1. Program Overview Presentation
The Kindergarten-Grade 8 Second Step Program Overview Presentation will help teachers and staff:
Get an overview of the Second Step program, including its goals, elements, materials, and skills and concepts
Understand the importance of helping students develop social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills
Recognize the four core elements essential to program success
Learn about the resources available to help them teach and reinforce program skills and concepts successfully
Get excited about teaching and reinforcing program skills and concepts with their students
Based on the latest research, the K-5 Second Step program teaches students core social-emotional and self-regulation skills using engaging, teacher-friendly materials.
Next you'll learn more about the program's elements, materials, and topics.

2. Presentation Overview
Topic
Meet Committee for Children presenters:
Meaghan Fleming and Michael Moretsky.
What is the program?
Why use the program?
How do you teach it successfully?
What resources are available?
Questions

3. Michael Moretsky Client Outreach Representative 800-634-4449, ext
Michael Moretsky Client Outreach Representative , ext
Meaghan Fleming Client Outreach Representative , ext

4. What Is the Program?
Let's start with a look at what the program is, including its goals, elements, materials, and topics.
Based on the latest research, the K-5 Second Step program teaches students core social-emotional and self-regulation skills using engaging, teacher-friendly materials.
Next you'll learn more about the program's elements, materials, and topics.

5. It is a universal, classroom-based program designed to:
Introducing the Second Step Program!
It is a universal, classroom-based program designed to:
Increase students' school success
Decrease problem behaviors
Promote
social-emotional competence
and self-regulation
The Second Step program for early learning classrooms through 8th grade is a universal, classroom-based curriculum designed to increase students' school success and decrease problem behaviors by promoting social-emotional competence and self-regulation.
It teaches skills that strengthen students' ability to learn, have empathy, manage emotions, and solve problems.
The program targets key risk and protective factors linked to a range of problem behaviors.
Equipping students with Second Step skills creates a safer, more respectful learning environment that promotes school success for all.

6. Program Materials: K–3 Kits
Posters
Puppets
Listening Rules and Skills for Learning Cards
Lesson Cards
Each grade-level kit comes in two parts: a box full of all the materials you'll need to teach the program in the classroom and access to a wealth of online resources located on You'll learn more about those resources later.
The materials in the box are
The Teaching Materials Binder containing materials that will help you teach the Second Step program, including posters, a preparation checklist, and Home Links. The binder also contains each lesson's Following Through Card.
Two puppets, Puppy and Snail, are provided in the kindergarten and first-grade kits to help introduce and model the skills and concepts presented in the lessons.
Song CDs: The Sing Out Loud CD is included in kindergarten and first grade, and Sing and Step is included in second and third. The CDs contain original songs that reinforce Second Step skills and concepts.
DVD: Some lessons in first through third grade include video clips that dramatize and support the Story and Discussion section of the lesson.
Unit cards: Each grade level is divided into four units: Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, and Problem Solving. Unit cards at the beginning of every unit include information specific to the theme and presentation of that unit.
Lesson cards: The K–3 lessons are printed on double-sided 11" x 17" photo-lesson cards.  On one side is the photograph that accompanies the Story and Discussion section of the lesson. On the other side is the lesson preparation information and the lesson script. 
For kindergarten and first grade, there is one card for each of the four Listening Rules.
For Grades 2 and 3, there is one card for each of the four Skills for Learning.
DVD
Teaching Materials Binder
Online Resources
Unit Cards
Song CD

