What is Second Step? As part of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), classroom guidance lessons occur weekly for grades 4k-5 in the form of Second Step curriculum. This Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) covers the following 4 units:
- Skills for Learning
- Empathy
- Emotional Management
- Problem-Solving
What does this look like in my child's classroom? Each year, we build on these topics as your child ages. I join your student's classroom weekly to teach a 30 minute lesson. The lessons contain Brain Builder activities, stories for discussion, songs, and opportunities to practice skills.
Why SEL? Why these topics? Here is a short video on "Why SEL?." According to SecondStep.org:
- Skills for learning: “Children who can self-regulate are better able to participate in and benefit from learning. Skills for learning are necessary for having empathy, managing emotions, and solving problems.”
- Empathy: “Students with high levels of empathy tend to make better progress in school, less aggressive, better liked, more socially skilled”
- Emotional Management: “Students who can recognize strong emotions and calm them down cope better and are less likely to be aggressive”
- Problem Solving: “Students who can solve conflicts with peers are less likely to be impulsive or aggressive. These negative behaviors can affect their success in school and life.”
How can I learn more about Second Step and SEL at home? Parents/guardians, please see my Schoology page for folders including the famous posters that your children use at school. Please ask me for your child's Second Step "access code" to find "Home Links" for each lesson and family resources such as posters, word searches, and book lists.