What’s happening?
Lesson materials in the Second Step Elementary digital program were updated on June 24, along with a full class reset (for more about the class reset, visit Annual Class, Training, and Reporting Reset FAQs—June 2022).
Lesson updates were scheduled to coincide with the end of the school year to minimize interference during times when they are actively being taught, but updates that are not lesson-specific also happen throughout the year—for example, to add new supplemental or reinforcement resources to the program. The following includes updates previously made during the 2021–2022 school year, updates made on June 24, and updates that are expected this summer and fall for the 2022–2023 school year.
Why are you updating the Second Step® Elementary digital program?
Our digital format allows us to capture more feedback and make updates more frequently than with physical, printed programs. The extent of the improvements depends on the availability of new research about the topics we cover, client feedback, and our longer-term program improvement plans. Learn more about the dynamics and priorities behind this year’s annual refresh from Director of Program Management Rachel Kamb in this interview-style blog post.
What resources were added during the 2021–2022 school year?
The following resources were added to the Second Step Elementary digital program during the 2021–2022 school year:
- Quick Start Guides were added to each unit to streamline lesson preparation.
- Home Links were added to each unit to help educators easily communicate with families and caregivers about what their child is learning at school.
- Printable poster PDFs were added for educators to display and reinforce program concepts.
- Spanish-language materials were added, including lesson presentations, Lesson Plans, Student Handouts, as well as family communications such as Home Links, the Program Overview Family Letter, the Open House Presentation, and the Open House Flyer.
- Translated family communications, including the Open House Flyer and Open House Presentation, were added in Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
What was included in the June 24, 2022, update?
We made several updates on June 24, 2022, for the 2022-2023 school year:
- A new “mark complete” option appears as users navigate to the final slide of lessons to enable more accurate reporting of completed lessons.
- To make providing feedback easier, each lesson has a new final slide that prompts users to take an End-of-Lesson Survey.
- Navigation improvements make training and implementation resources easier to find.
- To improve video accessibility, extended audio descriptions and transcripts were added to all lesson videos.
- The All-Staff Overview Presentation was revised to include additional flexible delivery options.
- Lanyards and pre-printed posters aligned with the Second Step Elementary digital program are available for sale in our online store.
- Language and image updates were made to some lessons to clarify language and support lesson objectives.*
- Translated Home Links were added in Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
- Classes were reset for a clean start to the 2022–2023 school year.
*For more details about specific changes to lesson materials, please refer to the Program Update article in the program (under Program Supports).
What other back-to-school updates are coming after June 24?
Substantial additions to the program’s supplemental and reinforcement resources are coming in the fall:
- Five songs that many students and teachers are familiar with from Second Step Elementary Classroom Kits will be added to give educators more reinforcement activities to choose from. Songs include: ‘Kind Ways to Play Song’ (originally called " The Fair Ways to Play Song" in the kit) for Kindergarten and Grade 1, ‘The Empathy Song’ for Grades 2 and 3, ‘Step Up’ for Grades 2 and 3, ‘Walk, Walk, Walk’ for Grades 3 and 4, and ‘Step Up (and Be Cool)’ for grades 4 and 5.
- Extension activities designed to engage students through arts, games, and movement activities, will be added to each unit of the program, starting with Unit 1 in September and Units 2, 3, and 4 to follow.
- Access to playlists of Mind Yeti® mindfulness sessions. Educators will be able to use guided playlists to become familiar with mindfulness and deepen their practice. They'll also have the option to choose sessions from these playlists to help with transitions and other needs throughout the day: helping students feel calm, focus for the day, and connect with others, to name a few. Learn more about how mindfulness can benefit students from senior research scientist Dr Cailin Currie in this blog post.
How will the Second Step® Elementary digital program updates affect teachers?
Teachers may wish to give themselves some additional time when first logging in after June 24 to:
- Set up new classes
- Review updated training and support materials
- Review the lessons
As always, we suggest teachers prepare in advance.
- Before teaching a new unit:
- Watch the Quick Start Guide video
- Read the Unit Plan
- Before teaching a lesson:
- Read the Lesson Plan and Prep & Extend
- Preview the lesson presentations and watch any videos
- Print out copies of any Student Handouts or prepare them for online distribution
The lessons are designed to draw on students’ life experiences while helping them understand new concepts and develop new skills. Teaching the full lesson will set students up to meet that lesson’s learning objective. Teachers can and should make adaptations to lessons to best suit their students’ needs, as long as these adaptations align with the lesson objective and preserve the overall intention of the lesson.
How do I share my idea for a great lesson adaptation?
Tell us about it! You can find a link to a survey when you mark a lesson complete.
What is the class reset, and how do I prepare for it?
On Friday, June 24, 2022, the Second Step Middle School digital program went through a class reset, in which all current classes were deleted from the program and are no longer accessible. Any classes you create after June 25, 2022, will be available for the 2022–2023 school year, unless you intentionally delete them.
Class reset also affects Second Step Middle School and the online trainings for the Bullying Prevention and Child Protection Units. For more information on the class reset, visit Annual Class, Training, and Reporting Reset FAQs—June 2022.