7. Program Materials: 4–5 Kits
Following Through Cards
Posters
DVD
Fourth and fifth grade-level kits also come in two parts: a binder full of all the materials you'll need to teach the program in the classroom and access to useful online resources on
The materials in the binder include
Posters: Three posters help teach lesson skills and concepts and remind students of what they have learned. 
DVD: All lessons include video clips that dramatize and support the Story and Discussion section of the lesson. The videos are on two DVDs (one each for fourth and fifth grade). Information for using each clip can be found on the corresponding lesson card.
Unit Cards: Each grade level is divided into three units: Empathy and Skills for Learning, Emotion Management, and Problem Solving. Each unit begins with a double-sided 8.5" x 11" unit card that contains information specific to the theme and presentation of that unit.
Lesson Cards
Getting Started Card: Each grade level has 22 Getting Started cards: one double-sided 8.5" x 11" card per lesson. Side 1 of the Getting Started card is the photograph that accompanies either the lesson's opening activity or its Story and Discussion. Side 2 of the card contains lesson preparation information.
Teaching the Lesson Card: Each grade level has 22 Teaching the Lesson cards: one double-sided 8.5" x 11" card per lesson. The Teaching the Lesson cards contain the complete lesson script for each lesson in the Second Step program.
Following Through Cards: Each lesson is accompanied by a double-sided Following Through card, found after each lesson in the binder. These cards are for classroom teachers to use to reinforce the skills and concepts introduced during formal Second Step lesson time. It is helpful, but not necessary, for the classroom teacher to have also taught the lessons. In cases where a counselor or other staff member teaches Second Step lessons, classroom teachers should be present.
Unit Cards
Lesson Cards
Online Resources

8. Program Materials: 6–8 Kits
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Posters
Again, each kit comes complete with everything a teacher needs to successfully teach the program.
*Lessons are fully scripted to help make teaching difficult and important material easier.
  • Lessons (15 in Grade 6; 13 in Grades 7 and 8)
  • Lesson Companion DVD
  • Posters (3 in Grade 6; 4 in Grades 7 and 8)
  • Academic Integration Activities
  • Homework and Family Letters
  • Formative and summative assessments
  • Online resources:
- Teaching Guide
- Writeable student handouts and homework
- Electronic versions of teaching materials
- Assessment tools
- Program Implementation Guide
- Facilitator-led, video-based training
- Videos to help get staff and parents ready for the program
*All Committee for Children programs come with free lifetime program support. Specialists are available to support you from generating buy-in through evaluating the program.
DVD
Binder: Lessons, Academic Integration Activities, Homework, Family Letters, Formative and Summative Assessments
Online Resources

9. Skills for Learning Listening Focusing attention Following directions
Using self-talk
Being Assertive

10. Brain Builder Games
Overall message: Your brain can get stronger and smarter with practice and effort
Executive Function skills
Games with rules
Played several times per week, K-3 (5mins)
Lessons in grades 4 and 5 also begin with an activity 10

11. Empathy Identifying and understanding feelings
Respecting similarities and differences
Showing care and compassion
Conversations skills, joining groups, making friends

12. Emotion Management We feel feelings in our bodies Managing frustration
Calming down strong feelings
Managing anger
Managing accusations, disappointment, anxious and hurt feelings
Handling put downs
Managing test anxiety
Resisting revenge and avoiding jumping to conclusions

13. Problem Solving Solving problems Playing fairly Taking responsibility
Solving classroom problems
Solving peer exclusion problems
Handling name calling
Dealing with peer pressure
Dealing with gossip
Seeking help when you need it

14. Second Step Middle School Program
The units just discussed, Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management and Problem Solving are all also units in the middle school curriculum. There are a few additional units that we wanted to highlight that are included in kits for grades 6-8.

15. Empathy and Communication
Actively listening
Respecting others’ ideas
Including everyone
Being open minded
Considering others’ perspectives
Disagreeing respectfully
Communicating assertively
Giving constructive feedback
Negotiating and compromising
Handling a grievance
Another important facet of empathy is communications skills and in the middle school program, communication is highlighted and skills are taught to learn how to work in groups. Not only do students learn the skills listed here, but group work provides a very natural setting for practicing empathy and communication. 15

16. Bullying Prevention Recognizing bullying Bystander response Grade 7
Sexual harassment
Cyberbullying
Grade 8
Labels, stereotypes and prejudice
Bullying in friendships
Bullying in dating relationships
Students are taught to recognize bullying and what appropriate bystander responses are. As you can see in the poster here, students learn the powerful role a bystander plays. They are taught not to take part in bullying, to offer support and be an ally to someone who is bullied and how to take action against bullying.
Sexual harassment and cyberbullying are addressed in grade 7. Stereotypes and prejudice, bullying in friendships and bullying in dating relationships are addressed in grade 8.
Bullying Prevention encompasses skills taught here but also build on skills taught in other units which include:
Friendship skills
Assertiveness Skills
Responsible bystander behavior skills
And how to solve a problem 16

