1st grade: Mrs. Heyn

September 1-5: Social Awareness - Our Own Feelings

📚 Book: In My Heart

🧠Activity: Students designed their own “feeling houses” by color-coding different emotions as we read along with the story. 

💡Key concept: "Our hearts are like a house with many feelings living inside of it." 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Recognize and name a variety of feelings.

• Understand that it is normal to experience many different emotions.

• Begin building self-awareness by identifying how different feelings show up in ourselves.

September 8-12: Social Awareness - Empathy

📋Review: Recognized our own feelings.

💡New Concept: Learned that it is also important to identify and understand others’ feelings to help us make good choices and build healthy friendships. 

📚Book: Empathy is

🗣️Explain: "Empathy means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes "

🧠Activity: Students designed their own “Empathy Shoes” to practice imagining how others might feel. 

🎯This weeks' objectives:

• Review self-awareness of personal feelings.

• Define empathy and explain its importance in relationships.

• Practice identifying how others might feel in different situations.

• Explore how empathy helps us make kind and thoughtful choices.

September 15-19: Social Awareness - Similarities/Differences

📋Review: Continued practicing how to recognize and understand our own feelings and the feelings of others

💡New Concept: Learned about the power of differences all around us, and how—even though we may not all feel or look the same—we can still belong. We discussed why it is important to understand others and help them feel valued. 

📚Book: Odd Dog Out

🧠Activity: Students designed their own “Odd Dog” to celebrate uniqueness and individuality. 

🎯This week's objectives:

• Recognize and respect differences among people.

• Understand that everyone wants to feel important and included.

• Practice empathy by appreciating others’ perspectives and experiences.

• Build a sense of belonging and community in the classroom.

September 22-26: Social Awareness - Wrap-up

📋Review: Revisited September’s Social Awareness objectives: recognizing our own feelings, understanding others’ feelings, showing empathy, and appreciating similarities and differences 

🥳Wrap up: Students created a “Feelings Rainbow” to illustrate the many different emotions within the classroom and to celebrate how our differences make us stronger as a community. 

📚Book: I am Human

✅Social Awareness Objectives:

• Reinforce key concepts of social awareness.

• Recognize that everyone experiences a wide range of feelings.

• Celebrate diversity and belonging in the classroom community.

• Reflect on how understanding ourselves and others builds healthy relationships.

November 3-7: Gratitude - What is Gratitude? (Self-Awareness)

📚 Book: Sallie Bee Writes a Thankful Note

🧠Activity: Students complete a Gratitude Pre-Test with different scenarios. We will read each situation and mark which ones show gratitude. This helps assess what they already know about recognizing thankfulness. Students will also bring home a practice sheet to work on with a parent/guardian if they choose. 

💡Key concept: Gratitude means noticing and appreciating the good things in your life and expressing thanks for them.   

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Assess students’ current understanding of gratitude and recognizing thankfulness in everyday situations.

• Identify ways students show appreciation for people, things, and experiences.

• Connect gratitude to personal feelings and relationships.

• Encourage reflection on ways to practice gratitude at home and at school.

November 4-10: Gratitude - Recognizing Opportunities to Give Thanks 

📚 Book: Gratitude Is My Superpower 

🧠Activity: Read Gratitude Is My Superpower with the class. Students will complete an A–Z Gratitude Worksheet to challenge themselves to discover many ways to notice and express gratitude. We will also review their at-home “Gratitude Choice Board” challenge to encourage ongoing reflection and practice with family members. 

💡Key concept: Gratitude is noticing and appreciating the good things in your life and expressing thanks in meaningful ways. Showing gratitude can make yourself and others feel happy and valued. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Build understanding of gratitude through story and discussion.

• Practice identifying things, people, and experiences to be thankful for.

• Connect the concept of gratitude to personal experiences at school and at home.

• Encourage continued practice of gratitude through the choice board challenge and daily reflection.

November 17-21: American Education Week & Gratitude Wrap-up

📚 Book: by theme for AEW. The one in BOLD indicates the story your child was read. 

• Monday: No guidance class

• Tuesday: Reading makes for a bright future: "Who You Were Made to Be"

• Wednesday: Teamwork makes the dreamwork: "How to Catch a Turkey"

• Thursday: Books bring out our WILD side: "Taylor the Tooting Turkey"

• Friday: No guidance classes

🧠Activities:

• Read How to Catch a Turkey with the class. The students connected the stories to social-emotional learning (SEL) concepts such as gratitude, cooperation, and appreciation for others. They were given a "Naked Turkey" to disguise as it paired well with the read-aloud. We also reviewed their at-home “Gratitude Choice Board” challenge to encourage ongoing reflection and practice with family members. 

