# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As school leaders begin to plan how to welcome students, families, and educators into the 2021-22 school year, many will position social and emotional learning (SEL) as foundational to emerging priorities like engaging students who've had long absences, fostering equitable and rich learning environments, promoting mental health, and more.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), where we both work, seeks to advance evidence-based SEL through systemic implementation. As a result, school leaders often come to us with two questions:

1. What does it look like to make SEL a schoolwide approach?

2. How do I get started?

A schoolwide approach infuses SEL into every aspect of students' learning-across all classrooms, during all parts of the school day (and after school), among administrators and staff, and in partnership with families and communities. When fully implemented, schoolwide SEL creates a foundation for all other educational goals.

10 Key Elements for SEL in Schools

CASEL has developed a list of 10 indicators-interconnected structures and practices you'd expect to see in a school that has focused on high-quality, systemic SEL implementation:

1. Explicit instruction: Dedicated time for learning and practicing social and emotional competencies.

2. Integration with academic instruction: Students practice SEL while learning academic content.

3. Youth voice and engagement: Students engage as leaders, problem-solvers, and decision-makers.

4. Supportive school and classroom climates: All students feel a sense of belonging and affirmed in their identities.

5. Focus on adult SEL: Adults also cultivate their own social, emotional, and cultural competence.

6. Supportive discipline: Response to behaviors is instructive, restorative, and equitable.

7. A continuum of integrated supports: SEL is integrated throughout student support services.

8. Authentic family partnerships: Families understand, support, and shape the school's approach to SEL.

9. Community partnerships: School staff and community partners align on strategies and communication around SEL-related efforts.

10. Systems for continuous improvement: The school collects and reflects on SEL-related data to improve practice.

Start by Setting Up an SEL Team

Once you can envision the full picture of schoolwide SEL, the next logical question is: Where do you start? After more than a decade of working closely with districts across the country, we would advise you to begin by creating a strong, sustainable SEL team that includes five to 10 members from the various groups of stakeholders: school administrators, teachers representing different grade bands and subject areas, non-instructional staff, out-of-school-time partners, students, and parents and caregivers. A strong team reflects the broader school community and incorporates many points of view.

No matter what your priorities, which SEL program or curriculum you are considering, or what the school district has provided, having a team of people focused on this work is essential to successful implementation and sustainability.

An SEL team helps prevent lack of buy-in later on: One of the most common challenges we hear is a concern that certain groups haven't committed to SEL. Rather than ask why people weren't excited for an SEL plan that was rolled out without their input, start by asking who needs to be at the table from the beginning. The fact that your SEL team includes members from different parts of the school community helps, but you need input from people who aren't on the team as well.

Without a team, you risk making hasty decisions and delivering a ready-made SEL plan to the members of your school community, who may or may not understand why SEL matters and how it can fit into their overloaded day. Early on, we recommend that your team capture input from families and caregivers, students, educators, and community partners to understand their core goals for SEL. This level of engagement leads to inclusive SEL plans that align to the school's goals and the community's hopes and needs.

An SEL team turns excitement into action: Schoolwide SEL efforts often launch with a lot of excitement and hope during professional development week in the fall. When this excitement fizzles, implementation can lag when people are unclear about their roles and don't have the right support to take action. Without a team, a heavy load often falls on the shoulders of a few people who likely have many other responsibilities at the school.

You can avoid this by planning ahead. Begin by scheduling dedicated team meeting times and developing an SEL action plan that clarifies what roles team members and staff will play. The SEL team can follow up with staff, students, and their families to learn how the implementation is going and what support is needed over time.

An SEL team turns action into outcomes: SEL really takes root when the school community starts to see results. Highly successful SEL teams routinely look at data to determine whether the school is making progress toward the outcomes they are aiming for, whether their goals relate to school climate improvements, student engagement, or growth in social and emotional competencies.

