Module 1, Handout 1 Introduction Risk Factors Inappropriate classroom behaviors, such as aggression Favorable attitudes toward violence or substance abuse Early initiation of problem behaviors Friends who engage in problem behaviors Peer rewards for problem behaviors Peer rejection Impulsivity Protective Factors Social skills: empathy and communication, emotion management, and problem solving School connectedness and engagement Adoption of conventional norms about substance abuse and school success Goal of the Second Step Program The goal of the Second Step middle school program is to decrease aggression and violence, bullying, and substance abuse among students and increase school success. Five Themes 1. Empathy and Communication 2. Bullying Prevention 3. Emotional Management 4. Problem Solving/Decision Making/Goal Setting (Action Steps) 5. Substance Abuse Prevention
Module 1, Handout 2 Empathy Skills Empathy: The ability to identify, understand, and respond thoughtfully to the feelings of others. Empathy skills: Identifying feelings Perspective taking Friendship building Being an ally Ally: Someone who consciously decides to support another person because it is the right thing to do. Communication skills: Considering others perspectives Communicating assertively Giving constructive feedback Disagreeing respectfully Negotiating and compromising Handling a grievance Group-work skills: Active listening Respecting others ideas Including everyone/being open-minded (grades 7, 8)
Module 1, Handout 3 Bystander Power Bullying: When one or more people repeatedly harm, harass, intimidate, or exclude others. Bullying is unfair and one-sided. Cyber bullying: When one or more people repeatedly harm, harass, intimidate, or exclude others using technology. Cyber bullying is unfair and one-sided. Bystander: Anyone who is aware that bullying is happening.
Module 1, Handout 4 Staying in Control Calming Down Strategies Doing something physically active Doing something relaxing Thinking about something else Using centered breathing Using positive self talk
Second Step Middle School www.cfchildren.org Module 1, Handout 5 Action Steps 800-634-4449 2008 Committee for Children
Module 1, Handout 6 Substance Abuse Components of Effective Substance Abuse Prevention Programs Negative health and social consequences: Educating students about the negative consequences of early use Perceived social norms: Teaching students that not everyone is doing it Positive peer pressure: Asking students to make decisions with their friends and peer group not to use alcohol and other drugs and supporting one another in that decision Social and resistance skills: Teaching students to use positive self-talk and assertiveness skills to counter internal or external pressure to use alcohol and other drugs Goal setting: Asking students to visualize a preferred future and make a commitment not to use alcohol and other drugs These components are in addition to school connectedness and social-skills development two critical protective factors addressed in the lessons preceding the substance abuse prevention lessons.
Module 2, Handout 1 Teaching Guidelines Five Themes 1. Empathy and Communication 2. Bullying Prevention 3. Emotion Management 4. Problem Solving/Decision Making/Goal Setting (Action Steps) 5. Substance Abuse Prevention Lesson breakdown (Lessons are 50 minutes long and are divided into two parts.) Grade 6: 15 Lessons Grade 7: 13 Lessons Grade 8: 13 Lessons Scheduling Guidelines Lessons should be taught sequentially, with no more than one new lesson per week. Teach during advisory periods, block classes, or regular class periods. Allow 50 minutes to teach each lesson. The two parts of each lesson can be taught in one block of time or split up into two 25-minute sessions. If lessons are split into parts, both parts should be taught in the same week, within a few days of each other. Consider spending two weeks on each lesson, teaching the lesson during week one and reinforcing the concepts during week two. Additional activities can be used to reinforce skills and integrate with other academic content areas.
Module 2, Handout 2 Curriculum Exploration Curriculum Exploration Activity Each person in your group should choose a different content area and lesson to explore using the list below as a guide. If you are sitting at a table with mixed grade levels, pick a lesson out of your respective grade level, but make certain that each content area is represented by a member of your group. Grade 6 Person 1: Empathy and Communication, Lesson 1 Person 2: Bullying Prevention, Lesson 7 Person 3: Emotion Management, Lesson 8 Person 4: Problem Solving (Action Steps), Lesson 10 Person 5: Substance Abuse Prevention, Lesson 12 Grade 7 Person 1: Empathy and Communication, Lesson 1 Person 2: Bullying Prevention, Lesson 6 Person 3: Emotion Management, Lesson 8 Person 4: Problem Solving/Decision Making (Action Steps), Lesson 3 Person 5: Substance Abuse Prevention, Lesson 11 Grade 8 Person 1: Empathy and Communication, Lesson 1 Person 2: Bullying Prevention, Lesson 6 Person 3: Emotion Management, Lesson 8 Person 4: Problem Solving/Goal Setting (Action Steps), Lesson 4 Person 5: Substance Abuse Prevention, Lesson 12
Module 2, Handout 3 Study Guide Part One Using the lesson you selected, please answer the questions below. Feel free to write out answers on this form or place sticky notes on the pages of the lesson where you found the answers. After 15 minutes, you will have an opportunity to report to your team what you learned. Grade Level: Theme or Content Area: Lesson Number and Title: 1. What are the objectives of your lesson? (See Objectives on preparatory page.) 2. Identify and explain one individual, group, or partner activity or exchange from the lesson. (See Lesson at a Glance on preparatory page to select one element. Then find the activity or exchange in the lesson script to see how it is presented. Show the corresponding handout to your group, if applicable.) 3. How can I use lesson content every day? (See Using Lesson Content Every Day on preparatory page and/ or think of other ideas by asking yourself: How can I help students use these skills?)
