Reinforce the Skills
SECOND STEP Extension Activities for Grades 4–5
Note: Many of these activities can be adjusted up or down a grade.
Skill: Empathy
Being the New Kid (Grade 4)
Read Eagle Song by Joseph Bruchac. Discuss what it is like to be the new kid at school. Have students list ways they could help a new person feel welcome. This activity supports the development of empathy, learning ways to show concern for others, and responding sensitively to others' needs.
The Ant's Point of View (Grade 4)
Read Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Discuss how the perspective of the ants differs from the perspective of humans when they encounter common objects such as windowsills and coffee cups. Have the students discuss how their own perspectives of things have changed as they've become older and learned more. This activity helps children learn that feelings can change over time.
Team Support (Grades 4 and 5)
Read Teammates by Peter Golenbock. Discuss how Pee Wee Reese gave Jackie Robinson emotional support during the season. Have the students discuss times when they have given or received emotional support.
Recipe Boxes (Grades 4 and 5)
Have each child design a box front with his or her name on the label. The box front should also include a list of "ingredients" that describe the child positively (for example, "good listener, funny, tries new things"). Emphasize that each individual, not others, should choose his or her own ingredients. The ingredients should be what the child wants others to know about him or her. As students discuss their box fronts with the class, point out the similarities and differences among classmates. Discuss how positive labels can facilitate friendships by helping students move beyond prejudice and hurtful labels.
Cultural Conflict (Grades 4 and 5)
Read Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family by Lensey Namioka. Discuss what clues the author gives to show Yang's conflicting feelings. Ask the class, "How do Yang's family's perceptions differ from those of her American friends and neighbors in the story?"
The Sound of Feelings (Grade 5)
Play different examples of instrumental music and discuss what emotions the composer was trying to communicate. Some suggestions include Gustav Holst's The Planets, Miles Davis's "Blue in Green," G. F. Handel's Water Music, Ravi Shankar's Sound of the Sitar, a John Philip Sousa march, a rap song, and a song from a Mariachi band. This activity broadens students' understanding of the expression of feeling and teaches them to use a variety of clues to identify others' feelings.
Skill: Problem Solving
Windy Weather (Grade 4)
Divide students into cooperative groups of three or four. Have each group design and construct a paper or cloth wind sock that depicts a friendship theme. Let students display their wind socks on a windy day. This activity gives children practice in using group problem-solving techniques.
Mistakes that Worked (Grades 4 and 5)
Read two or three stories from Mistakes That Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones. Discuss how although solutions may not always work, we can still learn valuable things from our mistakes, and sometimes a failure can be a solution to another problem. This activity supports students' understanding of the need to evaluate solutions and, if necessary, create new and different solutions. It gives a powerful message about the opportunity for learning presented by every mistake.
Packing for a Trip (Grades 4 and 5)
Have students pretend they are going on a hike in the desert, mountains, or along the coast. Divide the class into groups of four and have each group choose five things they need to bring on the hike. After five minutes, ask:
- How did you make decisions?
- Were you listened to?
- What did you learn about working together?
This activity gives children practice in working together to solve a problem.
Community Matters (Grade 5)
Have the students pick a community problem that both concerns them and is being addressed in a local election. Have them investigate what solutions different candidates suggest to solve the problem. Then have students use the SECOND STEP problem-solving steps to come up with their own solution. Compare and contrast the class's solution with the candidates'. Follow the elections and see what happens. This activity supports the concept that problems can be solved using the SECOND STEP problem-solving process of clearly identifying what the problem is, thinking of several possible solutions, evaluating each solution, then choosing one and using it.
Peer Pressure Problem (Grade 5)
Read Wringer by Jerry Spinelli. Discuss how peer pressure affects the characters of the story. Ask students, "What suggestions for dealing with peer pressure would you make to the main character?"
Environmental Action (Grade 5)
In celebration of Earth Day (April 22), have the class pick an environmental problem in the community or school and use the SECOND STEP problem-solving steps to find a solution. Guide students in enacting their solution. This activity gives children practice in using the SECOND STEP problem-solving steps for community problems.
Skill: Anger Management
Comic Conclusions (Grades 4 and 5)
Choose a comic book or comic strip that shows anger, frustration, or criticism being mismanaged. Ask students to draw new frames where the characters manage their strong feelings and then handle the situation in a prosocial manner. This activity reinforces the importance of managing strong feelings to enable prosocial actions.
Sitcom Sleuths (Grades 4 and 5)
Have students watch a favorite TV sitcom at home. Have them count the number of "put-ups" (positive statements or compliments) and the number of put-downs. Have students bring in the data and express the figures as a ratio of put-ups to put-downs. Create a class chart of the overall results. This activity will help students become more aware of the number of put-downs they witness and can lead to the students learning about and dealing with put-downs in their own lives.
Feelings Sounds (Grades 4 and 5)
Have the class make a recording of contrasting sounds or music to convey the feelings of calmness and anger (for example, crickets vs. a siren, or a lullaby vs. hard rock). This activity gives children practice in identifying feelings.
Calm-Down Coaching (Grades 4 and 5)
Before a physical education session or a game that involves competition, have students role-play calming down after experiencing a setback such as striking out in a softball game or missing a goal kick in soccer.