The Social Teacher

 The week of CRAZY! 🤣 We have three days this week before Christmas break! One whole week off school! YAY! :)  Each day, along with other Christmas activities, we had board game time! I introduced the game: JENGA  and CANDYLAN D.  These games were a hit. No one wanted to play war! It will happen, new games will make the old games look bad. Board games help children manage their emotions.  There are many emotions during a board game: happy, sad, frustrated, confusion, so many. Kids will lose, they will win! Kids don't have to win EVERY TIME! How will they learn to lose? ever?  Board games is a great way to learn how to control these emotions with my help.  Students are going to get mad, but it is up to the adults to help them through these times, so they are understand these motions are okay and small mouse size problems. 

  Fun Fridays!!  We added a new game: TROUBLE!  I have six groups: three groups playing trouble, three groups playing trouble. I explain to the students together 10 minutes we will play one game and then we will switch for the next 10 minutes.  Eventually students will start to want to play some games over the other.  I always get a piece of paper and write down who plays what game just to make sure all students are getting a change at games.  These Friday blog posts will be one reason why playing boards games is a good idea in your classroom. Today's is: TAKING TURNS AND WAITING YOUR TURN.  Learning patience is so important nowadays.  This world has instant gratification and children lose out on learning patience. Board games can help with that.  They need to wait for their friend to finish with their turn before they get to go.  They will also learn to take turns with more than two people playing with them.

 Ready, ACTION! It's time to show off what we learned this month! I gave students discussion cards. I created all of our discussion cards based on our anchor chart: The students then acted out how they showed compassion for one person in their group.  One person was the main character where something happened to them (good or bad), the remain students in the group showed compassion.  We acted out:  1. Somone passed and IReady lesson! 2. Someone worked so hard and got across the monkey bars! 3. Someone fell in the hallway on the way to lunch. 4. Someone missing their mom and dad at school. 5. Someone lost a game. 6. Somone forgot their lunch at home.  When we role play. I don't give the students a lot of time to create their "play". It shouldn't take long being that I am giving them their idea.  Also, if you give them a while, they will start to get silly and off task. 

 Today we had compassion for our friend: Jabari from the story: Jabari Jumps by: Gaia Cornwall.   This story is about a little boy that is going to the swimming pool.  He wants to jump off the tall diving board but is scared.  He thinks of many excuses to not get on the board.  He eventually finds his way and jumps off!  We talked about how to have compassion for Jabari when he is scared AND when he jumps off! I had the students turn and talk to discuss what they are should say.  Then we looked back at our compassion chart and added how we showed compassion!

 I found an adorable story called: I AM LOVE! A Book of Compassion. by Susan Verde.  It is about a little girl who talks about what love is and how she shows it to others.   After reading the story we discuss about how she shows compassion.  Then we refer back to our anchor chart and add what we learned from our story.  The students went back to their tables to draw a picture of how they show compassion.  Their pictures were adorable! We also did a gallery walk where the students got into a line and walk around the classroom to see what everyone else drew.  They also say good things they see.  

 This month's theme is all about having COMPASSION for one another.  Today we colored! I found Kindness Posters for my students to color by Simple Life .   Like I have stated before December is crazy. So just taking the time to color and just relax was okay with us. We calmed down and just colored.   What do you do with students who don't like to color? I have them color one and then I give them something else to do (Ipad time, read a book, etc.)

 I thought of something new these past couple of days.  Fridays are already a crazy day. The week jam packed full of learning, testing, blah, blah. I am adding a little fun (but sneaky fun...) into our Friday! BOARD GAMES! Yes, I said it: Board Games! Now if you are reading this you close to my age or older and you are thinking, um okay.  How are board games sneaky?  Well, the students are playing a game, having fun, and in their eyes, they are learning. The students don't see what they are learning but they are having a blast.   My Friday blogs will be why board games are fun and learning all at the same time.  Today's blog will be how to prep for it.  Make sure you discuss the rules:  I call them Mrs. Steffen's classroom rules because they might have other rules at home but, when we are at school, these are the one and only rules.  Students will argue about how to play and that will take the fun away.   We are also only playing for 20 minutes tops! They have short attenti

 What is compassion? That is what was on an anchor chart to start the lesson. My students love learning "big" words.  When I say ohhh I have a new word for you to learn, they get so excited! When I said: COMPASSION The confused look on their faces turned into smiles when we were learning about this new word. After explaining what compassion meant. I then wrote: What does it look like? Feel like? Sounds like?  This is what we came up with: 

First graders crave a schedule, the run on the same thing every day.  That is how they are created to be.  That is why there are so many children that do better behaviorally in school, than at home because there is a schedule at school. Nothing against parents not having a schedule, I can't imagine trying to do it all! Cheers to you parents! December is the craziest month. You have regular schoolwork: phonics, reading, math, social studies, science, all the things. You have all that on top of Christmas activities, parties, making a Christmas gift, and probably something else I am forgetting right now!  I try my best that our schedule stays the same for the school year; but for the month of December, I really make sure. I also post my schedule for the day. If someone is out of the ordinary is happening, I will make sure to tell them the day before and then remind them in the morning along with writing in it in the schedule.   Some of my students need a schedule just for them.  I lam