• Students reflected on their learning this month by completing a Gratitude Self-Assessment, exploring their ability to notice and express gratitude. Students participated in a Thanksgiving Turkey Gratitude Activity, where they decorated a turkey to show how they demonstrate gratitude in different situations.

• Each student received a gratitude stone as a tangible reminder of last week’s Gratitude Is My Superpower story and the importance of noticing and expressing gratitude daily. 

• Practiced gratitude by writing thank-you notes to staff, family members, and friends. Notes were shared, displayed, or sent home to reinforce positive connections. 

• Students also received a “fun packet” with fall- and Thanksgiving-themed activities to enjoy over Thanksgiving break, encouraging continued reflection and practice of gratitude at home. 

💡Key concept: Gratitude can be found ANYWHERE. Gratitude involves noticing and appreciating the positive people, experiences, and opportunities in our lives. By expressing gratitude, we strengthen relationships, contribute to a positive school community, and increase our own sense of happiness and well-being. 

✅ Gratitude Objectives:

• Recognize and describe different ways to notice and express gratitude.

• Reflect on personal strengths and areas for growth in showing gratitude.

• Identify real-life situations at school and at home where gratitude can be expressed.

• Celebrate the positive impact gratitude has on yourself and others.

November 24-28:  No guidance lesson this week. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I am thankful for all of you. ❤️

December : Self-Regulation - Understanding Our Brain + Feelings

📚 Book: My Brain Is My Home

🧠Activity: Each class explored activities from a self-regulation packet based on the book. Students practiced noticing how their brain helps them make decisions, manage feelings, and learn new skills. Activities were hands-on and designed to show how the different parts of the brain work together as a team.  

💡Key concept: Our brain is like a home—each part has a job that keeps us learning, feeling, and growing. Understanding how the brain works helps us recognize our emotions and make choices that support our well-being. 

🎯This month's objectives: 

• Help students understand the metaphor of the brain as a “home” with different parts and purposes.

• Build awareness of how the brain influences emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

• Support students in identifying strategies to take care of their “brain home.”

• Encourage reflection on what makes them feel safe, calm, and ready to learn. 

Happy Holidays! Students were sent home with a "busy" packet of fun activities to do if they wish. :)

January 5-9: Growth Mindset- What is Growth Mindset?

📚 Book: Perfect Ninja
*This story helps students understand that trying to be perfect is not realistic. The story supported conversations about mistakes, effort, & learning from challenges rather than giving up. 

🧠Activity: Students participated in a whole-group discussion to learn the difference between a growth mindset & fixed mindset. We talked about how our thoughts & self-talk can affect how we learn & how we respond to challenges.
Students then played an interactive game using signs to identify whether different statements represented a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. This helped students practice recognizing mindset language in a fun & engaging way.   

💡Key concept: A growth mindset means believing that abilities & skills can grow with effort, practice, & learning from mistakes. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Introduce the concept of growth mindset versus fixed mindset.

• Help students recognize mindset language in everyday situations.

• Encourage students to understand that mistakes are part of learning.

• Build awareness that effort, persistence, and practice help us grow.

January 12-16: Growth Mindset : Updates coming soon!

January 19-23: Growth Mindset : Updates coming soon!

January 26-30: Growth Mindset : Updates coming soon!

March 2-6: Discovering Self-Esteem & Our Unique Traits

📚 Focus: Understanding Our Differences
This week, K–2 students wrapped up creating their Love Language Pet Pals. We talked about how learning about love languages showed us that people can feel cared for in different ways. This helped introduce our new topic of self-esteem by recognizing that our personalities, traits, and preferences can all be different—and that those differences are what make each person unique and special. 

🧠Activity: Students completed and shared their Love Language Pet Pals, reflecting on the love language they connected with most. We then began exploring character traits and how they help describe who we are. Through discussion and examples, students talked about traits they notice in themselves and others, helping them understand that everyone has their own strengths and qualities. 

💡Key concept: Differences between people are something we can respect and appreciate. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Help students recognize that people are unique and have different strengths.

• Introduce the concept of self-esteem in an age-appropriate way.

• Encourage students to begin identifying positive traits in themselves and others.

• Promote respect and appreciation for differences within our classroom community. 

March 9-13: Discovering Self-Esteem & Our Unique Traits