Bennington Public Schools

This unit will be taught in the first quarter. This unit is made up of three lessons.

Click here to download a PDF of an overview of this unit. This handout includes what your child is learning and ways you can practice at home.
 
Lesson: Sometimes We Feel Happy
In this lesson, students will learn to use body language and context clues to figure out when someone feels happy. They’ll practice looking at the person’s face and body, as well as thinking about what’s going on in the situation.

You Can Try This at Home
Encourage your child to notice when others around them feel happy. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling happy.

Lesson: Sometimes We Feel Sad
In this lesson, students will learn to use body language and context clues to figure out when someone feels sad. They’ll practice looking at the person’s face and body, as well as thinking about what’s going on in the situation.

You Can Try This at Home
Encourage your child to notice when others around them feel sad. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling sad.

Lesson: Sometimes We Feel Mad
In this lesson, students will learn to use body language and context clues to figure out when someone feels mad. They’ll practice looking at the person’s face and body, as well as thinking about what’s going on in the situation.

You Can Try This at Home
Encourage your child to notice when others around them feel mad. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling mad.

This unit will be taught in the second quarter. This unit is made up of three lessons. 

Lesson: Ways to Stay Safe
Your child is learning the Ways to Stay Safe and eight safety rules called the Never-Never Rules. The Ways to Stay Safe are Recognize: Is it safe? What’s the rule? Report: Tell an adult. Refuse: Say words that mean no. 

Practice at Home 
Before doing something that requires following a Never-Never Rule, like going for a bike ride, ask your child: What can you do to stay safe when you ride your bike? Help your child remember the Never-Never Rule: Never ride on wheels without wearing a helmet. Remind your child that following the Never-Never Rules helps you stay safe.

Lesson: The Always Ask First Rule
Your child is learning the Always Ask First Rule: Always ask a parent or the person in charge first. Your child is learning to follow this rule when someone wants him or her to do something, go somewhere, or take something.

Practice at Home 
Notice when you see other people, such as family or friends, asking your child to do something or trying to give your child something. Remind your child to follow the Always Ask First Rule: What should you do first? (Always ask a parent or the person in charge first.) When your child comes to you to ask first, thank him or her for following the Always Ask First Rule and say that doing this helps keep him or her safe.

Lesson: Safe and Unsafe Touches
Your child is learning about the importance of respecting others' personal space.

Practice at Home 
Some examples to be discussed at home include not hitting, kicking, pushing, etc. 

This unit will be taught in the second quarter. This unit is made up of four lessons.

Click here to download a PDF of an overview of this unit. This handout includes what your child is learning and ways you can practice at home.
 

Lesson: We Can Be Kind

In this lesson, students will learn that a kind act is something they can do to help someone feel good. They’ll practice suggesting kind acts to do for people in different scenarios.

You Can Try This at Home

Encourage your child to think of a kind act they could do for someone, for example, a sibling, grandparent, or neighbor.

Lesson: Why Kindness?

In this lesson, students will learn that kindness is a way to show people that they care and that doing kind acts can make both the giver and the receiver feel good. They’ll share personal examples and discuss how they felt when they gave or received kind acts.

You Can Try This at Home

Help your child think of a kind act they can do for someone and support them in carrying it out. With your child, discuss how they think the receiver of the kind act felt. Ask your child how they felt doing a kind act for someone.

Lesson: Showing Kindness

In this lesson, students will practice two kindsof  acts: asking, “Would you like to share?” and “Would you like a hug?”

You Can Try This at Home

Encourage your child to offer to share items at home. For example, have them help you make a snack and then offer to share it with other family members. Encourage them to offer hugs to family members or friends when they are tired or sad or need encouragement.

Lesson: Kindness at School

In this lesson, students will learn different ways they can show kindness at school. The class will share ideas for kind acts they could do for one another.

You Can Try This at Home

Ask your child to tell you about the kind acts they and their classmates have been doing for one another at school this week.

This unit will be taught in the third quarter. This unit is made up of four lessons.

Click here to download a PDF of an overview of this unit.  This handout includes what your child is learning and ways you can practice at home.

Lesson: We Watch. We Listen. We Think
In this lesson, students will learn that paying attention means watching, listening, and thinking carefully about something. They practice different ways of showing they’re paying attention.

You Can Try This at Home
Ask your child to show you how they can pay attention, for example, when you are reading a story with them or explaining how to do something.

Lesson: Why We Pay Attention
In this lesson, students will learn two important reasons for paying attention: to learn and to stay safe.

You Can Try This at Home
Ask your child why they think it’s important to pay attention during different activities, for example, when listening to information or instructions, when helping out with a task, or when crossing the street with you.

