SEL Core Competencies: 

• Self-Awareness: identifying emotions, experiencing self-efficacy, linking feelings, values and thoughts, demonstrating honesty and integrity 

• Self-Management: managing one’s emotions, exhibiting self-discipline 

• Social Awareness: taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strengths in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion, identifying diverse social norms, showing concern for the feelings of others 

• Relationship Skills: communicating effectively, developing positive relationships, showing leadership in groups, resolving conflicts constructively, seeking or offering support when needed 

ELA Standards: Listening and Speaking, Writing 

Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity 

Students will build on their understanding of empathy and understanding the importance of listening, being kind, and considering the feelings of others.

Students will collaboratively develop a pledge, mural, or drawing that reflects their collective understanding of making others feel welcome.

Whole Group:

Our classroom is a community of learners. We are all unique and we all have different experiences. We also all experience feelings, some feelings may be big and some may be small. Just like we learned to understand the feelings of our characters in our books, I would like to encourage us to think about the feelings of others in our own classroom community. 

Community: a group of people living or working together in the same area

Today, we are going to read “Strictly No Elephants”

Suggested dialogue:
“What do you notice about the cover?”

Allow students to take the lead and share their predictions, inferences, and make connections to empathy on how the boy and elephant may feel sad because they are excluded.
Encourage using different words to display emotions and develop vocabulary.

See the “Feel Wheel Ages 5-12” below.

During read aloud, engage in suggested prompt:

Pg. 7 “Notice how the elephant is feeling, how can you tell?” (Facial expressions, body language, fearful)

“How does the boy feel?” (He also feels sad, he understands the feelings of the elephant and empathizes with him)
“How does the boy respond to the elephant?” (He helps carry him over the sidewalk crack)

We can show empathy to others by being kind, including everyone and understanding that everyone may need something different. We can be helpful and understanding to others.

There are many examples such as this one in the text as you continue reading, allow for ample room and pauses for student-led discussion during the read aloud experience.

After the read aloud:

Small group discussions or whole group discussions and reflections on the following:

The little boy and little girl did not feel welcome into the Pet Club, how did they feel?

What meaningful actions did they take to make everyone feel welcome in their community?

How can we make everyone feel welcome in OUR classroom community?

Invite students to a carpet space, proactive circle, arrange seats to make a community circle. 

Begin by sharing some ground rules for our proactive circle: 

• Active listening while someone is sharing.

• Speak from your heart.

• Be kind.

A physical object to pass around or a talking stick can be helpful as a support, if needed.

Modeling a way to sign “connection” or “same” is also helpful for students who share similarities to further build connection.

Begin by asking low-risk questions and then dig deeper.

This can be integrated into classroom routines and allow space for students to connect with peers and also check-in and become aware of their feelings as well as the feelings of others. 

Create a classroom agreement or mural displaying students’ views and reflections of a welcoming classroom community. Invite students to contribute, in drawings or writing, their vision of empathy. Provide examples, “if a new student were to come in, how could we help them feel welcome?”
Consider a new student’s perspective and feelings.

What actions can we take to make our classroom a welcoming environment?

Furthermore, this is a wonderful opportunity to engage other classrooms, building staff, janitorial staff, and leadership. Invite them into your classroom to see your finished mural or agreement, greet them by name and smiles. 

Students can also write about their pet animals, real or imaginary, and how they feel about their animal. Shared experiences and connections in the classroom amongst peers will further strengthen and build relationships.

• Encourage student reflection on empathy and their own classroom community. Active engagement with peers and staff.

• Don’t just create a classroom agreement or mural – talk about it, model it, praise it and hold students to it.