First Grade Problem Solvers!

 First grade is such a great year of growth! Of course, we see so many gains academically. Students learn to read, find high interest book series that become favorites for years, make observations as scientists, grow in math fluency, the list goes on and on!

There is another area where First graders grow and that is what I am highlighting today. This area is in SEL. Social Emotional Learning. Students at this age become problem solvers. We are currently working on adding skills to our toolbox that can help us solve problems at recess, at lunch, in the classroom and between friends. 

We started talking this week about naming the problem and doing something to help us calm down if we are upset when a problem first happens. This could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths or even counting to 10. Then, naming the problem and asking for what you need. 

For example: Someone accidentally rips my math paper as we are turning it into the teacher. I first take 3 deep breaths to calm down, then I say the problem, which is that my paper is ripped. Now I ask for help from the teacher to get a piece of tape.

In the scenario above, we also learned how to determine if the problem was an accident or if it was done on purpose. Understanding when something was an accident can help us stay calm rather than getting upset with the person who may have accidentally caused the problem. The other student can say sorry and help fix the problem, like the ripped paper example from above.

Our First graders did an amazing job talking through scenarios and coming up with techniques to stay calm and to ask for what they needed next. We will reference these lessons on the playground and anywhere a problem is needing to be solved!