Effective SEL Teaching Practices and Strategies in Elementary Schools
So the character feels:
So the character does…
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So the character feels:
The bus driver says the pigeon cannot drive the bus.
The pigeon feels frustrated!
So the character does… The pigeon throws a big fit!
Figure 4.13: Event, feelings, action graphic organizer (template and student example). Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free blank reproducible version of this figure.
5. Social-Emotional Learning During Play “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” —Fred Rogers Although there was no specific time to play in Maria’s first-grade classroom, she recognized that her students had a hard time sitting still for her lessons. If only they were as engaged with me as they are when they play house or soccer at recess, she often found herself thinking. Of course, that would probably lead to more frustration from Daniel. But what if I used these moments of play as a way to help him practice calming down, use strategies, and interact with his peers? Is play—when he is the most engaged—an opportunity to guide him in this practice?
Although we often focus on the academic aspects of the school day, from reading, writing, and mathematics to science and social studies, play is a key period during a child’s day where they are actively learning. Whether this is a free play period in a kindergarten classroom, indoor recess in a fourth-grade room, outside recess for fifth graders, or silly moments during second-grade lunch, students are often more actively engaged in their environment during play (Brown, 2009). The very nature of play allows students to engage in SEL component 2: reciprocal engagement (Porges, 2017). This makes these play periods the perfect time to capitalize on teaching and guiding social and emotional learning.
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