Emoji Check-In

Duration: 5 minutes
Objective: Give students a quick, fun way to name and share their current emotions, building self-awareness and classroom connection.

Materials

• Emoji Check-In Cards – each card shows a different emoji representing a feeling (happy, sad, excited, worried, etc.).

Instructions

1. Shuffle and distribute one card to each student as they enter the classroom.
2. Ask students to look at their emoji and think quietly: “Does this match how I feel right now?”
3. Invite anyone whose card matches their feeling to hold it up and, if they’re comfortable, briefly explain why (1–2 sentences).
4. If a student’s card doesn’t fit, they may quietly swap with a neighbor until they find a better match.
5. After a few volunteers share, affirm that all feelings are okay and that we can support each other by noticing how we’re doing today.

Teacher Tips:
– Encourage honest sharing: emphasize there’s no right or wrong emotion.
– Model vulnerability: share your own emoji choice first.
– Use this check-in to notice patterns (e.g., many students feeling anxious before a big test) and adjust your plan accordingly.

Story Circle Share

Duration: 10 minutes
Objective: Give students a structured space to share their personal SEL stories, practice active listening, and learn from peers’ experiences.

Materials

• Story Circle Share Prompts – cards with questions to guide sharing and listening
• Paper and pencils (optional – for jotting quick notes)

Instructions

1. Form Groups (1 minute)
   • Arrange students into small groups of 4–5.
   • Remind them to sit in a circle so everyone can see each other.
2. Review Prompts (1 minute)
   • Distribute one set of Story Circle Share Prompts to each group.
   • Quickly read through the prompts together:
   • “What happened in your story?”
   • “Which feeling or thought was strongest?”
   • “How did you use the SEL competency?”
   • “What did you learn from that experience?”
3. Share in Turns (6 minutes)
   • One at a time, each student takes 1–1½ minutes to share their Emotional Journey story from the worksheet.
   • The rest of the group uses prompts to ask follow-up questions and show they’re listening (nodding, paraphrasing, eye contact).
   • Encourage listeners to choose one prompt per speaker so they don’t all ask the same question.
4. Group Reflection (2 minutes)
   • After everyone shares, ask groups to pick one insight they heard that surprised them or that they want to remember.
   • Invite one representative from each group to briefly share that insight with the whole class.

Teacher Tips

• Model good listening: demonstrate paraphrasing a student’s point before the activity.
• Keep time: gently signal when each speaker has 30 seconds left.
• Encourage empathy: remind students there’s no judgment—everyone’s experience is valuable.
• Support quieter students: if someone is hesitant, offer to read a prompt for them or ask a simpler follow-up question.

My SEL Snapshot

Use this journal to reflect on today’s lesson and plan how to grow your social-emotional skills.

1. My Confidence Competency

Which CASEL competency did you feel most confident using during today’s activities? Describe why you chose this competency and how it helped you.

2. My Challenge Competency

Which competency was the most challenging for you? Think of a moment from today when you noticed this challenge. What made it hard?

3. A Time I Used SEL Outside Class

Recall a time outside of school when you used one of the five competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, or responsible decision-making). Describe what happened, which skill you used, and what you learned from that experience.

4. My SEL Goal

Choose one competency you want to improve this week. Write a clear goal and list at least two specific steps you will take to reach it.

5. One-Word Reflection

Pick one word that sums up how you feel about your SEL journey today. Explain why this word fits your experience.

Great work reflecting! Keep this page to review your goals and celebrate your growth as you practice these skills every day.

One-Word Reflection

Duration: 5 minutes
Objective: Students capture their overall SEL insight or feeling from today’s lesson in a single word and explain its significance.

Materials

• One-Word Reflection Strips

Instructions

1. Distribute one strip to each student.
2. Ask students to think back on the activities—what word best sums up how they feel or what they learned most about themselves?
3. On the strip, students write their chosen word and, if they like, add a simple doodle or icon that illustrates it.
4. Invite a few volunteers to read their word aloud and share in one sentence why they picked it.
5. Collect all strips and post them on a “Word Wall” or classroom board to revisit in future discussions.

Teacher Tips:

• Encourage students to pick a single, powerful word rather than a phrase.
• Use the Word Wall as a springboard at the start of the next class to connect back to today’s learning.
• Celebrate creative words and artwork to honor each student’s reflection.