The Companion Workbook

Room 12 · The Year We Met Sammy · Grades K–2 · goes with the novel and the four units

Teacher answer key — for the educator’s desk, not for distribution.

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How to use this workbook. Work one unit at a time, after the unit’s lessons. Part A is choose-the-answer — tap an answer on screen and the workbook tells you why; on paper, circle the letter. Part B is in-your-own-words — there is no answer key for Part B, because those answers are yours. When you’re done, tap FINISHED at the bottom — your workbook goes to the adult who shared this page, and you’ll see a preview of what you built.

The Room 12 curriculum The Lessons — all 28, ready to teach Novel · the whole book (PDF)

Unit 1 · Knowing & Accepting Yourself

Who Am I? Feelings are messengers. Everyone makes mistakes. Kind Coach and Grumpy Gus. Oops vs. I Am Bad. I can change and grow. This unit practiced knowing that I am ME — and that I am not my mistakes.

Part A · Choose the answer

1 Sammy says every person in our class is —

2 Feelings are ______.

3 On our Feelings chart, SAD means —

4 Everyone makes mistakes. A mistake means —

5 Which voice is the Kind Coach?

6 Grumpy Gus says: “I always mess up.” Flip it to Kind Coach!

7 “I forgot my homework” is an ______. “I am stupid” is ______.

8 What does GROWING mean?

Checked: 0 / 8 · Right on the first try: 0

Part B · In your own words

1 Draw or write two true things about YOU. One thing you love. One thing you are good at.

2 Draw a feeling you had today. What was it trying to tell you?

3 Grumpy Gus said something unkind to Sammy. Write or draw what the Kind Coach would say instead.

4 Draw you at the START of the year. Draw you NOW. What is one way you have grown?

Answer key · Unit 1 · Knowing & Accepting Yourself

A — Lesson 1 is “Who Am I?” Everyone in the room is unique — there is nobody else exactly like you. That is why the class wanted to know one true thing about YOU.
A — Feelings are not problems. Every feeling has a message. Feelings help us know what we need. All feelings are okay.
A — Sad means something we love is hurt. Angry means something feels unfair. Scared means something feels unsafe. When a big feeling comes, ask: “What is this feeling trying to tell me?”
A — Sammy asked: “Did I make a mistake… or AM I a mistake?” Those are not the same thing. A mistake is normal. Everyone makes them. It does NOT make you bad.
A — Two voices live inside our head. Kind Coach says things like “I made a mistake — I can fix it” and “What can I learn from this?” Grumpy Gus says “I always ruin everything.” You get to choose which one to listen to.
A — We practiced switching. Grumpy Gus: “I always mess up.” Kind Coach: “I made a mistake — I can try again.” Same moment. Different voice.
A — OOPS is what I DID. One moment. It can be fixed. “I AM BAD” is about who I AM — and it is NEVER true. The test question: “Is this about my BEHAVIOR or my IDENTITY?”
A — Sammy said: “When I started this year, I did not know how to do a lot of things. Now I can do some of them! I am still learning others. That is what GROWING is.”

Unit 2 · Self-Compassion & Self-Forgiveness

The Heavy Backpack. A real sorry has three parts. Being kind to myself like I would be to a friend. Put it down — and put it down again. The Support Web. This unit practiced carrying less, and asking for help when it is too heavy.

Part A · Choose the answer

1 Sammy wore a heavy backpack. What was inside it?

2 Forgiveness is NOT —

3 My tummy feels busy and my shoulders feel tight. My body is —

4 A REAL sorry has three parts. Which one is a part?

5 Sammy asked: “If a friend made a mistake, I would be kind to them. But when I make a mistake, I am mean to myself. Why?” The lesson says —

