Need help with the curriculum or navigating this site? Write us below.
Second Grade
LESSON
Zero
Classroom Community and Safe Space
55 minutes
This lesson is currently under review with Nest Educational Advisors. Please check back later for updates.
Lesson Overview
This lesson lays the foundation for the You Belong Here curriculum. Students will develop a universal language for discussing feelings by exploring their feelings wheels. After a discussion on community and safety, they will understand the importance of a safe community for sharing feelings and stories. Students will learn about the brain’s connection to feelings and the 3 M’s (Mindfulness, Movement, Meditation) for brain health. Together, they will establish classroom guidelines for YBH lessons and create hand gestures to remember them.
Lesson Objectives
- Explore and understand the Feelings Wheel.
- Learn about the 3 M’s (Mindfulness, Movement, and Meditation).
- Discuss and analyze the concepts of community and safety.
- Collaborate to define the Classroom Community Agreements.
Materials
Handouts
quicklinks
how to prepare for this lesson
This lesson will establish clear guidelines for respectful communication and appropriate participation in the You Belong Here lessons. The visual gestures in this lesson will be crucial for helping students to remember the community agreements. If possible, it is encouraged to create these gestures together with the class as a way to encourage participation in the classroom community and create student “buy in” to the agreements. However, depending on the class level, the teacher may choose to pre-determine the gestures before the lesson rather than creating them together with the classroom.
On Slide 4, students will receive their Feelings Wheel Handouts. A group discussion is meant to give students not only familiarity with the feelings on the wheel, but also a few minutes to become more familiar with the Feelings Wheel concept. As you go through feelings, discuss with students the descriptions. It will also be important to check for understanding when sharing the descriptions that we’ve provided. You may need to add developmentally appropriate or more culturally relevant examples for your students. Students will use their Feelings Wheel Handouts throughout the unit. Either collect them at the end of the lesson or have students keep their handouts somewhere safe for future use.
On Slide 18, you will share with the class how many people are a part of their school community. If you don’t already have an idea of how many students and teachers are at your school, prepare this number ahead of time.
Please ensure to pre-check videos before class, as internet policies may vary among schools, to ensure accessibility.
Additional Resources
- Kozlowska K, Walker P, McLean L, Carrive P. Fear and the defense cascade: clinical implications and management. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(4):263-287. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000065
- Shaver TK, Ozga JE, Zhu B, Anderson KG, Martens KM, Vonder Haar C. Long-term deficits in risky decision-making after traumatic brain injury on a rat analog of the Iowa gambling task. Brain Research. 2019;1704:103-113. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2018.10.004
- Hwang H, Matsumoto D. Functions of emotions. In: Biswas-Diener R, Diener E, eds. Noba Textbook Series: Psychology. DEF Publishers; 2021.