The SEL team takes on the responsibility of figuring out what data to collect to monitor progress, and then inviting in other voices to help reflect on that data, including examining and addressing any inequities that are illuminated. The team also gathers the rest of the school community to celebrate successes, determine any areas that need adjustment, and make a plan to continually improve outcomes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As school leaders begin to plan how to welcome students, families, and educators into the 2021-22 school year, many will position social and emotional learning (SEL) as foundational to emerging priorities like engaging students who've had long absences, fostering equitable and rich learning environments, promoting mental health, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The value of mindfulness-related activities in schools is not new. Writer and scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn helped legitimize the concept through his research, but its early connection to meditation raised red flags for some and kept its recommended practices from catching on. Now, however, as the adverse impact of stress on learning is quite well understood and the pandemic, along with racial and economic disparities, has escalated stress levels in schools worldwide, mindfulness practices are enjoying a resurgence.

I have had the opportunity to see many mindfulness practices in action in schools and to speak to a number of master teachers of mindfulness. I have identified eight activities that are relatively easy to implement in classrooms and schools. With a little practice, these can be part of any educator's pedagogical toolbox.

Caring Openings

1. Silent 60: Start the class by having all students sit quietly for 60 seconds to get themselves ready for learning. You can add a focus on a particular sound in the room, an image you provide (e.g., a dot on a piece of paper, an abstract picture you put up on a screen), or their breathing. Start with 15 seconds for early elementary students and gradually increase. Begin with 20-30 seconds for upper elementary.

2. Powerful Listening: Ring a bell, use a wind chime, or employ another object that makes a long, trailing sound. Ask students to listen and raise their hands when they no longer can hear the sound. After all agree that the sound has stopped, set a timer for one minute, ask students to sit quietly, and then when time is up, ask them what they heard during that minute.

3. One Minute for Good: Start the class by having students reflect for a minute about something that has gone well or something that they are grateful for. This can be done in writing, pair shares, or small or large group discussions. Larger groups work best for early elementary.

4. Morning Classroom Conversations: Start the day with a quote that can stimulate short conversations to help middle and high school students begin to interact with classmates in supportive ways. Sample conversation prompts can be found here.

In the Moment

5. Three Breaths: Have students take three deep breaths at regular intervals, such as before class changes or whenever strong feelings of anxiety or tension arise. Teachers should instruct students on this breathing technique and create visual reminders and prompting signals for students to begin. This is a valuable practice for staff as well, as expert mindfulness teacher Danielle Nuhfer, who has compiled an array of marvelous techniques in The Path of the Mindful Teacher, shared with me:

"The great thing about Three Breaths is that if the teacher would like to share with students what he/she is doing, they can. I've been known to pause, put my hand on my chest/heart, tell my class that I need a moment, and take three breaths. This is something that is a great way to demonstrate our own emotional regulation. When students witness their teacher work through a stressful situation in a way that demonstrates awareness and presence, they may remember that themselves. Sometimes this kind of role modeling can be more impactful than even teaching a lesson to our students about emotional regulation."

6. Body Scan: Educators benefit from learning to focus on their bodies. Make sure you are feeling centered with both feet on the floor as you teach your classes or meet with students or colleagues. Notice when and where you are feeling tension or when your breathing is shallow or labored, and use Three Breaths (or more!) to help you feel some relief. Don't hesitate to let students or colleagues know that you are taking a few moments to gather yourself via breathing.

7. Speak Your Mantra: Develop a phrase that helps you keep focus and keep perspective. Repeat it often-when you encounter roadblocks and when things are going well. Put it in places where you will see it because when emotions run high, we can lose sight of our more cherished values. Some examples:

"I am preparing all of these children for an uncertain future."

"I want all students to enjoy well-being, happiness, and peace."

"My goal is to prepare students for the tests of life-not just a life of tests."

Ending the Day

8. Concluding Reflections: Many have extolled the value of reflection, from Sir John Templeton, founder of the character-focused foundation with his name, to the SEL exemplar Responsive Classroom. Mindfulness experts like Nuhfer have joined that group. Below are five of her favorites for closing the school day, plus two of my own:

Something I learned today...

