Red Light, Purple Light (RLPL) is a classroom-based intervention consisting of music- and movement-based circle time designed to increase in cognitive complexity.

Goal
The goal of Red Light, Purple Light is to support children in building key self-management skills, such as remembering instructions, switching their attention from one rule to another, and inhibiting impulsive behaviors and emotions.

Action
RLPL is typically played in similar ways to the classic Red Light, Green Light game in schools but with intentional instructions linked to building students' self-management skills. The goal is to have students play a game while paying close attention to the teacher's instructions.

Preparation

• Materials: colored paper, scissors
• Cut several circles (with different colors) to simulate traffic lights. You should have 5-6 colored circles available as options for the game.
• Select a song to use as the greeting song and goodbye song (see below).

Implementation Components of RLPL

1. Greeting Song: Students are led in a welcome song with their teacher and encouraged to sing, clap to the beat of the song, and/or perform simple dance moves. This song is a consistent opening to RLPL that prompts students to prepare for the game.
2. Movement and Listening Games: Teachers outline instructions for students that pair specific actions with visual or oral cues. As the game progresses, the teacher can increase the complexity of the game by asking students to perform the action for the opposite cue and/or add additional instructions.
3. Goodbye Song: End the game with a consistent goodbye song, providing time for the class to come together and sing or dance to finish the session.

Example Cues
The following cues can be used to play RLPL. Remember that educators should introduce new cues and/or change instructions associated with cues to increase complexity as the game progresses.

• Walk when a green circle is displayed.
• Stop walking when a red circle is displayed.
• Clap when a blue circle is shown.
• Stomp your feet when an orange circle is shown.

Implementation Tips

• Many educators find it helpful to carve out specific time to have students play RLPL on a weekly basis, such as during morning meeting or circle time.
• When first introducing the game, model instructions for students and talk about the listening and memory skills needed to engage in the game. 

Details
WOOP is an evidence-based process to help students (and adults) initiate and sustain effort to achieve goals.

Goal
This activity focuses on goal-setting and goal fulfillment. 

About WOOP
Developed by Dr. Gabriele Oettingen and Dr. Peter Gollwitzer, WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. WOOP helps you to explore what your wish is as well as the barriers that hold you back from fulfilling this desire.

Instructions:

1. Start this activity by guiding students (or adults) through a calming exercise to create a safe environment.
2. First, ask participants to decide on a wish. This is something that they really want to accomplish. Their wish should be exciting, challenging, and realistic.
   • For example: “I wish I turned my homework in on time more.”
3. Next, tell participants to brainstorm the best outcome that would result from accomplishing their wish/goal. 
   • How would the outcome make you feel?
   • Let your mind go and imagine this outcome.
4. Ask participants to think about the personal obstacle that might prevent them from accomplishing this goal.
   • Let your mind go and imagine this obstacle.
   • For example: When doing homework, I get distracted by my phone.
5. Shift into planning. What can participants do to overcome their obstacle (preemptively or in the moment)?
6. Finally, participants to name one effective action that they can take and create an if-then plan.
   • If/when [obstacle occurs], then I will [take this effective action].
   • For example: If I am distracted by my phone, I will put it in the drawer and move to another room.
7. Participants can volunteer to share their WOOP and discuss how the process of outlining a wish, outcome, obstacle, and plan made them feel.

Implementation Tips:
Schedule time with participants to follow up on how their WOOP is going.

Details
This brief ritual – during which students share positive happenings in their lives – helps foster a safe and supportive classroom environment.

Goal
The goal is to take a short break from content instruction and invite students to connect with classmates while celebrating the good news in each other’s lives.

Preparation:
Determine a five-minute window (during an instructional period) that you can set aside for this weekly ritual. For example: you can designate the beginning of a Friday period as “Good News” time.

Instructions:

1. Share with your students that each week, they will be taking a five-minute break from instruction. 
2. Explain that during this break, anyone in the class can share positive happenings in their lives. Students can volunteer to share any event or update, no matter how “big” or “small” the good news is. 
3. Classmates should listen patiently and actively while their peers share. After each share, students are invited to connect with classmates about what they shared and celebrate the good news in each other’s lives.

Implementation Tips:

• For the first few weeks of implementing “Good News,” consider modeling the act of sharing positive happenings for your students.
• Allow for flexibility in terms of how students can share positive happenings. For example: in addition to the option to volunteer and share verbally, create a “Good News” poster that students can post sticky notes on.
• While this activity was designed to be embedded within content instruction periods for middle schoolers and high schoolers, you can adapt “Good News” to be part of a morning meeting or exit ticket for elementary schoolers.
• Spending five minutes per week implementing the Good News activity means an investment of less than one hour per month, and this time can go a long way toward building a classroom community that celebrates the best of each other’s lives and cultures.