Literacy Strategies and SEL in Junior Classrooms

 SEL + LITERACY STRATEGIES = SAFE LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND GREAT RELATIONSHIPS      Learning about SEL through Literacy strategies can be beneficial. Numerous strategies can be utilized to create rich activities that center on SEL skills; for example, journalling is an effective literacy strategy for comprehension but can also be used to help students track certain emotions, feelings, or behaviours.            According to the Center for Responsive Schools, social-emotional literacy stems from "reading" emotions through written, verbal and visual languages, similar to how in literacy, one must read written texts (2021). Similarly, Hill (2022) argues that SEL is essential in learning literacy. If challenged with a difficult task, students must have the resiliency to push through the typical responses of shutting down and refusing to try it. By using SEL, students can manage their emotions and thinking to create the potential for resiliency to at least attempt the problem first

 LITERACY STRATEGIES: WHAT WORKS?     There are various ways in which Language is taught - sometimes it is verbally, sometimes through observation, and sometimes through explicit instruction. Educators use literacy strategies  to help students acquire literacy (or language) skills. In my literacy course, we use a textbook called "50 Literacy Strategies" (Tompkins, 2013), describing various strategies that focus on comprehension, among other dimensions of literacy in great depth. Besides the textbook, there are a variety of strategies online.  Doyle & Bramwell (2006) provide insights into the positive impacts of Dialogic Reading. Although they focus primarily on early learners, their strategies can also be adapted to work for older students. It is important to remember that ANY literacy strategy can be modified and adapted to fit the needs of all learners at any age . While some sources may highly recommend specific strategies for certain grades, it is not limited to them

  WHAT IS SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?      Social-Emotional Learning , otherwise known as SEL, is an approach to education where social and emotional skills are a focal point for educators to develop alongside academics. Fostering an environment where SEL is included or even central has become a popular approach within classrooms, particularly in Kindergarten, although post-COVID education has begun to adapt and implement strategies in older grades. Although one may generally feel that junior grades, which for this purpose have been considered grades 4-6, have control over their emotional well-being. However, they are still children and youth, and emphasizing emotional support is never harmful.            According to CASEL (2020), a community centring on the importance of SEL, these skills are taught and obtained in various settings. Below is the framework that CASEL created, or by clicking here , you can engage with their framework interactively.       On the ou