17. Emotion Management Staying in Control
Steps for Staying in Control (All grades)
Focus on anger and checking assumptions (grade 7)
De-escalating tense situations (grade 8)
The new Second Step program goes beyond the anger management lessons which was the focus in the previous version to address emotion management. Students at all levels are taught the skills they need to stay in control.
In 7th grade, this is expanded to focus on checking assumptions. In 8th grade, students are taught how to de-escalate tense situations.
Students are taught how to stay in control using the skills in the poster. First they are taught to recognize their physical and mental signs. They learn how to pause and think twice. Both of these steps are designed to activate and then use the thinking part of their brain. Students are taught different strategies for calming down, in particular positive self-talk and deep breathing. Importantly, they are then taught to reflect on their experience, what worked and didn’t, so they can learn for next time. 17

18. Emotion Management Grades 7 and 8
The number and intensity of stressors increases in middle school.
Students who cannot cope with stress are at risk for academic, emotional, and behavioral problems.
Effective coping involves adopting a positive attitude and taking positive action.
In grades 7 and 8, emotion management is expanded to teach students more about coping with stress. Students are taught how to use positive self-talk to help them deal more effectively with stress. Positive self-talk is a strategy that is used throughout the program, and is foundational to creating a positive attitude to stressful situations. Students are taught to recognize and change their negative self-talk to positive self-talk. They are also taught to see a stressful situation as a challenge or a problem to be solved.
Core skills taught in other lessons are also important for coping:
Using calming down strategies
Getting support
Using the Action Steps (which we will go over next) 18

19. Problem-Solving Decision Making Goal Setting
Using the Action Steps for
Problem-solving
Decision-making
Goal-setting
At all grades, students are taught the action steps and how to use them in problem-solving. These action steps are fundamentally the same problem-solving steps taught in the Second Step program at the elementary level, but they use more sophisticated language to appeal to middle school students.
As the students develop, they are taught how to use the action steps in more complex situations. In 7th grade, they use them for decision making and in 8th grade, they are used for goal setting.
Students follow the model illustrated on the poster. First they are taught how to analyze a situation, and then how to brainstorm options to address the situation. They then consider each option and ask four questions to determine if it is an appropriate option. At this level, they are asking if it is ethical which takes it beyond the elementary level where they ask if it is fair. They have to really think about what is the right thing to do.
After considering each option, they decide on the best option and then do it. In order to “do” the option they decided on they have to make a plan for implementing their decision. They then learn out how to evaluate if it worked. And if not, they figure out another way by starting at the brainstorming step. 19

20. Substance Abuse Prevention Tobacco, Marijuana, Alcohol and Inhalants
Health, personal and social consequences of using alcohol and other drugs
Preferred future
Making good decisions about friends
Normative education
Resistance skills
Making a commitment
Substance abuse lessons reflect what is known about effective elements of substance abuse prevention programs All the elements shown here appear in the lessons.
Students learn the facts about personal, health and social consequences of substance abuse. This is a particular focus at Grade 6. Students at all levels talk about what they want in the future that how their hopes and plans can be negatively impacted by using alcohol and other drugs. Students in Grade 8 identify goals they have for themselves and how they may not reach their goals if they start using alcohol or other drugs.
Students also learn about the true substance abuse norms in their school and across the nation and that their perception (that most middle school students use substances) are not the reality. Surveys show that most middle school students do not use substances.
In Grade 7 they focus on positive decision making and how to choose friends who support their decision not to use. Finally, in all grades, they end the substance abuse lessons by making a commitment not to use. 20

21. Program Skills and Concepts: K–3
Unit 1: Skills for Learning
Listening  Focusing attention Using self-talk Being assertive
Unit 2: Empathy
Identifying one's own and others' feelings Taking others' perspectives
Showing care and concern for others
Unit 3: Emotion Management
Understanding strong feelings Identifying and managing strong feelings
Calming down strong feelings
Unit 4: Friendship Skills and Problem Solving
Making and keeping friends Calming down and using Problem-Solving Steps
As you've heard, the four main program topics—Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, and Problem Solving—are divided into units at each grade level.

