Connecting Multiple Practices to Deepen SEL

Virtual Learning Tip

In the virtual environment, students may feel an additional need for agency and autonomy. Learning menus provide students with an opportunity to engage in the virtual classroom while making choices. Teachers can share these menus with both families and the students so there is a shared understanding of the students’ choices.

By embedding your SEL instructional practices into your day-to-day academics through these ten strategies, you will maximize your students’ access to SEL and increase their ability to generalize what they are learning throughout the school day. These strategies can either allow you to continue to teach your academic subjects without necessarily rearranging your day to add a separate SEL time frame, or enhance or support the existing current SEL curriculum you are using.

In this chapter, we offered ten instructional practices that teachers can use to teach and integrate social-emotional skills into academics and throughout the school day. Instructional approaches to teaching SEL should be based on the current needs of the students and align to the instructional strengths of a teacher and with the classroom environment. So, let’s take a moment to think about what it would look like to pull multiple instructional practices together and plan for SEL instruction. Table 4.3 (page 218) provides a few examples of how a teacher might use and implement multiple SEL teaching practices and strategies within their classroom. Teachers may just start off focusing on one or two SEL practices and build in more practices and strategies over time. These practices may shift and change throughout the school year based on the needs of the students within the classroom. We suggest that teachers start off small, gradually build on what is working, and modify practices and strategies if needed.

Table 4.3: SEL Sample Classroom Scenarios

Sample Classroom Scenarios

Classroom Teacher A

Classroom Teacher B

Classroom Teacher C SEL Teaching Practices and Strategies

SEL transitions used throughout the entire school day Daily SEL routine (displayed on interactive whiteboard) Integrating SEL into morning meetings

SEL transitions used when students are moving to various parts of the school only (PE, music, art, lunch, recess, dismissal) Daily calendar routine Monthly planned PBL with academic and SEL focus

SEL student goal setting Students reflect on a weekly SEL journal prompt on Friday mornings as their morning work Integrate SEL reading comprehension strategies into all read-alouds

In figure 4.34, we display a teacher’s planning approach to teaching SEL with the use of a learning progression and with student goal setting as a central theme for the learning. In this approach, each learning target is taught over the course of one week. All teaching resources connect to that one particular learning target. In this scenario, the teacher reads a book relating to the learning target, and while reading, focuses on reading comprehension strategies that we discussed earlier in the chapter (page 182). The teacher also focuses on a quick calendar routine and integrates SEL into the morning meetings each day. In addition to these instructional approaches, the teacher uses daily transitions as a way to integrate SEL throughout the day. Notice how targeted and connected to SEL this teacher’s approach is in this scenario. When teachers and teacher teams meaningfully plan for SEL, they have a better chance of students making authentic connections to the learning, and save overall instructional time. In chapter 5 (page 223), we will discuss various planning tools that teachers can utilize to support SEL planning.

As teachers, we have limited time available to us during the school day. If we teach social-emotional learning skills through ineffective practices that do not deepen our students’ understanding or connect with their daily lives, we can end up wasting time and not seeing meaningful change in our students. We must both directly teach these skills and then consistently integrate the skills into our daily routines and academic work to fully support students’ SEL growth (Lillas & Turnbull, 2009).

I can identify and label feelings and emotions (happy, surprised, sad, angry, proud, afraid, silly).

Scared Happy Sad Excited

November

Social-Emotional Learning Standards:

I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions. I can identify my feelings and emotions. I may feel angry if...

someone teases me someone gets in my personal space I don't get a turn I can express my feelings and emotions with appropriate words or actions.

I feel this.... When.....Next time please....

Monday

I can identify and label feelings and emotions.

Tuesday

I can identify and label feelings and emotions.

Wednesday

I can identify and label feelings and emotions.

Friday

I can identify and label feelings and emotions.

I can identify and label feelings and emotions (happy, surprised, sad, angry, proud, afraid, silly)

Scared Happy Sad Excited

Book: Glad Monster Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

Monday I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions.

I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions

I can identify and label feelings and emotions (happy, surprised, sad, angry, proud, afraid, silly)

Scared Happy Sad Excited

Book: The Feelings Book by Todd Parr Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

I can identify and label feelings and emotions (happy, surprised, sad, angry, proud, afraid, silly)

Scared Happy Sad Excited

Book: Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

Thursday I can identify and label feelings and emotions.

I can identify and label feelings and emotions (happy, surprised, sad, angry, proud, afraid, silly)

Scared Happy Sad Excited

Book: The Color Monsters: A Story About Emotions Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

Tuesday I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions.

I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions

Wednesday I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions.

I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions

Thursday I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions.

I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions

I can identify and label feelings and emotions (happy, surprised, sad, angry, proud, afraid, silly)

Scared Happy Sad Excited

Book: Feelings and Dealings: The ABC’s of Emotions: An SEL Storybook to Build Intelligence, Social Skills, and Empathy Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity Friday I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions.

I can identify what body feelings happen with different emotions

Book: Listening to My Feelings by Michael Gordon Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity Book: Listening to My Body by Gabi Garcia Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

Figure 4.34: SEL monthly theme.

Book: 1–2–3, My Feelings and Me by Goldie Millar and Lisa Berger Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

Book: Exploring Emotions by Paul Christelis Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

Book: Wilma Jean, Worry Machine by Julia Cook Morning Meeting Activity or Calendar Activity

continued