Deer Hill Health Newsletter
March 2024
Happy Spring Deer Hill Families!
We are well underway with our LifeSkills Training lessons. The lesson concepts come from the book, LifeSkills Training: Promoting Health and Personal Development, by Gilbert J. Botvin, Ph.D., Cornell University Medical College. These lessons help students “increase self-esteem, develop healthy attitudes, and improve their knowledge of essential life skills-all of which promote healthy and positive personal development and mental health.” These lessons align with CASEL’s social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies. You can learn more about these lessons here. Most classes have completed lessons on Self-Esteem and Decision-Making. Prior to starting the LifeSkills lessons, grade 4 completed lessons on Teeth and Empathy and grade 5 learned about the Digestive System and Cells. Currently, grades 3 and 4 are learning about Smoking. Grade 5 is learning about Alcohol and will receive a presentation from Nicole Balaschi, director of Safe Harbor Cohasset Coalition. Next, grades 3 and 4 will learn about Advertising and grade 5 will finish Alcohol, Decision-Making, and move on to Vaping.
Self-Esteem
In their lesson on self-esteem, grade 3 watched two book read alouds: I Like Myself by Karin Beaumont and A Little Spot of Confidence by Diane Alber. They completed the Mirror Mirror paper, writing five compliments to themselves and decorating the paper. In grade 4's lesson, I read the book Snippets by Diane Alber. Students completed a Venn diagram, looking at their own unique qualities and strengths and those of someone they know well, as well as some ways they are alike. This exercise helps us to see what makes us unique and special, and what makes others unique and special. This also helps us to see we are alike in many ways. Being aware of these two points is a life skill strategy we can use to increase our self-esteem. It helps us to see we are all good at some things, but we cannot all be good at all things. I encourage my students to see the strengths in others, to be happy for them, and to see we can learn good things from each other. Grade 5 watched the video, What is Self-Esteem: How To Feel Awesome About You by Rocketkids. They completed a worksheet which focuses on ways to increase their self-esteem.
Decision-Making
In our lesson on decision-making, students learn and practice the Stop-Think-Go! Decision-Making method. As people can make fast decisions without thinking about the consequences, students learn we should think about our choices and the outcomes of those choices, before we make important decisions. Practicing this life skill will become a healthy way for them to make important decisions. The first step in this decision-making method is to stop and calm down before we act. I teach students we should take slow deep breaths to help ourselves calm down before thinking of our choices. Taking a few deep breaths helps settle our mind and body. The emotional part of the brain can cloud the decision-making part of the brain and make it harder to think. Once we have calmed ourselves, we feel ready to think about our choices.
In this lesson, all grades watched the video, How to Make Good Choices: Mindfulness for Kids, by Cosmic Kids. I taught grade 3 the Stop-Think-Go! Decision-Making method and read the book What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick. They practiced this method on a worksheet, choosing a problem to solve, thinking of 3 choices and the outcomes of those choices, before coming to a decision. Grade 4 learned about Direct and Indirect Influences on Decision-Making, and I read the book A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts. They completed a graphic organizer, writing who or what may be the direct and indirect influences their lives. Grade 5 reviewed the Stop-Think-Go! Decision-Making method. They completed a worksheet choosing a tobacco related problem to solve, thinking of 3 choices and the outcomes of those choices, before coming to a decision.
Grade 4 lessons on Teeth and Empathy
Grade 4 learned about teeth-the names of our teeth, the parts of the inside of a tooth, and the best practices to care of their teeth. Students watched the BrainPOP video on Teeth and completed a worksheet. They also learned about empathy. I read the book Stand in My Shoes: Kids Learning About Empathy by Bob Sornson. Students received the packet Ways to Show Empathy which describes Perspective-Taking, Show You Care, Don't Judge, Listen, and Acknowledge Feelings. They completed a worksheet on scenarios of showing empathy and not showing empathy.
Grade 5 lessons on Digestion and Cells
Grade 5 learned a lesson on the Digestive System. Students watched the BrainPOP video and completed a worksheet on the parts of the digestive system. They also learned about cells. They watched 2 BrainPOP videos on cells: Cells and Cell Structures. In these videos students learned mostly about animal cells, and a bit about plant cells, and bacteria cells. They learned animal cells contain structures called organelles and that each organelle has a job to do. Students completed a diagram of an animal cell, writing the job of each organelle.
Grades 3 and 4 lessons on the Lungs and Smoking
Grade 3 learned about how the lungs work. They watched the video Lungs & Respiratory System by KidsHealth.org. Next, the learned the many ways smoking and vaping can harm the body. They watched the BrainPOP video on Smoking and completed a worksheet listing many facts about how smoking harms the body. They will use this worksheet in their next lesson on Advertising when they make a truth poster on smoking.
Grade 4 learned about two of the lung diseases smoking causes-chronic bronchitis and emphysema. I read the book Smoking Stinks by Kim Gosselin and they watched the Discovery Education video Introducing the Respiratory System. They learned when people quit smoking the chronic bronchitis they may have developed will clear up in time. They also learned about the part of the lungs that is permanently damaged by smoking-the alveoli or air sacs. This is where emphysema takes place in the lungs. The smoke damages the alveoli, which is where oxygen crosses over into the blood.
Grade 5 Presentation on Alcohol
Grade 5 is receiving a presentation on alcohol by Nicole Balaschi, director of Safe Harbor Cohasset Coalition. In this presentation, students learned about the brain and alcohol, including how a teen's perceived risk of using this substance affects their decision to use it. They learned statistical information on alcohol use in grades ten and twelve during the years 2017 and 2023. They learned statistical information on how alcohol's effect on reducing inhibitions in teens can lead them to other risky behaviors such as using marijuana and vaping. This statistical information was garnered from the Cohasset Wellness Survey (2017 and 2023). Students also learned reasons why teens may start drinking alcohol and healthier ways to deal with stress. They learned about the Youth Ambassador Program at the coalition as well. Click on the link below to view this presentation.
Lessons Going Forward
Our next lessons will be on Advertising, Alcohol and the Teenage Brain (grade 5 only), Dealing With Stress, Communication Skills, Social Skills, and Assertiveness. Grade 5 will watch a video on Puberty sometime in May or June. I will email families a letter regarding the puberty video prior to the showing of this video.
Please note, if these BrainPOP and or Discovery Education videos do not open for you, you may be able to view them by logging into your child's Clever account.
Wishing you all the best,
Patricia A. Hamlin
Elementary Health Teacher
Cohasset Public Schools