What is Second Step?
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Second Step is a program rooted in social-emotional learning (SEL) that helps transform schools into supportive, successful learning environments uniquely equipped to encourage children to thrive. More than just a classroom curriculum, Second Step’s holistic approach helps create a more empathetic society by providing education professionals, families, and the larger community with tools to enable them to take an active role in the social-emotional growth and safety of today’s children. It’s a difference you can feel the moment you step through the doors to a Second Step school: a sense of safety and respect grounded in the social-emotional health and well-being of the entire school community.
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Unit 1- Mindsets & Goals: Students learn how to develop a growth mindset and apply it to their social and academic lives. They also learn about If–Then Plans, a research-based strategy for achieving goals.
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Lesson 1
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week’s lesson will help your child understand some of the changes that happen during adolescence and how the social-emotional skills taught in the Second Step Program can help your child be successful and get along with others, in middle school and beyond.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask about any changes your child has noticed in friends now that they’re all growing up and what your child thinks about these changes.
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Lesson 2
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week’s lesson will help your child reflect on personal identity by asking the question “Who am I?” Your child will learn that people’s identities change over time and that adolescence is a period when people typically explore questions about who they are.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask each member of the family to answer the question “Who am I?” Follow up by asking which are the most important aspects of each person’s identity and why.
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Lesson 3
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will continue to think about identity and how people sometimes “switch” identities to fit in with different social groups. The lesson explains that it’s okay to change identities depending on the group you’re in, but your child doesn’t have to change in ways that don’t feel right.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask if your child ever feels the need to switch identities to fit in, and how that feels. Tell your child about a time you felt you had to change in a way that didn’t feel right so you would be accepted by a group.
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Lesson 4
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will think about how the world could be a better place. Your child will also reflect on personal interests and how to develop them to create that better world.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask your child, “What are some ways the world could be a better place?” Ask how you can support your child’s interests, and together, think about creative ways those interests can be developed to create a better world.
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Lesson 5
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will learn that making mistakes and failing can feel bad, but they’re also an opportunity to get better at something. Your child will think about ways to get better using these techniques: asking for help, using a new strategy, and working harder.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask your child to describe a personal experience that involved making a mistake or failing at something. Together think about how that experience can be used as an opportunity to get better. Talk about a time you failed at something and how you learned from the experience.
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Lesson 6
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will learn about SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Timely.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask your child what SMART goals are. Talk about goals you and your child have and your plans for achieving those goals.
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Lesson 7
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will learn how to use If–Then Plans. Research shows that when people make an If–Then Plan, they’re twice as likely to follow through. Using an If–Then Plan is also a great way for students to prepare for difficult or important situations before they happen.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask your child what an If–Then Plan is. Work together to make a plan for how your child can respond positively to a difficult situation he or she might encounter at home.
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Unit 2- Values & Relationships: Students learn how to use their values to help them make good decisions, build strong relationships, and avoid negative relationships.
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Lesson 8- Values & Decisions
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will learn about values—“the things that matter to you most”—and how remembering their values can help people make good decisions, especially in difficult situations.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask your child, “What are some of your values?” Describe your own values, and talk about the ones you have in common and what they mean to each of you.
