5th Grade Internet Safety

During the past two meetings, the 5th grade classes have been talking about internet safety and cyberbullying. We have talked about both facebook and myspace, and how important it is that the students make their information private (so only their approved friends can see it). We’ve also talked about the importance of keeping information private when you’re in a chatroom or talking with people you don’t know, because it is very easy to give out too much information on accident.

This week (the second of our internet safety weeks) we are learning about cyberbullying. Students will watch a video that explains what it is, as well as some of the consequences. That video is located HERE, and is called “Cyberbullying-Video.” Two good resources on cyberbullying are WiredSafety (for parents),  STOP Cyberbullying, and WiredKids (both sites are for parents and children). This lesson is a bit heavier, because we discuss how serious cyberbullying can be, both on the side of the bully and the victim.

Classroom Guidance March 9-12

Kindergarten
Anglea and Harris: This week we will be talking about the difference between safe and unsafe touches. We will watch the video Joey Learns the Touching Rule (No one should touch your private body parts except to keep you clean and healthy), and will sing the song “Nobody can touch my body.”
Seigenthaler: We will review everything that has been learned in the Safe@Last program, and there may be prizes!
Bostelman and Bostic: We will not have class this week due to inservice.

1st Grade
This week we are getting back to the 8 Keys of Excellence, and are talking about Commitment (Key 5). We are reading Aesop’s fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” and are discussing the differences in how the characters viewed the race. Even though it took the tortoise a long time, he kept working to make it to the finish line. That analogy is used to talk about goals, and how the students will have to be committed and work towards the goals they have for their lives. The students will fill draw and write about one goal they have, and one thing they would have to do to make that goal happen. I am collecting the papers, but the students will be able to bring them home soon.

2nd Grade
Swinger: This week we will begin talking about safe and unsafe touching. We will also talk about disclosure, and what information needs to be shared when you are telling an adult. We will finish by watching the video “Yes, You Can Say No,” where a student, with the help of his friends, learns to be assertive in various unsafe situations.
Mathews: This week we will continue discussing phone and home alone safety. We will role play phone conversations, where I try to get the students to tell me personal information over the phone. We will also discuss what to do if someone comes to the door when they are home alone. We will finish the lesson by talking about calling 911 (when you should and shouldn’t call), and what information they would need to say if they ever did need to call.
Branch and Klipple: This week we will discuss strangers, being assertive and saying no, and begin discussing telephone safety.
Merlin: We will not have class this week due to inservice.

Classroom Guidance March 2-6

3rd Grade
Park and Hicks: This week the third grade will continue discussing gun safety, and talk about the consequences that could come from playing with a gun unsupervised. We will finish by talking about about the difference between Fact and Fiction. What we see on TV, although it looks realistic, is usually actors playing a role. If those things happen in real life, there’s no changing it, and people don’t always get up and walk away like they do in the movies or on TV.
The lesson for Mrs. Dillon, Mrs. Casey, and Mrs. Dillehay’s classes is available HERE.

4th Grade
This week we will be talking about safety when home alone or babysitting, on the internet, and in public places. We will do some “What if” statements where the students tell  me what they would do if they were in a particular unsafe situation. We will also talk about the second step to personal safety, which is “Surprise.” This discusses using your voice to surprise any attacker and try to get the attention of others.
[Note: Miss Lynch's class is a week behind due to President's Day. Their lesson synopsis is available HERE.]

5th Grade
This week we will begin by talking about the difference between safe and unsafe secrets. We will continue by talking about Disclosure, and the information that kids need to make sure that adults know if they are having to report an unsafe situation.

Classroom Guidance Feb. 23-27

Kindergarten
This week we will be talking about safe and unsafe touches. We will go over The Touching Rule, which says “No one should touch your private body parts except to keep you clean and healthy.” We will watch a 10 minute video called “Joey Learns the Touching Rule.” This video is very much like a storybook, and is told by a child narrator. It is very age-appropriate for the kindergarten students. We will finish the lesson by singing “Nobody can touch my body.”

1st Grade
This is the fourth and last week for the first grade to do Safe@Last! We will start the lesson by talking about safe and unsafe secrets. A safe secret makes you feel good, and is not a forever secret. Also, no one can get hurt or in trouble. An unsafe secret makes you feel bad or uncomfortable, and someone might get hurt or get in trouble. We will finish by reviewing all the things that the students have learned throughout the program. The students might even get a prize for right answers!

2nd Grade
This week we will review talking about strangers, and how we need to be assertive when we say no. We will also begin talking about phone safety, and things that you should and should not say when you are on the phone.

Mrs. Swinger’s class will continue with phone safety by watching a short video and role-playing some possible phone situations. We will also talk about what to do if someone comes to the door when they’re home alone. We will finish by talking about Disclosure, and what students need to make sure they say if they have to call 911 or tell an adult about an unsafe situation.

Classroom Guidance February 17-20

3rd Grade
This week the 3rd grade students will be discussing safe and unsafe secrets. The will learn about the Secrets Checklist, which will help them know when a secret is safe and ok to keep a secret, and when a secret is unsafe and needs to be told to an adult. Safe secrets include presents, surprise parties, etc. Unsafe secrets include guns/weapons, or any situation where someone could get hurt. We will also begin talking about gun safety, and what they should do if they see a gun.

4th Grade
This week we will be talking about the first step to personal safety, which is AVOID. Most of the lesson will be spent discussing the 12 types of lures that unsafe adults might use to try to trick children. We will also do a role-play (if there’s time) to give an example of how these lures work.

5th Grade
This week we will be talking about gang awareness and resistance. During our last meeting I asked some of the 5th grade classes if they were aware of gangs in the area. I had planned to skip this lesson, but based on their responses I decided that it would be helpful to give the students an overview of what gangs are and why they would want to avoid them.

Classroom Guidance Feb. 9-13

Kindergarten
This week we will be talking about strangers. They will learn that a stranger is ANYONE that they do not know. We will also do people flashcards to see if the students can tell me which of them are strangers. The answer is that all of them are! While young children might know the definition of a stranger, they have a hard time actually putting this knowledge into practice. Many times the people that look nice are not seen as strangers, while the scarier or different looking people are. This is something very important that you could review with your children!

We will also talk about Beasley’s Safety Rules, which are 3 things that you should do if a stranger asks you to go with them or do anything unsafe. They are: 1. No Way! (Say no) 2. Get Away! 3. Tell Today! (Tell a safe adult, like a parent or police officer)

We will finish the lesson by watching a video about a little boy who meets a stranger with a dog, and discussing what he should and should not do in this situation.

1st Grade
This week we will be talking about safe and unsafe touches. A safe touch is wanted, and makes us feel good. Some examples are a pat on the back, a hug from a parent, and holding hands. An unsafe touch is unwanted, and makes us feel scared, unhappy, or uncomfortable. Some examples of unsafe touches are hitting, kicking, and private part touching.

We will also discuss the touching rule, which says that “No one should ever touch your private body parts (what’s under your bathing suit) except to keep you clean and healthy.” We will read a story called My Body Belongs to Me, and will sing a song called “Nobody Can Touch My Body.” Don’t be surprised if your kids come home singing!

2nd Grade
This week we will discuss making choices, and how you should think about what the consequences will be before you make a decision. We will use “If…then…” statements to understand what could happen with the choice.

Note: Mrs. Swinger’s class is a week ahead of the rest of the 2nd grade, and will begin talking about phone safety this week.