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How To Use This Document
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As you welcome students back into your space, we want to ensure that students are able to receive the support that is needed. Our hope is that as you engage with this resource that you are able to facilitate the examination of identity, the cultivating of relationships, and the strengthening of community. This handbook is divided into 4 sections: (1) Quick Check-Ins, (2) SEL Community Builders, (3) Circles, and (4) Reflection Activities. This document operates as a "choose your own adventure." We recommend that you select an activity from the quick check-ins tab followed by one core activity. You may select one activity from the SEL Community Builders tab, the Circle tab, or the Reflection Activities tab. The total time to facilitate the check-in and core activity should be approximately 20 minutes, with 5 minutes dedicated to the check-in and about 15 minutes for the core activity. Below you will find the guidelines and considerations for each of the sections of the handbook.
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Community Check-In
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Community Check-In offers students a structured opportunity to share how they are feeling with the group. The check-in allows speakers to practice articulating their thoughts and feelings in a positive way, and listeners to practice active listening skills with their body language and responses. By allowing students to check-in, you are fostering a student's self-awaresness, self-management, and/or social-awareness skills. Well planned check-in activities will invite every voice into the space while allowing students to connect to one another without judgement. You should model the check-in for students by responding to the check-in question first. Some students may need time to process before responding, so give a couple of minutes for think and jot time. Allow students who are more comfortable to go first. If a student does not want to share, please do not force them. Check-ins do not need to be lengthy and should last approximately 5 minutes. This is not an exhaustive list of check-ins; we highly encourage you to find or create your own check-ins.

On the Communtiy Check-In tab you will find...
- Activity Name
- SEL Connection which provides the SEL Competency or SEL Standard
- Resource Link (if needed)
- In-Person Facilitation Instructions
- Virtual/Hybrid Facilitation Instructions (if activity requires a modification)
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Core Activities
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SEL Community Builders
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The SEL Community Builders are one of the main vehicles for teaching the social-emotional message of the week and practicing the targeted skill or behavior. They also serve to build community, encourage participation and engagement, and build upon students' shared experiences. This resource provides more activities than you will have time to use, so you can select those students whom will be able to engage successfully and that address student needs. Once you are acquainted with your students, think ahead about whether your students will do better with an activity that is energizing, calming, silly, or intellectual. This may change from day to day or week to week!

Best practices for facilitating activities:
- Plan ahead so you can give clear and simple instructions, and check for understanding before you begin.
- Tie the activity to the SEL competency before and after engaging in it. Emphasize building relationships and practicing skills rather than competition. Debrief each activity by asking students questions that connect their experience with the SEL competency.
- Stop the activity if it isn’t going well. Share what you are noticing and ask the group to reflect with you on what is happening. Take advantage of teachable moments, re-teach expectations, and start again if you judge that it is appropriate to do so.
- Encourage students to challenge themselves, while also reminding them that they may pass at any time during the activity.

On the SEL Communtiy Builders tab you will find...
- Activity Name
- SEL Connection which provides the SEL Competency or SEL Standard
- Resource Link (if needed)
- In-Person Facilitation Instructions
- Virtual/Hybrid Facilitation Instructions (if activity requires a modification)
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Circles
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A daily Classroom Circle is an opportunity for students to build caring relationships with their peers and teachers, to actively participate and practice social and emotional skills through engaging activities, and to feel valued and connected to the school community. During Classroom Circle, students will learn to greet and speak to each other respectfully, listen attentively and respond with empathy, and approach interpersonal conflicts calmly and assertively. These skills are essential for academic achievement as well success in college and professional settings. When students begin their day with a Classroom Circle, they feel welcomed and recognized for making a positive contribution to the group. This boosts confidence, reinforces positive behavior, and sets the tone for their learning throughout the day.

Research has shown that the positive social atmosphere produced through Classroom Circles improves interactions in the classroom, which leads to higher levels of instructional support (Curby, Rimm-Kaufman, & Abry, 2013). Classroom Circles can strengthen students’ sense of school connectedness, a strong protective factor for youth, by meeting developmental needs such as peer acceptance, a relationship with a caring and supportive adult, and opportunities to demonstrate competence (McNeely, Nonnemaker, & Blum, 2002). For more guidance and ideas reguarding circles, you can refer to the CPS RP Guide and Toolkit (p.63-87).

*If you are selecting Circles for your core activity, you may skip the community check-in as each circle starts with a check-in question.

On the Circles tab you will find...
- The Circle Session
- SEL Connection which provides the SEL Competency or SEL Standard
- 3 prompts, a check-in question (low risk) followed by 2 reflective questions
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Equity Reflection Activities
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We are living and teaching in complex, emotional, and divisive times and our students are experiencing it right along with us. We cannot ignore their lived experiences in the classroom, doing so would ignore their social and emotional needs. It is more important than ever that we create safe and courageous spaces for them to experience, process, and make meaning of the world around them as best we can.

It is imperative that we prioritize Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in our classrooms so that our students have a trusting relationship with their teachers and peers that lays the foundation for learning, have confidence in themselves and their decisions so they can drive their own learning, and have the space they need to process feelings productively so they are able to focus on learning. In addition, CASEL's revised framework identifies the SEL skills needed to “address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities”.

We encourage all schools to engage students in activities that help students understand our current moment, and acquire the knowledge and skills they need to advocate and act for their futures. This resource includes either video clips, text, or images for students to reflect on. Reflections may occur through journaling or student discussion. These activities aim to further develop students’ ability to tackle important and difficult issues, and engage in civic life. This should also be an opportunity for you to create space for students to create and/or co-facilitate learning activities (for additional information, please refer to the CPS Student Voice 360 Guide and specifically to Hart's Ladder on page 10). While co-designing learning with students is not a panacea for inequality, it is a good start at incorporating the beliefs, identities, and interests of your students.


On the Equity Reflection Activities tab you will find...
- Resource Link
- Resource Type (e.g. Video, Text, Image)
- SEL Connection which provides the SEL Competency or SEL Standard
- Reflection/Discussion Prompt
- In-Person Facilitation Instructions
- Virtual/Hybrid Facilitation Instructions (if activity requires a modification)
For additional resources or guidance for staff, please refer to the CPS Equity Toolkit from the Office of Equity.
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