I am curious about...

I am looking forward to tomorrow because...

Something I'll do (next, later today, this weekend, before the end of the week, etc.)...

A question I still have is...

I had the best feeling today when...

Something from today that I am grateful for/thankful for/appreciative of is...

Most teachers start off as teachers who use mindfulness; moving to become a "mindful teacher"-what Nuhfer describes as a teacher who "acts with awareness about what is happening in the moment," at every moment-takes practice with multiple techniques, reading the relevant literature, being aware of implicit biases, and being part of a community of like-minded educators who help each other improve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Activities for Students (and Teachers) to Create a Mindful Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Everyone in the classroom benefits when there are opportunities throughout the day to reflect and prepare for learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Strategies for Integrating SEL into Academic Content - Rutgers SECD Lab

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategies for integrating SEL into Academic Content

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Browse our extensive database of SEL-based lesson plans developed based on the 5 CASEL competencies: Self-awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. Explore our various categories of Lesson Plans developed by SECD-Lab Projects, Character and Virtues, Grade level and more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse our extensive database of SEL-based lesson plans developed based on the 5 CASEL competencies: Self-awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. Explore our various categories of Lesson Plans developed by SECD-Lab Projects, Character and Virtues, Grade level and more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Carefully crafted check-ins can bring middle and high school classes closer together and improve student well-being.

# data[].attributes.body
Simply add a "-" between the "U" and "T" in the video link. And there will be no more ads to interrupt your videos, and YouTube will not suggest any videos after the current one is over. For example:
https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=U6kAkwNOzX4

YAY!!!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Youtube Trick - Remove Ads and Sidebar Videos - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Youtube Trick - Remove Ads and Sidebar Videos

# data[].attributes.headline
15 Activities for Teaching SEL Competencies 

# data[].attributes.subject
15 Activities for Teaching SEL Competencies 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is one of the most promising frontiers in educational research. Because intellectual and social-emotional development are linked, teaching both is the best way to promote lifelong success. But many schools don't know how to ensure that their social emotional learning activities are focusing on the right skills.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), a leading expert in integrating SEL into school curriculum, has compiled a list of core competencies for students to learn. These five key skills are:

Self-awareness: the ability to identify and assess your thoughts, feelings, and values, as well as how they intersect with your behaviors

Self-management: the ability to not only identify but regulate emotions, thoughts, and actions

Responsible decision-making: the ability to make positive, constructive choices about your behavior

Social awareness: the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, as well as learning social and ethical behavior

Relationship skills: the ability to get along and make meaningful connections with people in their life

Helping your students learn the CASEL competencies can be as easy as reading books about diversity or holding a class service project. Try these fifteen fun class activities to help your students develop strong SEL skills at school.

Self-Awareness

1. Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness, the ability to focus on the present and accept one's circumstances, is a self-awareness skill that can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.[1] To teach mindfulness in class, put on a guided meditation recording or read one aloud to your students. Encourage them to put their thoughts and feelings aside and focus on the meditation as much as they can.

For younger students, try simpler breathing exercises to help students develop mindfulness without overextending their attention span.

2. Reflective Writing

Reflective writing not only helps students develop self-awareness but empathy and compassion, too.[2] Start each day by giving students five to ten minutes to write about a prompt that encourages self-reflection. By practicing reflective writing every day, this can help students learn to consider their thoughts and feelings in a self-aware way.

Not sure what questions you should give your students? Here are a few prompts that encourage self-analysis:

3. Emotional Vocabulary Lists

Self-awareness activities are a great way to help students understand emotional cues. Include several words that describe emotions to your class vocabulary lists, like "joyful" or "scared." Whenever you introduce a new emotional vocabulary word, take time to discuss what it means and how students can recognize this feeling in themselves and others.