Lesson: Mistakes are Okay!
In this lesson, students will learn that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. They’ll practice encouraging their classmates (and themselves) while the class learns and practices a skill together: snapping their fingers.

You Can Try This at Home
Remind your child that everyone makes mistakes and that mistakes help us learn. Point out when you make mistakes or tell them a story about a time you learned something from making a mistake.

Lesson: Practice Makes Better
In this lesson, students will learn that it’s important to practice and keep trying in order to get better at something they want to learn.

You Can Try This at Home
Encourage your child to choose something they want to get better at (such as, tying their shoes, adding or subtracting, writing their name, dribbling a ball, or snapping their fingers). Set aside a few minutes each day for them to practice the skill, and highlight the progress they’re making.

This unit will be taught in the third quarter. This unit is made up of five lessons.

Click here to download a PDF of an overview of this unit. This handout includes what your child is learning and ways you can practice at home.

Lesson: We Can Say the Problem

In this lesson, students will learn how to state a problem without blame or name calling. They’ll practice identifying problems in given scenarios, listen to their teacher state the problem, and then repeat the statement.

You Can Try This at Home

Children may be tempted to blame others when they’re upset about something. Encourage your child to avoid blame by describing what happened without focusing on who is at fault.

Lesson: Ready to Solve Problems

In this lesson, students will learn that taking time to feel calm before reacting is a helpful first step to solving a problem.

You Can Try This at Home

Let your child see you taking a moment to feel calm at home when things are busy or stressful. For example, say, “Today was a really busy day. I’m going to take a few slow breaths to help me feel calm.” Invite your child to join you.

Lesson: Apologizing Can Help

In this lesson, students will learn that apologizing is one way to begin to solve problems. They’ll practice using the phrases, “I’m sorry. Are you okay? How can I help?” as a way to help solve problems.

You Can Try This at Home

Ask your child to teach you the three parts of the apology they learned. Encourage them to apologize when the opportunity arises at home.

Lesson: Taking Turns and Sharing

In this lesson, students will practice solving problems by offering to share and take turns.

You Can Try This at Home

Encourage your child to offer to share and take turns with items at home.

Lesson: We Can Solve Problems

In this lesson, students will show what they have learned about solving problems. They’ll suggest ways to solve problems in different scenarios and draw a picture of themselves using a problem-solving strategy.

You Can Try This at Home

If problems or disagreements arise at home, for example, between siblings, ask your child to suggest a way to help solve the problem

This unit will be taught in the first and fourth quarter. This unit is made up of four lessons. 

Lesson: Recognizing Bullying

Your child is learning how to recognize bullying.

What is my child learning: Help your child practice recognizing bullying. 

Ask your child about his or her day at school: Did children play and work well together today? 

If yes, ask: What things were you doing that were kind and respectful? 

If no, ask: What happened? Then ask more questions to help your child recognize if what happened was bullying.

• Was someone being mean on purpose? 

If yes, ask the next question. 

If no, then it probably wasn’t bullying.

• Has this ever happened before? 

If yes, ask the next question. 

If no, then it probably wasn’t bullying. 

• Have you (or he or she if it happened to someone other than your child) been able to get it to stop? 

  If yes, ask: What did you (or he or she) do to make it stop?

Lesson: Reporting Bullying

Your child is learning how to report bullying to a caring adult.

Practice at Home 

Help your child practice reporting to you what happened at school each day. This will give your child practice in remembering details of what happened during the day, an important skill when it comes to reporting bullying. Have your child face you, keep his or her head up and shoulders back, and say in a strong, respectful voice, “I need to report my day.” 

Ask your child: 

• What happened? 
• Who else was there? 
• When did this happen? 
• Where did it happen? 
• Has it happened before?

Lesson: Refusing Bullying

Your child is learning how to refuse bullying when it happens. 

Practice at Home

Help your child practice saying or using a signal that means stop with brothers and sisters or other children when needed, such as when a child takes a toy, pinches or hits, or says or does mean things to another child. Notice when your child is having trouble getting another child to stop mean or unwanted behaviors. 

Remind your child to be assertive and use the stop signal: 

• Face the person 

• Keep head up and shoulders back 

• Say in a strong, respectful voice, “Stop it. I don’t like that.”

Lesson: Bystander Power

Your child is learning ways bystanders can help stop bullying

Practice at Home 

Tell your child that including others can be a way to keep bullying from happening. Remind your child to include others by inviting them to join in: I see that your brother is interested in joining in the game you and your friend are playing. Can you invite him to play with you?