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== <big>''' Developing Social Emotional Lessons: A Quick Guide '''</big> ==

Step 1: Have a short "Do Now" that makes students really think.
* '''Begin with a quote''' like this one, "When you are going down a curvy, dark, and foggy road, do not focus on the fog; always focus on the road."
* Have students write either an '''Agree/Disagree and Why?''' response to the quote, or have students '''explain''' the quote. 
* There are some great quotes on this Quote of the Day [https://www.brainyquote.com/quote_of_the_day website.]


Step 2: Discuss a concept that will help give the lesson a specific focus.
* In the case of the lesson for this unit's learning activity, two concepts were chosen to guide the lesson. 
* The terms '''Sympathy''' and '''Empathy''' are common topics in Social Emotional learning, and could jumpstart some interesting conversations.
* If you are looking for SEL concepts to inspire your lessons, look [https://www.flocabulary.com/topics/social-and-emotional-learning/ here] for assistance.


Step 3: Base your lesson on your students' interests
* Perform a student interest survey to figure out what topics are important to students. [https://www.edutopia.org/blog/fire-up-class-student-interest-surveys-rebecca-alber Here are some suggestions to help you develop a student interest survey of your own. ]
* Use popular movies, music, or celebrities to help shape your lessons. Take a look at the [https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 Billboard Top 100 charts] to help you figure out what your students are potentially listening to.
* Ask your students insightful questions to spark a discussion. Try to formulate questions that start with "Why," "What is the value of..." and "How," in order to inspire students to speak their mind. 


'''Note:''' Sometimes, students may not feel like speaking about certain topics. Often, you will need to strengthen or build your classroom's culture, to make your SEL lessons engaging. For assistance with classroom culture, try watching [https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/establish-classroom-culture this resource.]


Still looking for Social Emotional Learning inspiration? Try these resources:
* [https://www.weareteachers.com/21-simple-ways-to-integrate-social-emotional-learning-throughout-the-day/ Teachers advise other teachers on how to integrate SEL into classroom instruction]
* [https://www.edutopia.org/blog/implement-sel-at-your-school-elias-leverett-duffell-humphrey-stepney-ferrito Social Emotional Learning lesson suggestions]
* [https://www.pinterest.com/weareteachers/social-emotional-learning/?lp=true A Social Emotional Learning Social Bookmarking website]
* [http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/modules/module2/script.pdf Vanderbilt University's take on SEL]
* [https://www.teachervision.com/social-emotional-issues Specialized handouts to aide your SEL lesson design]