The 4Rs Program

It begins with a story. Gathering the class together, the teacher reads aloud from a children’s book, choosing a story that dramatizes a social and emotional challenge for the main characters. Children are guided through writing exercises, role-playing, and meaningful discussion, as the teacher poses questions about how the characters handled conflict, how they might be feeling, and what alternatives exist for making new decisions.

The 4Rs curriculum opens the door for children to look more closely at their own experiences, and gives them clear tools for handling difficult emotions and resolving conflict with their peers. Meanwhile,  teachers learn strategies they can use throughout the day to create a higher quality classroom experience in which students are focused, settled, and poised to learn.

Morningside Center provides introductory and advanced training and tailored coaching to support educators in teaching The 4Rs curriculum effectively and in creating an equitable and caring classroom community. Each teacher gets a kit that includes everything they need to teach The 4Rs, including a grade-specific teaching guide and children’s books.

The skills and community students and adults build through The 4Rs can lay the groundwork for a school-wide shift to social and emotional learning (SEL) and restorative practices, leading to fewer discipline issues and a closer, kinder school climate.  Find out more about this whole-school SEL/restorative practices model, Restore360.