For older grades, try complex emotional vocabulary words like "jubilant" or "apprehensive" to broaden their emotional understanding.

Self-Management

4. Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques are a stress management exercise used to orient someone in the present when they're emotionally overwhelmed. By focusing on their senses instead of their thoughts or feelings, grounding techniques can teach students how to calm down and manage their emotions when they are upset. Teach grounding techniques as a class and help students practice them when they feel stressed.

Here are a few grounding techniques for you to try out with your students:

5. Self-Management Party Games

Plenty of popular children's games can teach children how to regulate their behaviors. Turn on some music, sort children into groups, and play any of these well-known games that model self-management:

After playing these games, bring your students back together for a class discussion on what they learned about listening and being respectful to others.

6. SMART Goal Challenge

Self-motivation is an essential component to social-emotional learning. If you're not sure how to self-motivate your students, try challenging them to reach their potential by setting SMART goals as a class.

At the beginning of the month or quarter, work with each student to set a SMART goal for themselves. SMART goals must be Specific, Measurable, Agreed-Upon, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Check in with your students several times throughout the month to measure their progress and support them if any challenges arise.

If your students meet their goal by the agreed-upon end date, give them a piece of candy or other reward. If they don't, offer encouragement and work with them to accomplish their goal.

Responsible Decision-Making

7. Class Contract

One way to encourage responsible decision making is by collaborating with your students to create a classroom contract. An effective classroom contract should contain two things: your expectations as a teacher and your students' own hopes and needs for the school year.

Putting a contract together with your students can help them feel like their voices are heard and that you're willing to listen. To make this activity interesting for your students, you can even include "exciting" information like class parties or rewards for meeting academic goals. It's fun and, more importantly, establishes your classroom environment as one where everyone's choices matter.

8. Student Council

Depending on your needs, you could involve your entire class in student council or have them elect representatives. By bringing your students in to discuss classroom needs and upcoming events, student councils can involve your class in the school community while teaching them responsibility.

If you've never held a council before, hold a discussion with your class to decide which student council ideas would work best.

9. "What Would You Do?" Activity

Practicing how to make tough decisions can help your students learn how their actions affect others. Give your students a list of situations in which they would have to make an important choice. Have them write down an answer to each situation by themselves, then discuss their answers as a class.

Here are a few problem-solving scenarios to get your students started:

While playing with your little brother, he accidentally breaks your favorite toy. What do you do next?

You see a new girl playing by herself at recess. What do you say to her?

You're eating a sugar cookie and your friend asks if he can have a bite. How do you respond?

Social Awareness

10. Classroom Service Projects

Service activities are a fun and meaningful way to connect your students to the word around them. By helping others, a class service project can also help students develop empathy. Here are a few service project ideas you can do as your class to make your community a better place:

11. Listening Circles

To begin this activity that teaches active listening, separate your class into groups of four or five students. Have students take turns answering a get-to-know you question. If any student interrupts the person talking, remind them that everyone gets to a turn sharing their answer.

Here are a few question ideas:

At the end of the activity, come together for a class discussion about what they learned in their groups. To make sure every student feels included, try pairing students up and having them share one thing about their partner after the activity.

12. Diversity Story Time

Teaching diversity in the classroom is an essential component of social awareness. During read-aloud story times, try to pick books about people of different cultures, race/ethnicities, religions, and other backgrounds. After reading one of these books to your students, discuss how differences make the world a better place and ask what they learned from the story.

Here are a few popular children's books about diversity to get you started:

It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler & David Lee Csicsko

Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Lang

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown

Relationship Skills

13. "Make New Friends" Bingo

"Make New Friends" Bingo is a fun and interactive game for developing social skills, particularly verbal and nonverbal communication.[3] You can play it at the beginning of the school year or anytime you want to have a get-to-know-you activity in class.

To play, make a bingo card with generic traits in each box, like "I have a pet" or "I was born in the summertime." Have your students try to find a different person for each square until they get five in a row. Then, ask each student to share something interesting about themselves that correlates to a box with the class.