Module 2, Handout 3 Study Guide Part Two 4. What homework assignment was introduced in your lesson? (See homework following the lesson.) (For Grade 6, Lesson 15; Grade 7, Lesson 12; and Grade 8, Lesson 13, the Commitment Certificate is the homework.) 5. What does the Reflective Writing Assessment ask students to do? (See Reflective Writing Assessment following the lesson.) 6. What one Academic Integration Activity did you especially like? (See Academic Integration Activities page at the end of the lesson.)
Module 3, Handout 1 Class Discussion Class Discussion Class discussion helps students achieve a deeper understanding of the program and fosters a sense of community. Tips for facilitating successful discussions: Create a safe environment where students feel their contributions are valued by everyone. Use the wait time strategy, pausing five to ten seconds before calling on students. Select volunteers first to get the discussion started, then call on other students at random. Use neutral or nonjudgmental responses ( That s one idea, what s another? or Thank you ) instead of placing a judgment on ideas. Use time-management techniques like thumbs up or the five, three, one technique to keep discussions moving and on track. See SecondStep.org for more information about facilitating classroom discussions.
Module 3, Handout 2 Group Work Group and Partner Work Group and partner work helps students develop a variety of social skills. Group exchange: Pre-assigned groups of four students, with two pairs identified within each group. Groups are given a topic and allowed one to three minutes for discussion. Partner exchange: Same as above, but with partners. Group activity: Longer format group-work structures for the purpose of reaching certain objectives. Partner activity: Same as above, but with partners. Tips for facilitating successful group and partner work: Create guidelines for group and partner work. Assign groups yourself to avoid students excluding or rejecting one another. Avoid assigning best friends to groups. Create groups with gender and ethnic balance, and consider placing students with strong social skills with students who demonstrate weaker social skills. Reassign groups at least once during the course of the curriculum (twice is best). Develop a quiet signal that lets the class know when it s time to reconvene. For all group and partner work, do Observational Assessments and random selection to keep students engaged and on track. See the SecondStep.org for more information about assigning and facilitating groups.
Module 3, Handout 3 Skill Practice Skill Practice Skill practice gives students a chance to practice newly acquired skills in hypothetical situations. Without it, the positive effects of modeling are short-lived. Skill-practice steps: 1. Watch the video demonstration. 2. Discuss the video demonstration. 3. Do the skill practice in small groups. 4. Have student volunteers demonstrate their skill practices in front of the class. 5. Have the class give feedback. Tips for facilitating successful skill practices: Keep skill practices short and focused (one to two minutes). Never allow students to perform antisocial behaviors, such as physical aggression or bullying. Stop demonstrations as soon as the targeted skill is demonstrated. Stop demonstrations that get off track. Use movie director vocabulary, such as cut, to stop when needed. Give everyone an opportunity to practice the skills in pairs before calling on volunteers to demonstrate in front of the class. Ask for volunteers to demonstrate in front of the whole class. Never force students to come up front if they do not want to. When giving feedback, phrase questions to elicit constructive comments. See SecondStep.org for more information about facilitating skill practices.
Module 3, Handout 4 Group Activity Group Activity As a group, find each of the forms listed below on SecondStep.org. Some of them are also in your binder. Discuss how these materials will help implement the Second Step program effectively. Large Group Discussion Which ones will you use this year?
Module 4, Handout 1 Using Skills Every Day Using Second Step Skills Every Day I. Individual Reflections How will I help students use Second Step skills every day? Discuss bullying situations in literature selections. Use the Action Steps when problems arise in the cafeteria. II. Group Activity How can we use lesson content every day throughout the school? What schoolwide events or activities could we plan? Have a poster contest to create visual aids in the hallways. Have students review key skills in morning announcement. How can we get families involved in the Second Step program? Show the Parent and Caregiver Overview video at back-to-school night. Use the homework assignments. III. Large Group Discussion Have each group share their ideas from questions 2 and 3 and then decide on at least two ideas from each category to implement this year.