Why Include Social Emotional Learning in ELA?
Creating a classroom community is essential at the beginning of a new school year as it fosters a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable and safe to express themselves and learn from each other, which can positively impact students’ social and emotional well-being.
Social emotional learning (SEL) is the process of acquiring the necessary skills, attitudes, and knowledge to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve goals, empathize with others, and establish positive relationships. It involves developing self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Social emotional learning is crucial for personal growth, academic success, and lifelong well-being, as it helps individuals cope with stress, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and contribute to their communities.
To help add more SEL in your ELA, read on for a few activities you can try.
Growth Mindset Stations
In a growth mindset students focus on how they can grow and develop new skills. Having a growth mindset will also help students to feel a sense of belonging and purpose in your classroom. Some activities that can promote a growth mindset in your ELA classroom are goal-setting, self-reflection surveys or writing prompts, and personal flags or coat-of-arms to display as a reminder for students of their belonging. If you’d like print-ready growth mindset stations with a focus on ELA skills, grab this freebie for your first day of class
Warm-Up Activities
Include daily or weekly warm-up activities at the start of class that require students to reflect on how they are feeling, or to empathize with others through discussion or writing. Journal prompts are a great way for students to think about their emotional state and express how they feel. Doodling is also effective and may be easier for students who aren’t comfortable sharing through writing. Another activity to help students with introspection and empathy is to respond to song lyrics or music videos that explore different identities and ways of life. Check out this song resource to save time searching for suitable songs.
Affirmation Station
Affirmation Stations are created when you place positive affirmation cards around a mirror or bulletin board in your classroom. The idea is that students can say something positive about themselves every day. These stations also provide opportunities for personal writing by using the affirmation cards as prompts for reflection. For example, students can choose one of the affirmations and write about why this is a quality they are proud of, or why it is a quality they want to work on. For more affirmation writing ideas you can read this blog post, and check out this affirmation station if you’d like to add one to your classroom!
If you try any of these SEL ideas in your ELA classroom, let us know how it goes! Comment below or join the conversation on our Instagram page!