14. Team Puzzle Game

Put students into teams of three to five and give each one a jigsaw puzzle to put together. Instruct them that to complete the puzzle, they need to work together as a group. For an added challenge that encourages teamwork, try giving your students a time limit for completing the puzzle.

When students work together, even younger grades can put together complex puzzles. Your students will be amazed by how much they can get done with a little collaboration!

15. Conflict Resolution Read-Along

Helping children resolve conflicts teaches them skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. And, thanks to the timeless lessons they teach, fairy tale read-alongs can help your class get a discussion on conflict resolution skills going.[4]

Choose a beloved fairy tale to read as a class, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As you read the story to your students, ask them the following questions:

What is this story's main conflict?

What do the main characters want to happen?

How can the characters work together to make everyone happy?

Then, turn the discussion to recent conflicts students have had in their life. Have your children share about times when, like the fairy tale characters, they felt conflict with another person. Ask them how they worked with that person to make the situation better, as well as any advice they have to share with the class.

Why Teach Social Emotional Activities?

Research suggests that the cognitive processes that control social-emotional and intellectual development are interconnected. This means that providing both SEL and academic lessons in class is the best way to help students succeed. Students who attend SEL programs at school are more likely to:

With the five CASEL competencies as a guide, educators can make sure that they're providing effective and well-rounded SEL programs in their classrooms. Use these social and emotional skills activities to give your students the tools they need to thrive in school and everywhere else, too.
Sources:
Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004, July). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57(1), pp. 35-43.[1]

DasGupta, S., & Charon, R. (2004, April). Personal Illness Narratives: Using Reflective Writing to Teach Empathy. Academic Medicine, 79(4), pp. 351-56.[2]

Mascott, A. (2015, August 17). Meet New Friends Bingo Game. Retrieved from scholastic.com: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/meet-new-friends-bingo-game.html.[3]

The Nemours Foundation. (2016). Personal Health Series: Conflict Resolution. Retrieved from kidshealth.org: https://classroom.kidshealth.org/3to5/personal/growing/conflict_resolution.pdf/.[4]

Hong, S. (2011, March). The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82 (1), pp. 405-32.[5]

Zins, J. (2016). Social and Emotional Learning. Retrieved from healthyselfesteem.org: http://healthyselfesteem.org/about-self-esteem/social-and-emotional-learning/.[6]

Coholic, D.H. (2011, January 07). Exploring the Feasibility and Benefits of Arts-Based Mindfulness-Based Practices with Young People in Need: Aiming to Improve Aspects of Self-Awareness and Resilience. Child & Youth Care Forum, 40(4), pp. 303-17.[7]

Aber, J. L., Jones, S. M. Brown, J. L. Chaudry, N. & Samples, F. (1998). Resolving Conflict Creatively: Evaluating the Developmental Effects of a School-Based Violence Prevention Program in the Neighborhood and Classroom Context. Development and Psychopathology, 10, pp. 187-213.[8]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
15 Activities for Teaching CASEL Core Competencies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With these strategies for CASEL competencies as a guide, you can make sure that you're providing effective SEL programs in your school.

# data[].attributes.headline
CASEL: Supportive Classroom Environment 

# data[].attributes.subject
CASEL: Supportive Classroom Environment 

# data[].attributes.body
https://schoolguide.casel.org/focus-area-3/classroom/a-supportive-classroom-environment/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A supportive and equitable environment in all classrooms serves as a platform for all academic, social and emotional learning. At the core of a supportive classroom is a caring, engaging teacher who establishes authentic trusting relationships with each student.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.edutopia.org/article/13-powerful-sel-activities-emelina-minero

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Build social and emotional skills into any class.

Summit students rip up their stress.

Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, California, uses a variety of activities in the weekly, 90-minute Habits, Community, and Culture (HCC) class, where students learn Habits of Success and develop social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. The school has developed an HCC curriculum for grades nine through 12 and hired two full-time teachers for HCC, but Summit's academic teachers also use some of these activities to build SEL skills and deepen their relationships with their students. Cady Ching, a biology and AP environmental science teacher at Summit, incorporates opening activities into all of her classes: "In my freshman classes, we do them every class period."

Visualization to release stress: Have your students imagine what stress looks and feels like inside their body, and then ask them to release it. "The mindfulness practice makes you think the stress is coming off your body," says Geoffrey, a 12th-grade student.

Noise isolation: There are a variety of sounds that your students hear when they're in your classroom, from students walking in the hallway to outdoor construction noise. Have your students focus on one noise and describe it to themselves and recall the last time they interacted with it.

Here are some of the opening, group sharing, and closing activities that teachers use at Summit:

Opening Activities

Summit students practice mindfulness.

2. Name the emotion you're bringing to class: Have each student call out the emotion they're feeling. This helps each student know how they and other students are feeling, what different emotions look like, and how to better interact with their peers based on how they're feeling.

3. Write down, rip up, and throw away your stress: Have your students write down their expectations and insecurities, rip them up, and throw them away. This emotional check-in takes about three minutes. By acknowledging how your students are feeling at the start of each class, you'll acknowledge their barriers to learning and create a safe space for your students to overcome them.

5. Quote of the day: Introduce a quote relevant to what your students are learning or to a shared experience-for example, an act of violence in the community. You can facilitate a whole-class discussion, group students into pairs, or have each student share a one-word response to the quote. This gives students the space to reflect on their beliefs and experiences and whether they agree or disagree with the quote and other students' opinions, and it gives them insight into their peers' perspectives and feelings.

6. Where we came from: Collect baby pictures from your students. Project one baby picture at the start of class, have your students guess who it is, and then have the featured student share something about their childhood.

7. Starting positive: Have each student tape a sheet of paper to their back and then walk around and write positive qualities about their peers on their backs.

8. Motivational moment: Have two students start the class with a three- to five-minute presentation-and come up with two or three discussion questions-based on their interests. The presentation must be related to the course content in a real-world context. "Many students include a video for visuals and increased engagement, but it's optional," says Ching. Have the rest of the class partner up to discuss their questions for one minute and then give them the opportunity to share out to the whole class. This exercise gives your students insight into their peers' interests.

Grades 9-12 | Redwood City, CA

Enrollment

388 | Charter, Suburban

Per Pupil Expenditures

Free / Reduced Lunch

47%

Data is from the 2014-2015 academic year.

Group Sharing

9. Circle sharing: To encourage active listening, create small groups. Have your students position their chairs in a circle so everyone can make eye contact. To strengthen empathy, you can facilitate deeper discussion around what a student shares by asking, "Why did that student share what they did?" or "What perspective is that student coming from?"

When discussing emotionally charged topics, it's important to have guidelines to foster a safe space. Summit uses the Courageous Conversation protocol created by Glenn E. Singleton when discussing race. The protocol is guided by four agreements-stay engaged, experience discomfort, speak your truth, and expect and accept nonclosure. Here is an example of elementary school discussion guidelines from School 21.

Summit students sit in a circle for a whole-class discussion.

10. Write a poem from someone else's perspective. Have your students choose someone they don't know. This helps them to understand that they don't "need to be best friends with someone to empathize with them," explains Ballard.

11. Have a conversation with someone you don't know. Have your students pair up with a student they don't know and provide the pairs with five questions to ask each other. Each student introduces their partner to the class, speaking as if they were their partner, while the rest of the class looks at the student being introduced. "We don't see people sometimes," says Ballard, "and this exercise helps students to see each other more deeply."

12. Play interest and identity-related bingo. Instead of squares filled with numbers or vocabulary words, create cards with information relating to your students. Summit's Bingo cards have things like "'I like to read' or 'I was born in a different country,'" says Armando, a ninth-grade student.

