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SEL Circle Prompts

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SEL Check In Prompts

  • Here are some prompts that you can use with your students to build classroom community (either in the classroom or through digital platforms like Zoom or Google Meet). If your class is just starting to build community, start with LOW-RISK questions.
  • Use an SEL Check In to start your time together and maybe consider adding a Check Out related to your content.
  • Insert your Bitmoji if you choose!

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Virtual Circle Tips

  • Family Groups: Build Community by having students join “break out rooms” but rename them “family groups.” The word “family” makes them feel like they belong.

  • Your circle prompts can be a combination of these prompts while including academic content.

  • You can infuse “whole class” circles by sharing one of these prompts and having students type their responses in the chat box. You can then call on students non-sequentially.

  • Use circles to start your day, end your day or to support transitions.

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Slide Contents

Check In Questions/Sentence Frames Slide 5-48

Emotional Thermometer Slide 51

“Take a Stand” Statements Slide 52

Mindfulness Minute Slide 55

Notable Quotable Slide 59

Fist to Five Slide 60

Check Out with Content Slide 64

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#1:

What is something healthy or helpful you did in the last 24 hours?

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#2:

If you could meet anyone from history who would it be?

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#3:

Where do you feel most like yourself?

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#4:

Describe your ideal job or career?

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#5:

What is one goal you hope to accomplish this year?

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#6:

What are some highs and lows from your time of distance learning so far?

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Sample

#7:

Who is a leader you admire and why?

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#8:

What was the most helpful mistake you made this week?

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#9:

Which classmate did you learn something from this week?

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#10:

“I feel mostly _________ because of _________.”

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#11:

“The main thing on my mind right now is_______.”

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#12:

What is something you did really well last week?

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#13:

What’s a choice you made recently? If given another chance, would you do

anything different?

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#14:

Share a happy childhood memory.

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#15:

If you could be a superhero, what superpower would you choose and why?

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#16:

How would your best friend describe you?

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#17:

“Today I am grateful for _______.”

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#18:

“My goal for today is _________.”

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#19:

“One thing I learned/enjoyed from the last lesson was _______.”

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Sample

#20:

What would you NOT want to change about your life?

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#21:

If you had an unexpected free day, what would you do?

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#22:

If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?

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#23:

Name two things or two people that always make you smile or laugh.

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#24:

“I like to collect______.”

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#25:

If you could have a face to face conversation with anyone, who would it be with and why?

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#26:

Describe your dream vacation.

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#27:

If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?

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#28:

What touches your heart?

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#29:

What gives you hope?

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#30:

What demonstrates respect?

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#31:

What changes would you like to see in your community?

What can you do to promote that change?

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#32:

Share a time when you let go of control.

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#33:

Share a time when you were outside of your comfort zone.

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#34:

An experience of transformation when, out of a crisis or difficulty, you discovered a gift in your life.

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#35:

Share an experience when you or someone you know let go of anger or resentment.

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#36:

Share a time when you were in conflict with your parents or caregiver.

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#37:

Share an experience of feeling like you didn’t fit in.

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#38:

Putdowns make me feel…

Appreciation makes me feel...

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Sample

#39:

“I feel happy when____.”

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#40:

“My favorite hobby is_______.”

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#41:

“My favorite song/style of music/artist/or band is_______.”

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#42:

“My favorite weekend activity is_____.”

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#43:

“My favorite T.V. show is _____.”

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#44:

“If you could teach the class anything, what would you teach?”

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#45:

“What is your favorite meal to eat on special occasions?”

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#46:

“On a scale from 1-10, how funny are you?”

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Emotional Thermometer:

Please share your emotion/number .

Hold up your fingers or type in the chat box.

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“Take a Stand” Statements

• I’d much rather see a movie in a theater than stream it.

• Rainy weather is better than sunny weather.

• It’s important to get to know different kinds of music.

• Individual sports are better than team sports.

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“Take a Stand” Statements

  • I’d much rather go to the mountains than the beach.
  • I would prefer to get new clothes over a new phone.
  • Chocolate tastes better than vanilla.
  • I want to travel to Hawaii more than Alaska.

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“Take a Stand” Statements

  • I’d much rather eat a hamburger instead of tacos.
  • TikTok is more fun than Snapchat.
  • Online shopping is better than shopping in the store.
  • Samsung is better than Apple.

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Sample

Mindfulness Minute:

Take a deep breath, paying attention to your breathing: how it enters, flows through, and leaves your body. Take a second breath that is slower and more conscious. Take a third breath that is even slower and more conscious. Continue slow, conscious breathing for the remainder of the minute.

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Mindfulness Minute:

Listen to the noises in the room for 20 seconds. Then listen for noises outside the room, in the hallway and other rooms, for 20 seconds.

Then listen for noises outside the house for 20 seconds.

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Mindfulness Minute:

For one minute, look at something really carefully—all the parts of a pencil or

pen, shades of light on a book or desk, how an ant or spider moves, the details

of a poster, the dust in the air.

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Mindfulness Minute:

Choose a simple action, like raising your hand or standing up and sitting down. Do it in super slow motion. Be aware of what your body is doing to prepare for the movement, and what different parts of your body are doing for each tiny segment of the movement.

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“Insert Quote Here”

• The quotation made me think of/about . . .

• The speaker/writer is trying to encourage . . .

• I wonder what the speaker/writer meant by . . .

• Parts I agree with are . . . Parts I don’t understand are . . . Parts I’d challenge are . . . Parts that raise questions for me are . . .

• The quotation relates to my personal experience because...

Notable Quotable!

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Fist to Five:

“How are you feeling on this Monday?”

(Other ideas: after the weekend, on

this Friday, in light of learning about . . . , etc.)

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Fist to Five:

“How do you feel about your time management yesterday?”

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Fist to Five:

“How do you feel about your understanding of … ?”

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Fist to Five:

“ How well do you understand the instructions for the next activity?”

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Content Check Out:

“The main character in this reading is like me/not like me when_______.”

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Content Check Out:

“The best/worst thing about this project is __________.”

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Content Check Out:

“Something new I learned from this lesson was___________.”

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Content Check Out:

“I felt most successful with math problem #______.”

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Content Check Out:

“One question I still have about this assignment is ___________?”

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Content Check Out:

“I want to give a compliment to (insert classmate name) because _______.”

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Content Check Out:

“Today’s learning connects to my life when I experienced ________.”

“Today’s learning connects to a time in the past when I learned/read about________.”

“Today’s learning connects to the real world ________.”