3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons

3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons l Miss Rae's Room Social Emotional Learning Teaching Blog

We all know the importance of teaching Social Emotional skills, right? The research is clear - when schools embed SEL into their daily practices and curriculum with fidelity, there is academic progress, improved school culture, higher graduation rates, and a ton of more positives.
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And there are a few small ways we can support Social Emotional Learning in the classroom.

So here are 3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons!

3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons l Miss Rae's Room

1. Cooperative Zen Learning

Okay so cooperative learning is an obvious SEL strategy, right? But there's a twist to this one - students have to work together without speaking. Here's how it works:

3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons l Miss Rae's Room

3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons l Miss Rae's Room

2. Calming Counting

​So how often do you offer counting to ten as a calming strategy and a student tells you it doesn't work? So teach your students a different calming counting strategy.

You can use this calming counting strategy to improve focus. ​

​This strategy helps to bring you back to the present, and not overthink the past of the future (AKA anxiety). Use this strategy prior to a lesson. Teach it when students are regulated so they can independently use it when they are unregulated.

3. Social Emotional Read Alouds

​I've said it before and I'll say it again - story is a powerful framework for teaching Social Emotional Learning skills. So it does not matter what you are reading - the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Sojourner Truth's role in the Underground Railroad, or the work of Albert Einstein - there is always a Social Emotional skill to be taught and learned.

And the easiest way to do that is through questioning and discussion. Ask questions related to Social Emotional skills and use Think-Pair-Share, small group or whole class discussion, and learn away!

Here are some question examples...

3 Bite-Sized Social Emotional Learning Lessons l Miss Rae's Room

​Developing and strengthening Social Emotional Learning skills is hard, lifelong work. By embedding these bite-sized SEL lessons, we can begin to build the foundation for our students!

By Miss Rae

Identifying Feelings & Emotions

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