Elementary Second Step Resources
Second Step Community Rebuilding Unit
This is a new, five-lesson unit that can be used to help rebuild students’ connections to school in the wake of extended school closures. There will be separate sets of lessons for Kindergarten–Grade 1, Grades 2–3, Grades 4–5, and middle school. The unit includes strategies educators can use to help foster a positive, supportive school environment. The lessons are designed to be taught when schools first open for in-person instruction, whenever that date comes.
second-step-gk-g01-covid19-community-rebuilding-unit.pdfK-1st Grade Community Building Unit
second-step-g02-g03-covid19-community-rebuilding-unit.pdf2nd-3rd Grade Community Building Unit
second-step-g04-g05-covid19-community-rebuilding-unit.pdf4th-5th Grade Community Building Unit
Second Step Resilience Module Elementary Student Activities
Kindergarten and Grade 1 Activities
Support Tree.pdfCreating a Support Tree
Students identify people they can go to for comfort and support. They create a “Support Tree” with each person they identify represented on a leaf.
Practice Belly Breathing.pdfPracticing Belly Breathing
Students practice belly breathing, a simple breathing technique that helps them calm their body and manage strong feelings.
Worry Jar.pdfCreating a Worry Jar
Students record their worries in words or pictures and put them in a jar to contain them so they don’t dominate their thoughts.
Grade 2 and Grade 3 Activities
Naming Feelings Grd 2.pdfNaming Feelings
Students expand their emotional vocabulary by naming feelings they’re having because of the difficult event.
Managing Strong Feelings Grd 23.pdfManaging Strong Feelings
Students practice belly breathing and discuss other ways to calm down. Then they make a plan to use calming-down strategies to manage their strong feelings.
Telling My Story Grd 23.pdfTelling My Story
Students use words and illustrations to create a short story that describes their experience of a difficult event.
Grade 4 and Grade 5 Activities
Gratitude Journal .pdfStarting a Gratitude Journal
Students focus on the positive things in their lives and say thank you for them by practicing gratitude.
Making Movement Routine.pdfMaking Movement Routine
Students plan ways to move more during the school day as a class to help them cope with stress.
Tracking Feelings.pdfTracking Feelings
Students generate more specific words for each of the six basic emotion categories. Then they use these words to track their feelings for one day.