November Classroom Guidance

Be Thankful...

In Kindergarten  we will be learning about why apologies are important and how to make them effectively.

In First grade I will be teaching strategies that have been proven effective in helping students calm down from strong feelings.  We will learn a lot about anger and managing many other strong feelings.  At Jefferson, we will also be learning about predicting the feelings of others, and why it is important to understand how other people feel.  This is another important step in building empathy.

Second grade will be learning about managing anger appropriately and how your attitude will have a huge impact on your day.....and your life.  We will read the book : The Very Angry Day That Amy Didn't Have by Lawrence Shapiro. 

Third graders will be learning creative ways to catch themselves when they are making thinking errors and how to overcome them.  We will read the books:  Superflex Takes on Rockbrain and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal, and Superflex Takes on Glassman and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner. 

October Guidance

Fall is here!

This month in Kindergarten at York and Jefferson we are learning why feelings are important.  We are also learning that people can have different feelings about the same situation.  Students are learning to read each others facial cues to determine how another student is feeling.  This skill lays the foundation for empathy and enables students to make choices that help them better relate to each other.  

In Kindergarten at Jefferson we are also learning to be a social detective.  We are learning about the power of flexible thinking and opposed to inflexible thinking.  The students are learning to defeat Rock Brain and Glassman with their Superflex thinking strategies.  We have read a number of books together including:  Superflex Takes on Rock Brain and the Team of Unthinkables and Superflex Takes on Glassman and the Team of Unthinkables 

In First Grade at York we are learning how to handle anger more effectively.  Students will learn 5 or 6 strategies that are proven effective if they choose to use them.  At Jefferson First Grade will be learning about reading social situations and predicting the feelings of other people.  

In Second Grade at York and Jefferson we will be thinking about what kind of person we want to be.  We will watch part of The Power of One video called Diego's Lesson.  We will learn about how to stand up for other people.  We'll see how one boy chose to do the right thing when everyone else was doing the wrong thing.  We will learn that the choices we make can have a powerful effect on others as well as ourselves. 

In Third Grade e will be working through the books You Are A Social Detective by:Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke, PhD and What is a Thought? by Amy Kahofer and Jack Pransky. We'll learn about the concepts of social thinking and how our own thinking can create opportunities or problems. We'll learn how our own thoughts have a powerful effect on our lives.