Get Your Students on the “PATH” to Success
As many schools begin returning to some form of in-person instruction, you’ll be happy to know that there are a number of PATHS® program lessons and resources to help you with the transition. The best part is that all of these materials are available with your complimentary access to the online support materials!
assess their needs
First, if you haven’t done so already, make sure to complete the student SEL evaluation, using the Evaluation Toolkit. This will give you a baseline to know where your students are at when they return to the classroom. There is an evaluation for the development needs of students in preschool/kindergarten, and another for students in grades 1-5. Don’t forget to re-evaluate at the end of the year to see how far your students have progressed in developing their SEL growth.
- To help set the class tone, you may wish to consider reviewing the Circle Rules (PK/K: Lesson 1) or Class Rules (Grades 1-4: Lesson 1, Grade 5: Optional Lesson 1).
- The Post Vacation Review (Grades 1-3: Optional Lessons 10 and 11) can help reacquaint students with self-control strategies and feeling identification.
- Students may need the opportunity to get to know each other better.
- The All About Us lesson (Grade 5, Lesson 2) can help!
- Also consider checking out the My Own Feelings Story activity (Grade 4, Lesson 11).
- We know that talking to kids about how they’re feeling is important. Take a look at the Index of Lessons by topic to get lesson ideas for specific feelings, such as excited, anxious, or hopeful.
- Note that JumpStart lessons are available for students in grades 3 and up that explicitly teach these emotions to students who may not have had the opportunity to get PATHS lessons in earlier grades.
- Don’t forget about the Feelings Dictionary in Grade 4 and the Feelings Thesaurus in Grade 5!
- Remember that students may need a refresher on prosocial skills, such as working with others and friendship.
- There are lessons for sharing, teamwork, and making up with friends, to name a few.
- Grades 3 and 4 have a lesson on Cooperative Learning Skills (Lesson 3, Lesson 4).
- There are also lessons for Making New Friends (Grade 4: Lesson 26), and Joining Other Kids (Grade 4: Lesson 27)
Join the Conversation
Finally, make sure to check out our blog, Facebook Educator Group, and Pinterest for other ideas and to share your own ideas for easing the transition back to school!
