Second - Third Grade
Developmental Characteristics
Physical
Enthusiastic about games
Experiencing improvement in both gross and fine motor skills
Possess a high activity level
Practice to master variations of movement for physical activities
Enjoy games that allow for comparison of skills
Enjoy games that allow for self-f-improvement
Social Emotional
Have a strong drive toward independence
Develop a strong sense of loyalty to friends
Need to belong to a group
Play with and are friends with same-sex peers
Like to take on responsibility
Live in a world of games, rituals and humor inhabited only by children
Like to have a best friend
Have a rigid sense of right and wrong
Need help accepting peers who are different or left out of a group
Cognitive
Like to talk; use language to express feelings/tell stories
Developing a sense of time
Enjoy collecting things
Enjoy problem-solving games like treasure hunts
Can plan and carry out projects with adult support
Becoming more self-directed in activities
Better able to understand and appreciate differences of opinion
Red Light, Green Light: Self-Control and Thoughtful Giving
Students play a Squid Games-style red light, green light game, practicing self-control and encouraging peers who are out, then create personalized "blind bags" for a randomly assigned mystery partner based on their likes, opening them together at closing circle.
Simon Says and Musical Chairs: Practicing Self-Control
Students play Simon Says to practice following directions and self-control, then build a class playlist and play high-expectation musical chairs, practicing safe bodies and encouraging peers who are out, closing with reflection on managing excitement and frustration.
Zones of Regulation Collages: Naming My Emotions
Students face the unknown in the "Mystery Box Challenge," then create magazine collages representing the blue, green, yellow, and red zones of regulation, matching images to emotions and coping strategies for each zone.
Running Up That Hill: Staying Motivated and Self-Regulated
Students build a class playlist by sharing favorite songs, then play a Stranger Things-inspired "self-regulation dodgeball" where runners focus on their chosen song to stay calm while dodgeballs are thrown, closing with a reflection on staying motivated when things get hard.
Pinch Pots: Practicing Patience and Self-Control
Students shape air-dry clay into pinch pots, practicing patience and self-control as they manipulate the material into a smooth, crack-free form, then sketch or paint a design before reflecting on what it felt like to work with the clay.
Impulse Control: Statues and Marshmallow Towers
Students practice staying still and quiet in "Night at the Museum," a freeze game with a roaming "janitor," then build marshmallow-and-toothpick structures while resisting the urge to eat any pieces until they finish, reflecting on delayed gratification.
Boundaries: Self-Control and Asking for Consent
Students play "Listen and Copy," swapping numbers for claps and snaps to build self-control, then practice "The Boundary Game," taking turns asking for consent and setting respectful boundaries on everyday scenarios.
Puppet Show Pt. 2: Restorative Problem-Solving and Presentation
Students play "No, No, No," showing how stories shift when retold, then finish and perform their sock-puppet skit about a friend left out of a group chat, using assigned roles to practice restorative conflict resolution.
Puppet Show: Empathy and Restorative Problem-Solving
Students explore differing perspectives in "A What?," then build paper-bag puppets to act out a peer-conflict skit about being left out of a group chat. Assigned roles guide them through restorative problem-solving and empathy during disagreements.
Humanizing Each Other: Getting to Know Peers and Teachers
Students play "12 Questions Bingo," asking peers questions and recalling their answers, then write and submit questions for their ROCK teachers to answer as a class, reinforcing that everyone has their own life outside school.
Turning Red: Accountability and Family Empathy
Students practice reading emotions in "Emotions Charades," then watch the final Turning Red clips on family support and mutual accountability. They complete an "Accountability Rewind" worksheet, reflecting on a moment they wish they'd handled better.
Turning Red: Empathy for the Ones We Love Most
Students build trust in "Sleeping Dragons," a blindfolded partner-guiding game, then watch Turning Red clips on Mei Mei's self-acceptance and unintentional harm to loved ones, sketching or making comics as they reflect on intent vs. impact.
Roots and Fruits: Empathy, Teamwork, and Growth
Students see how differing experiences shape opinions through a modeled disagreement, then build teamwork in "Crossing the River." They close by identifying strengths (roots) and growth areas (fruits), planting them on a class community tree.
Week 2: Intent vs. Impact: Taking Accountability in The Lorax
Students play "Aim & Miss," a game showing how obstacles turn good intentions into unintended messes, then connect it to the Once-ler's ambition harming Thneedville. They continue The Lorax clips and comics, reflecting on accountability and self-interest.
Week 1: The Lorax: Speaking up for others and the world
Students discuss the kind of world they want to live in, then build a collaborative pipe-cleaner class garden. They watch clips from Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and create a comic strip reflecting on selfishness, empathy, and caring for others and the environment, closing with a group discussion on why that care matters.
Lego Master Builder Battle
Students build a Lego creation using only ~15 pieces (trading with tablemates to communicate and collaborate), share their build with the class, then watch a series of Lego Movie clips paused for discussion — finishing by devising their own plan in groups of 3 to defeat President Business using their personal strengths.
Mirror Partners & KPOP Demon Hunters
Students pair up and silently mirror each other's movements, then watch a Mean Girls clip to unpack the reasons behind negative self-talk before completing a reflection worksheet and mindful breathing. They finish by watching a Kpop Demon Hunters clip and drawing their own "demon" that represents a personal insecurity they can turn into a strength.
Week 2: Believing in ourselves & others!
Students build and share a Lego creation using only ~15 pieces (trading with tablemates), then watch a series of Lego Movie clips paused for discussion, and in groups of 3 devise a plan using their own strengths to defeat President Business before watching how Emmet's plan plays out.
Week 1: I Love Myself
Students mirror each other's movements silently in pairs, then watch a Mean Girls clip and a Kpop Demon Hunters clip to discuss negative self-talk and self-acceptance before writing a reflection worksheet and drawing their own "demon" representing a personal insecurity they can turn into a strength.
Among Us: Teacher is the Imposter
Students design their own Among Us/Roblox character, then work together to solve a mystery — figuring out how a teacher's character broke their leg when the lights went out, questioning the "victim" rather than blaming peers.