T.R.A.C at Flora Vista
Teambuilding, Regulation, Awareness, Community
What is TRAC?
The purpose of the TRAC program is to provide universal social emotional instruction to the entire school population. Students will gain skills to boost their self awareness, increase self esteem and self regulation, improve their social skills, encourage empathy, and learn to seek internal motivation for their personal and academic success. Class sessions will include dynamic instruction that incorporates thoughtful student discussion, movement, and art or games to promote learning.
Rooted in Research
T.R.A.C is rooted in the CASEL standards. CASEL is the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning which has defined social emotional learning for more than two decades. They describe SEL as "how children and adults learn to understand and manage emotions, set goals, show empathy for others, establish positive relationships, and make responsible decisions." Below is the CASEL framework and the themes TRAC will be covering this year!
So What Have We Been Up To?
September and October was dedicated to self-awareness. According to CASEL, self-awareness is the ability to accurately recognize one's emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence behavior. Scroll down to see what we have been doing the past 2 months!
* You may notice some lessons are similar among grades levels! The older the students the more in-depth our discussions are and the activities are altered to fit the grade level*
November and December was dedicated to self- management. According to CASEL, self-management is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations-effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself.
January and February was dedicated to social awareness. Accord to CASEL, social awareness is the ability to take perspective of and empathize with others. Social awareness includes perspective taking, empathy, appreciating diversity and respect for others .
Check Out The Amazing Empathy Art Work in the MPR by the 4th-6th graders!!
Kinders
Don't Get Tattle Tongue!
**The tattling rules described in the book are shown in the picture below!**
How to Be a Good Friend
This week (2/18-2/21) the 1st and 2nd graders discussed what makes a good friend! We brainstormed as a class what makes a good friend, how they make us feel and what they do that makes them a good friend. We also talked about staying away from calling each other "best friends" because that language can be hurtful for those who are not included in the "best friend" group. It also doesn't matter! We are friends with certain people for many different reasons and they shouldn't be categorized. I encouraged them to say instead "they are my close friend". Then each student received a strip of paper and wrote down one thing that the believe makes a good friend. Then we put them together in a link chain to hang up in their classroom!
Peaceful Conflict Resolution/Problem Solving with I-Messages
I feel __________
when___________
because__________
This week (2/3-2/7) the kinder learned how to use I-messages in times of conflict or when they need to express their feelings instead of pointing the blame on someone else using the infamous "you message." We read the "Peace Rose" then practiced saying I-messages while holding our own peace rose, just like the story!
**Below are pictures from Mrs. McKowens class practicing their I-Messages with the peace rose. **
Empathy Continued!
Empathy
Below is a video we watched that helped explain what empathy is and a picture of Mrs. Myers classroom playing the empathy game. Each student received a stick with an emotion on it. I read them a scenario out loud (for example: your friend lost their favorite stuffed animal, how are they feeling?) and they help up their stick if it was the appropriate emotion for the scenario. This helped them practice putting themselves in others' shoes.
Celebrating Mistakes
Identifying Emotions and Self-Regulation
We have been working on identifying emotions, practicing using the language, and identifying triggers that make us feel the basic emotions such as happy, mad, frustrated, sad, calm and relaxed. We read "Frankie's the Feelings Bear" which talked about basic emotions. We then created emotional weather journals. For each page we discussed the emotion, showed what it looks like on our faces, and then drew what made us feel that emotion.
We also learned ways to help calm ourselves down when we feel big emotions such as intense anger or frustration. Ask your student to show you 5 finger breathing, wave breathing and rocks and socks!
1st and 2nd Graders
Don't Get Tattle Tongue!
**The tattling rules described in the book are shown in the picture below!**
A friend in Ms. Gorman's class playing pin the tongue on the tattler!
What Makes A Good Friend?
This week (2/18-2/21) the 1st and 2nd graders discussed what makes a good friend! We brainstormed as a class what makes a good friend, how they make us feel and what they do that makes them a good friend. We also talked about staying away from calling each other "best friends" because that language can be hurtful for those who are not included in the "best friend" group. It also doesn't matter! We are friends with certain people for many different reasons and they shouldn't be categorized. I encouraged them to say instead "they are my close friend". Then each student received a strip of paper and wrote down one thing that the believe makes a good friend. Then we put them together in a link chain to hang up in their classroom!
Peaceful Conflict Resolution/Problem Solving with I-Messages
I feel __________
when___________
because__________
The 1st graders read "Peace Rose" then practiced saying I-messages while holding our own peace rose, just like the story. The 2nd graders this week (2/3-2/7) learned to how to use I-messages in times of conflict or when they need to express their feelings instead of pointing the blame on someone else using the infamous "you message." They practiced writing an I-Message with a feeling they choose and then used water color to express that emotion.
**Below are examples from Mrs. Cole and Mrs. Fletchers class and friends from Mrs. Murphy's class helping out with I-messages!**
"I feel excited when I get 100% on a spelling test because I study a lot!"
"I feel scared when I have nightmares because sometimes they are about my fears."
"I feel happy when people include me because I get to play."
Empathy Continued
2nd Grade: This week (1/20-1/24) the second graders started their conversation about the caring emotion of empathy. Through some fun activities, we learned that in order to be an "empathy detective" we need to notice how someone is feeling by looking at their facial expressions and body language, remember a time we felt that way or imagine how we would feel if we were them, and show them we care about and know how they are feeling. We then discussed ways to show empathy and ways that do not show empathy.
