Open Circle: red light

Dear Family:

In Open Circle, we are continuing to learn and practice the problem-solving steps that correspond to a traffic signal. Red = Stop. Yellow = Think. Green = Go. 

Recently we talked about the red light steps. First, before we can solve a problem, we need to calm down. We discussed several ways to calm down, such as deep breathing, counting to 10, going to another place, or asking an adult to help. Then we discussed the importance of being able to use words to say how you feel and what the problem is. One way to put a problem into words is to say, “I feel _____ because _____.” For example, “I feel frustrated because I cannot cut a circle out of construction paper.” Or, “I feel upset because someone knocked over the block tower I was building.” Saying how you feel and what the problem is helps you to solve the problem.

Following is a list of books that deal with problem solving. You might want to get a few from the library and read them with your child. While you’re reading, talk with your child about how the characters in the books solve their problems. Do they follow the problem-solving steps that we use in Open Circle? Have your child suggest other ways that the character could have solved the problem. Continue to use problem solving at home.

Literature Connections

Bluthenthal, Diana. I’m Not Invited? Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.
Minnie thinks that she has been left out of her friend’s party plans. What should she do? Should she just come right out and ask her friend about it, or wait and see what happens on the day of the party?

Carlsson-Paige, Nancy. Best Day of the Week. Redleaf Press, 1998.
Because Calvin wants to play pirates and Angela wants to play store with an old card table that they found in the trash, they must find a way to resolve their conflict.

Elliott, Laura Malone. Hunter’s Best Friend at School. HarperCollins, 2002.
Hunter figures out how to help his best friend, Stripe, who is annoying everyone
at school.

Havill, Juanita. Jamaica’s Find. Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
When Jamaica finds a stuffed bear on the playground, she must decide whether to keep it or find its rightful owner.