Second Grade Conflict

Second grader's have begun learning how to manage conflicts. Conflicts happen all the time in second grade!

Our first lesson on conflict second graders learned that:

Conflict= a disagreement.
A trick question- Is conflict good or bad?
What makes conflict good or bad are the choices that you make.
What it means if a conflict escalates, and what it means if it de-escalates.

Second graders filled out a worksheet about a conflict that they had with a friend, and how they resolved it.

Here are some examples:

My friend and I had a conflict because "we were arguing over who gets the dominos."
We resolved our conflict by "splitting them in half."

My friend and I had a conflict because "we were playing the opposite game as the other."
We resolved our conflict by " just playing something that we wanted to play together."

My friend and I had a conflict because "my friend wouldn't let me play with her."
We resolved our conflict "by talking it out."

My friend and I had a conflict because "we were fighting over toys."
We resolved our conflict by "playing something else."

Third Graders Learn About Expected and Unexpected Behaviors

In our class councils, third graders have been learning about how their behaviors affect how others think and feel about them. Expected behaviors make people have good thoughts and good feelings about us. When we have expected behaviors, others think things like "I like being around this kid," or "She/he is a good worker." They might feel happy, relaxed, or proud about us. Unexpected behaviors make people have uncomfortable thoughts and uncomfortable feelings about us. When we have unexpected behaviors, others think things like, "That kid is unfriendly," or "He/she is making it hard for me to concentrate on my work." They might feel upset, frustrated, or angry with us.

The third graders have done a lot of thinking about expected and unexpected behaviors. They noticed that different settings call for different expected behaviors. Calling out is an expected behavior at recess, but unexpected in the classroom. Sitting at your desk is expected when you are doing your work, but unexpected when your teacher has given the direction to line up. They also noticed that expected behaviors change as we get older. Crying is an expected behavior for a hungry baby, but not for a hungry first grader or teacher. Asking for food is an expected behavior for a hungry first grader, but not for a hungry baby or teacher. Waiting to eat until a work break is an expected behavior for a hungry teacher, but not for a hungry baby or first grader. A teacher crying about being hungry would definitely make third graders have uncomfortable thoughts and feelings!

Here are a few examples of expected and unexpected behaviors for third graders that the kids identified. Can you guess why expected behaviors are written in green and unexpected behaviors are written in red?

Expected Behaviors
playing safely
raising your hand in the classroom
listening to directions
focusing on your work
handling disappointments quietly
using kind words
looking at the person you're talking to

Unexpected Behaviors
getting into others' personal space
pushing in line
distracting others
interrupting the teacher
side conversations
playing with objects in your desk
bullying

What I Want People to Think About Me!

Fourth graders are continuing to learn about expected and unexpected behaviors. In my recent lesson I had them list "What I want people to think about me". They did both as a group and individual activity. They came up with some really great and interesting thoughts. Here is what they had to say:

I am a good person
I am a good student
I am not a bully
I am caring, safe, and responsible
I am a good listener
I am not weird
I am helpful
I am healthy
I am cheerful
I would help you if you fell down
I am polite
I am kind
I am the best person I can be
I am a good writer
I am a bucket filler
I am unique
I don't tattle
I am friendly and caring
I am fun loving
I am respectful
I am athletic
I respect others' property
I am loyal
I am nice

Fifth Grade Anti-Bullying Activities

The fifth graders have been hard at work learning about bullying and what they can do to stop it. Each class council begins with a randomly selected fifth grader taking charge of the SmartBoard and leading a review of bullying concepts. Almost every student has their hand raised for every question! Many of the kids want to do extra activities to learn more about bullying and share what they have learned. After playing a game about bullying prevention during a lunch group, a couple of fifth graders came up with the idea of creating a bullying-themed Jeopardy game for class councils and offered to give up some recess time to help create it. Several other kids have been using their recess time to create a bulletin board that illustrates how bullying feels, the four types of bullying (verbal, physical, social, intimidation), how to tell if a situation is bullying (it's on purpose to hurt, happens over and over, and involves an imbalance of power), and what to do (tell an adult right away!) Here are close-ups of the bulletin board materials:

The Four Types of Bullying

You know it's bullying if . . .

it's on purpose to hurt

it happens over and over

and involves an imbalance of power

How bullying feels . . .

Responsible First Graders

The first graders completed the last page of their "My I-Care Rules" books with rule #5,
We Are Responsible for What We Say and Do. Here are some examples of how they take responsibility for their mistakes and for helping others:

Second Grade Uncomfortable Feelings

Last week I introduced uncomfortable feelings to second graders. They practiced making faces for feeling disappointed, frustrated, scared, upset, and worried. They came up with scenarios of when they might feel this way. Here are some of their drawings of uncomfortable feelings:

What I like about DBS!

Being a new school counselor at DBS, I thought it would be a great idea to invite every second and fourth grader to a lunch group. This was a great way for me to learn names and connect with students on a more indvidual level. I asked each student what they like most about DBS. I loved hearing what they had to say!

Here are some of their responses:
I like gym, art, and library.
I like P.E (many students said this :-)).
I like this school because it is really safe and someone's watching you all the time.
I like all the specials (many students said this as well).
I get to play with my friends.
I like the dome and I have been playing on it since I was one.
I like to learn new things.
I like the food at school.
I like the teachers.
The teachers are nice.
It's fun and a lot of my friends are here.
Playing with meal worms.
I like this school because I get to meet new friends.
I like to work.
I really like the teachers in this school.
I really like learning.
I like reading.

I also asked the students "why I should be excited to be at DBS?" Here is what they had to say:
Because you get to see the kids be happy, and learn what we do.
Because you can make new friends.
To spend time with us!
I get to see all the kids.
Because you get to talk with us at lunch time.
Because there are lots of fun things to do!
Because you get to meet lots of teachers.
There are a lot of cool kids.
Because you get to know how the school works and get to know the principal.
Because you get to meet everyone and they get to tell you what they like to do.
Because you get to hang out with us and we all can be friendly.
Because you get to teach lessons.
Because you get to share new ideas with kids.