** Below is a picture of Callum in Mrs. Barron's class who said " I would show empathy by asking "Are you okay?" to someone who is sad.**
1st: Empathy
Below is a picture of Mrs. Bimers classroom playing the empathy game. Each student received a stick with an emotion on it. I read them a scenario out loud (for example: your friend lost their favorite stuffed animal, how are they feeling?) and they help up their stick if it was the appropriate emotion for the scenario. This helped them practice putting themselves in others' shoes.
1st: Lovable Listening- Listening to Understand... 2nd: Size of the Problem
2nd Grade: Problems... We've all got them! This week(12/9-12/13) we talked about the size of the problem and appropriate reactions to those problems. We are human so we encounter problems everyday, it's a part of life! And with problems are connected reactions and emotions. In general, we have 3 sizes of problems: small, medium and big. We talked about what defines each size and appropriate reactions. We played a game where we read a problem out loud and decided as class which size it was. Then, the person who read it out loud threw it in the bin that correlated to the size of the problem. It was a fun and interactive way to show our thinking and learning!
**Below are pictures from Mrs. Fletcher's students reading the size of the problem to the class then throwing it in the correlated sized bin**
Celebrating Mistakes
Identifying Emotions and Self-Regulation
We also have been learning about self-regulation and coping skills to use in the classroom when our emotions seem to take over us. After reading "When Sophie Gets Really Really Angry" we learned breathing exercises that can be used in the classroom, out on the playground, or at home. We created a self-regulation flower that can be used as a tool for calming down. Each flower petal has a strategy to help with self-regulation in the classroom. Ask your student to show you how they use 5 finger breathing, wave breathing, rocks and socks and the breathing board!
3rd Grade
Active Listening & Conversation Skills
What Makes a Good Friend?
This week (2/18-2/21) the 3rd graders discussed what makes a good friend! We brainstormed as a class what makes a good friend, how they make us feel and what they do that makes them a good friend. We also talked about staying away from calling each other "best friends" because that language can be hurtful for those who are not included in the "best friend" group. It also doesn't matter! We are friends with certain people for many different reasons and they shouldn't be categorized. I encouraged them to say instead "they are my close friend". Then each student received a strip of paper and wrote down one thing that the believe makes a good friend. Then we put them together in a link chain to hang up in their classroom!
Ideas from Mrs. Robins Class
Mrs. Alban's "A good friend is.." chain made by the students
Peaceful Problem Solving
I feel __________
when___________
because__________
The 3rd graders this week (2/3-2/7) learned how to use use I-messages in times of conflict or when they need to express their feelings instead of pointing the blame on someone else using the infamous "you message." They practiced writing an I-Message with a feeling they choose and then used water color to express that emotion.
**Below are examples from Mrs. Robins, Mrs. Beckers, and Mrs. Albans classes**
"I feel worried when my dog is limping because I love him so much."
"I feel happy when I spend time with my family because I enjoy spending time with them."
"I feel confident when I play baseball because I have played on a team for a long time."
"I feel silly when I make a weird face because it's different."
Empathy
Size of the Problem
** Below is a picture of student from Mrs. Beckers class throwing a big problem into the big sized bin. Also check our her adorable TRAC wall in her classroom!**
Positive Self Talk
What is that little voice inside our head called? It is called self-talk! This week (11/18-11/22) we learned about self- talk and the difference positive self talk can make in our daily lives. We shared negative self-talk to show that as humans that kind of talk is normal and we all do it! But it is what we do with those negative thoughts is what is important! We practiced changing negative thoughts into positive ones then sat in a circle and shared one thing we like about ourselves. It was a great exercise!
I then gave them a list of 101 positive thoughts and affirmations. From the list each student chose 5 that they could look at when they are in need of some inspiration to keep going or when they need helping finding the positive in a challenging or tough situation.
**Below is a picture of Mrs. Robin's class sharing one thing they love about themselves**
Identifying Emotions and Self-Regulation
We also learned about self-regulation, meaning the ability to successfully regulates ones emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations. We created a self-regulation flower that can be used as a tool for calming down. Each flower petal has a strategy to help with self-regulation in the classroom. Ask your student to show you how they use 5 finger breathing, wave breathing, rocks and socks and the breathing board!
4th, 5th, and 6th Grade
I-Messages for Peaceful Conflict Resolution
I feel __________
when___________
because__________
The 4th-6th graders wrote down personal situations that they have been in, conflicts with friends or family, scenarios where they felt like they didn't have a voice or did not know how to approach someone, and I read them out loud to the class. Then the class came up with an I-message to respond to the conflict or scenario that was read out loud. It brought up a lot of personal experiences and opportunities to give others the dialogue to peacefully and respectfully solve a conflict or bring up something that is hurting their feelings.
Mrs. Manbert's 4th grade class practicing their I-Messages
Mrs. Andrew's 5th grade class practicing their I-Messages
Empathy Continued!
**Below are students in Mrs. Andrews, Mr. Harpers and Ms. Scudders class showing off their empathy art!*
Empathy
**Below is a picture of Liam, from Mrs. Oneill's class, working with Tiago on a comic that is going to explain what empathy is.**
Circle of Control
Gossip and Rumors
Coping Skills
Goal Setting and Positive Self Talk
We also learned about self- talk and the difference positive self talk can make in our daily lives. We shared negative self-talk to show that as humans that kind of talk is normal and we all do it! But it is what we do with those negative thoughts is what is important! We practiced changing negative thoughts into positive ones then sat in a circle and shared one thing we like about ourselves. It was a great exercise!
**Below is a picture of Mr. Harper's class sharing one thing they love about themselves**
Hello from Miss Ryan!
Email: kelsey.ryan@eusd.net
Location: Flora Vista Elementary School, Wandering Road, Encinitas, CA, USA