Mesnier Primary: 1st & 2nd Grade

The first and second graders are doing some great things at Mesnier. Some of the things that stuck to me most from these classrooms was the concept of flexible seating and behavioral zones.

First Grade

Emotions in Check

Something that nearly each classroom had was an area designated to emotions and feelings. Each teacher applies this to their classroom differently, but for the most part there is a chart that hangs in the class that asks students what zone they belong in. The zones are color coordinated, green for happy, red for sad, etc. Students can start their morning off by putting their names on which zone they feel like they belong to. This teaches students to understand their feelings, and be able to recognize why they feel a certain way. Being able to emotional understand your thoughts and feelings is an executive function that isn't easy to teach or learn. These students are being exposed to something that they will always use: the ability to understand how you feel and how to deal

with it.

Take a Minute

When students realize that they are in the red zone and they need to take some time for themselves, teachers have set a spot in the room for them to be able to go to. This spot gives students a space to clear their head. Charts are available for students to be able to recognize how they feel and how they can fix it. A mirror is available for students to look at themselves and recognize what certain emotions look like on their faces. Toys are spread around so students can distract themselves with something other than their thoughts. This place simply offers the students an area to go to when they are frustrated, angry, or just need a second to come back to themselves.

Goals, Habits, and Reflections

Another common theme in Affton classrooms is setting goals, building good habits, and reflecting on your work. Being able to achieve these skills will help students in and outside of the classroom. Collaborating with peers and using technology are two great examples when talking about goals, habits, and reflections. Being able to work with others and use advanced technology to foster your learning requires you to set goals, build good habits, and be able to reflect on your work and your peers work.

Seating of Choice

In both the first and second grade classes, flexible seating is highly encouraged. Students are given the ability to pick where they wanted to sit while they worked. Another great way to teach students responsibility and consequence is by allowing them to pick where they want to work. If they aren't focusing where they choose to sit, then their work won't be completed, causing them to either have more homework or get a bad grade. This can teach students that yes you can have freedom, but consequences come when you abuse that freedom. What a great lesson to learn from a young age, that will stick to students in the future.

An example of flexible seating in the classroom. We have moved on from industrial looking classrooms!

A fun way to personalize your classroom and give students plenty of options when it comes to seating.

Great way to get the students to feel at home and in love with the classroom they spend so much time in.

Second Grade

In This Classroom...

Making a mission statement with your students is a great way to start off the year. It gives students the ability to set realistic goals and expectations for themselves, their peers, and their relationship with the teacher. You can go back to this throughout the whole year, and see how far you have come as a community.

Tech Savy

Students using technology to enhance their learning in the classroom is a huge step towards modernizing our teaching. Each student learns in a different way, but using visuals and technology helps a majority of students learn better. Being able to put something up on the board and watch your students show their knowledge must be an amazing feeling for both students and teachers. Being aware of technology and how to use it is a skill that students will need for the rest of their lives, and teaching them how to use it from an early age (for good reasons) is important.

Hands on Learning

We now know that worksheets are not the way to go! I mean, don't get me wrong, being able to hand out a worksheet to make sure your students are on track is okay, but to teach students a new concept on paper is difficult for some. Giving students the ability to see their learning in 3d, using their hands, and worksheets to enhance their knowledge will help them learn and understand what they are learning better. Pulling out the blocks and getting messy is exactly what they should be doing. Experiment, mess up, learn, and collaborate is all being seen in this quick little snippet of a math lesson.

Reading For All

The books available in the classroom libraries are full of amazing things. When looking into the collections that the Affton teachers offer, you won't just find white characters with happy ending books. The books are culturally diverse and cover things from different skin colors to different religions. Making sure that each of your students are a part of your classroom and books is key in having a community in your classroom.

"Peace Place" in a second grade classroom. This is another way a teacher incorporated emotions and behavior in the classroom.

Flexible Seating offered in a second grade classroom. Majority of the classrooms at Mesnier offer flexible seating!

Flexible seating, emotional recognition, hands on learning, and technology integration were key concepts in the first and second grade classrooms at Mesnier. How amazing is it that at such a young age students are being exposed to things they will carry with them for a long time. Although I wasn't given the ability to observe these classrooms for a long time, the short time that I spent there will always be remembered as a wonderful and welcoming plac.e