During my internship at Drummond Montessori Magnet School, I taught monthly extension lessons that supported the Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum. One lesson focused on helping early childhood students practice attention and listening skills through a game called Attention Detective. During the activity, students used their “detective tools” (their eyes, ears, mouth, and body) to listen carefully to clues and find hidden objects in the classroom. I created this lesson after noticing patterns in Tier 2 referral data and speaking with teachers about students who were having difficulty staying focused during class.

I also developed a lesson for upper elementary and middle school students called Understanding Stress and How It Affects the Body. In this lesson, students explored how stress shows up physically in the body and practiced strategies to calm themselves when they begin to feel overwhelmed. Through an interactive “Alarm On / Alarm Off” activity, students experienced how their bodies react to stress and then practiced calming strategies such as slow breathing and relaxing their muscles. The goal of both lessons was to help students build greater self-awareness and develop practical skills they can use to stay focused, regulate their emotions, and be more successful in the classroom.