The Social Institute unveils curriculum for 4th graders on modern life skills and positive technology use
DECEMBER 10, 2020: Durham, N.C. – The Social Institute today announced that it has expanded its pioneering modern life skills approach to meet the needs of fourth-grade students, available beginning in January of 2021. The developmentally appropriate lessons come after requests from schools and will focus on The Social Institute’s Seven Standards, which serve as a set of guiding principles for social media and tech use. Examples of standards include: Protect Your Privacy Like You’re Famous, Strike A Balance, and Find Your Influencers.
Surveys reveal the average age kids get cell phones is ten years old, and exposure to mobile devices begins at a much younger age. Further, most parents report that technology use has become more prevalent in the last year as schools and families turned to technology to assist with remote learning activities during COVID-19.
“Ten-year-old students today have more information in the palm of their hands than any previous generation,” said Micah Adams, Head of Content at The Social Institute. “Combine that with the fact that they now use technology as a primary means to connect with one another, and it’s clear that we need to be empowering and equipping this age group with the skills they need to succeed in today’s digital world. Nobody gets behind the wheel of a car without first learning the rules of the road and then discussing and practicing potential scenarios with adults. Why should this be any different?”
The Social Institute conducted focus groups and surveys with over 100 elementary educators including administrators, counselors and classroom teachers in order to better understand the specific needs of fourth-grade students.
Over half responded that 2020-21 marked the first year that students were using devices to complete assignments while 80% reported that either half (19%), most (48%) or all (13%) of their students used a personal device or tablet.
When asked to select topics that would be helpful for addressing technology with elementary students, nearly 75% identified “managing time on devices” as the skill most needed.
The Social Institute’s curriculum across all grade levels aligns with core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills. Within each competency, The Social Institute asked elementary educators to prioritize sub-categories, and then crafted lessons to intentionally address those specific areas. The four most in-demand sub-categories for fourth grade were: demonstrating empathy and compassion, using planning and organizational skills, having a growth mindset, and exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation.
All curriculum lessons incorporate the most up-to-date academic research, focus group insights, and survey results while also integrating student voice and real-world examples relevant to current students.
Each lesson also utilizes related news articles to spotlight how topics explored by students are reflected in the real world, and concludes with a Student Challenge that encourages students to build upon concepts discussed in class. Additionally, three Family Huddle questions are included with every lesson, which teachers can email directly to families in order to continue the conversation at home.
“As an educator, I appreciate how these lessons are geared toward social life, both online and off,” said Katherine Schwartz, grade four teacher at The Lovett School in Atlanta. “There is definitely a need for that conversation in fourth grade as so many students are getting laptops for the first time. Navigating email and collaboration online is a huge part of this year for them. It is also an age where they are learning to navigate friendships, conflict, and collaboration, so those dialogues are helpful as well.”
The #WinAtSocial curriculum is available for students in grades 4 – 12, and the online platform includes a save and exit feature so that teachers can facilitate a lesson over multiple sessions as needed. For more information or to request a demo, visit www.TheSocialInstitute.com.
About The Social Institute
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.