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What Does SEL Mean?

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Janeth Gonzalez

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Discovering CASEL Competencies Plan

Students will explore the five CASEL social-emotional learning competencies and practice identifying and managing emotions through interactive games and reflection.

Understanding SEL fosters self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making, supporting students’ academic and social success.

Audience

3rd Grade Class

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive games, slides, and reflection activities.

Materials

CASEL Intro Slides, Emotion Charades Activity, Competency Matching Cards, and Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

  • Review the CASEL Intro Slides to familiarize yourself with key points.
  • Print and cut the emotion cards for the Emotion Charades Activity.
  • Prepare sets of Competency Matching Cards (scenario and competency definition cards).
  • Make copies of the Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket.
  • Arrange seating in a circle to facilitate group sharing and movement.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Emotion Charades

5 minutes

  • Have students stand in a circle and explain the rules of charades.
  • Show one student at a time an emotion card from the Emotion Charades Activity.
  • The student acts out the emotion without words; classmates guess which emotion it is.
  • Confirm the correct emotion and briefly discuss how you might feel it in real life.

Step 2

Introduction: SEL & CASEL Competencies

10 minutes

  • Display the CASEL Intro Slides and define Social-Emotional Learning.
  • Introduce each of the five CASEL competencies with visuals: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
  • Ask students to share examples of times they’ve used any of these skills.

Step 3

Activity: Competency Matching

15 minutes

  • Divide students into pairs and give each pair a shuffled set of Competency Matching Cards.
  • Instruct pairs to match scenario cards with the correct competency definition.
  • Encourage discussion: “Why does this scenario fit that competency?”
  • Circulate to provide prompts and check understanding.

Step 4

Cool-Down: Feelings Reflection

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket to each student.
  • Prompt students to write or draw about how they felt during the lesson and which competency they used or would like to practice.
  • Collect exit tickets for informal assessment.

Step 5

Closing: Share & Summarize

5 minutes

  • Invite a few volunteers to share insights from their exit tickets.
  • Reinforce key takeaways from each CASEL competency.
  • Encourage students to notice and practice these skills throughout the school day.
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Slide Deck

What Does SEL Mean?

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is how we:

  • Understand and manage our feelings
  • Make friends and solve problems
  • Make good choices every day

Welcome students! Today we’ll learn about social-emotional learning, or SEL. Introduce yourself and explain that ‘SEL’ helps us understand our feelings and get along with others.

What Is SEL?

SEL is the skill set we use to:

  • Notice and name our emotions
  • Calm down when we’re upset
  • Understand how others feel

Ask: “What feelings have you had this morning?” Highlight that all feelings are normal. Explain SEL is practicing skills to handle emotions.

Why SEL Matters

SEL helps us:

  • Learn better in class
  • Make and keep friends
  • Solve problems calmly
  • Feel confident and safe

Share a story or example of a student calming down before a test or resolving a conflict with a friend.

The 5 CASEL Competencies

  1. Self-Awareness
  2. Self-Management
  3. Social Awareness
  4. Relationship Skills
  5. Responsible Decision-Making

Introduce the CASEL framework. Hold up five fingers and explain there are five key skills we’ll explore.

Self-Awareness & Self-Management

Self-Awareness:

  • Recognizing our own feelings and strengths

Self-Management:

  • Controlling impulses and staying focused

Discuss Self-Awareness and Self-Management. Ask for examples: “How do you know you’re excited?” and “What helps you calm down?”

Social Awareness & Relationship Skills

Social Awareness:

  • Understanding others’ feelings and perspectives

Relationship Skills:

  • Communicating, cooperating, and making friends

Discuss Social Awareness and Relationship Skills. Invite students to share ways they show kindness or help a friend.

Responsible Decision-Making & Review

Responsible Decision-Making:

  • Thinking through choices and their consequences

Which SEL skill will you practice this week?

Explain Responsible Decision-Making. Close by asking students which skill they’d like to practice today.

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Warm Up

Emotion Charades Warm-Up

Time: 5 minutes
Materials: Emotion cards (happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, etc.) printed and cut out; optional timer or chime for quick rounds

Instructions:

  • Have students stand in a circle and explain the charades rule: act out the emotion without words or sounds, using only body language and facial expressions.
  • Show one student at a time an emotion card from the Emotion Charades Activity.
  • The student silently acts out the emotion; classmates guess which emotion it is.
  • Confirm the correct emotion and briefly discuss: “When might you feel this emotion?”
  • Continue rotating volunteers until time is up, aiming for 5–6 quick rounds.
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lenny

Activity

Competency Matching Cards Activity

Time: 15 minutes
Materials: Print and cut Scenario Cards and Competency Definition Cards (one set per pair).

Scenario Cards (cut into individual cards)

  1. Ana felt frustrated during math and reminded herself to take deep breaths to calm down.
  2. Carlos listened quietly when his friend was upset and offered comforting words.
  3. Ria organized her desk and set a timer so she could finish her writing assignment on time.
  4. Tomas invited a new student to play at recess and helped them feel welcome.
  5. Linh thought carefully about which game to choose so everyone would have fun and no one felt left out.

Competency Definition Cards (cut into individual cards)

  • Self-Awareness: Recognizing your own feelings and strengths.
  • Self-Management: Controlling impulses and staying focused on tasks.
  • Social Awareness: Understanding how others feel and seeing things from their perspective.
  • Relationship Skills: Communicating clearly, cooperating, and making friends.
  • Responsible Decision-Making: Thinking through choices and considering their consequences.

Instructions

  1. Divide students into pairs and give each pair one shuffled set of Scenario Cards and one shuffled set of Competency Definition Cards.
  2. Ask pairs to match each scenario to the competency that best fits.
    • Encourage them to discuss: “Why does this scenario show this competency?”
  3. After matching, have pairs share one of their matches and explain their thinking to the class.
  4. Reinforce understanding by briefly reviewing each competency with the matched scenario.

Link: Competency Matching Cards

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lenny

Cool Down

Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket

Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________

  1. How did you feel during today’s lesson? Draw a face or write a word that shows your feeling:






  2. Which CASEL competency did you practice today? (Circle one)

    • Self-Awareness • Self-Management • Social Awareness • Relationship Skills • Responsible Decision-Making

  3. Which SEL skill would you like to practice more? Why?






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lenny