<INTRODUCTION>

Narrator: Keeping control of your thoughts and feelings is very important. To stay in control, we use our Self-Controller Scanner. We need to pick the best strategy to use. To help you figure out what your body needs, use the Self-Controller Scanner.

Scan your brain and body to see: Am I paying attention? Do I know what everyone else is talking about? How am I feeling? 

Ask yourself, what can I do to get myself ready and back in control? Do I need a break? Am I hungry or thirsty? What physical actions will help me calm down?

<SKILLS>

The skills we use to activate our Self-Controller Scanner are:

Scan your brain and body to figure out when you are losing control.

Pick a strategy you can use to get back in control.

Take the steps you need to get back in control. You might need to talk to an adult or ask for help.

Let’s see how Kai uses his Self-Controller Scanner.

<SCENE 1>

Teacher: I’m sorry, guys. We have a change in our schedule today. We won’t be able to go outside for extra recess. So, we’ll have to do it tomorrow. So, instead, we’re going to reading about the life cycle of a butterfly.

Kai: (internal thought, upset)) What? I brought in my sneakers because I thought we were going outside. Ugh! (pauses) I might be losing control. I should scan my brain and body with my Self-Controller Scanner! (brain scan) Am I paying attention? Do I know what everyone is talking about? No. I don’t know what my teacher is talking about now. I keep thinking about how I brought in my sneakers for nothing. (body scan) How am I feeling? Do I feel calm and neutral or am I feeling a bigger emotion? I feel very hot and I have a lump in my throat. I’m having a big emotion. I feel angry and upset. I’m losing control. (brain scan) What strategy can I use to help me get back in control? I could: Ask for a break, get a snack, or take deep breaths. (select strategy) I need to take a break. That’s the best strategy for me right now because I don’t want to lose control in class.

Kai: (stands up and talks to teacher) Excuse me, Mrs. Brunell? I’m feeling really upset about not getting extra recess today, and I need to calm down. Can I take a quick break?

Teacher: Sure. Thanks for telling me how you feel. You can have a 5-minute break.

Kai: Okay, thanks.

<FROM MY VIEW>

Kai: I use my Self-Controller Scanner to make sure I stay in control. I scan my brain and body to think about why I’m distracted and what emotions I’m feeling. I was feeling distracted and having big emotions. I was starting to lose control. So, I picked a strategy to get me back in control. I politely told my teacher what was going on and asked if I could take a short break.

<SKILLS REVIEW>

Narrator: When we feel like we might lose control of our feelings, we need to use our Self-Controller Scanner. Scan your brain to see if you’re paying attention. Scan your body to see how you’re feeling. Then, pick a strategy that will get you back in control.

We learned that scanning our brains and bodies is a good way to find out if we are losing control. Then, we can use strategies to help us calm down. We might use different strategies at different times.

<WHAT DID WE LEARN?>

So, what did we learn?

The skills we use to activate our Self-Controller Scanner are:

Scan your brain and body to figure out when you are losing control.

Pick a strategy you can use to get back in control.

Take the steps you need to get back in control. You might need to talk to an adult or ask for help.