22. Program Skills and Concepts: 4–5
Unit 1: Empathy and Skills for Learning
Using self-regulation skills to succeed in school
Developing the ability to have empathy
Expressing compassion
Unit 2: Emotion Management
Identifying and managing strong feelings
Using strategies to calm down strong feelings
Unit 3: Problem Solving
Solving problems on one's own

23. Program Skills and Concepts: 6–8
Grade 6 Theme:
Rise up to the challenge of being a middle school student.
Skills and Concepts
Empathy and communication, bullying prevention, emotion management, problem solving, and an extended focus on substance-abuse prevention
Grade 7 Theme:
Engage positively in life and school by staying in control and making good decisions.
Skills and Concepts
Builds on Grade 6 skills and concepts, including empathy and communication, bullying prevention, emotion management, problem solving, and substance-abuse prevention and introduces new topics such as decision making, cyber bullying, sexual harassment, and coping with stress
Grade 8 Theme:
Focus on leadership and goal setting.
Skills and Concepts
Builds on Grades 6 and 7 skills and concepts, including empathy and communication, bullying prevention, emotion management, problem solving, and substance-abuse prevention, and introduces new topics such as stereotypes and prejudice, bullying in dating relationships, and goal setting

24. Risk and Protective Factors
Risk Factors
Inappropriate classroom behavior
Favorable attitudes towards violence or substance use
Friends who engage in violence or substance use
Early initiation of violence
or substance use
Peer rewards for antisocial behavior
Peer rejection
Impulsiveness
Protective Factors
Social skills
School connectedness
Adoption of conventional norms about substance use
Through the units in Second Step, as discussed, the skills taught decrease risk factors and improve protective factors. This equations allows students to be more successful in school and in life.

25. Why Use the Program?
Now that you know more about what the program is, let's look at why you'd want to use it.

26. Why use the program? Helps you improve classroom behavior
Based on research
Teaches skills for social and academic success
Helps you improve classroom behavior
Introduce reasons to use the program:
Three reasons to use the Second Step program are:
It's based on research that connects the development of social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills to success in school and life.
It will help your students develop skills for social and academic success.
It will help you improve classroom behavior.
Let's look at these reasons in more depth.

27. Social-emotional competence Self-regulation skills
School and life success
Research shows that students with good social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills have a better chance at achieving school and life success.
Students with good social-emotional competence can:
Identify, understand, and communicate about their own and others' feelings
Have empathy
Manage strong emotions
Solve interpersonal problems
Make friends and get along with others
Students with self-regulation skills have the ability to monitor and manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Self-regulation helps students focus their attention on learning when they may be distracted by others, upset by a problem, or excited about an upcoming event. Students who can self-regulate are also better able to sustain and shift their attention as needed.
The ability to self-regulate helps students get along better with teachers and their peers.
Students with good self-regulation skills get the most out of school, both in terms of learning and social interactions. This sets them up for being successful in life.

28. Skills Employers Want Learning-to-learn skills
Listening and verbal communication
Adaptability: creative thinking and problem solving
Personal management: self esteem, goal setting, self motivation
Group effectiveness: interpersonal skills, negotiation, teamwork
Organizational effectiveness and leadership
Competence in reading, writing, and computation
-U.S. Department of Labor: Employment and Training Administration

29. How Do You Teach the Program Successfully?
You've learned about what the program is and some reasons to use it. Now let's look at the four core elements essential to program success.

31. 1. Teach all the lessons in order
Grade Level
Length (mins.)
Number
Of Lessons K
20-25 25 1
25-30 22 2
30-35 3 4
35-40 5 6
50 (can be divided into 2 parts) 15
7-8 13
The first core program element is to teach all the Second Step lessons in order.
Kindergarten has 25 lessons, grades 1–5 each have 22 lessons, grade 6 has 15 lessons and grades 7-8 and 13.
The lessons are developmental and sequential within each grade level and across the grades. To better meet the developmental needs of students, the grade levels in the program are also paired, K/1, 2/3, 4/5 and 6/7/8. The lessons in each grade are unique, but the two grades in each pair have a similar format and progression of skills and concepts. Skills and concepts are also developed sequentially across all grade levels.
The Second Step curriculum should be presented in sequence. Each unit and lesson builds on skills presented in the previous lessons, and the integrity and effectiveness of the program is based on following the order of lessons provided.
The Second Step curriculum is a skill-building program. Developing Second Step skills takes time and should be done incrementally. Teaching lessons out of sequence without allowing for the development of important prerequisite skills might not result in the most effective outcomes.

