Second Step Character Education

On long Wednesdays, our class will use a portion of the day to participate in Second Step, a character education program provided by the district.  Last week, students learned to closely observe the facial expressions of other people, as well as the way they carry their body (i.e. are they standing tall and proud or are their shoulders slumped).  We discussed how students can be body language detectives to make guesses about how other people are feeling.  This information can be useful in any environment.  We talked about how we could use this information to help people around us.  For instance, if we notice a good friend who is slumped over with a frown on their face, we might go up to them and ask, "Hey, how are things going?  Are you okay?"

This week our empathy training continues with a focus on changing feelings.  We will practice identifying a person's feeling, or emotion, by looking for the body language clues in their face and body, in their words, and in the situation itself.  We will then talk about how people can have different feelings about the same situation and how people's feelings can change.  Ask your child about Jenni and Kyle and "The Great Milk Spill" for examples of these concepts.