Definition :

Patience means having self-control, waiting and enduring when one would rather not. 

In short:

Stay calm while you wait.

Summary:

Flexible thinking helps us manage life’s challenges, especially when something unexpected happens. A third grader, Braden, struggles with unforeseen circumstances that interfere in his plans. He gets angry and upset and is unable to manage his disappointment. Braden learns that many situations are outside of our control, like the weather, and that’s why we need to have more flexibility in our thinking.  

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students make a chart of the four steps to flexible thinking, decorate it with their illustrations, and post it in their classroom. 
2. Since this is a more complicated process and students need practice, teachers guide students to discuss examples of flexible thinking - situations taken from their own struggles. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. The first step to flexible thinking is to take a deep breath. Take 3 deep breaths and describe how that makes you feel. 
2. The second step is to realize that some things are out of your control. What are some examples of this in the book? 
3. What are some examples of things in your life over which you don’t have control?  
4. The third step is to change your plan. Give an example from the book, describe how Branden changed his plan. 
5. Share about a time in your life when you had to change your plan because something happened outside of your control. 
6. The fourth step is to accept the change. Share one example about how Branden was able to do that. 
7. When you experienced a plan that didn’t work out the way you wanted to, were you able to have flexible thinking? Describe what happened. 
8.  Something happened at the end of the story in which Branden was able to apply what he had learned - what happened?
9. Ask a parent or grandparent to share about a time when something they were planning didn’t work out. 
10. Describe how you’ll use flexible thinking and apply the 4 steps next time your plan doesn’t work out.