I am so excited to introduce myself. My name is Joe Burns, and I am a new member of the Capstone curriculum team. Prior to joining Capstone, I spent 10 years teaching in public education ranging from kindergarten through fourth grade. I pride myself on being able to find unique, engaging, and authentic ways to present concepts to students. I have a passion for emotional intelligence and celebrating the diversity of school communities.

 

SEL Content Areas

Since starting at Capstone, I have been compiling resources that supplement your school’s SEL program or serve as useful discussion pieces as students reenter the school environment. In our current educational landscape, emotional intelligence is at the forefront of all our minds. Providing students with the tools to become empathetic, resilient, thoughtful members of society will require explicit instruction and quality resources to support it.

I hope the picture books I have identified below can fill a few gaps and provide a fun, but elegant, way to approach these topics. I feel strongly about continuing to support SEL, social justice, and representation within literature for our youngest students. Please feel free to connect with me with on any requests, suggestions, and especially celebrations @BurnsDoesBooks.

 

Self-Awareness & Reentering Anxieties

As most schools transition back to an in-person teaching model, anxiety surrounding reentry is rising across the country. The following books serve as a discussion piece to support the self-awareness and self-efficacy required to begin the year. These books range from identifying and accepting negative feelings, to issues of self-worth and socialization.

 

Donut Worry

Donut Worry is the perfect way to kick off the school year. Enjoy the tale of Donut and her anxiety of returning to school. Frustrated with the world telling her “Everything will be fine", Donut learns the core value of all positive mental health – IT’S OK TO NOT BE OK. I love Donut Worry; the juxtaposition of illustrations and photorealism is stunning. The story is heartfelt and focuses on the first step to great mental health and emotional intelligence: understanding that not everything is perfect and that is OK.

• I would use this book at the start of the year to help students share about any anxieties as they re-enter school.
• Additionally, it can be used to introduce the concept of emotional intelligence and segue into your SEL curriculum.

 

The Very Last Leaf

Take a trip through the eyes of a leaf at the top of his class. The Very Last Leaf  is a delightful tale about the fear of failure. I love this story as it explores the difficulty that students of all abilities may encounter when they are asked to do something challenging, especially the high-flier students. As educators we can lose sight of how traumatizing it can be for strong students to meet their match.

• Try this book in a small group or as part of a larger discussion piece about taking risks and building resilience.

 

Too Shy for Show-and-Tell

Join Sam the Giraffe as he attempts to overcome his fear and anxiety surrounding show and tell in Too Shy for Show-and-Tell. This book is easily adaptable to meet the needs of our current Covid landscape by helping to launch a discussion that explores the nerves associated with reopening schools and socialization.

• Too Shy for Show-and-Tell can be utilized as a whole group read aloud as a way for students to explore their own self-worth.
• After reading students could complete an all-about-me icebreaker celebrating their differences and strengths.

PebbleGo Health Articles

• [Self Awareness-> Self-Confidence, Self-Worth, Standing up for yourself ]
• [Feelings and Emotions -> I Feel Scared, What are Feelings and Emotions?]

 

Managing Expectations & Teamwork

Two of the most difficult conflicts I dealt with as an elementary teacher were issues of teamwork and disappointment. To effectively manage expectations, students must first learn about empathy and perspective. The resources I selected are aimed at helping students visualize the process of empathy and gain perspective on how others view their actions. Through these books, teachers can start a discussion about having an appropriate reaction to a perceived problem.

 

The Golden Acorn

The Golden Acorn is a charming story about a squirrel who learns to pump the brakes and realizes the importance of life beyond winning. This is a remarkable story, which can be a conversation starter about several components of emotional intelligence: teamwork, mindfulness, or just reflecting on how our own actions are perceived by and affect others.

 

Possible questions for discussion include:

• Why is Squirrel so frustrated?
• Is Squirrel acting like a good friend?
• Why doesn’t Squirrel win? What did she learn?

 

Awesome!

Explore the delight of the unexpected duo of Moose and Beaver in Awesome! Despite being best friends, jealousy creeps in to threaten their friendship as Moose is praised by their animal peers.

I love this story to help students understand that everyone is worthy of being extraordinary. As a teacher I often noticed students feeling jealous and competitive when they weren't the subject of my praise. 

