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

Lessons

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Empathy Gina Patterson Empathy Gina Patterson

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.

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Empathy Gina Patterson Empathy Gina Patterson

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.

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Empathy Gina Patterson Empathy Gina Patterson

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.

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Self Confidence Gina Patterson Self Confidence Gina Patterson

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.

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Self Confidence Gina Patterson Self Confidence Gina Patterson

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.

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Self Confidence Gina Patterson Self Confidence Gina Patterson

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.

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Self Confidence Gina Patterson Self Confidence Gina Patterson

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.

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