International SEL Day Toolkit
Created by
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee
Department of Psychological Services
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS • www.pgcps.org
Prince George’s County Board of Education
Juanita Miller, Ph.D., Chair
Sonya Williams, Vice Chair, District 9
David Murray, District 1
Joshua M. Thomas, District 2
Pamela Boozer-Strother, District 3
Shayla Adams-Stafford, District 4
Raaheela Ahmed, District 5
Belinda Queen, District 6
Kenneth Harris II, District 7
Edward Burroughs III, District 8
D. Paul Monteiro, Jr.
Sandra D. Shephard
Curtis Valentine, M.P.P.
Ninah Jackson, Student Board Member
Monica Goldson, Ed.D., Chief Executive Officer
2
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS • www.pgcps.org
International SEL Day March 26, 2021
Join the Global Celebration!
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
“Is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”
(CASEL, 2020)
SEL changes lives! Studies show that SEL improves well-being and academic outcomes, builds positive school climate, and provides children with the necessary skills to excel in today’s workforce.
We are inviting you to join communities across the globe to celebrate the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) on the second annual International SEL Day on March 26, 2021. The theme this year is Building Bonds, Reimagining Community.
Our SEL Tip of the Month theme is Kindness and Compassion. Invite students to talk about the role of these two qualities in building community.
SEL DAY ACTIVITIES TOOLKIT
There are countless ways to celebrate and reinforce social emotional learning (SEL) in your classroom, school, or community. This kit provides some examples for the students, as well as for teacher SEL.
What other creative activities can you think of to promote SEL and to promote community among your students?
Use the hashtag #SELday to share your successes!
Building Bonds: Re-imagining Communities
WELCOMING INCLUSION ACTIVITIES
Welcoming Inclusion Activities are brief, interactive experiences that bring the voice of every participant into the room, making a connection to one another and/or to the work ahead, with each perspective-laden, culturally-rich voice being heard, respected and learned from.
(Source: CASEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook)
Temperature Check-Ins
Give students an opportunity to identify and share their feelings!
Use a “Feelings Wheel” to help students identify how they are feeling.
Feelings Wheel (Elementary School)
Feelings Wheel Art Activity (Elementary School)
Feelings Wheel (Middle/High School)
Explore Panorama’s Question Bank below for a range of ways to “Check-in.”
Question Bank: Student Well-Being Check-Ins
Read More Ways to do Check-Ins with Students
Social Emotional Check-Ins for Distance Learning
Morning Meetings
During morning meeting or before a class period, read a poem, or book that connects to SEL. Share a Positive Affirmation or a Compassion Quote. Invite students to reflect on how they can be intentional in contributing to a kinder and more compassionate world!
Examples:
Classroom Activities
(Elementary)
Read or watch and discuss!�
What is kindness?
What is compassion?
How can students show kindness and compassion to friends, family, or even strangers?
How does being kind build community?
Sample Read-Alouds
Sample Video
The Neighborhood Welcomes the Platypus Family
Sample Art Activity
Sample Sing Alongs
Daniel the Tiger: It’s Great to be kind
Explore the March SEL Tip for more activities to build community through kindness and compassion
Click here to view the March SEL Tip of the Month!
Classroom Activities
(Middle/High School)
Watch, write and discuss!
What is kindness? What is compassion?
When is it hard to be kind and compassionate?
How can you extend your kindness today?
What can you do to make the difference?
How does being kind and compassionate build community?
How can you be a Rainbow in Someone Else’s Cloud?
Watch Dr. Maya Angelou: “Be a Rainbow in Someone Else’s Cloud”
Invite students to explore how the same action may be kind or unkind depending on context and intent! (Sample prompts: Complimenting someone, Saying No, Telling someone what they did wrong, Laughing, Helping Someone, etc.)
“I am Poem”
Acts of Kindness
Invite students to perform and record their acts of kindness towards others
Explore the March SEL Tip to see how others have contributed to building community through kindness and compassion
Click here to view the March SEL Tip of the Month!
Engaging Strategies
Engaging strategies offer many opportunities that vary in complexity to practice SEL Skills. Engagement and learning individually (e.g., “turn-to-your-partner”) and collectively (e.g., “Socratic Seminar” and “Jigsaw”) are supported by intentionally chosen strategies and activities with sequenced steps that suit your group’s current needs.
(Source: CASEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook)
Brain Breaks
(Elementary School)
Breathing exercises
Mindfulness
Movement
Brain Breaks
(Middle/High School)
Optimistic Closures
An optimistic closure is not necessarily a “cheery ending,” but rather highlights an individual and shared understanding of the importance of the work, and can provide a sense of accomplishment and support forward-thinking. The closing activity may be reflective of the learning, help identify next steps, or make connections to one’s own work. (Source: CASEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook)
(Source: CASEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook)
Optimistic Closures (Elementary)
DJ Summary: Learners write what they learned in the form of a favorite song. Offer extra praise if they sing.
Cover It: Have kids sketch a book cover. The title is the class topic. The author is the student. A short celebrity endorsement or blurb should summarize and articulate the benefits of the lesson.
Students I Learned From the Most: Kids write notes to peers describing what they learned from them during class discussions.
Parent Hotline: Give students an interesting question about the lesson without further discussion. Email their guardians the answer so that the topic can be discussed over dinner.
Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down: Pose some questions that can be answered thumbs up/down/ sideways, ask for explanation of the decisions.
Commercial: Students write a 1 – 2 minute commercial to use at home when asked, “What happened in math class today?”
Optimistic Closures (Middle/High School)
So What?: Have students answer this prompt: What takeaways from the lesson will be important to know three years from now? Why? *Source: Edutopia
Cheat Sheet: Have students create a cheat sheet of information that would be useful for a quiz on the day’s topic.
Jeopardy: Teacher gives answer. Students create the question. This works well with dry erase boards.
Journal Entry: Each day students write about 2 things they learned (use of a journal could incorporate most of these other closure examples.
I Care Why?: Students explain relevance of the concept to their life or how they might use it.
Sell It To Us: Write a jingle that explains the main idea of the lesson.
Commercial: Students write a 1 – 2 minute commercial to use at home when asked, “What happened in math class today?”
*Source (PDF): Ann Sipe, “40 Ways to Leave a Lesson”
Teacher SEL
Pause throughout the day to take a deep breath and to check in to see how you are feeling and ask yourself, “What do I need right now?”
Also practice using the resources in this presentation on yourself. You’re never too old to practice mindfulness, deep breathing, and positive self-talk!
Use your social media platforms to let everyone know how you are celebrating SEL Day using #SELday