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Fifth 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 introduces the You Belong Here curriculum. Students will discuss the importance of feelings and a safe community for sharing. They will learn the 3 M’s: Mindfulness, Movement, and Meditation. Finally, students will create and sign Community Agreements to commit to safe community standards.
Lesson Objectives
- Meet the Feelings Wheel
- Discuss the concepts of community and safety.
- Work together to define our Classroom Community Agreements.
- Commit to practicing what we’ve learned.
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. Creating the community agreements together as a class and having students sign their names to them is a way to encourage students “buy in.”
Students will have opportunities to refer to their Feelings Wheel Handout throughout all lessons of the You Belong Here lessons. Either have students keep their Feelings Wheels in a safe space or collect them at the end of each lesson.
For this lesson, you will need to share the approx. number of students in your school with the class. This is highlighted in yellow on Slide 12. If you don’t already know the number, prepare it ahead of time.
Please ensure to pre-check videos before class, as internet policies may vary among schools, to ensure accessibility.
Additional Resources
- https://transformingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-BCRC-Mindfulness-Brief.pdf
- 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.
- Bauer, C.C.C., Caballero, C., Scherer, E., West, M.R., Mrazek, M.D., Phillips, D., Whitfield-Gabrieli,S., & Gabrieli, J.D.E. (2018). Mindfulness meditation reduces amygdala reactivity to fearful faces and self-reported stress in middle school children: A randomized controlled trial.