32. Teach Reinforce Optimal Learning
Explain the importance of reinforcing program skills and concepts:
To maximize the effectiveness of the K–5 Second Step program, it's important to reinforce and have students practice the skills both between individual lessons and after all the lessons have been taught.
Students need repeated practice outside of lesson time to be able to remember and apply skills to real-life situations.
As students become more skilled, they also become more adept at applying their skills independently when needed.
The next three core program elements are all ways to reinforce program skills and concepts.

33. 2. Do all the Daily Practice activities
Introduce the second core element:
The second core element is to do all the Daily Practice activities. The Daily Practice activities give students additional practice with lesson skills and concepts throughout the week the lesson is taught.
The activities are included in a 5-day plan on the Following Through card. Day 1 is teaching the lesson. Days 2–5 are short activities designed to reinforce the skills and concepts taught in that lesson.
Most activities fit easily into classroom transition times such as between lessons, before or after recess or lunch, or at the beginning or end of the day.
Many of the Daily Practice activities use Second Step songs and, in K–3, variations of the lesson's Brain Builder game.
Day 5 of each lesson's Daily Practice can be used as a formative assessment to determine students' understanding of skills and concepts.
Daily practice contributes greatly to students' acquisition of Second Step skills and concepts. 

34. 3. Reinforce skills and concepts as explained in
‘Using Skills Every Day’
The third core element is to reinforce program skills and concepts using the suggestions found in the Using Skills Every Day section on the Following Through cards and unit cards.
You'll find specific examples of how to reinforce skills and concepts during daily activities and interactions with students.

35. Every lesson includes activities that can be used to integrate the program into different academic content areas.
Academic integration activities really aid in bringing the program alive.

36. 4. Inform parents and caregivers about the program.
The fourth core element—Informing parents and caregivers about the program—is a way to reinforce skills and concepts while also connecting with students' families and caregivers.
In K–3, Home Links accompany several lessons, they accompany all lessons in 4–5, and in 6-8 there are ‘Family Letters’ accompanying several lessons.
Home Links for grades K-5 are simple, fun activities designed to encourage interaction between students and their adult family members or caregivers. The activities provide students with further exploration of lesson skills and concepts and familiarize families with what their children are learning.
Home Links are initially adult-directed. As students progress, they begin to direct the activities themselves. In Grades 4–5, Home Links are student-directed. They are a good way for you to help families understand the Second Step skills and begin to use them at home.
Family letters in the MS program, inform parents/caregivers about what is currently being taught, why, and what they can ask to develop a conversation at home.

37. What Resources Are Available?
The Second Step program comes in two parts: the materials in the box or binder and the online resources you'll find on

38. The Second Step program includes access to a wide array of online resources to help you teach the program more successfully.
The resources include:
A comprehensive Teaching Guide
An Implementation Guide with tools to help you monitor and support effective implementation
Video examples of program elements, such as Brain Builder demonstration videos
Digital versions of teaching resources, such as Following Through Cards and Home Links
Access to the online training

39. Program Activation Key (PAK)
Describe the online activation process:
In order to access all the online resources that come with the program, you need to activate your kit.
Every kit comes with a Program Activation Key, or PAK. Use it to activate your kit at SecondStep.org.
Once you activate your kit, can get access to all of its resources.
The same PAK can be used by more than one person. So if you're sharing a kit with another person, both of you can use the same PAK to get registered on

40. Client Support Services
Other Resources
Connect with Other Educators
Get Access to Exclusive Materials
Online Community
, ext. 200
cfchildren.org
Client Support Services
Two other resources available to you are Committee for Children's online community and client support services department.
Joining the online community will connect you with other educators all over the country and the world who are also teaching the Second Step program. You can share tips and ask for advice. You'll also have access to some exclusive materials.
Another resource is Committee for Children's Client Support Services Department. You can call or with your questions and feedback.

41. Questions?
In today's presentation, you got an overview of the Second Step program, including its goals, elements, materials, and skills and concepts.
You also learned about:
The importance of helping students develop social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills
The four core elements essential to program success
The resources available to help you teach and reinforce the program skills and concepts successfully