• Awesome! can be used as the cornerstone of any lesson to help students deal with the jealousy or envy that can occur when others are put in the spotlight.

 

The Perfect Birthday Recipe

A polished story that takes the reader through the steps of anxiety, disappointment, and acceptance as Beaver learns to value the effort and friendship of his peers. The Perfect Birthday Recipe is a great introduction to any lesson centered upon managing expectations.

• This book could take the place of any social story within small groups or read aloud settings.
• Students could be asked to practice their empathy skills by exploring the feelings of each character by asking them to make text connections.

PebbleGo Health Articles

• [Relationships and friends -> Cooperation, Teamwork, Communication]
• [Feelings and Emotions -> Self-Control, Manners]

 

Growth Mindset

At its core, growth mindset states that brains and talent are just the starting point, and real improvement is developed through dedication and hard work. As an educational trend, growth mindset has been around for a while and has seen ebbs and flows surrounding the implementation and purpose surrounding it.

In the post-Covid classroom, growth mindset will be the backbone to build resiliency within our youngest learners. Growth mindset can act as the foundation for setting goals, taking risks, and tracking growth. The books I selected support this tangible process of achieving goals.

Catkwondo

Catkwondo is a heartfelt tale about an adorable kitten who desperately wants to break a board at her martial arts class. To reach her goal, Kitten must be resilient, patient, and learn the value of practice.

I love this story as an alternative way to start the discussion around growth mindset.

• In a whole group, lead a discussion about the value of failure and that true learning is achieved through mistakes.
• Students learn how to set achievable goals, create an explicit plan, and track progress along the way.

 

Let it Grow

Let It Grow is a unique story about a tiny pumpkin seed. With time and patience, we can see the realization of its full potential. Students will realize that meeting goals takes time, and sometimes the journey is the most important part.

• This book draws inspiration from the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta, which is a fantastic annual event held in Windsor, Maine, which could provide a variety of extension activities outside SEL.

PebbleGo Health Articles

• [Self-Awareness ->Motivation, Self Confidence, Self-Discipline]
• [Feelings and Emotions -> I feel Excited, I feel scared, I feel worried]

 

Mindfulness & Living in the Moment

Mindfulness is more than just a buzzword. It is something I always found useful for calming students and keeping them focused. Here are a couple of my favorite Capstone titles that support the introduction of this concept and aid in combating the unending onslaught of digital distractions by helping students stay present in the moment.

 

Selfie

Amidst the blitz of Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube on our youngest generation, Selfie is a breath of fresh air. This story helps students understand that sometimes the best things are happening right in front of us, not behind a screen.

This story can also be a wonderful way to talk about digital literacy and digital citizenship for intermediate grades. After reading you could lead a discussion on internet safety and etiquette by providing students with authentic examples of the lasting impacts that a social media footprint can have as they get older.

Suggested Questions or Activities:

• What are the dangers of social media addiction?
• Create a set of guidelines to aid in digital safety.
• Create a digital conduct contract.
• Provide authentic examples of the impacts of social media, internet bullying, or lack of privacy.

 

Mindful Mr. Sloth 

Sometimes you just need to slow down. In Mindful Mr. Sloth readers follow the story of an unlikely friendship as Sasha learns the virtues of slowing down and being mindful of her surroundings. You can start a conversation to help students gain perspective and learn how to reflect on their behavior and surroundings with questions like:

• Did Sasha’s behavior cause any problems?
• How are Sasha and Mr. Sloth different?
• What happened when Sasha learned to slow down?
• How could slowing down help you during the school day?

PebbleGo Health Articles

• [Self-Awareness -> Self Confidence, Self-Worth, Body Imagine]

 

Inclusivity & Diversity

Capstone believes in inclusive representation and celebrating diverse storytelling in children’s books. We believe that our differences make us special. Within the classroom it can be difficult to find a variety of appropriate resources to help build empathy and perspective-taking, essential skills for living in a diverse world. The resources I selected are perfect for helping kids notice and celebrate what makes us all different.

First Day of Unicorn School

A quirky, fun time, First Day of Unicorn School explores what can happen when you accept yourself and celebrate what makes you different and special.

