Social Emotional Learning Read Alouds

Our emotions should be as intelligent as our intellect!  But who teaches emotional learning? Should we learn this from our parents?  And what happens if we don't learn it from our parents?

Those are the students who keep us up at night.  Those are the students who are not making progress.  They are the students who disrupt the learning of others.  They are the students who need us more than any other student.  

But let's be real...today's classrooms don't have just one of these students; they have many!  

Humans are rooted in emotion so let's build the roots of our education by teaching and supporting emotional learning!  ...but how can we possibly add another content area into our day??? How about we infuse Social Emotional Learning into our already existing curriculum?!

One way I infuse SEL into my read alouds!  

Self-Management - ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, stress, impulses, & behaviors in different situations &  work toward personal & academic goals

Elementary:
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban

Middle School/High School:
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Fast Break by Mike Lupica
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Self-Awareness - ability to assess one’s strengths & challenges & correctly identify one’s own emotions & how they influence situations & others

Elementary:
The Orange Shoes by Trinka Hakes Noble

Carla’s Sandwich by Debbie Herman

Middle School/High School:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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Responsible Decision-Making - ability to make constructive, socially acceptable, & ethical choices about personal behavior & social interactions

Elementary:
Hooper Humperdink..? Not Him! By Dr. Seuss
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The Summer My Father Was Ten by Pat Brisson

Middle School/High School:
House Arrest by K.A. Holt

Parrot in the Oven: Mi vida by Victor Martinez
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Relationship Skills - ability to establish & maintain healthy & positive relationships with diverse groups through clear communication, good listening skills, positive collaboration, & conflict resolution

Elementary:
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead

Hooray for Hat by Brian Won

Middle School/High School:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
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Social-Awareness - ability to take the perspective of & empathize with others, including people from diverse backgrounds & cultures
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Elementary:
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Middle School/High School:
Freak the Mighty by W. Rodman Philbrick
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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
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And the core SEL skill that I also like to teach…

Say Something - empowerment to protect one’s communities & other individuals from negative influences

Elementary:
Say Something by Peggy Moss

Mary Wrightly, So Politely by Shirin Yim Bridges and Maria Monescillo

Middle School/High School:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
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Whatever you choose to read, learn from it as a classroom community!

By Miss Rae