10 Book Creator Projects to Support Social-Emotional Learning

Book Creator

Projects to Support

Social-Emotional

By Dr. Monica Burns

Learning

Table of Contents

What will you find in this book?

Introduction

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Interviewing Community Members

Creating Collaborative Books

What’s in a Name

Global Exchange Guide

Writing About Virtual Reality

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4

8

10

12

14

16

Prefer to read offline?

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Setting Thoughtfulness Goals

Using the 7 Strengths

Finding Feelings Pictures

Connecting with Pen Pals

Planning for Tough Conversations

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Example books / About the Author

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20

22

24

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28

Introduction

Getting started with Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Social-emotional learning has gained traction in conversations in the education space. With new initiatives adopted at school, district and state levels, it’s been exciting to see SEL concepts adopted across content areas and grade levels.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) provides useful resources to help educators integrate SEL principles into their instruction. They provide this definition of SEL:

“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

Two areas CASEL focuses on are class discussions and cooperative learning. In this book you’ll learn about activities that align with these goals. We’ll provide tips and strategies alongside activity ideas that you can tailor to your students’ needs this school year.

Here are a few resources with more information on SEL

The CASEL Guide to Schoolwide Social and Emotional Learning is a robust resource and should be your first stop when looking for information on research and best practices for social-emotional learning. What will you find here? You’ll learn about indicators for SEL like youth voice and engagement as well as aligned community partnerships.

Edutopia’s Resources for SEL include a long list of blog posts and videos covering topics related to social and emotional learning. There are strategies specifically for new teachers, ideas to help refine classroom management, and case studies to explore. This collection is full of real-world stories and actionable information.

EdSurge’s Social-Emotional Learning Collection features a range of resources around SEL. It also highlights classroom stories and includes interviews with educators in diverse learning environments. The resources in this collection also highlight emerging technologies like virtual reality and how it can be a part of an SEL program.

Educational Leadership magazine from ASCD recently had an issue dedicated to SEL. Much of the content is accessible without a subscription and is available on their online landing page. Within this digital collection, you’ll find research spotlights, interviews and classroom strategies related to social-emotional learning.

A quick hello from Monica

Tips for using this book

If your school, district or state has norms around SEL or specific SEL goals, review those documents to incorporate your local mission into the lessons in this book

Create your own version of a student project to demonstrate expectations for students or to use as a template for their own creations

Determine how and when collaboration will take place in your classroom throughout the activities you introduce to students

Provide students with choices on how to express themselves, including audio, text, images and video

Share your ideas for using Book Creator in the classroom using the hashtag #BookCreator or tagging @BookCreatorApp or @ClassTechTips on social media!

Interviewing Community Members

In this activity, students will chronicle interviews with community members as they learn about their experiences and contributions.

To help students build empathy and understanding of the important roles people play in their community, they can interview someone with an experience they'd like to learn more about.

You might help students locate community members like a local business owner, mail carrier, school aide, or anyone with a story to tell. Alternatively, your students might identify someone they want to interview.

Students can use Book Creator to share their interviews. This could include a summary of the conversation or a recording of their actual interview with a community member!

Tip: Have students snap pictures during their interview to include in their book.