• This is a delightful book to start conversations about inclusion and self-efficacy.
• A follow-up activity to this book could include having students play games like two truths and a lie, or interview classmates to find out interesting hidden facts.

 

My Footprints

Launch yourself into an emotional journey of self-discovery by Bao Phi. In My Footprints, Thuy struggles with her identity as a Vietnamese American child with two moms. This book is a great addition to any classroom. These days, however, it is increasingly important to provide students with the skills necessary to reflect on respect and inclusion. My Footprints can serve as a great conversation starter for empathy and inclusion.

 

Consider some of the following questions:

• Why does Thuy feel different?
• Why do you think Thuy mimics the footprints of the animals she encounters?
• Have you ever felt left out or different?
• What could you do to help one of your friends feel included or valued?

 

Hello, Mandarin Duck!

Hello, Mandarin Duck!  is a colorful story that takes readers along on the adventure of a Mandarin duck. Through the collaboration of a diverse community, the duck meets many new friends and completes his journey to find a new home. This book reverently observes diversity within a community, as well as teamwork and inclusivity.

• Hello, Mandarin Duck! offers many extensions for a classroom teacher to help students define difficult concepts like culture and community.
• Consider having students compare each character that is introduced and make connections between the characters in the story and themselves.

PebbleGo Health Articles

• [Self-Awareness ->Self-Concept, Manners]
• [Relationships and friends -> Empathy, Cooperation, Making new Friends, Acceptance]

 

Classroom Management & Common Behaviors

 

Little Boost Series

In the wake of the pandemic, simply reentering the classroom could pose a challenge for many younger students. The Little Boost series is a great collection of stories to help remind students about classroom rules. Each story tackles common behaviors through lovable and relatable characters. All of the stories are a great way to help guide discussion on proper classroom etiquette but check out some of my favorites below.

• Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker and The Social Butterfly take up the reins of reminding students about speaking out of turn.
• Harrison P. Spader, Space Invader tackles the idea of personal space, which is especially important in the current school landscape.
• You Get What You Get helps students explore frustrations of being let down and provides valuable perspective to help promote empathy.
• The Little Bully; Eleanore Won’t Share; Hello Goodbye, and a Little Lie; and Miles McHale, Tattletale round out the back-to-school line-up with a discussion of a wide range of common behaviors that may need remediation.

These books can serve as a great way to begin building your classroom rules or social contract, or simply be used as social stories as needed to help remediate individual issues.

Name Your Emotions Series

Name Your Emotions is a series containing eight different emotions. These books provide more explicit representations of how students can recognize and name the emotion. 

• All of the titles provide great examples and vivid images to help students visually identify how they are feeling. 
• These can easily provide further context for any Social Emotional Program, but also offer their own spin on coping mechanisms and strategies to help alleviate intense feelings.

Health and My Body Series

Good health and academic success go hand in hand. Whether to support curriculum or satisfy curious students, the Health and My Body series provides essential information around children's health with kid-friendly text. 

• Life is full of surprises and challenges, and it’s not always fair. How you respond to those surprises and challenges is what’s important. In Keep Trying! readers learn how to bounce back from problems by taking charge of their decisions and actions.
• Sometimes you feel happy. Sometimes you feel sad. Sometimes you don’t know how you feel. You feel lots of different things all day long. Manage Your Emotions helps readers talk about their feelings and learn how to deal with them.
• What Is Stress? helps readers understand how stress can be caused by lots of different things. A big test. A fight with a friend. A new experience. But no matter what causes the stress, what’s important is how you deal with it.
• In Mindfulness, readers learn about the importance of slowing down and taking time to notice what’s going on around them. Being present in the moment can help you be more focused, patient, and self-aware. So readers are encouraged to take a deep breath, smile, and learn more about mindfulness.
• Teasing. Spreading rumors. Leaving someone out on purpose. These are types of bullying, and bullying is never OK. Bullying shows readers they have the power to stop bullying by using respect and kindness, and that's an important power to have.
• Communication Skills explains how communication is the sharing of information and while that sounds easy, that’s not always the case. Did you know your body language and the tone of your voice are just as important as what you are saying? Learn to communicate with confidence in every situation.

 

Looking for more Social Emotional Learning ideas? Check out our SEL Guide and browse our SEL Activities.