TIME: 10 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Print and distribute (or electronically share) the “Taking Stock” worksheet, and ensure that each student has a writing utensil. Be prepared to share which tools you’ve used in your own personal practice, and how your body responds to stress.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: A “Taking Stock” worksheet and a writing utensil

OBJECTIVES: 

TIME: 6 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Be prepared to share how you practice Mindfulness.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to reduce stress by anchoring themselves to the present through deep breathing and counting.

TIME: 8.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to bring awareness to different parts of their bodies and relieve tension wherever they find it.

TIME: 5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to regain stability by focusing on objects and sounds in the room.

TIME: 4.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to kinesthetically engage in deep breathing.

TIME: 5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to connect to their breath through a guided meditation.

TIME: 8.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to reduce stress by tensing and releasing targeted muscle groups.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to soothe their nervous systems by lengthening their exhales.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to anchor themselves to the present moment by listening to the natural sounds around them.

TIME: 4.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to pay attention to the present moment by focusing on their fingers while breathing.

Protip: Practice Upstream’s tools alongside your students. If you haven’t yet, start mirroring the practice with Finger Breathing 2.0.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to de-stress through quick stretches.

Protip: To help students feel comfortable participating in the tool, you can turn off the lights and play light music; you can also invite them to close their eyes during the stretching. Encourage them to focus on their experience during the stretches (and not on what they think others might think of them).

TIME: 8 minutes

TEACHER PREP: 

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify common stressors from the past month and the Mindfulness tools that worked for them.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: 

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to reflect on a time when they were resilient.

TIME: 5.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will add one “good thing” to their day.

TIME: 7 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will take the time to pause and reflect on their week. 

Protip: There are many ways to reflect. In this tool, students are asked to write, but you can always give your students other options, like drawing, sharing with their table partner, or making an audio recording of their responses on their phones.

TIME: 7.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to see a current stressful situation from a future perspective.

TIME: 8 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to hold space for both positive experiences and difficult experiences.

Protip: As always, if a student shares something super negative or concerning, please communicate this to your school’s mental health professionals. Upstream is a preventative Tier 1 support that does not replace a school’s mental health team.

TIME: 6 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses. Be ready to share a person or experience you’re grateful for and one reason why.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to cultivate gratitude by writing a letter to someone or an event they are thankful for.

Protip: Keep thank you cards in your classroom to use spontaneously, like when your students finish an assignment early or when they need a brain break.

TIME: 8 minutes

TEACHER PREP: 

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify common stressors from the past month and the Positive Psychology tools that worked for them.

TIME: 8 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses. Be prepared to share 

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to flip negative self-talk into positive or more compassionate self-talk.

TIME: 7.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: 

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet)

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to create a personal affirmation to use when faced with a stressor.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses. Be prepared to share some of your permission slips.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to take a step toward becoming their most authentic selves by writing permission slips.

Protip: Watch the two-minute video that inspired this tool: bit.ly/bbpermissionslip.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to practice holding two conflicting truths at once.

TIME: 6.5 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses. Be prepared to write a letter of gratitude to yourself alongside your students.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to reflect on what they appreciate about themselves in a letter of gratitude.

Protip: Forget to plan a Do Now, or get through your lesson early with no plans to fill those dreaded last few minutes of class? Add gratitude to your teacher toolbox! Your students can write a gratitude letter (to a person, place, or thing), bullet-point gratitudes, or turn and talk and share gratitudes.

TIME: 7 minutes

TEACHER PREP: None

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Nothing

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to apply visualization techniques to transform doubt and fear into self-confidence. 

TIME: 7 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to reframe a challenging situation in a positive or neutral direction.

Protip: While your students are learning to see stressful situations from a different perspective, join them; try to look at behavior issues through a different lens. Instead of thinking, “What’s wrong with this student?” when a behavior issue arises, think, “What stress response could this student be in?” Students exposed to trauma or significant levels of anxiety have a much stronger fight, flight, or freeze response. Someone with a history of trauma might register benign things, like a redirection from a teacher, as a threat.TIME: 7 minutes

TIME: 6 minutes

TEACHER PREP: Ensure that each student has the tools necessary (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) to record their responses.

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to intentionally cultivate positive thinking by listing three wins they can claim for the day.

Protip: How can Three Wins become a routine in your classroom? Maybe it’s your Do Now every Friday, or maybe it’s the last thing they do before they leave your classroom.

TIME: 8 minutes

TEACHER PREP: 

WHAT STUDENTS NEED: Something to record your responses with (like a writing utensil and paper, laptop, or tablet) 

OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify their negative thought patterns from the past month and the Positive Self-Talk tools that worked for them.

This section includes various materials, such as posters and Spanish translations. We hope these resources aid in your classroom implementation.