What exactly is SEL or Social-Emotional Learning?
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL.org) is a group focused on collaborating with “leading experts and support districts, schools, and states nationwide to drive research, guide practice, and inform policy.”
Here is what they say about SEL:
“SEL competencies are the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes, and mindsets that individuals need to succeed. They are the product of SEL, through which schools and districts implement practices and policies that allow children and adults to acquire and apply those competencies. Commitment to SEL has the potential to shape a school’s partnerships with afterschool programs, families, and community members as they collaborate to educate the whole child.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) introduced one of the field’s earliest set of SEL competencies in 1997, identifying a set of five core competencies that schools could promote in their students that are keys to academic and life success.”
– The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
The five core competencies
Self-awareness
The ability to accurately recognize your own emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence your behavior.
- emotion identification
- accurate self-perception
- strengths recognition
- self-confidence
- self-efficacy
Self-Management
The ability to control your own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors – effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating yourself. The ability to set and work towards achieving goals (personal and academic)
- impulse control
- stress management
- self-discipline
- self-motivation
- goal-setting
- organizational skills
Social awareness
The ability to empathize with others different from you. The ability to understand acceptable social and ethical behaviors.
- understanding different perspectives
- empathizing
- understanding and appreciating diversity
- respecting others
Relationship skills
The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with different individuals and groups. Conversing, listening, cooperating, resisting peer pressure, negotiating conflict, asking for help.
- communicating
- engaging socially
- building relationships
- working in teams
Decision-making
The ability to make constructive choices about your own behavior. The ability to understand the consequences of choices and understanding how our decisions affect others.
- identifying problems
- analyzing situations
- problem solving
- reflecting
- taking responsibility
We have a cartoon for that!
There are 21 episodes cartoons, each with a ONE PAGE curriculum guide. Each of the fifteen episodes fit into one or more of these categories, helping educators and counselors introduce SEL topics and initiate conversations, discussions, or interviews on these topics.
Nate Smith, Reeths-Puffer Director of Teaching and Learning, reviewed the CASEL alignments, as well as the Michigan Department of Education SEL alignments, and made the following recommendations. As you can see, Cartoonversation™ can help you reach your kids with important social-emotional learning initiatives.
Let’s take a look at the episodes and how they fit into the categories.
By Episode:
Episode1: Too Many Activities
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Decision-Making
Episode 2: Moving to a New School
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 3: Bullyvision: Bullying
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 4: Snail’s Pace – Inappropriate Use of Social Media
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Decision-Making
Episode 5: Last One Picked
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 6: Think Tank – Cyberbullying
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 7: Hop, Skip, and a Jump – Truancy
- Self-Management
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 8: Making the Grade – Resilience
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 9: Marv or Myth – Mental Health
- Self-Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Social Awareness
Episode 10: Build-a-Bear – Assertiveness
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 11: Riding the Pine
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 12: It’s Written in the Stars – Dealing with the Death of a Loved One
- Self-Awareness
- Social Awareness
Episode 13: Divorce
- Self-Awareness
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
Episode 14: On the Fly – Mindfulness
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
Episode 15: Garbage In, Garbage Out
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Decision-Making
By core competency:
Self-Awareness
- Episode 1: Too Many Activities
- Episode 2: Moving to a New School
- Episode 3: Bullyvision – Bullying
- Episode 5: Last One Picked
- Episode 6: Think Tank – Cyberbullying
- Episode 8: Making the Grade – Resilience
- Episode 9: Marv or Myth – Mental Health
- Episode 10: Build-a-Bear – Assertiveness
- Episode 11: Riding the Pine
- Episode 12: It’s Written in the Stars – Dealing with the Death of a Loved One
- Episode 13: Divorce
- Episode 14: On the Fly – Mindfulness
- Episode 15: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Self-Management
- Episode 1: Too Many Activities
- Episode 2: Moving to a New School
- Episode 3: Bullyvision – Bullying
- Episode 4: Snail’s Pace – Inappropriate Use of Social Media
- Episode 5: Last One Picked
- Episode 6: Think Tank – Cyber bullying
- Episode 7: Hop, Skip, and a Jump – Truancy
- Episode 8: Making the Grade – Resilience
- Episode 10: Build-a-Bear – Assertiveness
- Episode 11: Riding the Pine
- Episode 14: On the Fly – Mindfulness
- Episode 15: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Social Awareness
- Episode 2: Moving to a New School
- Episode 3: Bullyvision – Bullying
- Episode 4: Snail’s Pace – Inappropriate Use of Social Media
- Episode 5: Last One Picked
- Episode 6: Think Tank – Cyber bullying
- Episode 9: Marv or Myth – Mental Health
- Episode 10: Build-a-Bear – Assertiveness
- Episode 11: Riding the Pine
- Episode 12: It’s Written in the Stars – Dealing with the Death of a Loved One
- Episode 13: Divorce
- Episode 14: On the Fly – Mindfulness
- Episode 15: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Relationship Skills
- Episode 2: Moving to a New School
- Episode 3: Bullyvision – Bullying
- Episode 5: Last One Picked
- Episode 6: Think Tank – Cyber bullying
- Episode 7: Hop, Skip, and a Jump – Truancy
- Episode 8: Making the Grade – Resilience
- Episode 9: Marv or Myth – Mental Health
- Episode 10: Build-a-Bear – Assertiveness
- Episode 11: Riding the Pine
- Episode 13: Divorce
- Episode 14: On the Fly – Mindfulness
- Episode 15: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Decision-Making
- Episode 1: Too Many Activities
- Episode 2: Moving to a New School
- Episode 3: Bullyvision – Bullying
- Episode 4: Snail’s Pace – Inappropriate Use of Social Media
- Episode 5: Last One Picked
- Episode 6: Think Tank – Cyberbullying
- Episode 7: Hop, Skip, and a Jump – Truancy
- Episode 8: Making the Grade – Resilience
- Episode 10: Build-a-Bear – Assertiveness
- Episode 11: Riding the Pine
- Episode 14: On the Fly – Mindfulness
- Episode 15: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Using Cartoonversations™ In Your School
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of using Cartoonversations™ in your school or classroom is their simplicity. There is no in-service training required. There is no four-inch binder of curriculum administration. There is no rigid guideline for administering the cartoon. The simple one-page Cartoonversation™ Card sets the scene for the cartoon, provides background information about the characters, and provides five conversation starter questions, five facts about the topic, and five additional online resources. Cartoonversations™ will supplement your SEL curriculum or you can build an entire SEL curriculum around Cartoonversations™.
Remember, our cartoons are FREE for everyone (teachers, counselors, parents, kids, clowns, and superheroes) in North America. Our generous sponsors make it possible for us to create and maintain this program.