Whew! It has been a whirlwind of a week, but these second graders have settled right back into the routine of school. The big ideas that we’ve been focusing on this week (and will continue with next week) are Building Community, Understanding Emotions, and Introducing Routines.
Hopes and Dreams
We are working to create a community where everyone feels safe, welcome, and able to take risks. Together, we are coming up with expectations for how to treat our classroom, one another, our teachers, and our work. We began the conversation by setting goals for ourselves for our year in second grade and then asked the question, “What must we do to help everyone meet their goals?” Some of our second grade goals are as follows:
To become a famous writer.
To get better at reading.
To read lots of books.
To make lots of friends.
How Are You Feeling?
This week, we also began discussing understanding our own emotions with the goal of identifying, expressing, and regulating these emotions. We began by making “mindfulness jars,” which are a good metaphor for how energy might feel in our bodies. These jars also are one calming strategy students can use if they feel overwhelmed by an emotion.
Introducing routines and expectations
At the start of every new school year, there are a lot of ins and outs to learn about how the classroom works. This week, we’ve been learning these new routines, discussing what they should look and sound like, and practicing them. Some of the routines we’ve learned are as follows:
How will the teacher get our attention?
How will we line up and walk in the halls?
What do we do when we arrive at school?
How do we get ready to leave at the end of the day?
Where do we get materials?
How do we use materials so that they last?
How and when will we go to the bathroom and fill water bottles?
Students will have more responsibility and independence this year, so, by practicing all the routines now, we will have more time to learn and grow as the year progresses.