6 The three parts of being kind to myself sound like —

7 I put something down. Then it came back. What do I do?

8 My Support Web is —

Checked: 0 / 8 · Right on the first try: 0

Part B · In your own words

1 Draw Sammy’s backpack. What is one heavy thing you would like to put down?

2 Write a REAL sorry with three parts: what happened · the hurt · the change.

3 A friend made a mistake and feels bad. Draw or write the kind words you would say to them. Now say them to YOU.

4 Draw your Support Web. Who are the grown-ups who can help you carry heavy things?

Answer key · Unit 2 · Self-Compassion & Self-Forgiveness

A — The backpack is the inside of us when something hurts. It is light when nothing has gone wrong. When something hurts — we carry it. Forgiveness is how we take the weight out.
A — Myth busters! Forgiveness is NOT forgetting. It is NOT saying it was okay. Forgiveness IS choosing to let go of the angry feelings — for MY peace. It is a gift I give myself.
A — Sammy said: “My body is telling me something.” Our bodies talk to us — tight, busy, drooping, heavy. When the feeling is too heavy, we can ask a safe adult for help.
A — One: name what happened. Two: name the hurt. Three: name the change. A fast sorry with no parts is not a real sorry — Sammy’s friend did not believe him!
A — That is the Friend Test. You deserve the same kindness you would give a good friend. Turn the kind words inward — toward YOU.
A — Self-kindness: “I care about you.” Common humanity: “Everyone goes through hard things.” Mindfulness: “I am noticing this feeling.” Make the Sammy thumbs-up — at yourself.
A — “I can put it down. I can put it down AGAIN.” Putting it down is a practice, not a one-time thing. And when it feels too hard — talk to someone on your Support Web.
A — When something is too heavy to put down by yourself, you are NOT alone. The Support Web is the trusted adults you can talk to — at school and at home.

Unit 3 · Empathy & Forgiving Others

My hurt is real. Two truths: the WHY and the hurt. Forgiveness is for me — trust must be earned. The path is not a straight line. I am more than my story. I Choose. This unit practiced what to do when someone else hurts me.

Part A · Choose the answer

1 Someone says: “It’s no big deal. Get over it.” But it hurt. The lesson says —

2 Someone hurt me, but they did not mean to. Does that make it okay?

3 Forgiveness is ______. Trust is ______.

4 Sammy forgave someone but does not feel safe being close to them anymore. Is that okay?

5 Sammy thought he had forgiven someone. Then he felt mad about it again. Did he do it WRONG?

6 Which of these is a station on the Forgiveness Path?

7 In the Three-Panel Story, Panel 3 is —

8 “I CHOOSE” means —

Checked: 0 / 8 · Right on the first try: 0

Part B · In your own words

1 Something hurt. Say it: “My hurt is real.” Draw or write what happened — only if you want to.

2 Someone did not mean to hurt you, but it hurt anyway. Draw or write both truths.

3 Draw the Forgiveness Path with six stations. Put a dot where YOU are today. Wherever you are — it is okay.

4 Panel 3: draw or write who you are NOW. Finish it: “I am MORE than my story because…”

Answer key · Unit 3 · Empathy & Forgiving Others

A — “My hurt is real.” Real hurt deserves to be named. Forgiveness starts by saying the hurt is real — not by skipping over it.
A — Two truths at once: “they may not have meant to” AND “the hurt was real.” Understanding the WHY can help a little. It does not make it okay. Hold up two fingers — both truths.
A — FORGIVENESS: inside · for my own peace · needs nothing from the other person. TRUST: between people · earned through real change · never owed. “Forgiveness is for me. Trust must be earned.”
A — Yes. We can forgive AND not be close again. And nobody is required to forgive someone who is still hurting them. Forgiveness is a choice that is yours.
A — The path is NOT a straight line. Setbacks are normal — even for grown-ups. Wherever you are on the path today, it is okay.
A — The six stations: Still Hurting · Starting to Understand · Some Days Are Better · Choosing to Put It Down Today · The Hurt Is Getting Smaller · I Am Okay. Your dot can be anywhere.
A — Panel 1: what happened. Panel 2: the story I told myself. Panel 3: who I am NOW. “My story is real. AND I am MORE than my story.”
A — Sammy learned: “Nobody can MAKE me forgive. Forgiveness is MINE. Trust is MINE.” You can choose forgiveness, or distance, or both. It is your choice.

