GREENFIELD — Kindergarten and first-grade students at Weston Elementary School are taking part in a program aimed at teaching students how to handle big emotions.
School social worker Terry Miller leads the Second Step program, which contains lessons about listening, paying attention, controlling their own behavior and getting along with others, according to the Second Step website.
The program teaches these skills through stories, puppets, videos, discussions, and role plays. Funding was made possible through a Greenfield-Central School Foundation grant, Miller said in an email to the Daily Reporter.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Multiple studies have linked social-emotional learning to student gains in improved attitudes about self, others, and school, to positive classroom behavior and to gains on standardized achievement tests. Social-emotional learning also shows reduced risks for conduct problems and emotional distress.
