Today, we will look at Chapter III again and move on to Chapter IV. In Chapter IV, Chester thinks he has discovered the secret of being COOL. He goes to tell the Master what he has learned, but is surprised by what the Master does. Let's see what happens.

View Video. "Chester The Cat and The Secret of Cool"

▶️ Start Video. Teacher may want to play the video from the beginning of Chapter III Video and stop it at the end of Chapter IV.

⏸️Stop the video at the end of Chapter IV.

Guided Discussion

The COOL Response

The secret of being COOL means: Looking COOL, Thinking COOL, and Acting COOL. When the Master yelled at Chester, he felt angry and hurt, but decided to try what he had just learned.

What was the first thing Chester did when the Master closed the door in his face?

Chester LOOKS COOL

• He stopped and relaxed by taking some deep breaths to get control of his body. By calming his body, he could now think about what to do next.

After Chester calmed his body, what did he do next?

Chester THINKS COOL

• Before doing anything, Chester stopped and thought about the different ways he could behave, and if they would solve his problem.

• Next Chester used positive self-talk.

"Okay, Chester, BeCool. Take a deep breath, relax, and get control of your body and your feelings. I don't have to get upset about what he said. I can control myself. I can look COOL and stay calm while I think about what to do. I could just give up, stuff my feelings inside creep away, and go home. But then I'll just feel bad about myself and I still won't understand what happened. Or I could just blow up and storm into his room and scream and yell at him for making me feel bad. But that won't get me anywhere either. Being a hothead won't work with the Master. It'll make things worse. And besides, it won't get me any closer to an answer. The best thing I can do is stay in control and talk to him about how I'm feeling and tell him what I want."

What was the last step to being Cool?

Chester ACTS COOL (He followed the 4 Steps):

• Chester used his "important voice." It's a voice that is serious, but calm and still friendly.
• He used the 4-Step Plan to handle his anger.

Step 1: Tell what you don't like.

Chester told the Master that he didn't like being yelled at.

Step 2: Tell how it makes you feel.

Chester told the Master it didn't feel good when he yelled at him.

Step 3: Tell what you want.

Chester told him that he wanted to share what he had discovered.

Step 4: Tell what you will do if it doesn't stop.

Chester told the Master that if he continued to yell at him, he wouldn't want to be around him.

Did it work?

Yes, the Master was happy that Chester had finally learned to BeCool.

How did Chester feel?

Great. He now understood he had a choice in how to respond to his feelings.

Activities

1. Practice using the Chester Icons

Teacher reviews with students the faces of the Icons that have already been made.

1. Teacher holds up Icon I and asks students how Chester looks.

Students respond "sad." Teacher responds, "Yes, Chester looks sad and we call that COLD."

2. Teacher holds up Icon II and asks students how Chester looks. Students respond "angry/mad."

Teacher responds, "Yes, Chester looks angry and we call that HOT."

3. Teacher holds up Icon III and asks students how Chester looks. Teacher facilitates a response of looking confident and COOL.
2. Practice
1. Teacher says to students, "Show me your sad and COLD Chester face."
2. Students hold up the appropriate face.
3. Teachers says to students, "Show me your angry and HOT Chester face.”
4. Students hold up the appropriate face.
5. Teacher says to students, "Show me your confidence and COOL Chester face."
6. Students hold up the appropriate face.

Repeat activity, mixing up the sequence until students consistently hold up the correct icons.
3. The BeCool Game (Using Chester Icons I, II, and III)
1. Use the COLD, HOT, and COOL "Chester" icons made by the students.
2. Model (the teacher) examples of LOOKING, THINKING, and ACTING COLD, HOT, and COOL.
3. Ask students to identify what the teacher is modeling, by holding up the Chester icon that best represents the "tone" of the teacher's behavior. For example, if the teacher clenches his/her fist, glares, or yells, the students would hold up their "HOT Chester" icon. If the teacher says, "I'm really scared, I better do what they say," the students would hold up their "COLD Chester" icon. If the teacher breathes deeply and looks confident, the students would hold up their "COOL Chester" icon.

We recommend that this game is played frequently so students become accurate at identifying the COLD, HOT, and COOL responses.