Five-day unit plan that leverages the power of the Classroom Circle to teach classroom expectations, recognizing values, self-awareness, emotions, strengths and struggles, teamwork, and empathy. The Classroom Circle is a powerful tool in building a classroom community. It's a way to teach and practice expectations for speaking and listening, as well as creating a classroom that provides a safe place for students to be vulnerable, empathetic, and to build on their own self-awareness.

A collection of eight art lessons (puppets, visual arts, music) that integrate social emotional learning for grades K-2. Written lessons provide step-by-step instructions to be done at home. Lessons were created by Arts Corps teaching artists. Lessons are available in English and in Spanish.

10-lesson first grade unit to build classroom culture focused on identity, diversity and community.

10-lesson kindergarten unit to build classroom culture focused on identity, diversity and community.

10-lesson second grade unit to build classroom culture focused on identity, diversity and community.

10-lesson third grade unit to build classroom culture focused on identity, diversity and community.

Memory Frame
A Lesson Developed and Contributed by Christine Hennig, MA, LMHP, ATR

Objectives:
1. To reminisce about pleasant memories

2. To create a beautiful image that reminds you of a pleasant memory

3. To increase feelings of competence and usefulness by creating something beautiful

4. To create feelings of enjoyment through exploration and combining attractive materials

Audiences:
Students and Adults of all ages

Monarch Mystery is an early elementary curricular program that is grounded in a local phenomenon about migrating monarch butterflies and is shared through the story of a migrant girl named Violeta. Combined with the story, this unit uses interactive activities to teach to the Next Generation Science Standards and the Washington State Environmental and Sustainability Education Learning Standards. It is also guided by a framework for Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy. We included literary opportunities to develop ELA skills in support of multilingual learners. Rounding out the program are outdoor activities, arts, and written activities that enable students to practice skills, and build toward an action project informed by their understandings and experiences. Monarch Mystery is an early elementary curricular program created by EarthGen. For this unit, we offer professional development training and assistance with implementation. If you are interested in implementing this program at your school or district, please let us know! Please contact info@earthgenwa.org for more information. 

Lessons about Thanksgiving in elementary classrooms have historically misrepresented the events and people involved in the “first Thanksgiving.” Teachers are looking for guidance in teaching culturally and historically accurate lessons to young children. Updated research and texts supported by primary documents and tribal oral histories allow us to present more accurate representation of the story behind this tradition. The lessons presented here invite students to share their own fall and harvest traditions, and teach students some of the cultural values and traditions of our country’s indigenous peoples. Lessons are designed to be integrated into existing curriculum on fall/autumn, food, harvest, celebrations, and/or salmon prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, but could be taught independently of other curriculum as well. Lessons 1-4 are written for k-3 and should be adapted for developmental appropriateness.