First Grade Program
Our 1st grade students are busy learning many new skills. I am fortunate enough to be a part of their busy schedules. I meet with 1st grade classes weekly to teach social skills. I mostly use the Second Step Program. The curriculum is presented in 3 units, each of which builds upon the next. It is designed to address each of the 3 parts of children’s social responses: emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
The first unit focuses on empathy skills. We have fun being “feelings detectives” and naming the clues that tell us the comfortable and uncomfortable feelings displayed on the story cards. We also talk about how to express our own feelings in appropriate ways.
In Unit 2, strategies to help children manage their emotions are introduced. We’ll practice constructive patterns of thought and problem – solving.
Unit 3 promotes the students’ mastery of the calm-down strategies and problem-solving steps. We have fun role playing a variety of social situations while practicing the skills taught throughout the year.
The first unit focuses on empathy skills. We have fun being “feelings detectives” and naming the clues that tell us the comfortable and uncomfortable feelings displayed on the story cards. We also talk about how to express our own feelings in appropriate ways.
In Unit 2, strategies to help children manage their emotions are introduced. We’ll practice constructive patterns of thought and problem – solving.
Unit 3 promotes the students’ mastery of the calm-down strategies and problem-solving steps. We have fun role playing a variety of social situations while practicing the skills taught throughout the year.
First Grade Lunches
Each 1st grade student will have a turn to eat lunch in the counseling office. In addition to getting to know the children better, I want students to feel comfortable coming to me when they need help problem solving. In addition, I like to know how the students are adjusting to 1st grade. We measure, on a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being the best), how much comfortable they are in school. If your child rates school 6 or below, we make plans to eat together again and do some problem solving. We know from research that the more students feel comfortable in their surroundings, the more they learn.
Please contact your child’s teacher if you have concerns about him or her adjusting to the 1st grade. I am also available to help. I can be reached at 410-313-5512 or [email protected].