The Theory
Social-emotional learning, often abbreviated as SEL, has become increasingly important in picture books as a way to address the various challenges and pressures that children encounter today. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL involves equipping both young people and adults with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to foster healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, demonstrate empathy, build supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions (casel.org).
Social-emotional learning, often abbreviated as SEL, has become increasingly important in picture books as a way to address the various challenges and pressures that children encounter today. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL involves equipping both young people and adults with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to foster healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, demonstrate empathy, build supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions (casel.org).
SEL was important before COVID, but during and after COVID, kids lost so many of the following skills because they were isolated from direct contact in communities of other children and teachers etc., with Zoom lessons being a poor substitute. Hence the need for knowledge about SEL. BUT, because we are creatives, SEL qualities need to be subtly embedded as underlying themes in engaging and wonderful stories.
CASEL categorizes SEL into five interconnected domains: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. Executive Function (EF) is also a key component of SEL, encompassing self-control and competencies essential for effective planning, focus, and goal achievement. To enhance your writing on SEL themes, it’s helpful to delve into relevant concepts, research, and developmental milestones, making your work resonate deeply with readers. I’ll be hopefully helping with that in future first Monday posts by providing examples showing these qualities.
The Practice
Here’s a wonderful example of a story-driven picture book where the story comes first but the underlying SEL themes are clear if you look for them.
Evie’s Field Day: More than One Way to Win by Claire Noland (Author), Alicia Teba (Illustrator) Cardinal Rule Press
The book is both a plot- and a character-driven story. The opening shows Evie’s mindset and goal. In striving toward her goal, she experiences setbacks. She reevaluates her goal and adjusts her mindset.
At the outset, Evie identifies as a WINNER. She is confident that her athletic abilities are stronger than her peers’. She displays her many trophies in her room. Her goal is to win more trophies on Field Day.
Self-Awareness includes “includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well- grounded sense of confidence and purpose.” Evie sees herself as a strong athlete, a self-assessment that defines her interests and her goal.
Setbacks: Evie loses event after event. After each loss, Evie is the only one who does not cheer the winner.
We see that Evie’s Self-Awareness is underdeveloped. Her assessment of her own strengths and weaknesses is incomplete.
We also see room for improvement in Evie’s Social Awareness, an area which includes “abilities to understand the perspectives of an empathize with others.” When she loses, her behavior is self-absorbed; she does not recognize others’ strengths.
Then, Evie takes the lead in the sack race. She is winning! However, a baby bird has fallen into the race path. She evaluates two paths of action. Evie could jump over the bird and win the race. But the racers behind her might not jump over the bird (it is implied that the bird might get hurt).
Crucial Moment: Evie stops. She succeeds in helping the bird, but she finishes last in the race.
Evie demonstrates Responsible Decision-Making and adjusts her Self-Awareness and Social Awareness. She considers the consequences of the actions available to her. She shifts her mindset from a self-absorbed focus on winning trophies to putting the bird’s needs first. She shifts her action from competition to compassion.
Resolution: Evie’s peers cheer her for helping the bird. Evie smiles. She recognizes that “some things are better than winning.”
Evie’s Field Day includes back matter with “10 Suggestions to help your child learn good sportsmanship.” However, the book takes a gentle approach to opening this discussion; the description on Amazon stating “Evie was a sore loser” is misleading. The only
only un-sportsmanlike behavior Evie exhibits in the story is failing to cheer the winners of the events she loses. She does not taunt her rivals or act out. Indeed, she gives her competitors a smile or thumbs-up as they get in position for each event. Moreover, Evie perseveres. She does not quit. Evie’s story remains tightly focused on her learning that happiness and positive attention from peers do not depend on winning a competition. She ultimately finds both in her act of compassion. I highly recommend this as both a mentor text and a comp title.
Here’s a wonderful example of a story-driven picture book where the story comes first but the underlying SEL themes are clear if you look for them.
Evie’s Field Day: More than One Way to Win by Claire Noland (Author), Alicia Teba (Illustrator) Cardinal Rule Press
The book is both a plot- and a character-driven story. The opening shows Evie’s mindset and goal. In striving toward her goal, she experiences setbacks. She reevaluates her goal and adjusts her mindset.
At the outset, Evie identifies as a WINNER. She is confident that her athletic abilities are stronger than her peers’. She displays her many trophies in her room. Her goal is to win more trophies on Field Day.
Self-Awareness includes “includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well- grounded sense of confidence and purpose.” Evie sees herself as a strong athlete, a self-assessment that defines her interests and her goal.
Setbacks: Evie loses event after event. After each loss, Evie is the only one who does not cheer the winner.
We see that Evie’s Self-Awareness is underdeveloped. Her assessment of her own strengths and weaknesses is incomplete.
We also see room for improvement in Evie’s Social Awareness, an area which includes “abilities to understand the perspectives of an empathize with others.” When she loses, her behavior is self-absorbed; she does not recognize others’ strengths.
Then, Evie takes the lead in the sack race. She is winning! However, a baby bird has fallen into the race path. She evaluates two paths of action. Evie could jump over the bird and win the race. But the racers behind her might not jump over the bird (it is implied that the bird might get hurt).
Crucial Moment: Evie stops. She succeeds in helping the bird, but she finishes last in the race.
Evie demonstrates Responsible Decision-Making and adjusts her Self-Awareness and Social Awareness. She considers the consequences of the actions available to her. She shifts her mindset from a self-absorbed focus on winning trophies to putting the bird’s needs first. She shifts her action from competition to compassion.
Resolution: Evie’s peers cheer her for helping the bird. Evie smiles. She recognizes that “some things are better than winning.”
Evie’s Field Day includes back matter with “10 Suggestions to help your child learn good sportsmanship.” However, the book takes a gentle approach to opening this discussion; the description on Amazon stating “Evie was a sore loser” is misleading. The only
only un-sportsmanlike behavior Evie exhibits in the story is failing to cheer the winners of the events she loses. She does not taunt her rivals or act out. Indeed, she gives her competitors a smile or thumbs-up as they get in position for each event. Moreover, Evie perseveres. She does not quit. Evie’s story remains tightly focused on her learning that happiness and positive attention from peers do not depend on winning a competition. She ultimately finds both in her act of compassion. I highly recommend this as both a mentor text and a comp title.
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As a school psychologist, I’ve written countless reports and presentations outlining challenges and how to overcome them. Translating complex concepts into simple terms, I love helping young children with learning, emotional, social, and impulse-control difficulties. My published work in that arena includes a relaxation-training curriculum, book chapters, and articles. My children’s book manuscripts reflect the children I’ve assisted, my New York/Jewish background (especially tales from my Dad’s Brooklyn boyhood) and my quirky sense of humor.
– Debra Collins https://www.thewritedebracollins.com/ |