I would like to appreciate Brenda for facilitating the conversation in our small group.

I would like to thank everyone for taking this class seriously.

I apologize to everyone for having my headphones in for half of the time.

Closing Activity

13. Appreciation, apology, aha: Have your students get in a circle and share an appreciation, apology, or realization with the group. Students in Ballard's class have shared things like:

Encourage authentic and timely apologies. Apologizing for something that happened a long time ago has less impact than apologizing for something that happened that day or week. Let your students know that they don't have to name who they're apologizing to when they apologize for what they did.

Help students share helpful, not harmful words. "I often say, 'Appreciations, apologies, and ahas should be something that you genuinely think will be useful for people to hear,'" says Ballard.

Have your students snap, clap, or shake both hands when they hear something that resonates with them. "We snap to let people know that we hear them without exerting our own voice in their narrative," explains Ballard. Students shake their hands when peers share things that are emotionally charged. Ballard often gets this started by saying, "Let's shake it up for that."

"When you pay attention to each other, not only does it build a sense of community, but we're more able to understand other people," says Janet, a 12th-grade student. "If you're able to understand people at a younger age, you could work better with them as adults. That changes how the future generations will be. People can be more accepting, more helpful towards each other."

What makes this a SCHOOL THAT WORKS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Build social and emotional skills into any class.

# data[].attributes.headline
Mindfulness of Breath Exercise (5 Minutes)

# data[].attributes.subject
Mindfulness of Breath Exercise (5 Minutes)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmFUDkj1Aq0

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uezOV_D8bSk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What Is Mindfulness?" - Awakening Kindness and Curiosity at School

# data[].attributes.body
https://zonesofregulation.com/index.html

DO NOW ACTIVITY: Have students complete do now "quiz" on chromebook as a "check in." Ask students to select color to represent how they are feeling that day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teach Kids to Manage Big Feelings Through Effective Social Emotional Learning

Over 80% of U.S. public schools reported in 2022 on the negative impact of the pandemic on child well-being and self-regulation. Kids are:

Struggling to manage their feelings and mental health

More disruptive in the classroom

Needing additional social, emotional, and behavioral support

(source: National Center for Education Statistics)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created to teach children self-regulation and emotional control.

# data[].attributes.body
Reflective writing time: put on soothing music, provide prompts, allow students 3-5 minutes for reflective writing.

Chit Chat Break: build in opportunities to talk during the school day. If students are getting restless allow them 3-5 minutes to talk before refocusing them back to the lesson.

Goal Setting: allow for goal setting as part of classroom activities.

Visible Learning by John Hattie: Biggest impact on student learning is GOAL SETTING

# data[].attributes.headline
Customize your Google Classroom banner with Bitmoji

# data[].attributes.subject
Customize your Google Classroom banner with Bitmoji

# data[].attributes.body
Check out this personalized Google Classroom banner! Would you like to add it to your Google Classroom too?

Here's how:
- Video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCIeG4u7MdY
- Template: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/150XOFcTgb0hV8cvC2VkWKoucs38qlwc2KlPH3NoKxM8/copy

(NOTE: Google automatically applies a dark overlay on the image, and there's nothing we can do about it atm)

# data[].attributes.body
Lei "Haiting" Liang
(Haiting - like "hiking" but with a "t")
High School Chinese Teacher
lliang@montclair.k12.nj.us
lliang@mpsdnj.us

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Kristin Koenigsfest                                                                                           School Psychologist                  

# data[].attributes.body
kkoenigsfest@montclair.k12.nj.us,
kkoengisfest@mpsdnj.us

# data[].attributes.body
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WY3p8IyLvHNOk7l1P-iJ7m2ee--bmgsRky-kux4fUgE/edit?usp=drivesdk

Print this document and paste it on your whiteboard.

# data[].attributes.body
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k4jkEFwHn7RE7fc0TPbToamnMGXg93FE/view?usp=sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
bell schedules - drd+HR - id size (printable).pdf