Snapshot for the Week: Health Ed
9/23 Kindergarten learned about how to listen, and how to use breath to be ready for listening. They learned several animal breath techniques and a poem they can recite to help them remember-
We use our ears to (listen), we use our eyes to (see), we use our mouths to (speak) our hearts to (feel) and our brains to (think). We practiced actively listening as a partner from a distance told us their favorite thing to do on the weekend and the students introduced that partner and presented the partner’s answer to the class. We then played a game of “Lissa says” with our breaths to practice the breathing motions, finally we concluded with a few moments of quiet (mindfulness) just listening to the woods around us.
9/30 We were inside for a few moments discussing fair versus equal. I showed students two drawings, one of a fish and the other of a dog. I asked students to help me think about getting a new pet and knowing what I would need to take care of the pets. Once they shared some basics, like food I pretend play/act “oh so they both need the same types of food” Kids say “No” and then we discuss how some people/animals have different needs but other times they have similar needs to be loved and cared for. The real discussion centers around Fairness is everyone getting the things they need to be successful, and equality is everyone getting the exact same thing.
9/25 First Graders read “Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister and we discussed the theme of friendship throughout the book. First graders discussed the characteristics of great friends and ways they could see, hear, show and model good friendship skills. They brainstormed a list of tips to building and sustaining friendships in their classrooms and beyond. They then decorated their version of a “rainbow fish” and each was given a shiny scale from me to them as a token of my commitment to being a trusted support and teacher friend.
10/2- Keeping with friendship themes and talking about why we would want to be kind to friends, how we make friends and keep them. Students helped me to design a bulletin board with their beautiful rainbow fish.
9/24 Second Graders learned about their puppy minds- how we have to train puppies to focus and not wander off when they need to be doing something. We viewed this reading of the book “Puppy Mind” by the author Andrew Jordan Nance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iflb9bIs2xA We stopped and discussed what we felt our puppy minds wandered to or gravitated towards and students were asked to draw their image of their puppy mind so you may see those coming home and it is something we are using as a visual reminder that we are training those minds to stay focused but to also wander when we are imagining and creative to let them get that freedom and exercise they need :)
10/1 Second graders discussed responsibility and taking care of our space, our materials, our environment and how that can be a healthy connection for our classroom community. Second graders are really focusing on personal organization and knowing how important it can be to keep track of our things and realizing the consequences of caring for or not caring for materials. We read a book called “What if everyone did that?” by Ellen Javernick to relate our discussion about responsibility and shared ownership over the space.
9/21-Third Graders discussed the way we act, we highlighted the “you” they want to be, connecting this to impressions and reputation (what someone thinks they know about us based on most times word of mouth). We discussed how our actions and words hold meaning and how perceptions can both be positive and negative depending on context. Third graders started a self portrait they’ll continue working on next week in response to the topic and discussion.
9/28 Third graders finished their self portraits of the “you they want to be” and discussed those in relation to understanding reputation and good characteristics and how we handle tough conflicts or interactions and still remain our best selves in those situations. We discussed how conflict is a part of life and relationships (with family, friends, colleagues etc.) but staying the “you we want to be” when faced with tough emotions can be tricky and can require more calmness and self regulation and we learned a few breathing techniques to aid us to achieving the right mindframe.
9/25 Fourth Graders entered into discussion about what respect is and how we know when we are seeing it and hearing it. They brainstormed in small groups about what respect looks like and sounds like.
10/2 This week we created foldables for them to be able to practice answering questions in their own opinions and words about personal responsibility, respect, expected and unexpected behaviors. 4th grade is also working together on a respect challenge as a class and once they fill their challenge board they will earn something as a class... TBD after I work with Alex, our Nurse, about what is COVID acceptable for prizes or earnings :)
9/22 Fifth Graders worked this week to learn how we connect thoughts, feelings, words and actions to present ourselves to others and how these impact others thoughts, feelings, actions and words in return. We discussed how successful communication leads to good thoughts and feelings and that the opposite may lead to conflict. We reviewed what best choices we have when faced with conflict and how we can mend relationships through increased open and honest communication. Students responded to the lesson topic in a journal writing prompt.
9/29 Fifth graders learned some self regulation strategies, I taught them the technique and self talk of tapping and learning to add meditation to our lives. Fifth graders are learning about personal health and wellness in order to manage stress and find balance in their lives.
9/24 Sixth Graders were introduced to the Scholastic Choices magazine and given each a copy. We read several articles related to social distancing and COVID-19 to lend clarity and give voice to the “elephant in the room” and talk about our own experiences with relation to social distancing and feelings of being back in school. Students did an excellent job being respectful, listening and sharing appropriately. These agazines are geared towards social emotional topics, and wellness and something I like to use to help guide discussions on current toics and developmental issues in middle school.
10/1 Sixth graders are learning about the 7 pillars of health and in conjunction with that they are starting their time capsule letter working their way through the different sections of the letter. They should be finishing this up for Thursday this week. We are also utilizing the Health Ed Google Classroom for this assignment in order to help them get used to handing in assignments virtually.
9/23 Seventh Graders were introduced to the SBS Prayer Flag project that 6th is completing in Spanish this week. ELA, Spanish and HE all combined with words the students chose to represent their blessing for our SBS community and beyond for this year. Words from ELA classes were sketched out and some translated into Spanish after viewing a slide presentation I put together about the cultural meaning of Prayer Flags out of respect and honor for this display.
9/30 We continued working our way through the book “A good kind of trouble” discussing themes of race, racial injustice, tolerance and inclusion. This book will serve as a jumping off point for discussions around activism, inclusion, friendship, diversity and empathy.
9/23 Eighth Graders were also introduced to the combined Spanish, ELA and HE project of SBS prayer flags, they worked on flags while listening and following along to the read aloud of “The Hate U Give”.
9/30 We continued working our way through some very emotional parts of the book “The hate u give” and are processing the information centered on race, and racial injustice. This book is part of our developmentally appropriate response to comprehending issues related to racism. We will use this as a platform for anti-biased discussions about inclusion, diversity, activism, and empathy.