Dear Kindergarten and First Grade Parents and Guardians,
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been working on problem solving in K and 1 classes. The last time we met, students reviewed the importance of strategies like taking three deep breaths or counting to 10 to help calm their body when they are angry or upset. We also spent time working on yoga and mindfulness. For this lesson, students started to learn the words they can say to solve a problem. We used a modified form of the I feel statement taught in second and third grade. It looks like this:
· I feel _________.
Or
· I feel _________ when you ________.
Students watched videos of former Armstrong students acting out different problem situations and worked to brainstorm I feel statements that might help solve the problems. They then brainstormed and wrote I feel statements they might use to solve other problem situations. By learning to verbalize their feelings and what is causing them to feel that way, my hope is to develop a problem solving foundation with our students that will continue to grow throughout the rest of their time at Armstrong and beyond.
You can use this language to help build your children’s problem solving skills at home as well. When your child has a problem, encourage them to try an I feel statement to help solve it. If you find they have a problem solving success, please consider sharing it in the comments section of this blog post. My hope is to give you as parents a forum to share your stories from home.
I’ve also attached the videos I showed to this post. If you would like to review I feel statements, consider showing your children these videos and asking them to share an I feel statement that might help solve the problem.
Thank you for your help with this important lesson.
Sincerely,
David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH: (508) 836-7760 Email: starrd@westboroughk12.org
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been working on problem solving in K and 1 classes. The last time we met, students reviewed the importance of strategies like taking three deep breaths or counting to 10 to help calm their body when they are angry or upset. We also spent time working on yoga and mindfulness. For this lesson, students started to learn the words they can say to solve a problem. We used a modified form of the I feel statement taught in second and third grade. It looks like this:
· I feel _________.
Or
· I feel _________ when you ________.
Students watched videos of former Armstrong students acting out different problem situations and worked to brainstorm I feel statements that might help solve the problems. They then brainstormed and wrote I feel statements they might use to solve other problem situations. By learning to verbalize their feelings and what is causing them to feel that way, my hope is to develop a problem solving foundation with our students that will continue to grow throughout the rest of their time at Armstrong and beyond.
You can use this language to help build your children’s problem solving skills at home as well. When your child has a problem, encourage them to try an I feel statement to help solve it. If you find they have a problem solving success, please consider sharing it in the comments section of this blog post. My hope is to give you as parents a forum to share your stories from home.
I’ve also attached the videos I showed to this post. If you would like to review I feel statements, consider showing your children these videos and asking them to share an I feel statement that might help solve the problem.
Thank you for your help with this important lesson.
Sincerely,
David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH: (508) 836-7760 Email: starrd@westboroughk12.org
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