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What Does SEL Mean?

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Lesson Plan

Discovering CASEL Competencies Plan

Introduce 3rd graders to the five CASEL social-emotional competencies through interactive games, group matching, and personal reflection, so students can define each competency and recognize its use in everyday life.

Building SEL skills supports self-awareness, healthy relationships, and decision-making, fostering a positive classroom climate and laying a foundation for lifelong emotional growth.

Audience

3rd Grade Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Hands-on activities and guided reflection.

Materials

Prep

Setup and Review Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-up: Emotion Charades

5 minutes

  • Divide students into pairs and give each pair one Emotion Charades Card.
  • Demonstrate acting out an emotion without words while the partner guesses.
  • Rotate cards so each pair acts and guesses at least once.
  • Ask: “How did acting out emotions help you understand feelings?”

Step 2

Introduction to CASEL Competencies

10 minutes

  • Display the CASEL Intro Slides.
  • Explain Social-Emotional Learning and the CASEL acronym.
  • Define each competency: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making.
  • Invite volunteers to share examples from their own lives.

Step 3

Activity: Competency Matching

15 minutes

  • Form groups of 3–4 and distribute a set of Competency Matching Cards.
  • Instruct students to match each scenario card with the correct competency card.
  • Encourage groups to discuss why they matched each pair.
  • Circulate and prompt deeper thinking with questions (e.g., “Why is self-management important when you’re frustrated?”).

Step 4

Discussion: Sharing Examples

10 minutes

  • Reconvene as a class and have each group share one scenario and its matched competency.
  • Discuss real-life applications: ask students when they might use each competency at school or home.
  • Highlight connections between competencies (e.g., using self-awareness to improve relationships).

Step 5

Cool-down: Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket

5 minutes

  • Hand out the Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket sheets.
  • Prompt students to write or draw: “Which CASEL competency do you feel you used today, and how?”
  • Collect exit tickets to gauge understanding and inform next steps.
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Slide Deck

What Is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?

Social-Emotional Learning is how we understand and manage our feelings, build healthy relationships, and make good choices.

Welcome everyone! Today we’re going to learn about Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL. Ask: “What does it mean to have feelings? Can you name some feelings?”

Why SEL Matters

• Helps us notice and name our emotions
• Teaches us to calm down when we’re upset
• Builds friendships and teamwork
• Guides us to make responsible choices

Explain why SEL helps us in school and at home. Ask students for examples like calming down when upset or helping a friend.

Self-Awareness

Understanding your own feelings, thoughts, and values.
Example: “I notice I feel nervous before a test, so I can take deep breaths.”

Define self-awareness and give a simple scenario: noticing you feel nervous before a test.

Self-Management

Controlling your emotions and behaviors in different situations.
Example: “When I feel angry, I take deep breaths and count to five.”

Talk about ways to manage emotions: breathing, counting, planning. Invite a volunteer to demonstrate taking deep breaths.

Social Awareness

Understanding and showing empathy for others.
Example: “I see my friend is sad, so I ask if they’re OK.”

Discuss how we can notice how others feel. Ask: “What might you do if you see someone crying?”

Relationship Skills

Communicating, listening, cooperation, and working well with others.
Example: “I listen when my friend talks and share ideas in group work.”

Role-play greeting a classmate and listening. Highlight respect and teamwork.

Responsible Decision-Making

Making safe, respectful, and ethical choices.
Example: “I choose to share my toy so everyone can play.”

Walk through a simple decision-making scenario like choosing to share or keep a toy.

Our SEL Journey Today

• Warm-up: Emotion Charades
• Learn the 5 CASEL Competencies
• Activity: Competency Matching
• Share Examples & Reflect

Preview today’s lesson plan: we’ll start with a fun warm-up, match scenarios to competencies, share examples, and finish with a reflection.

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Warm Up

Warm-up Material: Emotion Charades

Use these simple emotion cards to get students moving and thinking about feelings. Print, cut them apart, and distribute one card per pair or small group.

Emotion Charades Cards

  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Angry
  • Surprised
  • Scared
  • Excited
  • Frustrated
  • Proud
  • Embarrassed
  • Calm

Instructions for Use:

  1. Shuffle the cards and hand one to each student or pair.
  2. Without speaking, act out the emotion on the card while classmates guess.
  3. Rotate roles so everyone has a turn acting and guessing.
  4. Debrief: “How did you recognize each feeling? What clues did you use—facial expressions, body language?”

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Activity

Activity Material: Competency Matching Cards

Print and cut these cards so each small group (3–4 students) receives one set of Scenario Cards and one set of Competency Cards. Students will match each scenario to the correct CASEL competency.

Instructions for Use:

  1. Shuffle all cards and deal complete sets to each group.
  2. Lay cards face up and read each Scenario Card aloud.
  3. Discuss as a group which competency best matches the scenario and place the matching Competency Card beside it.
  4. Once all scenarios are matched, explain your reasoning to the class.

Scenario Cards

  • “I felt nervous before the spelling test, so I took three deep breaths to calm down.”
  • “I offered to help pick up papers when I saw a classmate drop their work.”
  • “When I got frustrated with my drawing, I counted slowly to five and tried again.”
  • “I listened closely while my friend shared their story and asked questions to show I cared.”
  • “Before choosing a snack, I thought about whether it would give me energy for recess.”
  • “I noticed I felt proud after finishing my book report and shared my excitement with the teacher.”
  • “I thanked a classmate who lent me a pencil during our test.”
  • “I saw a new student standing alone and invited them to play at recess.”
  • “I decided not to copy a classmate’s work, even though I was running out of time.”
  • “When I felt angry during group work, I used a calming strategy instead of shouting.”

Competency Cards

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

Feelings Reflection Exit Ticket

Name: ______________________ Date: _______________

  1. Which CASEL competency did you feel you used today?
  2. Describe or draw how you used this skill in our lesson.






Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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What Does SEL Mean? • Lenny Learning