5th Grade has finished their Second Step curriculum!
6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be going through two lessons this week.
6th Grade - Unit 3 - Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions
Lesson 15: Emotions and Your Brain - In this lesson, your child will learn how different parts of their brains play a part in managing their strong emotions.
Try this at home: Ask your child to teach you about some of the different parts of the brain and how they manage emotions. Look up a picture or video of the brain and learn some more!
Lesson 16: How Emotions Affect Your Decisions - In this lesson, your child will analyze how strong emotions can influence their decision-making abilities, as well as how those decisions can affect their relationships.
Try this at home: Ask your child what sorts of things trigger strong emotions in them. Ask them how you can show support when those things happen.
7th Grade - Unit 3 - Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions
Lesson 15: Feel, Think, Do - In this lesson, your child will distinguish thoughts from emotions. They will also analyze how emotions affect their thoughts, and how their thoughts can influence the decisions they make.
Try this at home: Ask your child to explain the difference between an emotion and a thought. Take turns expressing sentiments aloud and having the other person identify if the sentiments are thoughts or emotions. (For example, Emotion: “I’m so mad at the coach for not putting me in the game.” Thought: “That’s it—I quit!”)
Lesson 16: Unhelpful Thoughts - In this lesson, your child will distinguish between helpful thoughts, which are thoughts that can help them make good decisions, and unhelpful thoughts, which are thoughts that can lead to negative decisions.
Try this at home: Tell your child about a helpful thought you recently had and the decision you made because of it. Ask them to share a helpful thought they had as well. If they can’t think of anything, point out something positive they did recently and help them identify the thought that went along with it.
8th Grade - Unit 3 - Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions
Lesson 15: Where Does Stress Come From? - In this lesson, your child will learn where stress comes from, identify stressors in their life, and examine which stressors they can control.
Try this at home: Ask your child if they have any stressors they can’t control. Discuss what they do have control over.
Lesson 16: Can Stress Help You Grow? - In this lesson, your child will learn to reframe stressful situations as opportunities for growth.
Try this at home: Tell your child about a stressful situation you were recently in and how you were able to use that stress to improve yourself or the situation. Ask your child if they have any stressors in their life that they need help with.
