Second graders add innovative piece to social-emotional curriculum

Second graders are engaging in a new addition to their social-emotional curriculum by using a daily gratitude journal. Grade 2 teachers Kate O’Toole and Sue Doering are partnering with local author Katie Wood, who wrote A Simple Seed: Of Growth, Gratitude & Giggles, a daily journal to help students focus on mindset, interpersonal connections, and social-emotional well-being. This gratitude journal complements and enhances Tenacre’s second-grade curriculum.
 
The idea is that students will spend about five minutes every day at school writing in their Simple Seed journal. Each page in the journal contains a daily challenge (i.e. do something kind); a gratitude section to write about something you are grateful for; a morning giggle in the form of a silly joke; a “who can I make smile today” section; and an “I am” statement for students to write something positive about themselves. The goal is to teach gratitude and help students start the day on a positive note.

Katie Wood joined Tenacre second graders via Zoom today to launch the project and helped students complete their first page in the journal. They had the opportunity to meet Katie virtually and ask questions.