Unit 4 · Grace & Generosity

Grace is a choice I make. Mercy is a choice too. Pause — choose the kind story. Small acts, every day. My grace AND my safety. The Grace Garden. This unit practiced giving kindness on purpose — with limits that keep me safe.

Part A · Choose the answer

1 Grace is —

2 A friend keeps taking your toys without asking, and you keep saying nothing. That is —

3 Mercy is —

4 Someone bumped into me in the hall. My brain said “mean!” What comes next in the Pause Practice?

5 Which one builds the world we want to live in?

6 There is a prickly person in my life. Grace with hard people means —

7 The Grace Garden shows —

8 In May we open —

Checked: 0 / 8 · Right on the first try: 0

Part B · In your own words

1 Draw one time you GAVE grace this year. Draw one time you RECEIVED it.

2 Something happened and your first thought was “mean!” Pause. Write or draw the kind story.

3 Draw one small act of grace you can do tomorrow.

4 There is a hard person in your life. Write or draw one tiny kind thing you could choose — and one limit you will keep.

Answer key · Unit 4 · Grace & Generosity

A — Grace is kindness, patience, or a second chance — given to someone who has NOT earned it. Hold your hand up like an open gift: “Grace is a CHOICE I make.”
A — Grace is not a doormat. A doormat is kindness with no choice in it. The difference is CHOICE. Grace is wise sometimes — and not wise other times. Both are true.
A — Mercy is a relative of grace. Mercy = lessening a consequence someone DID earn. Grace = giving kindness that was NOT earned. “Mercy is a CHOICE.”
A — Step 1: something happens. Step 2: notice your first thought. Step 3: PAUSE. Step 4: act on the kind story. “Pause. Choose the kind story.”
A — Big acts of grace are wonderful. But the SMALL acts — every day — are what build community. “Small acts. Every day. They count.”
A — Hard people are real. You can CHOOSE your grace — one tiny kind thing. And limits are real too. “My grace. My safety. Both matter.”
A — The Grace Audit asks: where did I GIVE grace? Where did I RECEIVE it? Every flower in the Garden is a real moment. “I am part of the Garden.”
A — In December you sealed a letter to the May you. In May, you open it. Who did you write TO? Who are you NOW? What changed?

Year-End · Integration

The letter from December. The Community Charter. The chant: OOPS → FIX IT → TRY AGAIN. Room 12 learned: I am ME. I am growing. I am not my mistakes. Feelings are messengers. Forgiveness is for me. Grace is a choice.

Part A · Choose the answer

1 The chant goes: OOPS → ______ → TRY AGAIN.

2 Put your hand on your heart. Which one did Room 12 learn?

3 Which line belongs on our Community Charter?

4 Two voices live inside your head. Which one do you choose?

5 What is the most important thing about feelings?

Checked: 0 / 5 · Right on the first try: 0

Part B · In your own words

1 Write or draw one line for the Community Charter — something Room 12 learned that next year’s class should know.

2 Finish it: “I am proud of myself for ____.” Draw it if you like.

Answer key · Year-End · Integration

A — “I will mess up sometimes. That is okay. I will fix it. I will try again. I am NOT my mistakes.” OOPS → FIX IT → TRY AGAIN.
A — Unit 1 ended with hands on hearts: “I am ME. I am growing. I am not my mistakes.” That is the foundation everything else stands on.
A — The Charter is the wisdom WE learned that we pass down to next year’s class: “Feelings are messengers.” “I am not my mistakes.” “Forgiveness is for me.” “Grace is a choice.”
A — Both voices are real. Grumpy Gus is not the boss. You get to choose the Kind Coach — and when Grumpy Gus shows up, flip it: “I made a mistake — I can try again.”
A — Sammy asked this on Day 2 and the class landed on it: “All feelings are okay. They tell us something.” Sad, angry, scared, proud, worried — every one is a messenger.