A “space-age self-concept” is the theme for fifth graders. In Unit 1 they hear about Timothy Wannamaker who, in a space-age goof-up, gets himself duplicated seventeen times. But the real Timothy is not hard to identify. The machine copies the outside of Timothy but cannot reproduce the inner person. In Unit 2, a “Let’s Be Well-Rounded” poster stimulates the students to think about their physical health. They also begin a “Fitness Champs” activity, designed to encourage daily exercise. Intellectually, students respond to the challenge to read four books they have not read before, on four different subjects.

In Unit 3, students learn about Jeremy who lives with his uncle on a cattle ranch after his parents pass away.  He overcomes his fear and lack of confidence in adjusting to his new life with positive actions on managing himself. In Unit 4, Superfriend knows all the right ways to treat people, by following a Code of Conduct, and he makes friends wherever he goes. He is shown on a poster and as the key concepts of getting along with others are taught, representational pieces are added to the poster, for example boots for showing how it feels to walk in someone else’s shoes.

In Unit 5, “Mark Loses Himself” is the story about a boy scout who fails to follow instructions and gets lost. He learns to place the blame where it belongs—with himself—and then he solves the problem by remembering his instructions. The students list the positive actions for self-honesty on a Self-Honesty poster. Unit 6 begins with the story of Itzhak Perlman, child of immigrants and victim of polio, who became, through diligent practice, one of the world’s great violin players. The students apply this example by setting goals for improvement in physical, mental, and emotional areas of their lives. A time machine and a rocket take the students to various time periods for activities that challenge them to think about their present state and their possibilities for self-improvement.

Materials:

• Grade 5 Instructor's Manual with an introduction, purpose statements, materials list, activity sheet thumbnails and 139 15–20-minute scripted lessons
• 30 Activity booklets
• 3 Instructor's activity sheets
• 4 Story activity sheets
• 5 Visual aids
• 18 Full color posters
• 30 Journals and more!

All classroom kits include materials for 30 students.