming a habit and providing examples of the habit.

Activity: Students write or draw

Ø what a habit means to them,

Ø what it would sound like if they saw a person employing the habit

Ø What it would look like if they saw a person employing a habit

Ø What effect the habit would have on the person employing the habit and people affected by the habit

Ø What other situations would be a good time to employ the habit

Activity: Read a story that has a good or poor modeling of a habit.

Ø Describe how the character demonstrated the habit (What it looked like, sounded like…)

Ø What would the habit feel like to the person employing it?

Ø Describe the effect of the habit on the person demonstrating the habit as well as those around the person.

Ø Describe how things would have been different in the story if the person had not demonstrated the habit (What would it sound like, look like, feel like…)

Ø Describe other situations where the habit might be useful.

Integrating Habits of Mind – Some General Ideas

Integrated Activity -- English:

In a story that students are writing, have one or more of the characters demonstrating or not demonstrating a habit. What will it look like, sound like, and feel like? What would the ripple effects of the “habit in action” be…?

Integrated Activity – Social Studies:

Use historical characters (Hamurabi, Hannibal, Romulus, Odoacer…) to become aware of habits. What in the person’s actions demonstrated (or didn’t demonstrate) a habit? What did it look like, sound like, must have felt like? What were the effects? Who else has demonstrated the same habit and to what effect?

Integrated Activity – Humanities 7:

Read the Odyssey, or Jason and the Argonauts, or… and discuss how the protagonists demonstrated a habit. Look like, sound like, feel like, effects…

Integrated Activity – Math:

Math is a special animal that already naturally integrates the Habits. When involved in problems solving, successful students are persistent, manage impulsivity, listen with understanding, are flexible in their thinking, strive for accuracy, question and pose problems, apply past knowledge to new situations, think and communicate with clarity and precision, and are often asked to think about their thinking. In problem solving, the habits could be named and understood, with examples of good and not so good employment, talked and thought about during and after the process of problem solving, and evaluated as problem solving competencies.

Integrated Activity – Science:

In Science, a focus on scientific experimentation or lab activities lends itself well to habit awareness. When involved in lab activities, successful students are persistent, manage impulsivity, listen with understanding, are flexible in their thinking, are creative and innovative with solutions, gather data through all the senses, strive for accuracy, question and pose problems, apply past knowledge to new situations, think and communicate with clarity and precision, respond with wonderment (we hope), and are often asked to think about thinking. As with math, the Habits might be named, talked and thought about during and after experimentation, and evaluated as Science lab competencies.

Integrated Activity – Any “Hands-On” Project:

The same could be said about any hands-on endeavor, from woodworking, to sewing, to cooking, to fine arts, to info tech, to drama, to music, to sports. Use the Project Management Evaluation for Habits Integration in helping to choose habits for projects and for evaluating the habits.