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Lesson 1: Behavior Development Activities

Before asking students to act in their own roleplay activities, you may want to model the process for them (Click here for the specific characteristics of the COLD, HOT, and COOL responses.)

Example:

Your Mom asks you to wash the dishes. You finish them quickly, and after she says, "You finished so quickly! You couldn't have done a very good job." You're unclear about this criticism. What should I do?

First, I try being COLD. Remember BLUE or ICE when you think about the COLD response. Watch what I do.

I LOOK COLD:

(Model) I shrink back as if ice water were thrown on me. I hang my head down, I droop my shoulders. My eyes look down. I bend my body over, hold my breath or breathe very shallowly, and look very sad.

Then I THINK COLD:

(Model) I think, "I guess Mom doesn't like me since she's criticizing me. I feel stupid. I can't do anything right."

Now, I ACT COLD:

(Model) I start to whine, "You don't like anything I ever do. I guess you hate me." I leave and go to my room.

Roleplay how you (the teacher) would react to the same criticism, using the HOT response.

Finally, model the COOL response and the "Ask for Clarification/ Accept" process.

Review the "Ask for Clarification/Accept" Process:

I LOOK COOL:

Ask the class to join you as you continue to model getting in control and "Looking COOL." We calm down and take time to center ourselves. We breathe deeply. Maybe run our hands through our hair or stretch, rolling our heads around or yawning. We look away. Maybe we step away. We relax our muscles.

I THINK COOL:

First, I "Think Through the Consequences" of being COLD and HOT before deciding what to do (model thinking through COLD and HOT responses.) Then, I think "Stay calm. I'm a good person. I don't know what Mom means by her comment. I'll ask her to clarify her criticism:

I ACT COOL:

I "ask for clarification" of Mom's criticism.

Me: "Why do you think I didn't do a good job with the dishes?"

Mom: "Whenever you do them quickly, you don't get them clean."

Me: "But I did get them clean...I'm just fast."

Mom: "Here's a fork that still has food stuck to it...and this plate..."

I see why Mom criticized me...and it's fair. So now I "apologize" for not getting all the dishes clean.

Me: "Oh, I thought I got them clean. I'm sorry, Mom. I guess I shouldn't rush. I'll do a better job next time. Let me clean that fork and plate."

Ask the class if they have any questions or suggestions about how you modeled the BeCool process.

Additional Roleplay Activities

  1. Ask students to discuss instances when they've reacted to unclear criticism in a COLD or HOT way.
    • Have students identify the LOOKING, THINKING AND ACTING elements of these COLD and HOT responses.
    • Have them roleplay these COLD and HOT responses.
    • Have students identify the LOOKING, THINKING, AND ACTING elements of a COOL response in the same situation.
    • Have students roleplay the COOL response for these situations.
  2. Have students roleplay the following situations using COLD, HOT and COOL responses and the "ask to clarify/accept" process. You may draw from the following examples or tailor the roleplays to fit your student's life experiences.
  3. You are helping your Dad wax the family car when he starts to criticize you for doing something wrong. But you don't understand his criticism because you're doing what he asked. What do you do?
  4. Your football coach takes you aside after practice and criticizes you about your attitude towards your fellow team members. You don't understand what he's talking about. What do you do?
  5. You're working hard on a school project and now midway through, your teacher is offering constructive criticism. You have no idea why he/she's criticizing you since you followed the guidelines for the project. What do you do?
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Teacher Note: For students with special needs, have them ask for help if they cannot remember all of the BeCool process. Others can also act as coaches. Students may take turns performing roleplays for the class or groups of three or four can do them simultaneously.

Optional: The BeCool Game

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Play "The BeCool Game." Call on individual students to play out either a COLD, HOT or COOL response to various situations. (Remind students that if they can't remember exactly what to do, to remember, "Red," "Blue," "Neutral" (or "sunglasses" and act accordingly.)

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Note: You may choose to practice only the COOL response when playing the BeCool game.

Scenario: You promise to be home by dinner time, but you come in one-half hour late. Your Mom criticizes you for breaking your promise.

(Choose Students)

Rebecca, LOOK HOT!

Juan, LOOK COLD!

Sean, LOOK COOL! Remember "Neutral" and "sunglasses." What do you do first? Right, breathe deeply. Then what?

Paul, THINK HOT!

Chelsea, THINK COLD!

Maggie, THINK COOL! Remember... "Thinking Through the Consequences."

George, ACT HOT!

Darlene, ACT COLD!

Henry, ACT COOL! ("Ask for Clarification" and "Accept")

The BeCool Game: Using the Teaching Icons

Play a variation of the BeCool game:

  1. Make copies of the ICE, FIRE and CLOUDS or SUNGLASSES Teaching Icons in Appendix and give one to each student.
  2. Model (the teacher) examples of LOOKING, THINKING and ACTING COLD, HOT and COOL.
  3. Ask students to show how the teacher is LOOKING, THINKING and ACTING by holding up the Teaching Icon that best represents the "tone" of the teacher's behavior. For example, if the teacher models ACTING HOT (aggressive), the students would hold up their Fire Icon.
  4. After confirming student responses (Yes, I was being very HOT), discuss student responses if different than intended by teacher.